Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota RAV4 owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This complaint is related to discovery srx p215/70r16 cooper tires which were bought on October 23 2018. These tires are identical to recall 'NHTSA recall no. - 19t-005 affecting cooper discoverer' and cooper evolution' tires' only they are the 16 inch tires. We believe that the 16 inch tires should also be included in this recall. Here are the issues that we have had with these tires: 1.10-23-18 purchased discovery srx p215/70r16 cooper tires with road hazard from blains farm & fleet in verona wi vehicle miles 106292 2.10-28-18 rear passenger tire blew for no reason, changed and returned to blains for replacement (no receipt was given) 3.11-25-18 while driving home and rounding a corner, the car veered into a curve and destroyed the front passenger tire, rim, and wheel covers on both wheels. Rear tire was also replaced because of bulge on tire. …
My wife's 2006 RAV4 has a "clunking" noise in the steering that is worrisome to us. It has been present and getting worse for seven or eight years, now. I noticed the noise as being faint but didn't think much of it until my stepson asked me one day what the noise was. It occurs when driving the vehicle and turning the steering wheel. It got progressively louder and when I mentioned it to the Toyota dealer where we have the vehicle serviced they basically blew us off and implied that it was our faulty driving. I have seen other complaints about this same problem from other rav 4 owners but Toyota doesn't seem to want to fix this very dangerous problem. The fix will cost from 5 to 7 hundred dollars. …
On freeway, other motorist notified me my car was "on fire!" I saw excessive smoke in rearview mirror. I took the next exit which was dixon, ca off interstate 80 west in california. The side of the freeway there is grassy, did not think it was safe to stop...I stopped the car and smoke was everywhere, coming up through the hood & under the car. This was tues, 2/3/09. I has the car serviced the fri before, 1/30/09 at Toyota vallejo in vallejo, ca. I called the dealership after calling aaa for a tow. The service advisor, ryan said "it couldn't have been from anything they had done. But there is an 'oil hose' that had been coming off alot of the RAV4's." I was already upset & that made me livid!! If it were a known problem the dealership should have checked during the scheduled maint. My car was towed to lithia Toyota of vacaville #47 at 500 orange drive, vacaville, ca. Work order 394212. …
On Wednesday, January 30th, around 6 p.m. Est, I was driving home from work, going approximately 40-45 MPH, when suddenly I lost control of my vehicle (2006 RAV4, standard not sport). Fortunately, I was able to get the car off to the shoulder after about 30 seconds of swerving and inability to control the car. There was no physical damage to my person, car or anyone else, but as you can probably imagine, I was ? And continue to be- very shaken up over what happened, and how much worse it could have been had I been on a more congested highway, going at a faster speed. A woman, who was driving behind me, stopped and helped me out and witnessed how out of control my car was. She thought I had hit a deer (it was very dark, foggy and rainy, as well). Ironically, I had just received a recall notice from Toyota not even a few days earlier. …
I was driving by 88 st and 94 ave in miami, florida went through the train tracks, and heard a loud noise, like an explosion, and the car started to shake and move to the left lane, thank god there was no cars coming, so I finally control the vehicle, I look for a reason of the explosion, and then drag...literally to a shopping plaza, where I noticed the tire behind on the driver side was almost separating from the vehicle. I called my son, and he send a tow truck, later a mechanic would tell me that the inner tie rod broke. I noticed months before that the car made funny noises from the suspension. I called the dealer sent an e-mail to Toyota USA warning them, they told me to go to the dealer. They didn't care what I said to them, I went three times to them, Toyota USA insisted to go to the dealer. …
I had ABS, vsc all the traction light came on my car around 6 months ago. I took it into the dealer and got the car fixed the culprit was the bad ABS sensor. Now on new years night while driving home all the lights came on and I lost my traction ABS suddenly. After parking the car for few hrs or so seems to cure it, but it kicked in while driving again and lost ABS, traction etc. It is very unsafe and I am taking my car to the dealer for second time, first thing in the morning. Now do I have to do that for all 4 sensors? Wait till they die out one by one and go all year around ? What happens if my ABS and traction stops working while I am on highway while its heavy snowing? I after quick research online there seems like the ABS sensor problem is quite common among all the RAV4 in similar body style. If Toyota knows about it why are they not doing something ? …
I bought a 2006 RAV4 over the weekend and the underinflation light is on. I checked the 4 tires on the ground and they were all OK. I decided to check the spare and after about 30-45 minutes of frustration, I gave up trying to remove the cover. I called service and the tech said, something like, "yeah, those are hard to get off and even harder to get back on." anyway, this is the cover with the hard shell and the vinyl with elastic around the back--it does not have the latch. I finally got the vinyl completely pulled towards the back and around the hard shell but I yanked, pulled and pried and couldn't get the hard shell to budge. It was cold in the garage and my hands probably weren't working so well but it should be easier. The question is: what if I have a flat tire while in highway, first of all removing this cover is not easy at all for men, what about women? …
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota RAV4. The contact stated that all four wheels corroded and the corrosion spread to the valves. The failure was causing the tires to lose air rapidly. The dealer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance to the contact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 58,680 and the current mileage was 59,000. Updated 06/06/12 the consumer stated that when he pointed out the rust to a service representative air was not leaking from the tire. He was only concerned about the condition of the valve leading to a blowout of the tire. Updated 06/07/12
Purchased spector advanta SUV tires on 06/05/08. 235/65/17. Complained to dealer, ashland tire and auto care, ashland, ky. Dealer re-balanced tires without positive results. In the last several weeks, at interstate speeds tires vibrated enough to cause the check engine light to illuminate with traction control and vsc as well. Dealer said buy new tires. Tires currently have 25,000 miles. I replaced the tires today and the problem seems resolved. I see this as a safety issue as the engine tries to decelerate with this combination of dashboard lights. I am storing the tires pending results from this website.
I got a flat and I went to remove my tire and the bolt broke. This was the first time. I had it fixed. I went to the dealer to have my brakes done and was told that a bolt was going to brake if they continued to remove the tire. I was given the option to have it fixed for $178. Then I was having my tires rotated at the shop and another bolt broke. That made 3 bolts broken on the passenger rear tire. I've owned 5 brand new cars in my life and never had this happen before. I've checked the Toyota website to see if any 2006 RAV4 have been recalled for this problem but no recalls reported.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other RAV4 years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2006 Toyota RAV4?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2006 Toyota RAV4, 3% of the model year's 705 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota RAV4 wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires recall for the 2006 Toyota RAV4, though it has 11 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota RAV4 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to wheels & tires problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.