NHTSA Complaint #10435196 — 2009 TOYOTA RAV4

STEERING STARTED CREATING OCCASIONAL MILD NOISE WHILE TURNING AT AROUND 49000. AT 53000 DURING MAINTENANCE SERVICE AT BURLINGTON TOYOTA, ONTARIO I REPORTED THIS INCIDENT ALONG WITH A METALLIC NOISE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS PRESSED. THEY MENTIONED NOT TO BE ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM AND HENCE DID NOT MAKE ANY FIX. THEY REFUSED TO DEAL TO BRAKE NOISE AND MENTIONED THAT MY BRAKE PAD WILL LAST FOR MUCH LONGER TIME AND REASON MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF RUST. THEY WILL HAVE TO CHARGE ME FOR ANY FURTHER DIAGNOSIS EVEN THOUGH IT WAS WITHIN THE WARRANTY PERIOD. LATER I HAVE ESCALATED THIS TO TOYOTA CANADA, AS ANOTHER TOYOTA DEALER FOUND THAT THE SHAFT INSIDE THE STEERING COLUMN IS CRACKED. TOYOTA CANADA CLAIMS THAT TO BE A WEAR AND TEAR AND REFUSED TO COVER THAT AS MY WARRANTY WAS OVER EVEN THOUGH I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM WHEN MY VEHICLE WAS WITHIN WARRANTY PERIOD. TODAY NOVEMBER 10TH, NEWSPAPERS PUBLISH THAT MORE THAN 500,000 RAV4 ARE RECALLED FOR STEERING. I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY MENTIONED, THIS RECALL IS ONLY FOR 2006 RAV4 AND NOT FOR 2009. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT TOYOTA RAV4 2009 HAS THE SAME ISSUE. I COULD NOT FIND AN ONTARIO SITE. SO I COULD NOT ENTER MY PROVINCE AND ZIP CODE BELOW. *TR