2012 Toyota Rav4 Steering Problems

Your car unexpectedly accelerated to 60 mph on its own while in neutral at the end of a car wash and wouldn't respond to steering or braking for over half a mile, causing severe damage to the left front wheel. While no crash occurred, this represents a serious loss of vehicle control. The issue may involve the throttle system, brake system, or steering components and will require professional diagnostic testing to identify the root cause.

After getting a wheel alignment at the dealership on 6-6-23, your RAV4 started wobbling on the freeway just three days later. The dealership diagnosed worn rear tow arms with excessive play and movement, which they said the alignment service should have caught. They quoted $1,000 to replace both rear tow arms. A replacement of the rear tow arms would involve removing the old ones and installing new suspension components.

I COULD NOT START MY VEHICLE ON 7/26/2018. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE AND GOT A JUMP START FROM A POWER DEVICE. I WAS DRIVING TOWARDS TOYOTA SERVICE. SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE STOPPED ON THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. IT WAS COMPLETELY DISABLED: NO POWER STIRRING, NOT EVEN ALARM SIGNAL WORKING. IF THIS HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, MORE LIKELY, I WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TODAY. SAME DRIVER WHO WOULD HIT ME FROM BEHIND, BECAUSE DISABLED VEHICAL STOPED IN A MOMENT. I AM SURE, NOBODY MUST DRIVE TOYOTA RAV4 2012. IF BATTERY IS NOT FUNCTIONING, THERE MUST BE INDICATION ON THE DASHBOARD BEFORE THE VEHICLE GET DISABLED, BUT THERE WAS NOTHING TO TELL ME THAT VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVABLE. FOR REFERENCE : A) BATTERY. TRUE STAR BATTERY. WARANTY 2 YEARS. DIED IN 10 MONTHS. B) THE INCIDENT FILED IN TOYOTA AS #1808151393. NO RESOLUTION. C) SERVICE. FRED HAAS TOYOTA. 22435 SH 249, HOUSTON, TX 77070. C) ATTACHED: TOYOTA OWNER'S MANUAL MALFANCTIONED BATTERY INDICATOR.

TAKATA RECALL WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE LEFT OR RIGHT, THERE IS NOISE COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN

I WAS DRIVING IN THE PARKING GARAGE AT WORK AND THE YELLOW EXCLAMATION LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASH WITH A MESSAGE THAT SAYS "CHECK EV SYSTEM. HAVE YOU VEHICLE CHECKED BY A DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY." I WAS ABLE TO STOP AND THE CAR STARTED AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE ECU. *TR

AT FIRST 3 WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON WHERE I WAS DRIVING AT SPEED AROUND 10MPH: CHECK, 4WD, TRAC OFF. THEN SUDDENLY I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL EASILY, AND I REALIZED I WAS LOOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I MADE A DECISION TO MOVE OUT OF THE BUSY ROAD AND TURN INTO A SMALL STREET. THIS I DID, BUT ONLY WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. AS THERE WERE NO CAR DRIVING ON THE STREET, I DID NOT CRASH MY CAR. AFTER THE CAR WAS STOPPED, I NOTICED THAT AN ADDITIONAL WARNING WAS ON: ELECTRIC POWERING STEERING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. *TR

