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
2011
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA RAV4. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE TURNING THE IGNITION ON AFTER RUNNING AT NORMAL RPMS FOR ABOUT 1-1/1/2. THE ENGINE RPMS SUDDENLY BEGAN TO INCREASE. THE CONTACT LOOKED DOWN AT THE FLOOR MAT AND NOTICED THE FLOOR MAT WAS NOT IN THE WAY OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE PEDAL HAD NOT MOVED WHEN THE CONTACT SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THE VEHICLE SHOOK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,200. UPDATED 07/08/11*LJ ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, THEY FOUND AN AFTER MARKET FLOOR MAT ON TOP OF THE FACTORY FLOOR MAT. THE DEALER REMOVED THE AFTER MARKET FLOOR MAT AND PLACED IT IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE AND PROPERLY INSTALLED FACTORY CLIPS TO THE FLOOR MAT. UPDATED 07/22/11