My 2006 rav 4 has had a series of front end problems dating from jan 2007 to april 2009. It had been in the shop 9 times (warranty work) with numerous parts being replaced before toyota had their southern california rep come and look at it. They ended up replacing just about all of the front end component parts except the steering. That was the 10th time the car was in. Now after 21 months the sound is back and I can even feel vibration knock in the steering. This car was purchased new in july 2006. Mileage at the first sign of trouble was 4847. Mileage in april 2009 was 26737. Current mileage is 41800. I don't feel safe driving this car with the feeling that something is going to break while I'm making a sharp turn.
2006 Toyota RAV4 suspension complaints
Page 4 of 4: complaints 71 to 73 of 73, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Since day one there was a knocking/popping sound coming from the steering column when turning the wheel at park and low speeds. I had taken the vehicle in to the dealer at least 3 times and finally, and ironically, the dealer acknowledged the noise. Previous trips yielded the ever present "could not duplicate". However steering adjustments via an alignment was attempted. Could not duplicate but tried something anyway? The ironic part about when the dealer acknowledged the noise is that the vehicle was 4000 miles past warranty. Funny how such an obvious thing can go unnoticed until warranty expires.
Two separate problems: 1) left rear suspension, reported to two dealers starting 8/11/07 followed by three other complaints, diagnosed as worn bushing. Parts on order; problem getting worse. Notified dealer through factory rep; dealer has not indicated that driving vehicle is a safety issue. 2) hesitation downshifting when depressing gas pedal. First reported to two dealers on 9/8/07 followed by two other complaints. Informed it was/is a software problem corrected at the factory, yet problem persists.
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