I went to the dealer because I heard a clunking noise when turning the steering wheel. They did not hear anything and I could not do anything because the vehicle was under warranty. A year later, at a routine checkup, they said they heard the sound and it was a damage steering shaft and rack & pinion. A year later the same sound, but only the steering shaft was replaced. The year after that, the noise again and they had to replace the steering shaft and rack and pinion. Today I was told that I have to change the rack and pinion. I read on internet that this is a common problem throughout rav4 2008, but this is ridiculous.
2008 Toyota RAV4 steering complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 73, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. When the contact started the vehicle, the power steering malfunctioned and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The dealer stated that the power steering control unit needed to be replaced. The repair was made and the steering operated normally. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 65,262. Updated 9/8/14
Vehicle makes noise when the steering wheel is turn. Diagnosed with rack & pinion problems by the toyota dealer at 20, 070 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that she heard a knocking noise while turning at various speeds and steering the vehicle became difficult. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.
My alternator went in my vehicle but was discovered was disturbing. I had just had my oil changed 4 weeks prior and the vehicle was almost empty of oil. If the alternator had not failed my engine would have blown due to the lack of oil. The lack of oil is due to the piston assembly in my 2008 toyota rav4. This is a known problem with toyota since they issued a technical service bulletin on aug. 11 known as sb002411 and sb009411. Toyota said the problem was traced to the piston assembly, yet I have not received any notification from toyota regarding this issue. There isn't any recall. This repair is only covered for 60 months or 60,000 miles, whichever occurs first. In my situation, the financial burden of this repair is on myself ($4-$5k). This is the second issue with toyota rav 4 where it should be a recall. My prior issue was the steering intermediate shaft which was making a clucking sound and if not addressed the I could lose control of the vehicle, that financial burden was $800. Both should be a recall by toyota.
I took my 2008 toyota rav4 to the dealership for its schedule appointment, and I was told that the rack and pinion and shaft needed replacement. Researching about this problem online, it was evident that many rav4 owners were experiencing the same situation. This a common problem with many rav4s. A so called dependable car should not have this problem before reaching 100,000 miles. Certainly, toyota must clearly know that this is a common problem and should address it as soon as possible because this problem could potentially lead to an accident which can disrupt the safety of our communities.
While driving the steering becomes tight does not smoothly go into a curve as if the steering needs to be lubricated throws off the vehicle because I have to jerk the wheel.I am afraid I'm going to have a crash due to this.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, she noticed that the rear passenger's side tire had buckled inward. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The technician stated that one of the tie rod bolts was missing and had caused the tie rod to become bent. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 12v373000 (suspension) but was advised by the manufacturer that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
I had just dropped off my fiance at work and was attempting to turn around in the parking lot when my steering wheel dropped roughly 8 inches hitting my leg. The steering wheel can be moved 8 to 12 inches up and down with little resistance. It can also move be moved 6 to 8 inches left to right with no resistance. It's not guided in any way, you can move it around in a large circular motion. The car amazingly enough still steers. The steering assembly is still attached to the steering intermediate shaft as well as the rack and pinion. Though when you do attempt to steer, it makes a horrible popping sound, which makes sense because the shaft is no longer in a fixed position. Upon investigation it looks like a factory weld has failed. For a 2008 rav4, the steering column assembly is mounted to the instrument panel reinforcement bar. This is a large bar that runs the length of your dashboard. This bar has a few welded mounts on it that allow you to bolt on the steering column assembly, which holds the steering wheel in place, it is these welds which have failed. This is a major safety issue, if the steering wheel had dropped 5 minutes earlier when I was traveling at highway speeds I could have easily lost control of the vehicle. The car had 65,000 miles on it at the time of incident.
