general problems of the 2007 Toyota Tacoma - part 1

Steering has developed a clunk at low speeds. Appears intermediate shaft is bad. Dealer wants over 500 to replace. Online it is a very common problem. The steering shaft goes bad . . How much more dangerous can you get?.

Steering suddenly got very stiff. Dangerous think its the ujoint. Been this way about a week.

A winter storm hit my area and I needed to engage my four wheel drive, the four wheel drive wouldn't engage. The indicator light on the dash would only flash. My truck only went a short distance before getting stuck on the road leaving me stranded.

Stiff steering. . Read more...

The intermediate steering shaft u joint rusts and causes the steering to stiffen unexpectedly. I know there are technical service bulletins put out by Toyota, it is disappointing that automobile company's are not held accountable by the NHTSA, since this is a safety issue.

I have had issues with the steering being incredibly too stiff. There is no return once the steering wheel has reached past 3 o'clock or 9 o'clock on the wheel. I have done some research and it looks like the intermediate steering shaft is the issue and has been commonly reported. I do not understand why this has not been recalled as the steering is incredibly difficult to turn and can cause serious problems with being able to control the vehicle. If the part is faulty that was installed, why has this not been brought up as a warranty recall. This is incredibly frustrating that this could be a seriously detrimental issue that has not been addressed.

Steering is very stiff. Turning left and right. Need 2 hands to turn and return to center. This is the 3rd time . 1st time it just went away and came back and went away. Now it's back. Afraid to drive it after reading some of the minor crashes associated with this issue.

Last week I noticed tightness in the steering of my 07 Toyota Tacoma intermittently. It progressively worsened and at times would be very "jerky". Yesterday it was tight nearly my entire way to work. I called and made an appointment to have it checked. On my way to the repair shop, as I was turning out of a parking lot, the truck started to turn fine but all of a sudden got very stiff and jerked. I wasn't expecting it and almost hit a mailbox . The quote for my repair, which includes a lower steering shaft, coupler, bolts and required alignment, is $820. 00. As I was looking online to make sure that this was a legitimate pricing quote, I noticed that this seems to be an issue with the Toyota Tacoma between the years of 005-2014. This is a definite safety issue and needs to have a recall issued.

Lower steering shaft 4520304021 seized. Repair cost is significant $400 plus. I don't believe this item is a normal maintenance item like brakes or belts. Not to mention if it seizes while driving could cause a major accident or fatality. Mine has not seized but is causing much harder than normal steering effort. There is no warning prior to it seizing. Please advise.

Steering had intermittent problems. One day it was fine and the next felt like there was no power steering. After turning a corner, the steering wheel would not return to the center position without considerable force and only after hitting the curb. It turned out that the lower intermediate shaft of the steering assembly had a u-joint that seized and was close to breaking off before I could get it replaced.

Stiff steering caused minor collision into snow bank while driving at slow speed on city street. Many complaints/accounts on forums relating to this issue.

Steering seized, later determined to be a severely corroded intermediate steering shaft u joint. Was turning a corner at the time and was able to gain control of the vehicle. Later learned through online research this is a common occurrence with this vehicle. Dealer tried to lubricate. But later replaced the shaft as the joint continued to bind.

Power steering unresponsive at times. 71,000 miles.

Steering has become very difficult. Parking, changing lanes, and turning have all become quite a dangerous chore--. To the point I do not feel safe even operating the truck.

The frame is rusting out on my Tacoma that I purchased and Toyota says since they inspected it 9 month ago it no longer qualifies for frame replacement program. It had not been driven under any negative road corrosive conditions in this time, and this frame was I believe rusted when inspected and not discovered because it has rusted from the inside out. Now the power steering has gone out and I have been experiencing acceleration problems with it since purchasing it. I contacted Toyota about the frame rust and was told basically too bad so sad. They have told me they filed my complaint under file #1603091915 at their national headquarters. The frame metal is defective. The power steering has quit working at approximately 75000 miles, and the truck accelerates under its own power when shifting into 5th gear.

Steering actually locked up requiring extra effort to make a right curve. After stopping and looking for aa problem working the wheel back and forth freed up the steering enough to drive home. An internet search found hundreds of complaints about this issue with Tacomas. Lower steering u joint rusts and seizes. . Lubed the shaft and plan to replace the steering knuckle.

Steering wheel intermittently tightens up while driving making it rather difficult to turn. Seems to be related to a worn intermediate steering shaft. Performance tends to improve upon adding lubricant to the associated u-joint, however over time this part begins to tighten up again. This part will have to be replaced.

