2006 Toyota RAV4: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Feb 27, 2019 · Steering · 140,000 miles · FL

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

Filed Aug 22, 2017 · Engine · 180,000 miles · AR

The car started knocking, went straight to a shop and it turns out it had no oil in it. Was due for an oil change but not to the point it should have been out of oil and had not shown any signs of leaking.

Filed Oct 5, 2015 · Engine · 155,000 miles · CA

Engine made knocking noise while on the freeway, and then the car died - everything quit. Had to coast off the nearest exit. There was no warning - no maintenance required lights were lit on the dash. Still had another almost 2,000 miles to go before next oil change was due. Engine is dead. Per toyota "catastrophic internal damage from the rods." car was well taken care of, never missed an oil change, and 8 of the last 9 years, the car was loyally serviced at a toyota dealership.

Filed Jun 24, 2014 · Suspension · 93,058 miles · SC

I took the car in for the recall on the rear suspension and was LED to believe the repairs had been made by the dealership - dick dyer toyota in columbia, sc on january 13, 2014. Two months later the left rear tire almost came off of the car as my wife and children pulled into the driveway. I spoke with [xxx] (service manager) and he said that he knew about my car. At the time of my initial visit in january, they had noticed rusty bolts on my suspension starting to sheer. At the time, he had called toyota motor service to see, if the situation warranted getting us a rental car and to see, if they felt the car was safe to drive. They came to the conclusion that the car was safe to drive without visually inspecting (tms). He also admitted that no repairs had been made to my car. So they knew there was a problem and did nothing. I was not informed of the condition of the suspension, or the fact that they called tms to discuss. I was LED to believe the recall had been completed. I would never of driven the car, if I knew of it's condition. We left for disney the next day and drove 2,400 miles, before the suspension arm gave way. Luckily, we were pulling into the driveway and not on the interstate or we could of been killed. Yes, they made the repairs to my car, but they let me drive off of the lot knowing that I was driving a ticking time bomb. There wasn't a question of if the suspension would give way....it was when. Obviously, toyota doesn't give a [xxx] about their loyal customers and their safety. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).

Filed Apr 30, 2014 · Steering · 39,000 miles · CA

My rav4 makes an annoying knocking/popping sound when I turn the steering wheel at low speeds.

Filed May 6, 2013 · Engine · 133,000 miles · NJ

Driving car and the oil light failed to indicate oil was very low. Heard a knocking noise so I checked the oil and discovered the oil was low although oil had just been added a few days earlier. I was not sure if the vechicle was fit to drive, so for safety reasons I had the car towed to my mechanic. The mechanic checked out the car and said the engine was damaged due to the lack of oil and constant burning of oil due to a defect in the toyota rav 4 engine/oil system which causes the oil to combuse and burn off preventing the oil indicator light to alert the driver to add oil. This defect causes engines to seize. At this time I called toyota of north america (1800 331-4331) directly to report this issue. I was told that as of today no recall or reimbursement is being issued but if everyone with this problem call toyota of north america directly to report their problem then an investigation will be issued. So please call today so we may all be reimbursed from toyota for this issue that they are well aware of and are choosing to do nothing for the consumers. They will then give you a case # that they tell you to keep just in case a recall is activated.

Filed Feb 6, 2013 · Steering, Visibility · 65,000 miles · CA

The rav4 has a well-known problem with the driver's side sun visor in which it will not stay in place. The visor frequently and without warning abruptly drops to a straight-down position. In this position it impairs forward visibility, and for tall drivers it can block the view of the road completely. There is also a widely-reported problem with the steering (there are 166 reports on this site at the time of my filing) which is noticed in the form of a knocking or clunking noise which can also be felt in the steering wheel. Many owners, including me, are concerned that this could be a precursor to a steering component failure.

Filed Oct 20, 2012 · Steering · 6,500 miles · WV

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.

Filed Sep 21, 2012 · Steering · 75,956 miles · NJ

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.

Filed Jul 19, 2012 · Steering · 136,000 miles · PA

We just had our 2006 rav4 state inspection today and the dealership told us we needed to have the front inner tie rod replaced since it has become unstable. They said this cannot be replaced by itself since it is attached to the steering rack, so we will need entire rack replaced, resulting in $2400 in repairs. The dealership also said this should be replaced within the next couple of months for safety reasons, since it can go out of alignment at any time. We've also heard knocking when we turn the car for the past couple of years and have asked about it, but never been given an explanation as to why. The dealership now says this could be the cause. If this is a problem of integrity with the part and not a wear & tear issue then I think this should definitely be a recall since it is a fault of the dealership.

Filed Apr 24, 2012 · Steering · 70,000 miles · MD

Purchased a 2006 rav4 sport 4wd v6 back in the summer of 2006 and the car was doing great up until last year (2011) when I noticed the steering wheel starting making this strange clicking noise. I brought the car in back in october of 2011 and they told me it was the rack and pinion making the noise and that over time I could possibly lose steering. They told me it would cost over $2,000 to fix. I asked if I could just drive it until the problem worsened and they seemed to say that was probably ok that it would cost the same to fix so I let it go. Fast forward about 6-8 months (april 2012) and now my car is making a knocking noise when I turn right (as described by almost everyone else on the web with this problem). I brought it back in again and they told me it was the same issue and there was a service bulletin put out for this exact problem. They told me it would still cost the same price to fix and I thought that was insane how toyota knew about this problem with so many others and refuse to fix it. It sounds like this is a faulty part on all rav4's around 2006-2007 (maybe more?). Most companies will realize they used a faulty part to make a product and replace it free of charge to keep the customer happy. That is not the case here. I called toyota's national customer service phone line and spoke to a nasty person who spoke very condescendingly to me. He kept trying to avoid the issue at hand and eventually just said there was nothing he could do because my car was out of warranty. He filed the complaint with the rest of everyone else and went on his way. I am pretty saddened by this since the automotive industry just went through a painful time how can they turn around and act like this to loyal customers?

Filed Mar 22, 2012 · Steering · 44,502 miles · MD

In 2010, I complained to the toyota dealer about knocking noise while driving and turning the steering wheel. After two years the noise became more noticeable and the toyota mechanic informed me that the lower intermittent steering shaft has excessive play due to worn-out splines. Correction: replace lower steering shaft ($359.--). I declined repair since I found that this is a common defect in the 2006 and 2007 toyota rav4 model and a recall would warranted. I feel this is a safety issue with the possibility of loss of steering. The mechanic did not think so.