Resistance is felt at intervals when turning the steering wheel. Steering feels loose, unresponsive and dangerous. Dealer recommended replacing intermediate steering shaft. Online research showed this is a common problem and an upgraded part exists to remedy the problem. Contacted toyota customer service. Had complaint escalated to toyota corporate regional manager. Was only offered 15% off repair at dealer. I believe this is a safety issue created by a defective part. Thank you.
There is a clunking noise when the steering wheel is turned to the left or right.
2008 (started at 20,000 miles, 1 year out of warranty) toyota rav 4 started a clunking noise in the drive shaft when turning the wheel. We took it in for service and the dealer said they could not duplicate the problem. It's a constant sound! Why they said this is unexplainable. It's been non stop since and getting worse. We read on the internet this is common problem for rav 4 owners. We will be taking it back in again and will probably be told the same thing. I also understand there is a tag issued for this problem by toyota also. The repair is averaged to be $800 and some dealers are willing to share in the repair cost. This should be toyota's 100% responsibility!
Happy holidays & hanukkah! Bob bridge took advantage of my age & background. They charged me $1280 out the door for tsb recall service. It's unfair & absurd 4 me paying toyota's design flaws. Can you please help me get in touch with portland regional office so they can start reimbursement to me? Bob bridge is milking both me & toyota district managers. They took 14 days to put in new steering shaft and offered zero in-depth report on failure & steering shaft's warranty. Rushed through the job and left me dying battery & alternator. T-sb-0318-08 (steering shaft recall) steering now feels hard since they didn't refill power steering reservoir. My alternator & battery was left as is with diminishing capacity. I will only pay $150 out the door labor for this tsb service, the rest will be paid by toyota's district office. When can you send me my check?
Every time I make a turn (right or left), I hear this knocking sound on my steering wheel. It feels like something is about to break. I just noticed this right after I replaced the battery.
Steering column clunking sound when ever you turn the steering wheel left or right or going at speeds of 25-35 and 55-70. The noise was narrowed down to the steering column assembly.
I have experienced a clunking noise when turning the steering wheel at low or no speeds for much of the time I have owned the car. It was reported and checked while under warranty. The dealer made an adjustment but did not record it in their service records. Now, at 42,159 miles, the noises have become more frequent and I can feel it while turning the wheel. Today, the dealer found a technical service bulletin for intermediate shaft noise and are recommending replacement of the shaft. Checking the web I have found that there have been many complaints on this with 2006 - 2008 rav4's including numerous reports to the federal safety agency. It is a known safety issue. I contacted toyota today and was told there is no recall on the vehicle for it and the car is out of warranty. I will have to pay the cost for the shaft replacement. Since this is a known safety problem, I feel there should be a recall on it and toyota should take care of the repairs at no cost.
I was making a slow speed turn when, without warning, it became very difficult to steer, as if the power steering quit working. As I accelerated the steering started working again. A few days later it happened again and this time the battery warning light came on. Both times this happened it almost caused a collision. I ended up taking it to the dealer and learned the alternator was going bad. An alternator on a four year old vehicle with 60k miles should last longer. I've since learned, from safety sites, that this is a common safety issue with the rav as the steering is electrically powered. There is also some indication the alternators are failing too soon.
Slipping brakes, requiring frequent checkups and replacement popping noise in the steering wheel ( which after two years of complaining, I was informed is a defective steering shaft ) sudden acceleration increasing noise from under the vehicle jumping when the vehicle is place in reverse.
I have a 2008 toyota rav4 and it has had a whining sound when idling or accelerating for a week. Today I was driving it and the power steering quit while I was driving it. I could barely steer it, if my wife was driving, she could not have turned the vehicle. Many of the warning lights came on- brake light (checked the parking brake), ABS, SRS, battery, vsc, maintenance, and slip indicator lights. Also the radio quit working, all at once. New battery installed last month. We have owned this vehicle since new from the dealership, had 2 recalls fixed for air bag sensor and floor mats, but no other problems until this.
