Steering power low engine stopped message

18476 Views 25 Replies 14 Participants Last post by JFox562, 2 d ago

Amynana

Discussion Starter · Oct 8, 2021

Hi there !
I have a 2021RAV4. This just happened: I went to a pharmacy and when I came back and got in the car and started it I got a text and got distracted so when I was done reading it I tried to start the car again like a dummy and it made that scratching sound so I stopped but then looked up and saw this , see picture below . Any idea why? I had to turn off the car and start it again and it started right away no problem at all .

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Tazio Nuvolari

· #2 · Oct 8, 2021

If I understand what happened: you started the RAV--then tried to start it again while the engine was still running-- you heard a scratching sound--then got the trouble lights and warning message. I bet you have an LE that uses the ignition key. I know this because you have a gas model (from your gauges) and if you had an XLE or up with the push button start it would simply have turned off when you pushed the button a second time. When you turned the ignition key while the engine was running the noise you heard was the starting motor teeth scraping on the spinning flywheel teeth. This is no biggee as long as you don't make a habit of it-it would damage the starter and you sure don't want to replace a flywheel. I would imagine the trouble lights and message simply disappeared when you shut off and restarted the RAV. If they did NOT please reply here for assistance.

berkeleybrian

· #3 · Dec 19, 2021

I just had this problem while waiting in line at the Chick Fil A drive through.....didn't hit any buttons, but the engine just kept turning off with this exact message. Made a sputtering and lurching movement when i started it u again before turning off again. Had to do this 5-6 times to get through the drive through, and then it shut off as I went through an intersection across the street.

berkeleybrian

· #4 · Dec 19, 2021

oh yeah, forgot to mention....i have a 2021 XLE

Tazio Nuvolari

· #5 · Dec 19, 2021

berkeleybrian said:
I just had this problem while waiting in line at the Chick Fil A drive through.....didn't hit any buttons, but the engine just kept turning off with this exact message. Made a sputtering and lurching movement when i started it u again before turning off again. Had to do this 5-6 times to get through the drive through, and then it shut off as I went through an intersection across the street.

Not the same scenario as the OP. You have the same warning notice on MID screen, but you did not do a restart with the engine already still running and did not get a scraping noise (from the starting motor hitting the spinning flywheel teeth.) Also there is clearly something quite wrong with yours as it kept shutting off (which did not happen with the OP--who had become distracted and made a mistake in starting her RAV.) If yours has not somehow "magically" fixed itself you are going to have to have it scanned for codes and repaired under warranty at the dealership. I frankly don't have a clue what your RAV's problem is. I have suspicions. Sometimes if the battery is in a state of very low charge you will get all sorts of odd warning notices and behaviours. However I have never heard off the RAV turning off a running engine to preserve battery charge. Since the steering is electrical (not hydraulic) that "steering power low" notice makes me think battery

berkeleybrian

· #6 · Dec 19, 2021

Tazio Nuvolari said:
Not the same scenario as the OP. You have the same warning notice on MID screen, but you did not do a restart with the engine already still running and did not get a scraping noise (from the starting motor hitting the spinning flywheel teeth.) Also there is clearly something quite wrong with yours as it kept shutting off (which did not happen with the OP--who had become distracted and made a mistake in starting her RAV.) If yours has not somehow "magically" fixed itself you are going to have to have it scanned for codes and repaired under warranty at the dealership. I frankly don't have a clue what your RAV's problem is. I have suspicions. Sometimes if the battery is in a state of very low charge you will get all sorts of odd warning notices and behaviours. However I have never heard off the RAV turning off a running engine to preserve battery charge. Since the steering is electrical (not hydraulic) that "steering power low" notice makes me think battery

thanks for the quick reply...first time in the forum. Car is only at about 3700 miles and this is the first trouble I've had. I noticed there had been some problems and a recall on previous models with water getting into the steering gear box. Sure enough, there's been a good bit of rain today and I'd just driven about an hour through some pretty wet roads. It's due for its first service, so I'll definitely see if they can look into it a little further.

Tazio Nuvolari

· #7 · Dec 19, 2021

Did the warning message go away on its own? Is the Rav still randomly shutting off while you are driving? The dealer needs to scan for DTC codes and check the history in the car's computer. There are NO reports of this happening in the 5th generation RAV and also no reports of "water in the steering box" in this forum; ToyotaNation forum, or the Reddit RAV4 sub forum. Your RAV4 has an electrical steering rack--there is no steering box. If your RAV is now running normally with no check engine lights and no warning messages then the problem was a random glitch--as I said in my prior post, most likely due to a transient low voltage situation in the battery. Get the dealer to check the battery state of charge.

ZachStewart23

· #8 · May 4, 2022 (Edited)

Whats up, i have a Rav 4 XLE 2022

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I also had this message come on but different scenario. I was just sitting in parking lot listening to music. The car was on, I wasn't touching anything but my phone. The car started shaking at first then it shut and the message came on. So I turned it completely off for a few seconds then back on. It shock few a sec then shut off. What suspicions would you have?

