2022 Toyota RAV4: jerking or lurching

Filed May 5, 2026 · Engine · MS

I was driving through pretty heavy rain for about 65 miles. When I got to my destination, I was idling in the car for a few minutes when the car started to shake. I turned the car off. Upon turning it back on the engine would start and the car would shake before getting a message “engine stopped. Power steering low.” After two hours, I was able to turn the car on and move a little bit but the car was lurching and the RPM needle was rapidly bouncing between 1,000 and 2,000.

Filed Jan 25, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · LA

Safety issue: "Engine Stopped/Started: Due to Steering Power Low" Yesterday, it was heavy rain. My new 2022 RAV4 shut down and would not start due to the warning sign "Steering Power Low." I restarted a few times, but the whole car was jerking and the rpm's were fluttering up and down. The yellow check engine light and the orange warning signs, followed by an exclamation point, came on, along with the messages "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low" and "Not Ready to Drive." then shut down the car. I called for a pickup instead and was not able to start the car until the next day. It was so terrifying, and I was fortunate that the accident did not occur. What would happen if it were to happen as I or other RAV4 owners were in the middle of the road or nowhere for help? As I looked up problems with the new RAV4 online, other RAV4 owners had the same issues, with zero diagnosed reports from Toyota dealers (see links below). [XXX] [XXX] This is a safety concern; I'd be happier that the accidents have not happened yet. So, I urge the Toyota manufacturer to investigate the issue, rectify it, and start making a recall of the 2019–2024 RAV4 to fix the problems before an accident occurs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 18, 2023 · Electrical, Transmission · RI

Lurching transmission when under mild acceleration at low speeds. Infotainment system does not work correctly and causes all infotainment controls to become unresponsive.

Filed Mar 22, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · FL

At 2:05 pm on March 21, 2023 my car suddenly lurched forward and to the left as I was pulling into a parallel parking place. The vehicle was operating in electric mode on "ECO" with the the gearshift in "D" at the time, but I heard the starter motor kick in and the engine rev up simultaneous with the sudden lurching. The lurching was so fast that it threw my head against the head rest. The vehicle jumped an 8 inch concrete curb leaving a skid mark on the right side and traveled 10-12 feet across a side walk and into dirt landscaping. Upon slamming on the brake, the car came to rest and the engine died. There were no prior incidents. The odometer read 4648 at time of incident. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer or police. No injury to the driver or pedestrians occurred.The incident has not recurred since yesterday's incident. After the incident, the tire pressure indicator light appeared on the dashboard. The weather at time of the incident was 72 degrees and cloudy. The vehicle had just completed a short 1 mile drive at low speed. There were no electrical transformers nearby but a ReSound GN hearing aid recharge battery case was sitting on the passenger seat at the time of the incident.

Filed Aug 26, 2022 · Brakes · VA

The breaks are failing to stop the car if there is any rough spots in the road it feels like I'm pushing against air, the car jerks, the break pedal will shudder. The car has no warning lights or sounds when this occurs. The car has recently been inspected by the dealership for this issue, they performed a resurfacing to the breaks. The issue has continued and 2 days after repair, car slipped into intersection due to a failure of the breaks and after going over a rough spot in the road.