2006 Toyota RAV4: loss of power steering

Filed Apr 3, 2021 · Electrical, Lights · 180,000 miles · NJ

For some time there has been an intermittent problem with the dashboard lights coming on and loss of power steering. The car has been checked by mechanics, including one at a toyota dealership, but the problem was not found. I have experienced the problem with the car stationary, but I believe my son said it has happened to him while in motion.

Filed Sep 15, 2018 · Steering · 149,231 miles · NY

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).

Filed Feb 26, 2018 · Steering · 110,000 miles · GA

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.

Filed Jan 13, 2015 · Engine, Steering · OR

I brought my 2006 rav4 to the toyota dealership for two different recall notices including the suspension and airbag. Upon inspection, they notified me the water pump needed replacing and that the steering column brackets were loose. They said this is a common problem and tried to tell me that it is caused by normal wear & tear. My last vehicle I had for over 190,000 miles and never had this problem. Upon researching, this seems to be a common problem. I was told this problem needs to be fixed immediately as failure to fix it could result in loss of steering control. Previously I have brought the loud popping noise to various toyota dealerships and have never been told of this issue in 9 years. This issue would not have been caught if is wasn't for the recall on the airbag. Anything that appears to be a "common" issue in a vehicle that can result in loss of steering is a serious safety issue and should be recalled and fixed by toyota at no cost to the consumer. The cost is estimated at $600+ to repair.

Filed Oct 27, 2014 · Engine · 145,000 miles · TX

The 2006 rav4 is know to burn oil at excessive rate which will cause the engine to lock up at a high rate and lead to not being able to control the vehicle because of loss of steering or braking.

Filed Apr 9, 2014 · Electrical, Lights · 102,000 miles · TX

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.

Filed Aug 25, 2013 · Steering, Transmission · 43,116 miles · NJ · crash

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.

Filed Aug 22, 2012 · Steering, Suspension · 40,000 miles · LA

Steering wheel "clunks" at relatively low speeds - clunking increases over time. Concern is if steering fails as a result. Toyota's fix is to replace intermediate driveshaft and an alignment. Apparently this is a pervasive problem on a number of rav4 model years (based on hundreds of postings on internet discussion sites, at least one of which claims failed steering resulting in multicar crash). Per these online discussions, some toyota dealers have stated it is a serious safety issue, some have not. Given this problem has existed for a number of years (toyota has two service memos issued on the problem and even developed new replacement parts), if the federal safety agency has investigated this issue and determined there is no consumer safety issues, is that conclusion available to the public? Would appear this would be proper to disclose, as consumers get very concerned with a potential loss of steering and its potential crash ramifications.

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.

Filed Mar 4, 2012 · Steering · 17,000 miles · WI

Clunking sound ( and feel) coming from steering column when turning either left or right, particularly at slower speeds. Clunking is worse in colder weather, but has been happening more often as time passes. No loss of steering ability - yet. Why is this not being addressed by toyota? A simply internet search indicates it is a well known issue and yet toyota will not take care of this. Dealership was not interested in speaking to me about this as the car was out of warranty, other than to fix the problem at my cost. Must we experience a serious accident to get toyota's attention?

Filed Aug 16, 2010 · Steering · 27,000 miles · WA

We hear a continuous popping/clunking noise from our 2006 toyota rav4 when turning the steering wheel to the right or to the left. When this happens, a slight increase of the force is required to turn the steering wheel. This problem is well documented in toyota t-sb-0318-08: "some customers may hear a clunk, pop, or knock-type noise when turning the steering wheel left or right. A new intermediate shaft has been developed to address this condition." it shows that toyota originally used defective intermediate shafts. "warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based upon a customer's specific complaint." toyota will do nothing about the defective intermediate shaft if customer doesn't complain. The noise is caused by "shaft excessive play" according to toyota. It may not cause audible noise in early stages so a customer can't hear it. Toyota can continue to ignore the defect until this condition aggravates to a certain point. Is it a safety concern that excessive shaft play may eventually lead to full or partial loss of steering? We have filed complain through bbb to toyota but they decided to do nothing about it.