2006 TOYOTA RAV 4. PROBLEM BEGAN ON JAN. 2 2011. WHILE SLOWLY TURNING LEFT I DETECTED "CLUNKING" SOUND IN THE STEERING COLUMN. EVERY TIME I TURN LEFT I HEAR THIS NOISE, AND KNOWING TOYOTA HAS HAD SOME STEERING WHEEL PROBLEMS IN THE PAST I BECAME EXTRA NERVOUS. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND QUITE QUICKLY THAT THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM WITH RAV 4S BUT NO RECALL CAN BE ISSUED UNTIL THERE ARE ENOUGH COMPLAINTS, AND OWNERS ARE PAYING UP TO $1000 TO GET THIS FIXED. *TR
2007
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE I NOTICED THAT ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THIS INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SAFETY SYSTEM WHICH ALLOWS THE AIRBAG TO INFLATE DURING A FRONTAL OR SIDE IMPACT CRASH. I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. ON THE DAY OF THE APPOINTMENT I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION IN THE SPIRAL CLOCK CABLE WHICH RESIDES UNDER THE STEERING WHEEL AND IS AN INTRICATE PART OF THE SAFETY, DRIVER SIDE AND OTHER AIRBAGS WITHIN THE VEHICLE. IF THIS PART WAS NOT REPLACED THEN I COULD BE FATALLY HURT OR KILLED IF THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT DEPLOY. I WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT TOYOTA HAD DONE A RECALL ON THIS EXACT PART BUT ONLY ON THE TOYOTA TACOMA, THIS EFFECTED OVER 700,000 VEHICLES RECALLED FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM. I CONTACTED TOYOTA IMMEDIATELY AFTER HAVING THE REPAIRS DONE TO MY VEHICLE. I RECEIVED A MESSAGE BACK FROM THEM STATING THAT THEY WOULD REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PART PLUS THE TAX BUT NOT FOR THE LABOR CHARGES, THEY CLAIM THAT THE LABOR CHARGES WOULD NOT BE REIMBURSED DUE TO THE NUMBER OF MILES ON MY VEHICLE, BUT IF THEY HAD INCLUDED THE RAV4S IN THE RECALL THE LABOR CHARGES WOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. I HAVE HAD MORE THAN 4 RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE DONE IN JUST THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. ALTHOUGH I AM GRATEFUL THAT I AM RECEIVING THE REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE PART AND TAX I THINK THAT THE LABOR SHOULD BE INCLUDED, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE PART WAS A MAJOR RECALL ON OTHER MODELS. *TR
