Problems with 2006 Toyota RAV4 STEERING

Vehicle did have an official recall(steering shaft assembly) vehicle was repaired 2x's. vehicle is experiencing same problem. steering gets tight and knocks. sent letter to toyota in california created case #[xxx] dealer refuses to repair *tt consumer stated there are 2 odi numbers #352270 and #1182873. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *ln*jb

Steering froze up while leaving my driveway and p/s light came on. shut engine off and back on, but did not resolve. i recall at least one other time that steering locked up temporarily while at a stop. took to dealership for diagnostic as manual recommends. diagnostic shows dtcs u0105 and u0121. found tab st005-06 related to this issue and "updated power steering ecu available". diagnostic $150, parts and labor $1600+ cleary this is a safety issue requiring a recall. please investigate there are many more similar complaints.

Steering 'clunks' and car won't turn at low speeds/stationary, radio momentarily cuts out and dash lights flash. can turn the steering wheel further after a few seconds. happens intermittently, so far only at low speeds/while parking or leaving a parking space.

To whom it may concern, while driving on highway today the car did not stall but all the dash lights came on and there was a complete loss of power steering. luckily i was in the right land and on a straight roads i glided to the shoulder and stopped. i could not start the car so i jumped started the car and proceeded to get off next exit and problem happened again!!!! i read about issues with the electronic steering on toyota vehicles. i am checking the charging system and battery but want to find out if there is a recall. there were other people with this issue while searching the internet. i understand that batteries and alternators do go bad but loss of steering while moving could have resulted in a serious accident had i been in a curve in the road. i had previous cargo in the car too.....my 22 month old granddaughter!!! please advise if this is a known problem. sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Steering pops whenever i make a turn.

The electric power steering went out while my daughter was driving the vehicle. she could not turn the steering wheel. luckily she did not have an accident. the electric power steering was replaced by milton ruben toyota at the cost of $1134.00.

At interstate speeds and sometimes quick acceleration all the lights come on the dash and you lose all steering , it locks up this has happened several times , to my seventeen year old daughter she was lucky there was not a corner when it happened she would've shot straight off the road . there needs to be a recall on this i have looked it up and there has been several complaints of this same issue on the rav4s and several other toyota's. if i knew this issue was a problem i would not of purchased this car for my daughter.

Toyota defects

I hear a riddling noise from the engine each time i start the car. click sound when i turn the wheel.

Takata recall, noise from right side of the engine. very, very loud noise.also, hard to turn the steering wheel.

Vehicle frame chassis corrosion unsafe defects.

Good day ' please: appraise unsafety defects. thankful.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. the contact heard an abnormal loud noise progressing from the area of the steering wheel while the vehicle was in motion, reversing, or making a turn. the dealer test drove the vehicle, but was unable to replicate the failure. further diagnostic testing was required. an independent mechanic also inspected the vehicle, but provided no specific diagnosis to determine the cause of the failure. the contact was uncertain if the vehicle would be repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was not available.

Unsafe defects malfunction

Toyota defects malfunctioning

While sitting in slow 5-10mph traffic on the freeway, the power steering seized and the airbag dashboard warning light came on at the same time (for about 2-3 seconds at a time). a few miles later, other warning lights (vsc, slip, abs, engine, battery) all illuminated on and off randomly. took it to the mechanic to have it looked at. they replaced the battery, but the problem happened again about 12 hours later. the alternator is a year old and the battery, tires, alignment, and engine coils are all brand new. after half a dozen calls to the dealership, come to find out, the problem is the computer that controls the power steering... a problem which has been acknowledged and recalled for 2014-15 model year rav4s. this is a serious safety flaw, and it is insulting and negligent that toyota is pretending this isn't a serious problem for other model years.

Good afternoon, toyota defects and malfunctions. please, improve safety performance. thank you for helping. *tr

Steering column clunking noise when turning the wheel. on-going issue since december 2015.

Purchased vehicle in november 2015 with the noise/issue already occurring. it is a popping/clicking when turning left or right with steering wheel. had diagnosis done at repair shop. it is the intermediate drive shaft that is worn/defective. toyota has had known tsb's on this part since 2008, but regardless of safety concerns, refuses to replace or reimburse.

