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2008 Rav4 Ghostly Activities

1K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  JuneBug 
#1 · (Edited)
My 2008 Rav4 must have a ghost. The haunting started about 2 years ago. I've got 120,000 miles on it, and it drives great! I'm looking forward to the next 100k with this car. I always drive with the auto-headlights on, and the dashboard dial turned all the way up. Only once in a while, the headlights wouldn't shut themselves off. As a result, I'd return to my car with a dead battery. This happened only randomly. The next symptom was my interior lights would stay on - even with the keys out and doors locked. When I open the front door, the interior lights stay off, but opening the back door sometimes makes them come on. Or the dashboard lights down by the foot pedals will stay on. Lately, even the automatic door locks are spooky. I'll be standing there beside the car, holding my key fob, and without touching any button, the car locks itself, even after I've opened the door. Then last week, my A/C wasn't working and the A/C light on the dash was flashing on and off. I pushed it off, and back on, and the A/C came on, and has been just fine since then. The symptoms are getting worse. I've replaced 2 batteries now. The keys have been locked inside the car. I'm fearful that the A/C will stop working entirely, or some other random electronic issue will mysteriously appear, leaving me calling my auto-club for help again.

My mechanic couldn't find the issue, so I took it to a transmission guy he recommended, who said all was fine when he started it up and messed with the lights and such. I retrieved the car and drove it for a day. Sure enough, the headlights stayed on and the door locked itself after the door had been opened. So I drove it right back to his shop and showed him the ghostly activities. He hasn't seen this kind of thing before, and says I'l have to leave it with him for a few days to figure things out.

Now I use my headlights on manual so they don't stay on, and keep my dashboard lights off, but the interior lights still act up, and the doors lock themselves every single time now.
Has anyone out there heard of these kinds of issues, and is there any hope for the best car I've ever owned? Should I just call an exorcist?
 
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#3 ·
Has it been raining a lot in your area? These kinds of weird electrical problems have been attributed in the past to a leaky windshield seal, sunroof or cowl vent. Look for evidence of water under the dash and/or corroded connectors. Good luck!
 
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