Steering Wheel Vibrate Problems of Toyota Prius

My steering wheel starts shaking violently when driving under 32 degrees outside and locks up the ability to steer which can be deadly on the highway which I don't drive much luckily and Toyota has no open recalls even though I'm not the only one with this. I've has to hurt my hands wrestling with it to pull over which is dangerous on some roads!!!! very dangerous fault in a car this is the 1 part I rely on to save me! can't believe Toyota won't fix it!!! also this happens a few times every week though out the entire winter! it happens when driving on winding road at 10-35 mph and sometimes happens when turning right or left! I need advice!.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota Prius 🔎.

We purchased a 2003 Toyota Prius in June of 2018. It has approximately 140,000 miles on it. When the weather started getting colder in October of 2018, the car exhibited the following problem: car steering wheel shakes violently for several seconds while exiting the driveway usually as we are turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was in motion when the shaking occurred and it was often after making a turn and/or straightening the steering wheel. In order to stop the shaking, the car has to be stopped. We have done some searches online and it appears that this problem is common for the 2003 Toyota Prius. However, we called 3 dealers and they all say they don't know about it and they have to see the car as it is shaking to determine the cause of the issue. Since the weather is now warmer, it is unlikely it will occur unless we get a cold morning. We cannot leave the car at a dealership indefinitely. We were planning a trip to idaho and are afraid to have the car on the road because of this issue. Do you know anything that we can do to correct this defect? should we contact Toyota directly?.

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Vehicle's steering wheel begins to vibrate out of control when attempting turns. This violent shaking poses serious dangers to driver while making turns, and causes driver to pull off of road and completely turn car off. Problem noticeable for approximately 1 month intermittently before problem began occurring without fail every single time vehicle was driven. When taken to Toyota dealership in bloomington, in, mechanics said entire rack needed replacing, estimating a total much higher than value of car itself. No recall found for this problem, no paperwork provided to customer. Once customer paid for diagnostic charges and took vehicle back, power steering warning lights are permanently enabled and steering assist is completely off, causing turning to continue to pose threat, although steering wheel does not vibrate, yet.

This has happened several times intermittently; the steering wheel shakes when backing out of the garage turning into the "turn-around" spot, it has also happened while turning into my driveway. Mostly at slow speeds, there is a noise, grinding type, coming from the steering column. The dealer said the brakes could be doing it, so they replaced the front pads and re-surfaced the rotors, (after the $175) the problem persists. When I put my VIN into the NHTSA website, they tell me there is no recall but on . Nhtsa. Gov/recalls#vehicle it is included, by year and it must have been made before 12-31-2002 because that's when we got it. Most recently on 02/27/2017, but has been going since Nov. Of 2016.

The contact owns a 2002 Toyota Prius. While driving 55 mph, the steering wheel vibrated uncontrollably and the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 00v285000 (steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure was intermittent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

On Dec 18, 2015, driving at about 20 mph on a neighborhood street which curved left, the steering wheel on my 2002 Prius began shaking violently. I lost control of the car and struck a large landscaping rock. The car had $2233 in damages to the right front bumper, fender, wheel and tie rod. There were no injuries. After repair, the mechanic could not replicate the shaking. Prior to the accident, the Prius on rare occasion had brief episodes of steering wheel shaking, only while backing out of the driveway on cold mornings. In early Jan 2016 the steering vibration occurred again while driving on neighborhood streets and could be stopped only by turning the car off. We ceased driving the car. I talked to our Toyota dealer and were advised the probable cause was a defect in the electronic power steering system and to contact Toyota. I communicated by phone, email and letter with Toyota, provided a video of the shaking, and requested replacement of the power steering system. I got a case number and was scheduled for an inspection by Toyota at the dealer. Toyota by letter on 3/22/16 stated ¿we did not find any evidence that this incident was the result of any type of manufacturing or design defect. ¿ when I picked up the vehicle, the violent steering shaking occurred in the dealer¿s parking lot and was witnessed by the technicians. This problem is well known to Toyota. In 2011 we received both a safety recall notice to replace the eps pinion nuts and a notice of warranty extension until Dec 2013 for problems related to unusual steering vibration. We had the eps pinion nuts replaced on 12/30/2011 under the safety recall. Many 2002 Prius are still on the road. As evidenced by the warranty extension Toyota knows about the power system flaws. My experience shows is dangerous to drive the car with these flaws. I request that Toyota be required to fix this problem.

Tl-the contact owns a Toyota Prius 2002. The contact stated that the steering wheel shakes in very cold weather but that the issue stops once the vehicle warms up. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 140,000. Ad.

