Steering Column problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius

Steering column broke while making a right turn in city driving. Recall service had been performed on the steering column.

Takata recall, dash (sounds like something is losse) when driving over bump or at higher speeds. Then I toke it to the dealer they said that's steering column problem.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle made a loud popping noise. The contact noticed that the steering wheel was tilted and the anti skid and anti lock braking system warning indicators illuminated. When the contact attempted to merge to the emergency lane, the steering wheel separated from the steering column and caused a complete loss of steering ability. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the technician stated that the failure was unrelated to NHTSA campaign number: 12v537000 (steering). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

As I was pulling into a parking spot I head a snapping sound in the steering column and the wheels stopped turning. The steering wheel would turn, but the wheels would not turn at all. We had the vehicle towed and it is currently in the shop.

Petition for an investigation into defect conditions in upper immediate steering extension shaft #2 manufacturing defect in the 2004-2009 Toyota Prius vehicles w/respect to recall 12v-537. An inspection revealed that the current loss of steering issue was caused by a catastrophic failure of the upper steering intermediate shaft. The upper steering intermediate shaft was decoupled from the electric- power- assist column output spline. A careful examination of the decoupled components revealed that for an extended period of time, the upper steering intermediate shaft had not been properly installed on the spline output of the power assist column. This allowed a metallurgical failure on the interior of the upper steering intermediate shaft, which consequently allowed separation of that shaft from the electrical steering power assist column. An examination of the shaft spline showed a long term deterioration of the upper intermediate shaft #2 inside spline as evidence by metallurgical shards of deteriorated spline metal still residing in the upper intermediate shaft cavity. Also, the cruise control would cancel and not re-engage, then there were times, where the cruise control would not dis-engage at all. The vehicle would drift off course whenever the consumer took his eyes off the road, for even a moment. The consumer would have to steer the vehicle constantly or it would drift into another lane. Apparently, it was due to a computer algorithm that would attempt to correct for wind and road surface anomalies.

We bought our Toyota Prius on June 2006. Recently my wife, who is the principle driver, complained to me that there was something wrong with the steering of the Prius. I drove it and noticed that when I made a turn either left or right that I heard and felt a clanking sound coming from the steering column. I also noticed that with the engine off and the car not in motion, there was quite a bit of movement from the steering wheel whenever I would push it up and down. I took it to my mechanic and he said that the steering shaft assembly was defective. He replaced the steering shaft assy part # 45260-47052. I am not sure whether this has been a recall item or not but if it was I was never notified or made aware by Toyota. It cost us $371 parts and labor for this repair.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while turning, there was an abnormal vibration from the steering wheel without warning. The contact mentioned that the steering wheel remained loose after the failure. The vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA campaign id number: 12v537000 (steering) but did not rectify the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000 and the current mileage was 131,000. Updated 03/31/lj the consumer stated the manufacturer offered to pay 50% of the repairs. The consumer believes the manufacturer should pay for 100% of the repairs. Updated 04/01/2014.

I was backing up from a parked position, I turned the steering wheel to proceed forward and heard and felt a crunch. I put the car in drive and had to stop before hitting a parked vehicle because the car was not going in the direction I steered. I soon realized that I had lost all steering control. I had it towed and my local mechanic evaluated the steering column and found what he thought was a manufacturing or assembly defect. Thinking that my car may not be the only one affected I made some calls and researched the internet. I found that this car had a recall published 6/2006 for this very problem. I am the 3rd owner of this vehicle. The previous owner bought it from a reputable Toyota dealership, with the logo "certified used" on the sales receipt. He purchased the vehicle from the dealer after the recall notice had been published. It appears the dealership did not check for recalls before "certifying" this vehicle. This could have been a catastrophic event at high speeds for me, my family or someone driving by me at the wrong time. I will submit a second complaint if the dealership and/or Toyota does not handle this appropriately.

This is a complaint about souter's in barstow, California, not honoring the recall notice on 2004-2006 Toyota Prius steering intermediate shaft replacement. I took it in when I got the first notice and since I have to use hand controls to drive I have these controls installed in this Prius. Soutar's said they would not work on the defect unless the controls were removed. Or they would call a technician to come up from la to remove the controls and I would have to pay. It would have cost too much. They said they were sorry.