Anti-theft Controller Problems of Toyota RAV4

2013 Rav4 limited w/ 63,000 miles. Vehicle equipment with Smart key push button start. For two years this vehicle has had a intermittent ignition failure. Scenario: car is unlocked, key fob is recognized, foot on brake, push start and nothing happens. The anti-theft column lock will not release and the car will not respond to its start command. Then it will. There is no consistent pattern to when it will fail or when it will "fix" itself. Recently it has reached a level of failure that its too risky to take any place and expect to start and get home safely. The car has been in and out of dealer service 12 plus days in the last 30. Dealer has experienced the issue and has done extensive diagnosis, conclusion is, its normal. I purchased the extended warranty in 2013 and what Toyota has proven is they are unwilling or unable to repair. I now resort to disconnecting the battery before putting car in park or closing the doors so the anti theft won't lock. Doors and steering wheel won't lock so when I reconnect the battery it will start. It however runs really badly until it recalibrates. A related concern of mine is this intermittent unlock problem may suddenly lock while driving. I have reported this to Toyota corporate and have a claim. I have reported to local attorney general claiming violation of service contract. I have read on line other Toyota owners have experienced this but I've not read of a solution. I service records, emails and related claims documents. This first occurred in 2017 and has grown from an annoyance to unacceptable. Thank you.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota RAV4 🔎.