Violent shaking of the steering wheel when turning in cold weather. It has happened most days this winter when temperatures were below 45f degrees. It was mostly an annoyance at first, and would happen when starting the car, but twice it has nearly caused a crash. The first near collision from shaking was in January when trying to park between two cars in a parking spot and I couldn't control the wheel until I put threw the car into park, turned it off, and turned it on again. The second, and most serious incident so far I nearly hit a pedestrian in a crosswalk while trying to make a right turn in downtown seattle on a day when it was in the 20's. Turning right the steering wheel started shaking so violently it broke free from my grip, I lost control of the car and it veered left into the oncoming lane towards a pedestrian. I slammed on the brakes and only missed him by about 3 feet. I contacted Toyota and was informed that there had been a 2 year service campaign to replace the eps, but that the campaign expired 12/31/13, and they were therefore unable to do a replacement because I didn't bring the car into the dealership before the deadline, and they don't see it as a safety issue. We were never contacted by Toyota about the service campaign, and the issue did not become dangerous or even particularly bothersome until nearly a month after the campaign expired. Due to this nearly causing two accidents in a short time span just past the campaign deadline, and the fact that it seems to be a common problem on this model of Prius, I believe this should be escalated to a general recall or extended warranty based also on mileage instead of solely on the calendar year to not penalize lower mileage vehicles coming into the problem beyond the expiration of the class action lawsuit mandated service campaign.

Started vehicle , began to pull out of driveway and steering wheel began to shake violently. Had to stop vehicle to wait for steering wheel to stop shaking. Has been doing it everytime I go to start vehicle . Seems to do o. K. Driving at speeds above 10 mph. Starting to get slight vibration at highway speeds. Toyota dealership says power steering rack needs to be replaced at a cost of $3400. 00.

Tl - the contact owns a 2002 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that immediately after starting the vehicle, the steering wheel would shake violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the rack and pinion was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 58,000 and the current mileage was 68,000. Kmj.

Toyota issued a recall in August 2011 on gen. 1 Prius for a steering issue. We took the Prius into local dealer and they replaced steering nuts per recall. Within a week after recall fix, we noticed a violent shake to the steering wheel during a cold morning start. It had never done that before the recall. We took the car in after it occurred again and were told that our rack and pinion was wore and needed to be replaced. During the recall work, the dealership did a complete inspection of the car and nothing unusual was noted. How did they do work on a rack and pinion and not notice wear on it then? we believe when they torqued the new nuts to the steering pinion, this created undo stress on the torque sensor and is why the afterwork shaking is occurring. Toyota needs to come clean and replace these racks free of charge for possible damage to alot of gen. 1 Prius's when they did the nut recall. There is more of a safety issue now with the violent steering wheel shaking out of unsuspecting drivers than a nut that's going to break off. Nhtsa, force them to do a recall now!!!!.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel would vibrate abnormally with the illumination of the power steering warning light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was repaired multiple times, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign id number: 11v304000 (steering:electric power assist system). After the vehicle was repaired the steering wheel would vibrate excessively while in reverse or when attempting to make a turn while accelerating at a traffic light or stop sign. The contact stated prior to the recall repairs the steering wheel would also vibrate. The dealer was made aware of the failure and stated to bring the vehicle in for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Prius hybrid. The contact stated that she had experienced several failures within the vehicle since purchasing three months ago. The transmission was replaced, the left front tire had a leak and the inverter was replaced because several lights on the instrumental panel remained illuminated. On December 3, 2010, while driving approximately 10 mph the steering wheel began to shake violently. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test but was unable to locate a failure code. The dealer test drove the vehicle but was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 85,000 and the current mileage was 86,000.

2001 Toyota Prius - steering wheel suddenly vibrates and pulls hard to the side. Problem is intermittent but has increased in frequency. Dealer said it was brake drum and performed $800 repair but online search suggests it is actually common steering problem that continues even after prior repair.

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Steering wheel shakes violently for a few seconds then stops. Up until yesterday it did this sporadically while backing and turning. Yesterday, it did it during wet weather, 50 degrees fahrenheit, backing and turning. Then it did it again while driving and turning in a parking garage. This was the first time it has ever done it going forward. This problem has been occurring for approx 8 years on and off. Toyota dealership says they cannot reproduce problem.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Prius hybrid. While driving at speeds of 65 mph, the steering wheel began shaking excessively. Immediately, the power steering warning light illuminated on the warning panel for a few minutes. The contact also stated that while traveling downhill with her foot on the brake pedal, the pedal would vibrate. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was repaired three separate times under various recall campaigns by the previous owner. They were unwilling to assist with any further repairs to the vehicle. The VIN was not available at the time of the complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000 and the current was 118,000.

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My 2001 Toyota Prius' steering wheel shaking violently this symptom has been happened to my 2001 Prius since 2008. I had been trying to contact Toyota for a replacement but no feedback. Lately the symptom getting worse until now.

