I just had 2 tires go bad fast after a RAV4 recall fix. Mechanic tells me the dealer sealed up the part of the control arm that is adjusted for alignment. And that it was sealed up with the car way out of alignment. Why on earth would the fix make the car not be able to be aligned? That seems like a major,major screw up.
Definitely contact the Toyota dealer that the recall fix was done at … that does sound like a screw-up … mind if I ask what the recall was for?
Is the mechanic with the dealership that did the recall fix? If not, if I were you, I’d go back to the same dealership and ask them to align the vehicle.
recall was to avoid rust issues. So what they did was put epoxy over the arm. The mechanic who told me this is not at the dealer. He said he doesn’t see how it can be aligned with the epoxy.
yep, that was the “remedy.” if you’re out of alignment, it sounds like it’ll need the control arms replaced (and I assume re-sealed.)
This sounds like the root of your problem. Presumably the alignment was okay with the original parts in place, but in doing the recall it was misadjusted.
Leaving the affected parts difficult or impossible to adjust isn’t a huge problem – either the epoxy can be cut off where needed or the arm can be replaced. But letting the car leave the dealership with the alignment so far off that it chews up tires rapidly sounds to me like inexcusable incompetence. I’d be asking Toyota to rectify the alignment, whatever it took, and replace the tires.
Get all your evidence in order (anything related – receipts for previous tires and new tires, recall paperwork, statement and or printout from shop that advised you of misalignment/inability to adjust, etc.) Start with the dealer, and if necessary go up the organization to higher authority. Be polite and insistent.
they put out a new recall for this 2 weeks ago. The new fix says they will replace the control arms. They admit the older fix was a big screw up.
Wow. I used to work in a shop that did front ends, alignments and tires. What a big design flaw. The epoxy fix was pure jerry-rigging. It’s up there with a coat hanger holding up your muffler. They need to redesign the part, and replace the old design with the new ones.
Good advice in my opinion.
It sounds like Toyota will replace the control arms as part of this recall but they will also “encapsulate the locknuts” at the same time. Do you think that is still a problem even with the new parts?
After the latest fix I’m selling this car. It had a bunch of other recalls too. It’s a pure lemon.
I was thinking pretty much the same as Toyota v2.0 - if you can’t adjust the current arm, replace it. Replacing an arm every time an alignment is needed - not good design.
Shows how non-mechanic I am. I thought only front wheels had tie-rod ends.
Yeah, I did try and look up the recall you’re talking about … but with 127 in the list I thought to just ask instead.
I believe it should properly be called a lateral link. I suspect someone decided that since it could be adjusted like a steering linkage tie rod, it made sense to call it a tie rod. If they had asked me first I would have told them how wrong that was. 
they even put a sticker on the arm that says “safety recall, cannot be adjusted. Contact toyota dealer for more information.” I guess they left off “Will shred your tires after 3000 miles”
Well, that part goes without saying.
Apparently.