Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2011 Toyota RAV4.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
Spare tire rear mount cover. The cover is made out of metal and fabric. After a few years the thread holding the material that holds the cover on deteriorates causing the metal cover to fall off. This happens while driving the car having the paint matched metal disk to fall off while driving leaving a tire sized metal disk bouncing around in traffic endangering other cars and drivers. Thread and zipper need to be made out of a better material or a hard latched metal band could be used to hold it on like many other manufacturers do.
The tire press monitoring system (tpms ) has failed due to exhausted battery life in the tire sensors. . The pressure failure light comes on but all 5 tires have the correct tire pressure. The failure light now can't be turned off without spending $900 + for a set of new monitors. Needless to say the dealers cost is so prohibitive that that they will not be replaced so what good is this system ? I believe as this is a safety item that the auto manufactures should fix / replace !!.
Experiencing slow tire leaks, went to dealership and they stated that this is not an uncommon problem with this model since the "wheel base" is stainless steel and overtime rust creates a problem that facilitates slow leaks and the solutions is to change the wheel base to an aluminum wheel base. This does not make sense to me and the solution is very costly, there has to be an more reasonalbe solution.
Have had two (2) occurrences of loss of tire pressure due to rust perforation of the wheels. There is a groove on the inside of the wheel that retains water, resulting in rust perforation. Replacement of two wheels has been required. Wheels are the original equipment 17" steel wheels. Air loss occurred both while the vehicle was parked and being driven. Air loss was not catastrophic, but replenishment was required multiple times a day.
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Rav4. While the vehicle was serviced by an independent mechanic, the technician noticed that the wheels were corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 57,000.