general problems of the 2003 Toyota Prius

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving at 65 mph, the steering wheel began to vibrate as a problem detected warning message appeared on the instrument panel. As the failure persisted, the warning message disappeared and the contact was able to reach her destination. Upon restart of the vehicle, the contact received a do not drive warning message on the instrument panel as the steering would continued to vibrate. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective steering sensor. Upon investigation, the contact linked her failure to NHTSA campaign number: 11v304000(steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred her to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph a warning message displayed and power steering suddenly malfunctioned making the steering wheel very difficult to turn. The vehicle was stopped and the engine was turn off. After restarting the engine the vehicle operated as normal. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred multiple times. The cause of the failure had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA campaign number 11v304(steering) although the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 63,000. Jft.

While driving, the steering wheel begins to shudder. At one point, it power steering makes a spontaneous turn to the left, which I prevent with my hands, but nevertheless moves the car to the left enough to cause an accident if the driver is not paying close attention, or happens to be too near another car. The power steering immediately shuts off, and the rest of the trip continues with no power steering, until the car is turned off. The next time the car is turned on, the power steering is back (until it happens again).

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. While driving 10 mph, and making a left turn, the steering wheel shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be found. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 11v304000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel was intensely shaking . The vehicle was served under NHTSA campaign number: 11v304000 ( steering) but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not provided. The approximate failure mileage was 162,000. Ak.

When I put car in reverse, or sometimes in turning, the steering wheel starts to vibrate. At times I have to stop and let it finish, as I cannot keep my hands on it. This started happening more often after car was recalled for steering issue.

Twice now my steering has frozen as I am straightening the steering wheel after making a turn. There are no particular events leading up to the failure, though this time my steering had felt stiffer and jerkier off and on before the time when it actually froze. The first time it happened I had it towed right to the dealer. This time, I was actually able to get it moving again, but it continued to freeze randomly the next couple of times I drove it. In both instances, the "solution" is to replace the steering rack.

2003 Prius hybrid; steering wheel shudders quite frequently; this shuddering happens backing up and turning corners; sometimes it shakes so violently the steering wheel is pulled from your hands; we contacted Toyota and several dealerships; no recalls on this vehicle for this problem because they said it was fixed on the 2002 models; our vehicle only has 33k miles on it and there is a part failure with the potential for causing a life threatening incident to take place; Toyota and dealership reps take no responsiblity for this safety issue; told we can have steering replaced for about $3k even though car only has 33k miles on it; may not fix the problem they said; we are afraid to drive the car and to sell it to someone else because of this safety issue; this is a serious problem with cases listed all over the internet; Toyota rep said there have been no complaints; they know it exists, but they do not want to address this serious problem; some government group needs to step in and make Toyota responsible for a recall of this year vehicle and have the steering replaced for free.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The contact stated after having her vehicle repaired under NHTSA recall campaign id number: 11v304000 (steering:electric power assist system) the steering wheel would jerk violently and made a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 104,442.

I have a 2003 Toyota Prius. When I made left turns the steering wheel would stick and I would have to jerk it back to straighten out the car. I took it into the shop and the steering system had to be replaced. The cost of the repair was approx. $2800. I am making a report in the event that there are other Prius' that have had this problem.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 10 mph making a right turn, the steering wheel started to vibrate. The contact stated that the failure occurred numerous times intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they could not duplicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

Steering wheel locks while driving. First time, November 2007, steering rack replaced free (still under warranty). Second time, October 2009, steering rack replaced for $1200. Upon complaint, Toyota reimbursed me for half of the cost of parts ($350). Both times the problem was solved, but I think it may not be really the fault of the steering rack, but a computer issue. This is a very frightening situation when on the freeway. 2003 Toyota Prius.

Electronic: steering in my Toyota Prius shakes and pulls to the right sometimes. I took it to the dealer when this began last fall and they told me the steering computer and the entire steering system needed to be replaced. They told me this is not dangerous but it scares me, especially with the recent recalls.

I have a 2003 Prius with 100k miles. At about 95k miles I began to notice an anomaly in the steering. When I back out of my driveway to my right the steering wheel shudders. This happens more frequently when it is cold. The shudder happens occasionally other places, usually at low speed. I have read the other reports and worry about the more severe failures others have reported. My dealer quoted me $2300 to repair the problem which he described as the "steering box". Even at 100k miles this definitely seems like a recall issue to me because it is so safety critical.

I currently own a 2003 Toyota Prius with about 76,000 miles. I am active duty military currently stationed in germany. I have encountered a steering problem where the steering wheel shutters and shakes as if you are driving on rough terrain. It usually occurs between 5 mph and 30 mph while in a turn. When this occurs you temporarily lose control of the steering and potentially, the car. . Read more...

Erratic behavior of electric power steering. Uncontrollable shaking of steering wheel. An un safe condition. There has to be a lot these problems because replacement steering racks are on back order and no prediction of when they will available. With no parts available and car un safe then car is useless.