NHTSA Complaint #10542990 — 2004 TOYOTA RAV4

VEHICLE DECELERATE, IGNORES THROTTLE INPUT WITH ESP LIGHT FLASHING AND SOMETIMES A 'BEEPING' SOUND WITH VIOLENT SEQUENTIAL BRAKE APPLICATION BY ITSELF OF RIGHT FRONT WHEEL, WITH THE VIOLENT CONSEQUENCE THAT IT HAS ON STEERING WHEEL. MADE A 'RESET' OF STEERING WHEEL ANGLE SENSOR PROCEDURE BY TOYOTA STEPS. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. BY MY EXPERIENCE AS AN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN I SUSPECTED OF AN ESP PROBLEM. I ALSO NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A SLIGHTLY INCREASED INPUT OF STEERING WHEEL NEEDED TO HAVE THE SAME EFFECT THAN BEFORE. BY VISUAL INSPECTION, WITH ANOTHER PERSON MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL, THERE WAS AN EXCESSIVE MOVEMENT (PLAY) OF STEERING 'RACK AND PINION' FROM ITS MOUNTING BUSHINGS TO THE BODY. Y PAY TO HAVE THOSE BUSHINGS REPLACED, AND PROBLEM SOLVED. IT IS A COMMON ISSUE. NOW 135,000 MILES AND STILL NO PROBLEMS. THE ESP, BECAUSE OF THE EXCESSIVE STEERING WHEEL ANGLE SENSOR READING (CAUSED BY THE ADDITIONAL INPUT REQUIRED BY RACK AND PINION DEFECTIVE MOUNTING BUSHINGS) BEHAVES LIKE VEHICLE IS GOING STRAIGHT, SLIDING, INSTEAD OF TAKING THE TURN, SO THE ESP TRY TO 'CORRECT' A CONDITION THAT IT'S NOT HAPPENING. PROBLEMS COULD ALSO HAPPENS TO VEHICLES GOING STRAIGHT (DECELERATING, ESP LIGHT FLASHING, BEEPING SOUND AND/OR VIOLENT BRAKE APPLIED TO ONE OF FRONTAL WHEELS). *TR