Toyota Raum: common faults & what to check

Which Toyota Raum are you looking at?

2 generation variants documented. Pick the shape you recognise: the faults, the servicing and the timeline below all narrow to it. Free, no account needed.

Petrol

2 variants documented

1997–2003EXZ101997–2003EXZ101.5 petrolPetrolDocumented issues4 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: User 3204 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

2003–2011NCZ202003–2011NCZ201.5 petrolPetrolDocumented issues6 knownSee faults & what to checkPhoto: Mr.choppers via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Now narrow it to the engine

A 1.8 and a 2.4 of the same car do not fail the same way, so the faults below narrow to the engine as well as the year. Free, no account needed.

Start your free check on this Toyota Raum

No plate needed. You get the risk score, the buyer's checklist and the guided inspection for the exact car you picked above — not the whole nameplate.

The checks worth doing on a Toyota Raum before you hand over any money. Every documented fault is listed below, each with its own page.

• Costly issue

  Test the door many times, not once — this fault is often intermittent and a single successful cycle proves nothing.

  See why

  Power sliding door failing to open or close

  The power sliding door is the Raum's signature feature and it is also its signature fault — the same mechanism Toyota used across several models has a known record of failing. It stops partway, refuses to open at all, opens but will not latch, or works intermittently depending on the weather. Causes range from a worn motor and a stretched cable to the roller and rail wearing, or a door sensor that no longer reports the door as closed, which can then keep the interior light on and flatten the battery. For most buyers this is the deciding fault on a Raum rather than a mechanical one, because the sliding door is the reason to buy the car — and a failed one turns a family-friendly wagon into an awkward one. It is also entirely testable in the driveway, which makes it one of the easiest checks in this report.

  What you would notice

  • Door stopping partway, or refusing to move under power
  • Door opening but not latching, or needing a hard push to catch
  • Grinding, clicking or straining noise from the door as it moves
  • Door ajar warning with the door visibly shut, or the interior light staying on
  • Battery going flat after the car has stood a few days

  Typically $400–$2,200 to put right.

• Costly issue

  Start the engine dead cold, the first start of the day, and listen at the front timing-cover end for a short rattle.

  See why

  1NZ-FE timing-chain tensioner and VVT-i actuator cold-start rattle at high km

  The 1.5-litre 1NZ-FE petrol engine fitted to the second-generation Raum (and the closely related engines across the range) is chain-driven and genuinely durable, but the hydraulic timing-chain tensioner, chain guides and the VVT-i intake-cam actuator are the recognised wear points as the chain stretches. On a Raum that is now 15-20-plus years old this most often shows up as a brief one-to-two-second metallic rattle on the first cold start of the day, before oil pressure loads the tensioner, and it is usually the VVT-i actuator or a tired tensioner rather than the chain itself. The tensioner O-ring is a known weak point. There is no factory recall; this is normal high-mileage wear accelerated by neglected oil changes. A persistent cold-start rattle is a reason to budget for a tensioner and VVT-i actuator and to check chain stretch, since a badly stretched chain left alone risks jumping timing.

  What you would notice

  • Brief metallic rattle for one to two seconds on the first cold start of the day
  • Rattle fades once oil pressure builds and the engine warms
  • Faint chain or whirring noise from the timing (accessory-belt) end of the engine
  • Check-engine light with VVT or camshaft-timing correlation codes in worse cases

  Typically $700–$2,200 to put right.

• Common issue

  Cold-start the engine after it has sat for at least eight hours and immediately observe the exhaust for blue smoke.

  See why

  5E-FE valve stem seal hardening and oil burning

  The original rubber valve stem seals fitted to the 5E-FE engine harden and lose their sealing ability with age and repeated heat cycling. Given that all EXZ10 Raum models are now over 20 years old, this is a near-universal age-related fault on high-mileage examples. Hardened seals allow engine oil to migrate down the valve stems and into the combustion chamber, where it burns and produces intermittent blue smoke. The fault is most evident on cold start, after the engine has sat overnight, when pooled oil burns off immediately on startup.

  What you would notice

  • Puff of blue-grey smoke from exhaust on cold start, typically clearing within one minute
  • Engine oil consumption without any visible external drips or leaks
  • Oil-fouled spark plug electrodes found on inspection
  • Brief blue smoke on overrun deceleration when engine braking

  Typically $500–$1,500 to put right.

• Common issue

  With the engine at full operating temperature, observe idle in neutral for at least 60 seconds.

  See why

  5E-FE IACV carbon buildup causing idle hunting and stalling

  Carbon and varnish deposits accumulate on the idle air control valve (IACV) and throttle body bore of the 5E-FE engine, particularly on city-driven examples with frequent cold starts and short trip cycles. Restricted airflow through the IACV causes the idle control system to hunt — surging between 500 and 1,500 rpm — or to stall when the engine is placed in gear. This is a well-documented service item on the 5E-FE and worsens progressively beyond 60,000 km without periodic cleaning. Given the age of all EXZ10 Raum imports, this issue is almost universal unless it has been recently addressed.

  What you would notice

  • Engine idle surges rhythmically between approximately 500 and 1,500 rpm when fully warm
  • Engine stalls at traffic lights or when shifting into drive from park
  • Rough or uneven idle on cold start that does not settle within 2 minutes
  • Hesitation on light throttle from rest, particularly when the engine is cold

  Typically $120–$380 to put right.

• Worth checking

  On the test drive listen for a knock over bumps and feel for a notchy or clicking steering as the strut-mount bearing turns.

  See why

  Worn front strut top mounts and tired struts causing knock over bumps

  The Raum rides on conventional MacPherson-strut front suspension, and on a small car now 15-20-plus years old the front strut top mounts, mount bearings and the struts themselves are an expected age-and-mileage wear item rather than a design defect. The front strut/shock-absorber support is a routinely stocked replacement part for the NCZ20 through NZ and Japanese parts suppliers, which points to it being a common service item. Symptoms are a knock or clunk from the front over bumps or when turning, a notchy or graunchy feeling through the steering at low speed as the mount bearing wears, and a floaty or poorly-controlled ride from tired struts. None of this is dangerous in the short term but it affects ride, tyre wear and can contribute to a Warrant of Fitness advisory, so check the front end on a test drive and, ideally, on a hoist.

  What you would notice

  • Knock or clunk from the front suspension over bumps or sharp road edges
  • Notchy, graunchy or clicking feel through the steering when turning at low speed
  • Floaty, poorly-controlled or bouncy front ride from tired struts
  • Uneven or cupped front tyre wear
  • Oil film on a strut body indicating a leaking damper

  Typically $350–$1,200 to put right.

Toyota Raum service schedule

What falls due, and at what distance, for each generation of the Toyota Raum. These are the model’s intervals — the car’s own service book is the only thing that can tell you what has actually been done to it.

What these repairs cost on other cars

Some of the Toyota Raum’s documented faults are repairs other models share. Each page lists the documented NZ cost for every model it affects.

• Timing Chain Replacement Cost

Other Toyota models