Hear clunk type noise when turn in the steering wheel left or right

The intermediate steering shaft on the rav4 is a known issue and should be recalled. the clunking noise when you turn can degrade into a steering hazard.

Steering column cluncking noise year: 2006 make: toyota model: rav4/base issue: steering column cluncking noise. i just bought the car on the 12th of june but have seen other people online talking about it.

Problema con sistema de freno.al frenar el auto rav4 el pededal de freno pierde precion baja hasta el fondo . cual hay que estar aplicando varias veces el pedal freno para mantener pecion en el frenado de el auto. el cosumo de aceite exsesivo.en el motor .el control del volante sonido fuerte al giirar. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4 the contact stated that the steering wheel failed. the steering wheel emitted a loud metal noise while turning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 50,000.

I have had an on going issue with my 2006 rav 4 and a "clunking" noise while steering. we had this repaired once when we purchased the car in 2006. but the exact same feel and noise has returned. the steering wheel clicks when you turn left or right, and you can feel the "clicking" in the steering wheel and with your feet in the car. after doing basic research online, it seems that this specific model of rav 4 has not only had many recalls, but this steering issue is widespread. thanks! *js

U-joint in steering column wearing out and making noise. mechanic at dealership said common problem, but not at 21,000 miles. estimated cost to repair approximately $400. *js

Clunking noises when turning steering wheel either sitting stationary or moving. *tr

Experiencing a "clunking" or "thumping" noise coming from the steering column or steering assembly when turning the steering wheel to make a left or right turn. from my check of this problem on various websites/customer forums, this seems to be a very frequent problem with the toyota rav4. *tr

I was driving on the highway about 60 mph and power steering went out. car made a noise and all the dashboard lights came on like it was sliding on ice, no bad weather that day. could not turn steering wheel and speedometer went to 0 and would not work the rest of the journey. made it to the toyota dealership where i was told nothing was wrong, and it was "the cold weather" that probably caused it. they ran a few tests but nothing was done to the car. no answers to my problem and nothing happened since. but now i am worried because of the recent recall and makes me think this incident was related. *tr

Front left clunking noise when going over bumps, told by dealer issue is in the electronic steering. dealer did not sound confident when stating it was safe to drive. have read about multiple 2006 rav4 owners having defective steering. *tr

1/30/14 recall part - rear lower suspension arm repaired by handy. shortly after (1-3 months) i noticed swerve/sway during hard right turns. i suspected bad or underinflated tire on drivers side rear. checked all tire inflation and lug nut tightness but the swerve/sway continued. on 10/16/14 i had (4) new snow tires installed at sumner tire in newport/derby, vt. i thought it would eliminate the problem but the swerve/sway continued. on 10/21/14 i had local mechanic perform a four wheel alignment. the mechanic could not make the adjust but confirmed drivers side rear was out of alignment. on 1/16/15 i made an appointment at handy to resolve this and other issues. handy offered free labor if i paid $309.43 for parts to replace the failed recall. within a few days i contacted national toyota customer service and spoke to [xxx]. ref #can't be entered as it flags as a ss number. [xxx] called back to state that handy should be contacting me by end of the week concerning this issue. received a on-line survey only in which i made clear that i should not have to pay for a failed recall item that was not fixed properly. i called national c.s. again two weeks later to report that i have not received any contact from handy. after that call, still no contact was received. i called handy (3) times asking to speak to the service manager, [xxx] , who was always busy. i finally received a call back from a service technician, [xxx], with a lower offer for the cost of the parts to fix the recall of $226.03. i called handy back stating that i felt their offer was not acceptable and that i would be filing a complaint with the bbb for assistance. my point in all of this is that toyota issued a recall for this part and the recall failed and should not be repaired at the consumer's cost. this is a safety concern of mine as well and limits the use of my vehicle for long trips. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Saturday, october 12, 2013 when my wife and two young daughters (ages 2 & 4) were coming home from shopping. our vehicle experience catastrophic failure, endangering the lives my wife and my two young children. she heard a loud bang from the rear of the vehicle and she lost control. luckily, she was not moving very fast and was able to stop quickly and pull to the side of the road. the failure occurred on the on-ramp to an interstate 71 with a posted speed limit of 70 mph and the car was not drivable. had the failure occurred 20 seconds later, my family would have been traveling at a high speed in a rav 4 with absolutely no control. we cannot even fathom the potential outcome if that failure had occurred on a busy highway with trucks etc. we took the rav into the local toyota dealership and they deemed the accident to be caused by the rear lower suspension arm. the rear lower suspension arm was recalled in the fall/winter of 2012, where we took it to the dealership to be fixed in nov. 2012 with the so called "clip". *tr