At around 9:30 am on july 8, I was on I-15 in s. Utah when my right rear tie rod failed. Very scary and I was lucky I did not end up rolled over in the ditch, hit another vehicle, or get hit by another vehicle. I had no idea why my car was so suddenly out of control. I originally thought I had blown a front wheel. There was no previous warning, such as a shimmy or vibration or any steering issues at all. I asked the tow truck to take me to the toyota dealer which was about 50 miles away. However, he convinced me that it was simple to replace the tie rod and since my rav4 was a 2008, aftermarket parts would be easy to get from napa. It was a sunday, so I ended up getting the car dropped off at goodyear in cedar city, since I would need an alignment after the new tie rod was put in. On monday morning I found out you can only get the tie rod part from the dealer and they did not have any in stock, so had to wait until wednesday to get it fixed. After it was fixed, they were not able to do an exact alignment and said it was off by a mm. Fyi - there was no rust on the broken tie rod.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the steering wheel had become stiff and hard to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced and advised the contact not to drive until the repairs were complete. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 23,000 and the current mileage was 25,500.
Tl* the contact owns 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the power steering failed. The contact stopped the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to a dealer. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure, but believed that the failure was due to an electrical issue. The dealer repaired the battery and various other electrical components. The failure mileage was 30,000 and the current mileage 40,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the dealer advised that a component in the steering wheel failed, and caused the illumination of the air bag warning light. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 88,143 and the failure mileage was unknown.
Cpsc#i1210211a. 2008 toyota rav4. Consumer stated while driving on interstate 93 one of the rear tie rods fell apart, causing him to swerve back and forth across four lanes. *ln the consumer stated the cost to replace the tie rod was $500. The mechanic informed the consumer the failure was due to wear and tear.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the rear passenger tie rod failed, causing the contact to loose control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the dealer diagnosed that the tie rod separated from the vehicle. Both rear tie rods were replaced. The manufacturer was notified and assisted with repairs to the failure. The failure mileage was 76,000 and the current mileage was approximately 77,000. Updated 04/27/12*lj the consumer stated he was reimbursed 1/4 of the price and was told the issue would not be look in to any further. Updated 04/27/12
The steering started feeling loose and there is a pronounced clunk any time you turn the wheel either when stopped or moving. Dealer says the steering column is worn and needs to be replaced. Dealer claims it's not a safety issue, but I can not see how a steering issue can not be a safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. While driving approximately 35 MPH and turning the steering wheel, the contact heard a thumping noise and noticed a hesitation in the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technicians stated the intermediate steering shaft had to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 39,000.
Number 1 -- I am very happy with my rav4. It was a cold evening after dark and I left work. The battery had failed. Not a problem, I got a jump and the car started. I let it sit and obtain some charge. What was very unusual were the number of systems that could fail whenever a power surge was needed, say from the power steering, power brakes, etc. The power surge would lead to a lights out, or loss of steering, or engine temporarily stalling, etc. It recovered each time after the surge was over (good news). I am reporting this because if the battery failure had occurred at speed I could have easily lost control of the car. I view myself as very lucky. The battery was the original battery supplied with the car. I have not yet returned it for re-cycling. It it would be helpful to you for safety study reasons I can make it available.
2008 toyota rav 4 limited has had handling issues on the freeway with stability. This has happened a couple of times. Dealer says that "nothing is wrong." previous time this occurred, vehicle returned handling differently. Considering the computer brain running this car, we believe they reset the computer. This is happening again. We are taking it in again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 toyota rav4. The contact stated that when trying to stop at a stop sign, the brake pedal would not move down as he tried to depress it and he could not steer the vehicle. He continued moving forward until the vehicle collided with a guardrail. The contact was slightly injured and a police report was taken. He contacted the dealership and was told that no one could inspect the vehicle until it was repaired at the body shop. The vehicle was at the body shop at the time of the complaint. The contact had not spoken with the manufacturer to-date. The current and failure mileages were 18,561.
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