# 2009 TOYOTA RAV4 — STEERING
> NHTSA complaint `947398` · 2012-10-31 · Toyota Motor Corporation
## Severity
- **Deaths:** 0
- **Injured:** 0
- **Fire:** No
- **Crash:** Yes
- **Police report:** No
- **Medical attention:** No
- **Vehicle towed:** No
## Vehicle
- **Make:** TOYOTA
- **Model:** RAV4
- **Year:** 2009
- **Manufacturer:** Toyota Motor Corporation
- **Component:** STEERING
- **Miles at failure:** 33,000
- **Speed:** 15 mph
## Narrative
I STARTED MY CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO REVERSE OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY - BUT IT STARTED THEN STOPPED AND WOULD NOT MOVE - THE POWER STEERING EMERGENCY LIGHT HAD TURNED ON AND THE POWER STEERING WASN'T WORKING. I TOWED THE CAR TO MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME THE COMPUTER WAS FAULTY (ON A 3 YEAR OLD CAR ?!!)  AND I NEEDED A NEW ONE AT A PART COST OF ABOUT $700 AND LABOR COST OF $300-$400. THE CAR WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THEY AGREED TO PAY FOR THE PART IF I PAID FOR THE LABOR. I WAS SUSPICIOUS OF WHY THEY AGREED TO DO THIS, BUT I AGREED. THE FOLLOWING WEEK I DROVE MY CAR DOWN MY DRIVEWAY AND ONTO THE ROAD AND AS I WAS TURNING THE POWER STEERING FAILED AGAIN, THE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, AND I COULD NOT STEER  SO I CRASHED INTO A HEDGE. (BUT I COULD HAVE CRASHED AT HIGH SPEED AND BEEN KILLED) . I TOWED THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP - NOW THEY TELL ME THEY ARE REPLACING THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN, AT NO COST TO ME. OBVIOUSLY THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM. IF YOU GOOGLE IT, LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE HAD POWER STEERING ISSUES AND EVEN CRASHED AT HIGH SPEEDS. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING FAULT. PLEASE LOOK FOR A PATTERN.  *TR
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*Source: [NHTSA ODI](https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/downloads/) · AI Analytics · CC0 1.0*