We took the Rav4 into the mechanic for a brake job & he called us to say it wasn't road worthy because the K-frame was almost entirely rusted through and we shouldn't put our children in it. He said we shouldn't even drive it off his lot that it could hit a pothole and break in two. We came & took pictures of all the rust. He said the K-frame would need to be replaced along with the rocker arms. We came home & researched to find this is a common problem with these vehicles. I don't understand why a company like Toyota wouldn't take responsibility for a defect like this. It's clearly a design flaw. Imagine the catastrophic damage and injury that would occur if I had my children in this vehicle driving 65mph down the highway (that I have to take everyday to get anywhere) and the frame on this vehicle breaking! I hate to think what would happen to me or my children. All because Toyota didn't make sure to make a functional part of the support structure of their vehicles.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The contact owns a 1999 Toyota rav 4. the contact was notified by an independent mechanic that the front cradle was completely rusted and the only thing keeping it from fracturing was the steering linkage. The vehicle was not able to be repaired. The manufacturer was not aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 220,000.

- Eau Claire, WI, USA

There is rust in the front cross member passenger side. There is a big hole because of rust. It is not safe to drive it.

- St Laurent, Quebec H4l 5p4, NY, USA