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Ryan-22-CC

· #9 · May 4, 2022

ZachStewart23 said:
Whats up, i ahve a Rav 2022 View attachment 181602
I also had this message come on but different scenario. I was just sitting in parking lot listening to music. The car was on, I wasn't touching anything but my phone. The car started shaking at first then it shut and the message came on. So I turned it completely off for a few seconds then back on. It shock few a sec then shut off. What suspicions would you have?

this exact thing happened to me this morning! (I drive a 22 Corolla Cross, sorry this is the only place I saw this same issue) I was just sitting at a red Light at an intersection, when it turned green that message popped up. I didn’t start the engine twice or anything to cause this… kind of confused. Have you gotten any resolution?

jcrown

· #10 · 11 mo ago

Tazio Nuvolari said:
If I understand what happened: you started the RAV--then tried to start it again while the engine was still running-- you heard a scratching sound--then got the trouble lights and warning message. I bet you have an LE that uses the ignition key. I know this because you have a gas model (from your gauges) and if you had an XLE or up with the push button start it would simply have turned off when you pushed the button a second time. When you turned the ignition key while the engine was running the noise you heard was the starting motor teeth scraping on the spinning flywheel teeth. This is no biggee as long as you don't make a habit of it-it would damage the starter and you sure don't want to replace a flywheel. I would imagine the trouble lights and message simply disappeared when you shut off and restarted the RAV. If they did NOT please reply here for assistance.

jcrown

· #11 · 11 mo ago

Can someone just let us have the solution to this issue

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Tazio Nuvolari

· #12 · 11 mo ago

jcrown said:
Can someone just let us have the solution to this issue

See the photo in post #8 above besides the "engine stopped steering power low" warning there is also a trouble light lit with the symbol of a steering wheel and exclamation point. My research indicates there may be two things to check. First the battery. On Reddit and some Corolla forums where this issue is more common (it is mentioned in the 2020 Corolla Owners Manual) owners found that if the battery was discharged, old or defective this warning and light occurred. A new battery fixed the problem. This may be what happened in post #9 above. Get the battery checked free at a car parts store (quicker and easier than dealer appointment) if the car is driveable. The second thing to check is a legitimate problem with the electric power steering. You will know this is the issue if the steering is unusually heavy or weird. This requires a dealer visit to scan for DTC codes and a possibly difficult repair that may even go so far as to require a new electric steering rack.

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jcrown

· #13 · 11 mo ago

I can confirm that replacing the battery solved the issue.

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jlepre752

· #14 · 4 mo ago

Did you get this problem rectified? I also have a 2022 Cross XLE with the exact same issue.

JDS RUSSO

· #15 · 4 mo ago

I had the same issue. I had my 2023 XLE (Gas) in park and it started shaking then ENGINE STOPPED STEERING POWER LOW appeared on my dashboard. It took me a while to turn the car off and I let it sit for 30 minutes. Turned it back on and back to normal. I took it to dealer and they kept it overnight...drove it and said they found no codes and checked battery. They told me everything looked fine. I hope this is was a clitch and won't cause a bigger problem in the future.
Anyone who has/had this problem..did it go away? Did it happen more than once? Did you get it repaired? I'm a little nervous to drive it now for fear of it shutting down on the highway.

Tazio Nuvolari

· #16 · 4 mo ago

JDS RUSSO said:
I took it to dealer and they kept it overnight...drove it and said they found no codes and checked battery. They told me everything looked fine.

Most times this issue is caused by a weak or defective battery. First I would check the battery cables and make sure they are tight and clean. Next I would go to a car parts store like O'Reillys and get a free battery test to confirm the dealer was not lying about your battery being good. On a new 2023 your battery is covered by warranty and is a free dealer replacement.

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donatellofunnyface

· #17 · 3 mo ago

So glad to see this low power to the power steering issue is not just me. Mine is also is now throwing a EPB issue. I start it & it then turns off the transmission but says the ignition is on. i take it to the dealership they cant find codes, reset the system, return it to me & just keep trying to come up with excuses for why it possibly might be me. It is only happened during a snow day. I drive it to a store, i get there just fine, go in & shop, come out & start car, then it acts up.

NeilCT

· #18 · 3 mo ago

3

I had somewhat of the same issue but my alternator belt broke of my 2019 RAV4 75k miles the mechanic at first thought it was the battery replaced it and then my battery light came on and he noticed my belt was hanging on by a strip . I was getting all type of msg like you They couldn't figure out what the issue was hoping someone here might have an answer bc this belt was still good

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Hglenn

· #19 · 3 mo ago

berkeleybrian said:
I just had this problem while waiting in line at the Chick Fil A drive through.....didn't hit any buttons, but the engine just kept turning off with this exact message. Made a sputtering and lurching movement when i started it u again before turning off again. Had to do this 5-6 times to get through the drive through, and then it shut off as I went through an intersection across the street.

Did you figure it out? I had the exact same thing happen to me this evening. While sitting in a drive through it just cut out with "Steering power low engine stopped message" by turning it on and off again four times, going a hundred yards or so at a time, I managed to get it parked out of the way. Just wondering if you found the cause. My Rav4 gas is brand new. Only about 5000k on it.

jlepre752

· #20 · 3 mo ago

I had it happen again this morning on my way to work. It was wet on the roads due to and overnight light snowfall. Moisture seems to be the constant for my situation. Back to the dealer again!

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