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6 weeks ago i brought a 2009 Toyota Aphard jap import . The moment i drove it lot it had an annoying knock in the steering. On smooth roads its hardy noticeable but on bumpy Christchurch roads and gravel rosds it sounds terrible, i think there is somthing seriously wrong ! I have done abit of research and have found it is a common problem in Toyota people mover rack & pinion due to wear and tear . My question is should this have passed a warrant of fitness which was new when i brought the car. It appears it may be an expensive fix. I paid $18000 for this car, i have had $500 Falcons with smoother steering than this car.
Looking forward to your reply Gary Brenssell

Hi Gary,
It could well be sway bar links or mounts that are causing an annoying knock, these are not often a wof fail unless they are very worn. It could also be steering rack mount bushes, which would be a wof fail if the rack was able to move as a result.
In any case it's best to go right back to the dealer and have them look into it, because it's too soon since purchase to be experiencing any faults.

Thanks for the advice. I took it back to the dealer and to there credit they fixed the problem without question. It turned out to be the rack & pinion. They replaced it with a new one.
Problem solved. 👍