2022 Toyota RAV4 Steering Problems

After driving for approximately 30-minutes in a heavy rain i pulled over and the automatic engine shutoff feature activated while i was waiting to go inside for an appointment. When attempting to restart the car, the engine would start but then shut off showing a "low power steering" warning message on my dash. The problem persisted for approximately 15-20 minutes. Eventually after about 10 attempts to restart the engine, the car started back up and drove fine the rest of the day. I have heard of this happening to many other rav4s on the Autosafety.org website and it causes me concern, especially if this problems causes the car to stall in high speed traffic in the rain. It is my understanding that this maybe a problem with the Mass Airflow Sensor getting wet in heavy rainfall.

NHTSA ID

11746188

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

The steering will drift or pull to the side while driving down the road.

NHTSA ID

11733111

Incident

Apr 22, 2026

After turning my car on and the car running for several minutes, the engine shut off on its own and it said “engine stopped steering power low”. This is the second time this has happened. The vehicle is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because I am concerned about this happening while driving, or being stranded somewhere. I have not taken my vehicle in yet, but many other RAV4 owners have this issue from my internet searches. This has happened twice to me in the past two weeks. The vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warning lamps/messages/lights prior to failure.

NHTSA ID

11724378

Incident

Mar 14, 2026

It was a rainy day and I had come home to pick up someone, didn’t turn my car off but had it in park. I went to reverse and pressed on gas, all of a sudden my engine started to aggressively shake/vibrate while showing on the dash that power steering was off, I couldn’t move my car anymore. I turned it off and same thing. Finally after 15 minutes, it started back up like normal. Scary to think others have been experiencing this with or without rain involved, and also while driving. Toyota is suppose to be reliable. Taking it in to Toyota service department tomorrow, but scared to drive it and just be told nothing is wrong like others have been told.

NHTSA ID

11699722

Incident

Nov 15, 2025

Electric Power Steering Low indicator displayed while driving. It re-appeared several times over the past days. Called dealer and awaiting their response.

NHTSA ID

11695753

Incident

Oct 25, 2025

While getting gas the car was running and I got a warning that said engine stopped power steering low. I started the car and everything was fine and was able to drive with no issues and haven't seen the warning. I know sometimes dealerships have reminders for maintenance and not sure if this was just a glitch. After reviewing forums this seems like a known issue on Toyota but the vehicle hasn't been recalled some users have said car was fine while others say battery or alternator. This should be looked into. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11680679

Incident

Aug 14, 2025

After driving for approximately 30-minutes in the rain I pulled over and the automatic engine shutoff feature activated while I was waiting to pick somebody up. When attempting to restart the car, the engine would not turn over and I got a low power steering warning message on my dash. The problem persisted for approximately 15-20 minutes. Eventually after about 15 attempts to restart the engine, the car started back up and drove fine the rest of the way home. The dealership was unable to find anything wrong with my car, but I have heard of this happening to many other RAV4s and it causes me concerning, especially when I need to drive my car in the rain.

NHTSA ID

11669416

Incident

Jun 12, 2025

Engine shuts off with exposure to rain.

NHTSA ID

11665547

Incident

Jun 7, 2025

I was sitting in my driveway 5 minutes after getting home from work and the car engine turned over and message on the screen said “engine stopped, power steering low”. I tried turning it back on and it turned over again with the same messsge.

NHTSA ID

11662882

Incident

May 23, 2025

Engine shuts off on its own with the car continuing to run. No battery issue. Notice of “engine died steering power low” on the dash. Only happens in heavy rain.

NHTSA ID

11653316

Incident

Apr 7, 2025

Car starts and then turns itself off immediately. It shows the message “Engine Stopped Steering Power Low”. It is raining where I live and I’ve read online that this is an issue that is happening to these vehicles when it rains.

NHTSA ID

11650254

Incident

Mar 24, 2025

As I was driving my car jolted and I saw a message that read engine off steering power low go to safety but my car turned off shortly right after. I was lucky it wasnt A busy hour otherwise I could have been in an accident. I was driving and the car turned off on me! Took it to Toyota no codes showing up and battery is 100%. This is so scary and im too scared to drive my car. Went online saw so many people reporting the same issues on RAV4 and no solutions.

NHTSA ID

11649151

Incident

Mar 14, 2025

My vehicle is 2 years old and had 17,000 miles on it when the steering wheel began to peel and chip. Toyota says that it was "caused by the user". There are reports all over the internet about this same problem on this same vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11586195

Incident

Mar 4, 2024

Steering wheel is deteriorating on vehicle. It is low mileage and and has one driver.

NHTSA ID

11584128

Incident

Apr 1, 2024

The contact owned a 2022 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the steering wheel independently veered in the right direction. As a result, the vehicle crashed into an unoccupied parked vehicle. The contact's vehicle flipped twice and the driver's side of the vehicle was severely damaged. The air bags deployed. The contact and the back seat passenger received medical treatment. The contact sustained a lower back injury and heart issues, and the passenger sustained a bump on the head. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence, then the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ID

11583407

Incident

Dec 20, 2023

Mileage

24,000 mi

Safety issue: "Engine Stopped/Started: Due to Steering Power Low" Yesterday, it was heavy rain. My new 2022 RAV4 shut down and would not start due to the warning sign "Steering Power Low." I restarted a few times, but the whole car was jerking and the rpm's were fluttering up and down. The yellow check engine light and the orange warning signs, followed by an exclamation point, came on, along with the messages "Engine Stopped Steering Power Low" and "Not Ready to Drive." then shut down the car. I called for a pickup instead and was not able to start the car until the next day. It was so terrifying, and I was fortunate that the accident did not occur. What would happen if it were to happen as I or other RAV4 owners were in the middle of the road or nowhere for help? As I looked up problems with the new RAV4 online, other RAV4 owners had the same issues, with zero diagnosed reports from Toyota dealers (see links below). [XXX] [XXX] This is a safety concern; I'd be happier that the accidents have not happened yet. So, I urge the Toyota manufacturer to investigate the issue, rectify it, and start making a recall of the 2019–2024 RAV4 to fix the problems before an accident occurs. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11567889

Incident

Jan 24, 2024

Apple Carplay does not function posing a safety hazard. When connected, volume is unable to be lowered via the steering wheel controls or the factory installed radio. As such, in an emergency, the volume could not be lowered to communicate with emergency services. Dealer updated radio to latest software on 8/3/23 but the problem persists. Apple is aware of the problem but does not have a solution.

NHTSA ID

11536716

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

When driving at a speed of ~60 miles, I felt a brief loss of power steering. The wheels were heavy and difficult to control. It lasted for less than a second but occurred twice already in one week.

NHTSA ID

11489690

Incident

Oct 17, 2022