My 2006 Toyota RAV4 was supposedly repaired under the rear suspension arm recall (C0J / G0V), but the rear tie rod ends still have yellow stickers reading “this is a recalled part” and no epoxy on the bolts. A Toyota dealer refused to inspect the vehicle and relied solely on the VIN record. The car now rides roughly, and I believe additional suspension components have been damaged due to the unresolved recall. I am concerned for my safety and request the federal safety agency investigation.
2006 Toyota RAV4: ball joint or control arm failure
8 of the 705 complaints about the 2006 Toyota RAV4 describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 102,512
- recalls
- 3
Is there a fix? There are 3 recalls and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, a loud banging noise emitted from the rear of the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear tie rod fractured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician stated that the vehicle was previously serviced under the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v373000 (suspension) and the federal safety agency campaign number: 13v383000 (suspension). However, both remedies failed to prevent the failure from occurring. The dealer stated that the tie rod fractured with the epoxy still attached. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 139,239. Updated 5/4/15*cn updated 05/26/15
Driver side read tie rod end rusted through and snapped causing loud noises and handing issues.
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.
I was driving by 88 st and 94 ave in miami, florida went through the train tracks, and heard a loud noise, like an explosion, and the car started to shake and move to the left lane, thank god there was no cars coming, so I finally control the vehicle, I look for a reason of the explosion, and then drag...literally to a shopping plaza, where I noticed the tire behind on the driver side was almost separating from the vehicle. I called my son, and he send a tow truck, later a mechanic would tell me that the inner tie rod broke. I noticed months before that the car made funny noises from the suspension. I called the dealer sent an e-mail to toyota USA warning them, they told me to go to the dealer. They didn't care what I said to them, I went three times to them, toyota USA insisted to go to the dealer. Three years later toyota USA sent me a warning brochure about the inner-tie rod problem and how to do the alignment on the rav 4 but when I bought the car they never said anything about doing this procedure. I did the alignment for the rav 4 in a place that has all the certifications, in my opinion the rav-4 has a defect involving the suspension ( after shocks) and the inner-tie rods, I hope this helps find the reason of this problem. And how to get reimbursed for all the expenses that I went through this..
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota rav-4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH around a bend, the driver's side rear wheel separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis where they advised her that the tie rod end was fractured, causing the wheel to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired by welding the tie rod into place. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000. The current mileage was approximately 107,000. The VIN was unavailable.
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.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Obsolete notice
- Region Letter: Safety Recall completion is important not only in satisfying government requirements but...
- Region Letter: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall Follow-Up Notices to remind owners whose vehicles have...
- Dealer Letter: Toyota will be sending Safety Recall Follow-Up Notices to remind owners whose vehicles have...
- Summary to be provided on a future date.
- Safety Recall CSJ (?2006 ? 2011 RAV4; Rear Lower Suspension Arm No. 1?) involves inspection of the Rear...
- Toyota: there is a clunking noise heard coming from rear of vehicle and one or both rear stabilizer links...
- Toyota: the rear differential coupling, when driving some vehicles, may exhibit a growl noise, due to...
Related recalls
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2006-2011 Toyota RAV4 vehicles manufactured October 31, 2005, to September 7, 2010, and 2010 Lexus HS250h vehicles manufactured July 6, 2009, to August 26, 2010. The affected vehicles have rear suspension arms (rear tie rods) with adjusting lock nuts that may have been improperly tightened after servicing. As a result of being loose, the arm may have thread damage and may rust, possibly leading to the failure of the arm and an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.
- Risk
- Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners and dealers will replace both rear suspension arms and encapsulate the locknuts, free of charge. The recall began on September 30, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331. Toyota's numbers for this recall are G0V for Toyota vehicles and GLK for Lexus vehicles. Note: This recall supersedes recall 13V‑383, in which some vehicles were only inspected, sealed, and did not have both arms replaced. The affected vehicles were previously recalled under 13V‑383, but did not have both rear suspension arms replaced at that time. Those vehicles need to have both arms replaced as part of this recall remedy.
Recall number 16V596000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.
- Risk
- Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tie rods and replace any that have rust or corrosion on the alignment adjustment threads. All of the rear tie rods will then be encased in an epoxy to prevent future environmental damage. Due to limitations in parts, the recall remedy will be launched in phases from September 2013 through mid-April 2014. All owners will receive notification of the recall, with most receiving second notifications when parts are available in their area. IMPORTANT: This recall supersedes Toyota and Lexus recall 12V‑373. All vehicles that have been inspected and remedied under the previous recall need to be re-inspected and have the appropriate remedy applied.
Recall number 13V383000 · Recall details
Suspension: rear
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2006 through 2011 RAV4 and 2010 Lexus HS250h passenger vehicles manufactured from October 2005 through September 2010. If the nuts for adjusting the rear wheel alignment are improperly tightened during service, the rear suspension arm (rear tie rod) may develop unwanted movement and rust, leading to thread damage and eventual failure. Failure of the rear tie rod will cause an abrupt change in the vehicle's alignment.
- Risk
- Failure of the rear tie rod could cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear tie-rod nut for looseness and replace any suspect tie-rod found loose. Dealers will also affix instructions in multiple places to prevent improper servicing in the future. The recall began on November 30, 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331 or Lexus at 1‑800‑255‑3987.
Recall number 12V373000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2006 Toyota RAV4 ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 2006 Toyota RAV4?
8 of 705 owner complaints about the 2006 Toyota RAV4 (1%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2006 Toyota RAV4?
There are 3 recalls and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2006 Toyota RAV4
Harsh shifting 110Steering noise 89Oil consumption 65Check engine light 36Knocking 36Airbag light 34Sudden acceleration 20Engine failure 18Hesitation 17Power steering loss 17Grinding brakes 15ABS 11Water leak 11Warning lights 10Fire or smoke 8Misfire 8Stalling 8Jerking 5Loss of power 5
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