Heard a clunk-type noise when turning the steering wheel left or right. was told this was a steering shaft noise (steering intermediate shaft noise t-sb-0318-08). called dealer to see if this was under warranty and found out it was not. asked if problem under a recall and also found out it wasn't. asked dealer if it was safe to drive car as is since not under a recall and dealer said they could not make a comment on safety concerning this problem. ------i feel anything linked to steering is a safety issue and toyota should initiate a recall over this problem.

I have had a clunking noise in my front end since i purchased the vehicle when making turns. they could never hear it till now and now they are saying it is a performance and safety issue and will cost $748.74 to fix!!! noise in the steering shaft. if this is a safety issue it should be a recall and no-charge. *tr

Steering clunking noise and looseness. *tr

While driving on a suburban nj road at around 30-40mph, the vehicle lost steering control out of the blue. the car veered into the left lane, i attempted to right the car and simultaneously hit the breaks. the abs response kicked in, and the car veered drastically to the right, going off the road, across the sidewalk, and finally coming to a stop in the woods. the repair shop discovered that the cause of accident was a broken tie rod of the back right wheel, that had been broken for a while because the sleeve encasing had rusted over. the damage to the car totalled $10,000, and the shop would have totaled the car if the milage hadnt been so low. *tr

Intermediate steering shaft popping; techs say the intermediate steering shaft is worn out. there is only 56,333 miles on this toyota rav4 2006. there has been others since at least 2010 that have been complaining about this problem. there is no reason why a car of this age and low mileage is having problems with the steering shaft. there needs to be a recall on this particular problem as this complaint has been sent to you before and even people have called you about it. thank you, *tr

On 5/30/13 i purchased the above 2006 toyota rav4 from pioneer valley sales po box 254 s deerfield, ma 01373 and picked it up on 6/3/13. the vehicle had a clunking noise coming from the front. on 6/10/13 i brought it to cherry rum automotive 451 bernardston rd. greenfield, ma. 01301 for my mechanic to inspect. he removed the steering shaft covers and ascertained that the noise was coming from the steering intermediate shaft. he also said that there was a toyota technical service bulletin out concerning this problem (tsb3462). he recommended replacing it. i tried to get pioneer valley sales to repair it for over a month and they refused to. i considered this a safety issue and had cherry rum automotive replace the steering intermediate shafts. i paid them $571.70 for this. i believe that there should be a recall on this. i look forward to toyota reimbursing me for this expense. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, he was advised that there was an intermediate and abnormal noise in the steering shaft. as a result, part of the steering system would need to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 70,635 and the current mileage was 74,000. ...updated 11-12-13 *bf updated 11/18/2013 *js

i notice a clunking noise when i would turn the wheels to the right and left going at a low speed. i looked on google search about clunking noise in steering . there was a lot of toyota rav 4 owners had the same problem. i took my car to my toyota dealer he said it was a common problem with rav 4's . i called toyota complaint line and they told men a service bulletin was out on the problem but i was out of warranty and they would not help me. i know from being an auto mechanic that when you have loose play in the steering that it will develop into a danger driving my car. please require toyota to have a safety recall on the steering . thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) *js

I have always believed in toyota's reliable vehicles till i bought my rav4. lately i have had the unfortunate experience of having to replace all six coils with new ones, because toyota maid a bad design for the 2006 rav4. and now i need to replace the steering shafts because they are bad too. toyota please help with covering the cost of parts and labor. *tr

Started noticing "clunking" sound when turning steering wheel. had my mechanic check and he was able to identify steering shaft issue and said it could also iinvolve rack and pinion but that could not be verified without further labor.

