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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
23,831 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2016 Toyota RAV4 steering problems

steering problem

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2016 Toyota RAV4 Owner Comments

problem #9

May 302024

RAV4

  • 99,388 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH and driving over a bump in the roadway, the steering wheel seized, and the information system rebooted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 99,388.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #8

Jan 012022

RAV4

  • miles
At about 40,000 miles on the 2016 Toyota Rav4, the steering wheel response became sticky, in the sense that when the driver moves it from left to right (or right to left), it has resistance at certain spots and the driver has to use extra force to move the steering wheel against the resistance. Once the driver uses that extra force to steer the wheel over that resistance while turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel slightly jerks and shakes. The steering wheel almost remains stuck while turning, and the driver has to immediately correct to prevent turning too much while driving. This can cause the driver to lose control. The car was taken to a Toyota dealer and inspected. The owner of the vehicle has taken the vehicle to a non-manufacturer mechanic dealer for inspection. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms. The problem has been noted by the dealership and the dealership claims that other drivers have experienced the same thing. The non-manufacturer mechanic has also noticed the problem and says the part will arrive in 2 months, as it is currently unavailable. The vehicle is available for inspection by NHTSA upon request.

- Spring Hill, FL, USA

problem #7

Sep 012021

RAV4

  • miles
Steering wheel lock Dealer suggest to replace the steering column, car only have 30 K miles "?"

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #6

Feb 092021

RAV4

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving on a local road I started to lose electrical power. At first I lost power steering and shortly after the heat stopped working and all the lights on the dashboard lit up. When I brought the car to be diagnosed the fuse box had been burned and wires melted and there was smoke indicating there had been a fire around the fuse/electrical area

- Lakewood, NJ, USA

problem #5

Dec 042019

RAV4

  • 6,145 miles
The wiring harness was chew completely up. This affected my power brakes, engine, steering system, etc. These lights came on while driving the car! rats chewed my wiring.

- Ville Platte, LA, USA

problem #4

Jul 172018

RAV4

  • 23,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Rav4. While driving approximately 15 mph and making a left turn, the power steering became very difficult to steer. The contact crashed into a curb and sideswiped another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic by the contact's insurance company where it was awaiting inspection. A dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

- Valencia, CA, USA

problem #3

Feb 282016

RAV4

  • 200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This brand new 2016 rave limited constantly pulls to the right while moving.. had 2 alignments done, tires rotated and balanced and still the same problem.

- Cecil, PA, USA

problem #2

Apr 182016

RAV4

  • 500 miles
Toyota Rav4 limited-at all times of incidences this vehicle was in motion. Safety issue!!! 1. I purchased the vehicle March 26, 2016, to commute to new job. 2. highway-warning 1 on apx 4/4 Monday (9 days after purchase) "check Toyota park assist have vehicle checked by a dealer" the cause was snow on sensors....since we are in Montana there will be snow on sensors at least 8 months a year. 4. highway-warning 2 on apx 4/18/16 "AWD system malffunction 2 wheeldrive mode engaged dealer said loose gas cap caused this. 5. hiway-apx 4/12/16-4/14/16 I was passing a double car hauler. The car hauler was going about 50-60 on incline around a corner. I was going 80 (speed limit) with 2 vehicles behind me at the same speed. We were all passing the car hauler. All of a sudden warning sounds in front of car went off and car braked to almost an immediate stop then alarms in back of cars were going off because the cars behind me were coming up on my rear. I pressed the gas and the brake and nothing, turned the wheel toward left and car started to go. I am fearful of this vehicle. I am a widow and am afraid to put my children in it. I parked the car after this incident and contacted Toyota manufacturer. They rejected repurchase. I had been in constant contact with dealer (over 20 logged calls and almost 100 texts) they offered to trade vehicle at $28K for a vehicle that was 2 weeks old. I owed $34K on it. That is a loss of $6000 in 2 weeks on a vehicle with safety issues. The car had 63 miles on it when I drove it off the lot, I drove from dealership to home which was 225+ miles. Then I commuted from home to new job from (80 miles each way to work) from March 28-April 18=16 work days and 1 or 2 overtime days/visit friends (3,168 miles) I am at about 3,300 miles now.

- Helena, MT, USA

problem #1

Mar 182016

RAV4

  • 250 miles
Noticed the brandnew 2016 Rav4 xle pulls to the right strongly after 3 days owning the car with 200 miles. Went to the dealer twice and did 2 alignments and cross tire rotation. The service admits the pulls and claim they fixed it the 1st time. However actually nothing is changed. Still pulls to the right, not any better. Come back again and the same technician tried to align and rotate again. We tested drive and still found it. The dealer's lead technician mentioned he did everything he can but still cannot fix it. He opened a case to Toyota Corp to investigate. Me and the technician together drove another identical new Rav4 (with same msrp) and both of us do not find the pulls on this one. So the problem is just with the one I purchased. This adds a lot of stress and distraction as it needs constant adjusting the steering wheel. It is a safety issue due to the extra distraction. It is not a normal pull. It pulls heavily and even turning the steering wheel a little bit left, within 3 seconds the car will go to the right on every lane of all types of road, consistantly. I owned several other Toyota (some are 1 year new) and none of them has this issue. (this is after all realignment!!!) very disappointed with this brand new car and introduces a lot of hassles after spending 27K on it!!! because tire/alignment are not the issues I expect some defective parts, however the dealer say they cannot fix it...

- Morgan Hill, CA, USA

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