NHTSA Complaint #10641885 — 2010 TOYOTA RAV4

THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (EPS) FAILED ON MY 2010 TOYOTA RAV-4 TODAY ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE RESULTING CRASH ALMOST KILLED ME. I'M 53 YEARS OLD, MY RAV-4 HAS ALWAYS HAD ROUTINE MAINTENANCE AND IS IN GOOD CONDITION, NOT ABUSED AND ALWAYS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. WITHOUT WARNING TODAY WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 60 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING AND SHARPLY TURNING LEFT-RIGHT-LEFT-RIGHT FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS WITH A GRINDING AND SHAKING NOISE IN THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. I USED ALL MY STRENGTH TO KEEP THE CAR POINTED STRAIGHT WHILE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN AND NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THEN THE CAR SHARPLY VEERED LEFT AND HIT (HARD) A 5-FOOT CONCRETE BARRIER WALL SEPARATING THE INTERSTATE LANES. AS THIS WAS OCCURRING A RED TRIANGLE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD WITH AN EXCLAMATION POINT. AFTER THE ACCIDENT I LOOKED IN THE TOYOTA RAV-4 OWNERS MANUAL, AND IT INDICATED AN "EPS MALFUNCTION". THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE (INSURANCE ESTIMATE STILL PENDING, PROBABLY ABOUT $8,000). MORE IMPORTANTLY HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IF THE CONCRETE RETAINING WALL HADN'T BEEN THERE MY VEHICLE WOULD HAVE TURNED LEFT, ROLLED OVER INTO APPROACHING ON-COMING TRAFFIC FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND POTENTIALLY CAUSED MUCH GREATER SAFETY RISK TO ON-COMING TRAFFIC AND DAMAGE. IT WAS VERY FORTUNATE THAT THE WALL WAS THERE. I SUSTAINED BACK INJURIES. THERE WAS ALSO A WITNESS IN BACK OF ME WHO SAW THE ENTIRE THING WITH THE ERRATIC STEERING AND RESULTING ACCIDENT; HE STOPPED TO ENSURE WAS OK AND HE CALLED 911 AND MADE A STATEMENT TO THE POLICE. THIS WAS NOT DUE TO TIRES (THEY ARE NEW), OR POOR ROAD CONDITIONS (THIS PART OF THE INTERSTATE WAS NEWLY REFINISHED AND SMOOTH). IT WAS CLEARLY A MECHANICAL FAILURE OF THE TOYOTA EPS. MAILOUT CUSTOMER REQUEST 11/05/14*LJ....UPDATED 11/18/14 *BF UPDATED 8/12/2015 *JS