NHTSA Complaint #11144817 — 2016 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

I WAS JUST PROCEEDING FROM A STOP AT A 4 WAY INTERSECTION GO VERY SLOWLY WHEN I RECEIVED A WARNING ON MY DASHBOARD SAYING "EPS FAILURE, STEERING WHEEL HARDER TO TURN". I WAS THEN PHYSICALLY UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, ALMOST AS IF THE POWER STEERING WAS DISABLED. THIS WAS AT AN EXTREMELY BUSY INTERSECTION AND I ALMOST HIT A TELEPHONE POLE. EVEN WHEN TRYING TO BACK UP AND TURN, MY VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO STEER OTHER THAN GOING STRAIGHT FORWARD AND BACK. AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTING IT, THE ERROR WENT AWAY AND MY STEERING RESUMED AS NORMAL, BUT I SMELLED A BURNING SMELL. THIS WAS A VERY SCARY INCIDENT AND I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED IF I HAD HIT THE TELEPHONE POLE, IF I HAD BEEN GOING FASTER, OR SOMEONE IN THE INTERSECTION COULD HAVE HIT ME. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE IN THE 2015 MODEL AND IT SHOULD PROBABLY BE EXPANDED AS THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO EXIST WITH THE 2016 MODEL AS WELL.