I heard a loud popping sound in my steering each time i turn. i went to the dealership and i was just told i needed to get it repaired. i have been researching online and noticed that several owners are experiencing the same problems. i have no information regarding safety but feel that since it appears to be a widespread problem toyota needs to have a recall and have this issue addressed. we should not wait until tragedy happens before action is taken. *tr

Over the course of the past 2 months i have heard a quiet popping noise coming from the back right tire area when i make turns. i actually visited a toyota dealer 1/8/2013 because there was a lower suspension arm recall on my vehicle. they "inspected" and put a sticker on, and a worthless clamp (might as well been a paperclip) on the the tie rod. on 2/27/13, i took a few co-workers to lunch and they noticed a loud pop every time i turned a corner or hit any uneven spot in the road. when i pulled into my parking spot at work i got out and looked at the rear right tire and it was slanted only slightly. later in the day, i backed out of my parking spot and heard a very severe pop and the tire made a whooshing noise as it was making contact with the tire well. the vehicle was out of service at this point. i got my vehicle toed to a nearby shop, and they found that the tie rod on the rear right wheel was bent severely. the mechanic that was inspecting my vehicle was not a dealer, and agreed that the "fix" toyota developed for this recall issue was worthless, and agreed that i could have been seriously injured if this had failed on the highway. i have a photo of the bent tie rod, and visited the shop to see for myself this afternoon. i truly think that toyota's fix should have been to replace everyone's tie rods. people's lives are still at risk! i plan to submit my charges to toyota for reimbursement. *tr

Letter from constituent regarding problems with his 2006 toyota rav 4; he hoping that toyota can be forced to repair the transmission and reimburse the cost of repairing steering shaft (full document not imaged). *smd the consumer stated he has been trying to get the transmission replaced per toyota tsb-0130-12, because of whining noise but he was informed the tsb was no longer in effect. it was confirmed, that an internal noise was coming from the transmission. *jb

There is a knocking in the steering i took it to a garage they said it was a shaft in the steering column that toyota had a bullentin out about it. i called toyota and they said they have not heard of this problem but according to myself doing research there is a problem and i feel this is a safety issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. the contact stated that whenever he turned the steering wheel, sharply he heard a popping noise. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnosis and the contact was informed that the intermediate string shaft assembly would need to be replaced immediately or the steering would fail. the manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileage was 71,000. ...updated11/21/12 *bf updated 11/30/2012 *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, there was an abnormal knocking and thumping noise heard from the steering wheel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the steering shaft assembly needed to be replaced. the dealer replaced the steering wheel and also informed the contact that there were no recalls for the failure. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who confirmed that there were no recalls for the vehicle. the failure mileage was 75,956.

When backing the car out and turning the steering, there is a clunking noise that occurs. it mostly occurs from a cold start. the car started making a popping sound. it was coming from underneath that car and made the exhaust sound really loud. shortly after, the car seems to be driving very clunky and does not drive as well as usual. the car vibrates and drives very slowly. it sounded like it dropped a cylinder. the engine sounds very clunky. this has happened many times. ignition coils were replaced several times. *tr

When backing the car out and turning the steering, there is a clunking noise that occurs. it mostly occurs from a cold start. there is a service bulletin out for this, but the dealer won't cover it. the car started making a popping sound. it was coming from underneath that car and made the exhaust sound really loud. dealership said it was the centerpipe that was connected to the catalytic converter. the material of the centerpipe and catalytic was rusted and the dealership blamed it on me and that i drove the car off roading. i told them that the car has never gone off roading, garaged, and well maintained. other 2006 rav4 owners have cited the same issue stating that the material and craftsmanship of the centerpipe and catalytic converter were of poor quality. the seams of the centerpipe just completely came undone. when speaking with the dealership, they refused to cover it under the emissions warranty. when talking to the environment protection agency for emissions, they said that toyota should cover it. this centerpipe issue became a larger issue when the vehicle misfired and the vsc, check engine, and 4wd lights on. took it to the dealership to discuss what the issue may be. other owners stated that the ignition coils were of poor quality and toyota has issued replacements. talked to the dealership and they refused to replace it under warranty. shortly after, the car seems to be driving very clunky and does not drive as well as usual. the car vibrates and drives very slowly. it sounded like it dropped a cylinder. the engine sounds very clunky. this has happened many times. ignition coils were replaced several times. check engine light, vsc, and 4wd lights turn on solid each of these instances. since then the tire pressure has turned on and gone bad. had to get that replaced. now all 3 lights are back on and will need to find out why. *tr