Steering wheel shakes violently when backing up and turning wheel. Happens randomly. Sometimes not for months. In January 2010 it happened three times in one week. Toyota dealership is unresponsive saying they cannot duplicate the problem.

2003 Prius steering rack and pinion failure, when engine is cold and when in a forward or reverse at slow rate of speed (under 5 mph) steering wheel will shake violently for several seconds, once stopped steering wheel will stop shaking. Dealership reports rack and pinion and steering related computer needs to be replaced. 2001 and 2002 Prius model had recalled on similar issue.

Tla contact owns a 2002 Toyota Prius. While driving approximately 35 mph on normal road conditions, suddenly, the steering wheel began to shake violently with excessive vibration. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer. The failure was contributed to the steering mechanism chip. The vehicle was not repaired for the malfunction. On a separate occasion the steering wheel locked without warning. The driver forced the steering wheel to the right as a result of the wheel unlocked. The vehicle was able to resume to normal operation. At this time the vehicle is not being driven due to the potential safety hazard. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 03/01/10 the consumer stated when the weather was cold, the steering wheel would shake violently. The shaking would stop when the wheel was straightened. The dealer informed the consumer there was a problem with the computer chip. Updated 07/19/jb.

Steering wheel started shaking while driving. Had wheel alignment checked, no problem. Took it to the ventura Toyota, they charged us over $200 and said the problem was loose screws in the steering column. This was quite scary and even though we had purchased bumper to bumper 100,000 mile warranty, this was not covered. They said it was only loose screws. We felt this was definitely a safety issue and if it hadn't been taken care of, we would have had steering failure resulting in an accident.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota Prius 🔎.

2003 Toyota Prius, steering wheel shakes when making left turns. Car has had scheduled services. Shaking started as a rattle/grinding sound at the steering column. Shaking now happens when turning left or right, at startup or while driving on interstate. Most recently steering was un responsive at 50+mph. The vehicle has been in for service 3 times prior to today with no troubles found. Today (3 days after warranty expired) dealer finds crack in steering column same as that in recall for 2004 - 2006 Prius see recall 06v188000. Dealer wants $2500 to repair.

Steering wheel shakes violently when backing when backing up after morning start up, this has been reported to dealer several times and they were unable to confirm problem, the problem continues and we now have light movement of the steering wheel when moving forward at highway speeds in a strait line this movement is a slight tug from left to right. The warning indicator has come on and is reset when restarting, looking at the 2000 recall it sounds like the same condition.

While on a trip and after start up on a cold morning, I left the hotel parking lot and was proceeding to the on ramp for the interstate. While I was turning left, the steering wheel began to shake violently for 3-4 seconds before it subsided. I noticed this shuttering or stiffness a few more times before we returned from our trip. After returning home, we took it to a Toyota dealer. They checked it out and stated, "checked to find power steering rack & pinion gear is causing problem est $2160. 85. Would need to order part # 44200-49055. ".

On cold days when the car is first started the steering wheel shakes uncontrollably when put into reverse or drive. The car has to be turned off and restarted to get it to stop. This continues when restarted. The car cannot be driven due to this shaking of the steering wheel.

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota Prius. While driving at any speed, the steering wheel vibrates. The failure worsens when making left and right turns. The failure has occurred ever since the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealer. The current mileage was 69,110 and failure mileage was 69,012.

When driving on the freeway, after a 300 mile drive, a pothole was struck. The steering wheel vibrated forcefully from side to side for about a minute, then power steering failed. Steering was possible, but only with great physical effort. After the vehicle rested overnight, symptoms were not present.

Steering wheel shakes when starting to back up or go forward . Happens in colder weather more often <dealer said it was not a warraty issue when I first approaced them in 2004. . Had 60k miles on it. They said it was an electronic steering issue with motor on rack and pinion gear. Toyota Prius 2002 year model, they wouldgo t replace it of over $1000. ,,, said to drive is and not worry but if it got worse to bring it in,. Well recently I have talked to many other Prius owners with 2001 and 2002 models and some have had the same problems and some had it fixed so I deicded to go to Priuschat and found this was a problem ,. And was dangerous. , but there is no recall notice on this issue. , so I thought it best to look into again and see you have a complaint registered this year. ,. , if there is more information you can provide I would like to know mt impression if the service managers at Toyota like to skirt the issue of danger or possible accidents and try to get you to repair it at your cost,,,,I hope you folks look into this matter more deeply.

Potenza 175/65/r14xl (oem tires) which are specifically made for the Prius, wear quickly and on the edges. This resulted in my tire tread having a 1/32 rating, while the middle of the tire still had a long life left. When making sharp turns at low speeds (especially when the car is cold), the steering wheel will vibrate (sometimes audibly, sometimes not). Were this to happen at even a slightly higher speed, accidents may occur. This problem has become more frequent in the last few weeks. It now occurs at least every other day.