The most common cause of this sort of vibration is usually an unbalanced front wheel and tyre, especially if the problem began suddenly. When new tyres are fitted, they are balanced at the tyre shop by adding small weights to the rim to literally balance the wheel and tyre assembly. But these little weights can fall off over time (or if you’ve smacked a kerb or pothole) leading to an unbalanced wheel. At which point, a vibration can set in. And since you’re feeling it through the steering, the suspicion would be that it’s a front wheel at fault.

A tyre shop should be able to check this for you and rectify the problem for a reasonable cost. If this is not the problem, then you need to start looking deeper into the suspension and possibly even the brakes. But don’t rule out a bent or damaged rim given the parlous state of this country’s roads right now.

It could very well be that there’s something amiss in the car’s ignition barrel (which lives on the steering column, remember) or its wiring and connectors that is causing the power to the ignition to be cut when you turn the wheel. The problem could also be a short-circuit somewhere in the wiring in the column (and there’s plenty of it) that is causing the problem. Either way, you need to get it fixed immediately, as having a car cut out when you least expect it is can lead to all sorts of extremely dangerous situations.

Another possibility is that there’s something wrong with the car’s power steering system which is overloading at the point you turn the wheel hard and causing the engine to stall. Again, it needs to be fixed now and I wouldn’t be driving the car anywhere other than to a workshop for diagnosis.

We contacted Toyota about your concern and a spokesman responded with the following: "We are very sorry to learn that your reader has experienced this accident. I can confirm that the power back door fitted to the 2011 Kluger indeed includes jam protection functionality, which reverses the direction of the door, should it detect an obstruction or resistance. Additionally, when the power back door is either opening or closing, the vehicle hazard lamps flash and an audible warning sounds, to notify the occupants and passers-by that the door is either coming up or down. During the final 330 mm (approx.) of the closing arc, the speed at which the back door closes reduces prior to engaging the lock mechanism. While the above safety features are built into the door mechanism, as with any automated function or technology, it is important that the operator ensures conditions are safe and appropriate at all times during usage. I hope your reader's son makes a full and speedy recovery."