Car Recall Tracker

Home › Toyota › RAV4 › 20V373000

Toyota RAV4 may lose power steering assist suddenly

NHTSA campaign 20V373000 · Reported 2020-06-24 · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

medium How serious is it? About this label

This is a moderate risk — you keep steering control but it can suddenly take much more effort at low speed, and the notice does not tell owners to stop driving, so schedule the free repair soon.

What's wrong, in plain English

Water can get in through the cover on the steering gear box and damage the electric power steering. If that happens, the steering assist can quit and the wheel becomes much harder to turn, especially at low speeds like parking or pulling into a driveway. You can still steer, but it takes a lot more muscle and can catch you by surprise. A dealer will replace the power steering gear box at no cost.

What you should do

1. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether your RAV4 is covered.
2. Call your Toyota dealer, or Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371, and reference recall 20TB11 / 20TA11.
3. Have the dealer replace the power steering gear box — there is no charge.

Affected vehicles (3)

Who to contact

Toyota — official Toyota recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-331-4331

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Official notice

Component
STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Summary
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2019-2020 RAV4 and 2020 RAV4 Hybrid vehicles equipped with electric power steering (EPS). Water may enter through the steering gear box cover and cause a loss of electric power steering assist.
Safety risk
A loss of power steering assist could increase steering effort at low vehicle speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power steering gear box, free of charge. The recall began August 17, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB11 / 20TA11.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.