NHTSA Complaint #10693340 — 2009 TOYOTA RAV4

DRIVING IN TO WORK IN THE MORNING, SPEED WAS 25 MPH ON A SUBURBAN ROAD, SOUTH STREET IN TEWKSBURY MA, AS I WENT OVER ROUGH AREA IN THE ROAD, I HEARD A THUMP FROM UNDER THE CAR. I PULLED OVER AND FOUND THE RIGHT REAR SUSPENSION STRUTS LET GO. I PULLED IN TO A PARKING LOT TO EXAMINE WHAT HAPPENED. PART OF THE STRUT WAS HANGING DOWN SCRAPING ON THE GROUND. THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WAS SKEWED IN THE WHEEL WELL RUBBING ON THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL WELL. THE STRUT HAS AN EYE WITH A BUSHING IN IT, WHERE A BOLT IS USED TO BOLT IT TO THE CAR'S MAIN FRAME, THE BOLT WAS MISSING ALLOWING THE SUSPENSION TO FALL APART. IF THIS HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE HAD IT IN TWICE AT THE DEALERSHIP, ONCE TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, A SECOND TIME TO ENSURE IT WAS OK. A MONTH AGO IT WAS TAKEN IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND TIRE ROTATION, ALL DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP. CAR HAS BEEN TOWED BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE "BOLT" LET GO, APPARENTLY THE ONE HOLDING THE STRUT TO THE MAIN FRAME OF THE CAR. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE WHEEL CANNOT BE HELD IN PLACE AND RIDES UP IN TO THE WHEEL WELL. *TR