NHTSA Complaint #10498105 — 2006 TOYOTA RAV4

ON WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30TH, AROUND 6 P.M. EST, I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, GOING APPROXIMATELY 40-45 MPH, WHEN SUDDENLY I LOST CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE (2006 RAV4, STANDARD NOT SPORT). FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR OFF TO THE SHOULDER AFTER ABOUT 30 SECONDS OF SWERVING AND INABILITY TO CONTROL THE CAR. THERE WAS NO PHYSICAL DAMAGE TO MY PERSON, CAR OR ANYONE ELSE, BUT AS YOU CAN PROBABLY IMAGINE, I WAS ? AND CONTINUE TO BE- VERY SHAKEN UP OVER WHAT HAPPENED, AND HOW MUCH WORSE IT COULD HAVE BEEN HAD I BEEN ON A MORE CONGESTED HIGHWAY, GOING AT A FASTER SPEED. A WOMAN, WHO WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME, STOPPED AND HELPED ME OUT AND WITNESSED HOW OUT OF CONTROL MY CAR WAS. SHE THOUGHT I HAD HIT A DEER (IT WAS VERY DARK, FOGGY AND RAINY, AS WELL). IRONICALLY, I HAD JUST RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA NOT EVEN A FEW DAYS EARLIER. I WAS AWAY THE PREVIOUS WEEK AND IT ARRIVED WHILE I WAS OUT OF TOWN. I HAD THE RECALL IN MY PHYSICAL POSSESSION FOR A TOTAL OF 4 DAYS, ONE OF WHICH WAS NOT A BUSINESS DAY. I HAD MY TIRES CHANGED AND ALIGNED OVER A YEAR AGO (I?D HAVE TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THE EXACT DATE, BUT I?M FAIRLY CERTAIN IT WAS DEC. 2011 OR JANUARY 2012). AT THIS TIME, ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA RECALL NOTICE, AN ADDITIONAL STEP NEEDED TO BE TAKEN IN ORDER TO PREVENT BACKLASH AT THE THREADED PORTION OF THE ARM, FOLLOWED BY RUST. IF THIS OCCURRED, THREAD WOULD WEAR, CAUSING THE ARM TO SEPARATE, WHICH COULD RESULT IN THE LOSS OF THE VEHICLE. THE SAME NIGHT OF THE INCIDENT, I HAD MY CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT AND THE NEXT MORNING, JANUARY 31ST, THEY CONFIRMED THAT WHAT HAD HAPPENED TO MY CAR WAS INDEED BECAUSE OF THE RECALL. THIS MEANS THAT I HAD BEEN DRIVING MY CAR AROUND TO MY OWN DETRIMENT FOR OVER A YEAR, WITHOUT ANY IDEA THAT THERE WAS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD TO MYSELF OR MY SIX YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. *TR