I DROVE VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, NO INDICATIONS OF ANY STEERING PROBLEMS. DURING MY DRIVE IN THE LATE AFTERNOON, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST STOPPED WORKING. I WAS STOPPED AT A LEFT TURN LANE AND HEARD A FAINT "CLICK" SOUND FROM BELOW THE STEERING WHEEL AREA AT AROUND KNEE LEVEL. THIS SOUND WAS NOT THAT OF A "TURN SIGNAL SWITCH" CLICK, IT WAS JUST A "CLICK". THE ENGINE STAYED RUNNING, THE EPS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY HARD TO TURN (I HAVE CARPEL TUNNEL IN MY RIGHT HAND), WITH ASSISTANCE FROM MY PASSENGER WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE TURN. WE DROVE VEHICLE HOME WITHOUT POWER STEERING AND PARKED IT. MY BROTHER-IN-LAW CAME THAT EVENING TO INSPECT FOR FAILURE. VEHICLE STARTED UP AND POWER STEERING WORKED WITHOUT PROBLEMS. SINCE NO EPS WARNING LIGHT CAME ON, HE VOLUNTEERED TO TAKE VEHICLE HOME TO TEST DRIVE UNTIL PROBLEM RECURRED. THE DEALER TOLD HIM TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THEM TO HAVE PROBLEM EVALUATED. HE HAS PUT 500 MILES ON THE ODOMETER SO FAR AND PROBLEM HAS NOT RECURRED. HE SAID THE DEALER WILL JUST GIVE ME THE RUN AROUND IF NO "HARD CODE" IS SET AND CONDITION OF NO" POWER ASSIST" IS PRESENT. I AM AFRAID OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE NOW BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I HAD JUST GOTTEN ON A 6 LANE EXPRESSWAY WITH A 45 MPH SPEED LIMIT. HANDS AT TEN AND TWO - JUST WATCHING THE ROAD GOING ABOUT 40 MPH IN THE FAR LEFT LANE SO PEOPLE COULD TURN ON THE ROAD. I HAD BEEN HAVING A CLUNKING SOUND WHEN I WOULD PULL OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY FOR AWHILE BUT DIDN'T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE DEALER BECAUSE I HAD JUST GOTTEN A 10,000 MILE OIL CHANGE AND AFTER REMOVING A TIRE WITH A NAIL IN IT FOUND THEY HAD TO ORDER THE TIRE, WHICH TOOK 3 WEEKS TO GET (APPARENTLY RUN FLAT TIRES ARE STILL IN JAPAN,,) SO, I BACK TO MY NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE- I WAS DRIVING SLOWER THAN THE SPEED LIMIT DOWN THE ROAD WHEN I LOST ALL STEERING IN MY VEHICLE AND I WAS HEADED INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I HIT THE TALL CEMENT MEDIAN AND I PULLED AS HARD AS I COULD BACK TO THE RIGHT. AFTER I HIT I HAD A LITTLE CONTROL AGAIN. WITH BOTH DRIVERS SIDE TIRES STRIPED FLAT I HAD ENOUGH STEERING TO PUT MY HAZARDS ON AND GET BACK ON THE CORRECT SIDE OF THE ROAD AND PULL THE THING INTO A SIDE PARKING LOT TO BE TOWED. I FEEL LIKE THE THING IS TRYING THE KILL ME! WARRANTY HAS TO COVER THIS BUT I THINK I'M GONNA HAVE TO TRADE IT IN. TOO SCARED TO DRIVE THE [XXX] THING. ATLLEAST I HAVE TWO WITNESSES THAT CAN VERIFY MY EVENT INCASE TOYOTA TRIES TO SCREW ME OVER. RAV4S R DANGEROUS VEHICLES AND SOMETHING HAS TO BE RECALLED OR PEOPLE R GOING TO DIE. *TR INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS SLOWLY MANEUVERING INTO A PARKING SPACE WHEN THE CAR REVVED UP, JUMPED OVER THE CONCRETE BARRIER, OVER THE CURB AND SIDEWALK. I WAS HEADED DIRECTLY TOWARD A BUILDING AND A LARGE PLATE GLASS WINDOW. THE BRAKES DID NOT STOP THE CAR, AND FELT SQUISHY WHEN I PUSHED THEM ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I SWERVED TO THE RIGHT, TURNED OFF THE KEY AND HIT A PARKED CAR IN ORDER TO STOP. I ALSO WANT TO MENTION THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE GAUGE LIGHT WOULD COME ON ANY TIME I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS OVER 50 MPH. *TR

I WAS DRIVING WESTBOUND ON I-70 AROUND MP 129. THIS IS JUST BEFORE GLENWOOD CANYON. THERE WAS A FLASHING ICY ROAD SIGN AT WHICH TIME, I SIGNALED MY INTENTION TO MOVE TO THE RIGHT LANE WHICH I DID. I SLOWED DOWN AND PUT MY CAR IN 3RD. THIS WAS JUST BEFORE A CURVE TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE ROAD AND VISIBILITY NARROW. THE RIGHT LANE WAS COMPLETELY ICED OVER AS I REALIZED WHEN I GOT AROUND THE CURVE. IN FRONT OF ME, I SAW A PILEUP, BOTH LANES OF TRAFFIC WERE BLOCKED. I TAPPED MY BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN BUT BECAUSE OF THE ICE, I DID NOT STOP OR SLOW DOWN. I WENT AROUND ONE CAR STOPPED IN MY LANE TO AVOID HITTING IT FROM BEHIND. I WENT AROUND ON THE SHOULDER. I CONTINUED TO PUMP THE BRAKE. IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF ME WAS A SIERRA 4X 4 THAT WAS PERPENDICULAR TO THE LANE OF TRAFFIC AND IT WAS ALSO BLOCKING THE SHOULDER. I PLOWED INTO IT ABOUT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRUCK AT A RATE OF ANYWHERE OF 25 - 30 MPH. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. MY DOG AND I WERE BOTH RESTRAINED AND WE SUFFERED NO INJURIES. MY CAR IS IN ALL LIKELIHOOD TOTALED. *TR