Try to make small adjustment with steering wheel and the steering appeared to fight me. When first starting the truck and go to back up, the wheel is difficult to move. After rocking the wheel back and forth a number of times the steering seems a little more normal. This same wheel fight can come on even when you are on the road and traveling the speed limit. Since this happens while driving, I am worried that it could seize up and cause an accident. If it was just my vehicle I would just pay and get it fixed, as I am currently doing, but the internet says there are a lot of people with the very same complaint and they have contacted you folks. The range of model year appears to be 2005 and up. Please look into this as it is a very dangerous problem and people could die.

Steering randomly gets stiff and almost locks. Rusted ujoint in intermediate steering shaft.

The intermediate steering shaft has corroded at the u-joint due to insufficient protection and poor design. This has resulted in stiff, jerky steering that poses a driving hazard, and is a significant expense to replace.

Tight steering I thought due to extreme cold temps in February. Problem would resolve itself as the outside temps and/or engine temp increased. In April I was still having very tight steering intermittently especially on start up and in the morning (when my vehicle hadn't sat in the sun all day). Took it in to a private mechanic, was told the joints inside the steering shaft were seizing up and I needed a whole new steering shaft - total price $533. 00.

Tl-the contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that when the vehicle is started for the first time of the day, the steering would become difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the main steering shaft needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 59,857. Mc.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. While driving at 30 mph, the steering wheel seized. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The contact was concerned that the failure could result in a crash. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. The VIN was not available.

We were inspecting the underbody of our company owned Tacoma. There is major rust on the front frame, and the steering arm (a-arm?) where it attaches to the frame. The rust is substantial enough to allow possible separation of the arms from the frame. We did some internet research and see that corrosion was a problem with earlier models of the Tacoma. We will take this to the dealership to inspect but we thought it should be reported. It appears that if those connections fail stearing would be substantially impaired.

Similar to other complaints, the power steering becomes intermittent and it become very difficult to turn the truck when the power steering cuts out. This could potentially be very dangerous in certain driving situations. I am bringing the truck to Toyota for inspection and hoping Toyota will pay for the repair, as it seems to be a chronic issue for this year and model.

Truck steering at various speeds, particularly at lower speeds, became stiff at times and required more force to make either a right or left turn. It did seem to affect the steering when going straight, meaning it did not drift or pull to the right or left, even on tapered road surace. Wheel did not pull when braking. I understand there maybe bulletin concerning this issue.

Pulled out of my driveway to find that the steering wheel was intermittently stiff during turning. Became progressively worse until I took it to a dealer to find that the intermediate steering shaft was apparently bad. Doing some research online found that this is a common issue with this vehicle. I can no longer have my wife or children use my Toyota Tacoma for fear that she does not have the physical strength to avoid an accident.

While making a turn on to the entrance ramp to the highway steering wheel became hard to move.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated while making a left or right turn the steering wheel would suddenly become very hard to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technician diagnosed that the steering shaft needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 145,000. The current mileage was 150,379. Updated 04/02/lj.

As you are driving the steering is stiff at various points while turning the wheel and requires some force to correct the steering. It is worse from a standing start. This problem has been traced to a bad steering intermediate shaft. Service bulletin number: t-sb-0057-12 or sb-0119-10 rev2. This problem also shows up as rattling noise, or steering being sloppy. I believe this a problem that will lead to injuries and loss of vehicle control. . Read more...

I first noticed that the steering on my 2007 Tacoma is very often extremely stiff turning in either direction last year. I brought it in to the dealer to check it out. Was told: "lower shaft starting to get stiff". Was quoted a replacement/repair cost around $550. Could not afford that at the time. This problem had been intermittent but now happens nearly every time I use the vehicle. This is a safety issue that could lead to an accident. Looks like I will have to pay Toyota to fix this. My research indicates that the problem is with the "steering intermediate shaft number 2". It seems this part is either defective or poorly designed as there are numerous reports about this issue on many automotive websites which specifically cite this vehicle for a range of years from 2005 on.

Steering became very stiff.

Spiral cable in steering defective, had to replace spiral cable assembly. Air bag not operating if dash light on.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Tacoma. While driving 15 mph in the rain and making a turn the vehicle fish tailed, spun around and crasded. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained a spinal abrasion and was taken to the hospital. A police report is available. The Toyota manufacturer was notified; however, no one answered the telephone. The failure mileage was 50,000.

Toyota Tacoma trd sport 2007 there is a problem with the steering/suspension system, when the road has a slight inclination to the side, the truck dangerously tends to go out of the road if the steering wheel is left untouched for one second the truck goes out of the road. The dealer checked other new trucks 2008 or 2009 and it was the same they did not offer any repair, just said it was a "normal" condition in Tacomas.