Two problems related to steering failed have been reported for the 2005 Toyota Prius. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2005 Toyota Prius based on all problems reported for the 2005 Prius.
I was making a turn at low speed and the steering failed. The steering wheel kept turning but the wheels did not. I took the car in for service and found out that the steering intermediate shaft splines were worn. As a secondary issue, the failure of the shaft splines caused unimpeded rotation of the steering wheel which subsequently damaged the steering clock spring. The intermediate shaft replacement was covered in Toyota safety recall ssc-60c and my vehicle had (according to Toyota) the necessary work recall work done in 2006. Apparently the recall work did not fix the problem. Toyota argues that this part is no longer under warranty and therefore, not their responsibility. I argue that (a) it was a recalled part and the recall clearly did not fix the problem and (b) the failure of the steering shaft is a major, and unacceptable failure of the vehicle. I think that is important that (a) the public be notified of the inefficacy of the recall and (b) that Toyota be held responsible for the failure of this part.
Steering failure on 2005 Toyota Prius 2007 special service campaign 60c performed on this Prius to inspect/replace steering intermediate shaft and components. May 6, 2011 noticed wobble in steering when driving on smooth highway at 70 mph. May 20, 2011 took Prius in to larry h miller boulder Toyota dealer service department for: 1] scheduled maintenance (oil/lube,align front suspension, clean/adjust brakes, etc), 2] snow tire change-out 3] requested investigation of problem with steering wobble. Items 1 and 2 were completed. On item 3, larry h miller boulder Toyota dealer service department reported that they did not find a problem and stated it could be related to snow tires out of balance. May 26, 2011 complete steering failure occurred while turning slightly to the right at about 15 mph on a smooth city street. The steering wheel spun unlimited number of times to left and right with no effect on the wheels. The car was towed to larry h miller boulder Toyota dealer. May 28, 2011 larry h miller boulder Toyota completed repairs. The invoice says they replaced: 1 04005-72147 shaft kit, steering 1 84306-0e010 cable sub-assy spir, and performed align front suspension for a total cost of $798. 22 the service advisor (josh strong) reported the splines at the end of the intermediate shaft were worn and that the technician had only seen this once or twice before. A complaint regarding safety and cost has been filed with "Toyota help" (Toyota USA) 800-331-4331. Toyota stated that they could not supply any information about incidents of this type on other Priuses. Neither the safety nor the cost complaint has been resolved at this time. Reported June 20, 2011.