Steering owner reports: Toyota RAV4 years in the records

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“Steering suddenly locked up. Car steered to the right went off the road. Turned over several times and landed upside down. Causing serious injuries to myself and the driver. I was in hospital 3 weeks total with broken ribs , broken vertabrae and dislocated shoulder. Cuts on feet from the glass. Driver had cuts on head and dislocated shoulder. Prior to accident, I had reported (twice) to dealer that steering wheel felt loose. The second time, I had him write it down on report when I came in for oil change. So I have proof that I reported it. They checked steering and said they couldn't find anything wrong; but the problem was it didn't do it all the time. Sometimes it would take quite a few seconds before it would react if I would turn it a little left or right. Eventually, it did lock up and caused the horrible accident. The accident occured on November 26, 2020. I typed that date, but somehow this report changed it to Aug 6 and I can't seem to change it.”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“RENTAL VEHICLE AFTER 10/15/MINUTES OF DRIVING -YOU HAD TO USE BOTH HANDS ON STEERING WHEEL VEHICLE WANTED TO DRIFT IN AND OUT OF LANE OF TRAVEL-VERY HARD TO STEER OFTEN REFERD TO AS WHITE KNUCKLE DRIVING INTERSTATE SPEEDS 70MPH-PASSENGER SEAT WAS NOT LOCKING -SEAT WAS TRAVELING BACK AND FORTH.WE WERE HIT FROM THE REAR.ALL TRAFFIC HAD STOPPED- IT WAS THEN DISCOVERED THAT PASSENGER AND DRIVERS SEAT BELTS WERE NOT WORKING THEY WERE NOT ENGAGING LOCKING DEVICE”

The records describe a problem worth checking before purchase.

“The contact owns a 2019 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, an orange steering symbol appeared on the instrument panel accompanied by the message: "Power Steering Malfunction, Steering Power Low, Visit Your Dealer." An initial inspection by an independent mechanic indicated that the electrical power steering and the rack and pinion assembly needed to be replaced. Subsequently, the vehicle was taken to a dealer, where diagnostic testing confirmed a defective power steering system. Following a software update performed by the dealer, the warning symbol transitioned to red, accompanied by an audible alarm and a significant increase in the physical force required to steer the vehicle. Restarting the vehicle temporarily reverted the warning light to orange and restored steering functionality. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V373000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 105,857.”