Steering Column problems of the 2005 Toyota Tacoma

Vehicle has problem with the steering column, specifically in the upper intermediate shaft. It makes noise while driving.

Steering became very stiff over a period of a about 3 weeks, especially in cold weather. Steering wheel would not return to center on its own making steering difficult and dangerous. Research on the internet turned up hundreds of similar complaints. In some cases people's steering locked up entirely. Problem appears to be a universal joint in the steering column that is unprotected and subject to corrosion. My truck is currently at a dealership for four safety recalls, one of which requires the whole frame to be replaced due to corrosion. I will not get the truck back for about 3 months due to a backlog of parts. The frame is rusted through in two places and is unsafe to drive in that condition. I requested that the steering issue be looked into while it is in the shop and everything is apart. It seems to me that the steering issue, given the number of complaints on line and the seriousness of the problem may warrant looking into. It also seems to be related to the frame corrosion issue, for which there is a recall.

Steering got very stiff and I had trouble operation the vehicle. I was almost was in an accident due to this. Once I got the truck to the roadside I checked for a flat tire, broken power steering belt and the power steering fluid level and condition. Everything was ok, but the steering wheel was still very had to turn. I had the trucks steering checked out and the u joint at the bottom of the steering column had sized up. Toyota part number 4520304020 intermediate steering shaft. This is a very dangerous problem and Toyota should do a recall to cover this. The problem comes on suddenly and you lose the ability to control the vehicle.

The steering seemed to seize up almost instantly as if the power steering was going out. Once I realized that the problem wasn't a tire issue; I. E. Under- inflation, I began to make arrangement to have Toyota identify and correct the problem. The Toyota dealership did agree to diagnose the problem for $100+ but this diagnosis charge wouldn't be applied to the repair. This,method of service seemed odd to me so I used another auto repair service center that promptly identified the problem and schedule the repair. It was identified as the lower steering column with a near frozen u-joint. This problem resulted in a very erratic steering pattern. Most of the time the steering wheel wouldn't return to the neutral position after making a turn and at other times it would return to the neutral position resulting in over steering. The anticipated lack of return to the neutral position caused me on occasion to attempt to steer to the neutral position resulting in the over steering. This issue should be brought to others attention and possibly have any vehicles suspect for a similar steering issue inspected so repairs can be made before an accident occurs.

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. The contact hears metal grinding when making left turns. The failure has been occurring ever since the vehicle was purchased. Toyota stated that they do not know how to repair the failure, however the vehicle should be safe to drive. They also stated that they do not consider it a safety hazard. Toyota stated that this is a failure dealing with the trans-actual and transfer case of the steering column. The problem still persists. The current mileage is 38,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.