Steering Noise problems of the 2012 Toyota Highlander

Steering shaft clunking noise when turn left or right at low speed. Confirmed steering intermediate shaft failure by ira Toyota technician on 7/31/2020 . This is 3rd times failure. 1st failure was Jan/2012 and 2nd time failure was 11/2013.

For several months now I have been hearing a clucking noise when turning the steering wheel left or right and upon breaking a thud sound in the front of my car. After taking my car in to the dealership they came back and said that the noise was coming from the intermediate shaft. I asked well how do you damage a whole intermediate shaft? they said it occurs over a period of time. My vehicle has 92,000 miles on it but its been maintained and serviced and not driven roughly but to make a long story short they said it would cost me about $615. 00 to have the vehicle repaired plus an additional $89. 95 for the alignment. This appears to be a manufacture issue and needs to have a recall. I'm very disappointed in Toyota since they pride themselves as being one of the leading auto makers around the world.

It makes a loud clicking noise when you steer at all times.

Steering makes noise (clanks) under turning and acceleration. I spoke with Toyota and there is a TSB for the steering column which has several reported failures and many complains. There is an ongoing NHTSA engineering investigation. Toyota dealership wants around $1000 to repair.

Tl the contact owns a 2012 Toyota Highlander. While the contact was backing the vehicle out of the driveway, a popping noise was heard from the steering column. The noise occurred for at least six months and was becoming more frequent. The contact scheduled an appointment with the dealer (mcgeorge Toyota, 9319 w broad street, henrico, va 23294) to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,987.

Crunch noise in the steering column when making turns.

When vehicle is being turned, specifically to the right, there is a popping and clunking noise coming from the steering column. When turning the vehicle, the steering wheel began to allow extra travel play which almost caused a crash. There is an existing technical service bulletin t-sb-0034-13 which outlines a replacement steering intermediate shaft.

Have noise in steering shaft at low speed when turning and backing up and pulling forward . Toyota dealer checked at 50,000 mile while still under warranty and said they could not duplicate noise . When having oil change at 62000 miles mentioned it again to service man and was told it probably is the steering intermediate shaft they always go bad in that year and Toyota will not replace unless I pay for it. Have been in touch with Toyota directly and they had the dealer calkl me twice to set up appointment to look at the car. When I was told that I would have to pay a diagnostic fee to see what is wrong and would have to pay for any repairs ,I declined ,was told then they were going to get back to Toyota factory representative , this was the week of 12/10 2018.

This vehicle presents a high noise bump when steering. The suspension front & back is terrible, causing interior rattles front and back.

At 40,000 miles I noticed for the first time a clunking noise in the steering column when I turned the steering wheel right or left while at a slow speed. Over the next few weeks it worsened. I looked up the issue on the internet and found dozen of similar occurrences in this same model with vehicle owners reporting having to replace the steering shaft. Sometimes if left long enough, I read that this has lead to steering failure. I took the Highlander to my dealer today who determined the steering shaft required replacement which will cost around $600. This to me is a safety issue because who knows what would have happened if I had let this go. I have maintained this car exactly as recommended in the owners manual. This does not seem like this is normal wear and tear. I have owned over a dozen vehicles in the last 40 years and have never experienced a problem with the steering shaft. I am curious with so many other occurrences of this safety issue by other vehicle owners why this hasn't resulted in a recall to repair all Highlanders of this vintage with this steering shaft.

Our car makes a clicking noise in the steering column when u turn to the right . It is very noticeable and loud. This concerns me as the safety of my family is very important.