P0301 on a Toyota RAV4
P0301 means cylinder 1 Misfire Detected. On the RAV4, a few causes come up far more than others.
What P0301 usually means on a RAV4
P0301 isolates the misfire to cylinder 1 on a RAV4, which usually makes it a straightforward, single-cylinder fix. The prime suspects are the coil, plug, or injector serving that cylinder. On the 2AZ-FE, oil consumption can foul whichever plug is weakest first. You'll feel a light shake at idle, and hard acceleration may set the light flashing.
Most common causes on the RAV4
- Failed coil on cylinder 1
Swap the No.1 coil to another cylinder; a following misfire confirms the coil.
- Fouled or worn plug
One oil- or carbon-fouled plug on cylinder 1 is an inexpensive and frequent cause.
- Injector fault on cylinder 1
A restricted or leaking injector can starve or flood that cylinder.
- Low compression on cylinder 1
A worn ring or burned valve on a high-mileage 2AZ-FE shows as a persistent single miss.
What P0301 costs to fix on a RAV4
On the four-cylinder RAV4 this is an inexpensive coil-and-plug job with easy access. Cylinder 1 on the 2GR-FE V6 is on the reachable front bank, so it stays manageable too. Only a low compression reading pushes it into internal-engine territory.
Year, engine and mileage change the answer. Start a case and Redline weighs these causes against what your car shows, then names the check that would settle it.
Other codes on the Toyota RAV4
Related symptoms
Toyota RAV4 problems & recalls by year
Based on widely reported patterns for this model; individual causes vary by year, engine and history. Generic P0301 behavior is covered on the main P0301 page. Confirm with a scan tool before buying parts.
P0301 on your RAV4?
Every problem becomes a Case. Tell Redline what your RAV4 is doing: it shows what the evidence supports, what’s still missing, and what to check next, before you approve a repair.
“Inner pad ~1 mm. Outer pad 3 mm.”
Next: check the slide pins move freely before buying parts.