Steering Is Tight Problems of Toyota RAV4

I was traveling down arrow hwy in the rain when my electrical system failed. I lost power from both my alternator and battery intermittently. I was coasting down to an approaching intersection when I made the descision to turn right at the intersection. The steering was so hard that I nearing hit the center divide. My windshield wipers were barely working and many of my dash icons were coming on randomly. Through it all, my engine continued to run and I made to the next street that turned into condos that had parking spaces. I shut my engine off and tried a restart. The engine,of course,did not start. After being hauled to the nearest Toyota dealer they diagnosed the problem as an alternator that shorted the battery. Having a little experience in this electrical area, I understand how this can happen but with proper design it could have been avoided. The battery was saved after recharging. Here is my point; I don't want any one that I know and love to go through what I had to. Those that drive this car should be made aware that this could happen with a car equipped with electrical steering. This problem could have been more severe if the engine would have stalled; which, by the way would have happened in a short time.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

We recently took our Rav4 in for recall work. The service department decided to do a complimentary inspection on my Rav4. We were told that the power steering pump needed to be replaced. It had never been a problem before. Now, the power steering pump is squealing on tighter than regular corner turning. I researched this issue on the internet. The disturbing, more constant compliant is that the power steering on my year, make and model will fail intermittently and then suddenly fail. This is a very serious issue since most of the drivers on the road are used to power steering and may not know what to do if the power steering should suddenly fail while driving. I want to make it clear that I am not blaming the dealership or the service department. They gave us a heads-up on what we had no idea was about to become a problem. The power steering pump problem is a serious issue, the Rav4 is a family car for the most part.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I drove vehicle in the morning, no indications of any steering problems. During my drive in the late afternoon, the power steering assist stopped working. I was stopped at a left turn lane and heard a faint "click" sound from below the steering wheel area at around knee level. This sound was not that of a "turn signal switch" click, it was just a "click". The engine stayed running, the eps warning light came on, the steering wheel was very hard to turn (I have carpel tunnel in my right hand), with assistance from my passenger we were able to complete the turn. We drove vehicle home without power steering and parked it. My brother-in-law came that evening to inspect for failure. Vehicle started up and power steering worked without problems. Since no eps warning light came on, he volunteered to take vehicle home to test drive until problem recurred. The dealer told him to drive the vehicle to them to have problem evaluated. He has put 500 miles on the odometer so far and problem has not recurred. He said the dealer will just give me the run around if no "hard code" is set and condition of no" power assist" is present. I am afraid of driving this vehicle now because of this problem.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

I started the rav 4 and began backing out of the parking place. I immediately noticed the steering was very hard. I restarted the car a couple of times with no change and then called for a tow to the dealership. Arriving at the dealership I went to pull the car into the service bay and the steering was normal again. They checked the onboard computer and found an error code indicating that the steering computer had a problem and I paid $1,000 to replace it, as I was afraid of the steering going out again while driving the car.

See all problems of the 2010 Toyota RAV4 🔎.

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?.