2002 Toyota Prius

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 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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHILE TURNING LEFT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE RACK AND PINION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V304000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 197,000.

I WAS DRIVING ONTO THE FREEWAY, TURNING RIGHT ONTO THE RAMP THAT CIRCLED INTO THE SOUTHBOUND INTERSTATE WHEN THE A RED HAZARD TRIANGLE POPPED UP AND THE SCREEN ON MY CAR STATED PS ERROR. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED FOR A BIT BUT FORTUNATELY I WAS STILL ABLE TO STEER. I GOT OFF ON THE NEXT EXIT AND WAS BARELY ABLE TO TURN. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND LOOKED UP THE ERROR CODE TO FIND OUT IT WAS POWER STEERING, I CHECKED THE FLUIDS AND EVERYTHING WAS OK. TURNED ON THE CAR AND THE PS ERROR HAD DISAPPEARED, IT DROVE NORMALLY THE REST OF THE WAY HOME. *TR

IN A MODEL 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH LESS THAN 60000 MILES, WHILE STARTING OUT FROM PARK GOING INTO REVERSE THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING VIOLENTLY STARTED SHAKING AND PULLED THE STEERING WHEEL FROM THE DRIVERS HANDS. THIS CAUSED A TEMPORARY WARNING/CAUTION LIGHT THAT QUICKLY WENT OUT. AFTER THE INCIDENT THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE FREQUENT, HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WHILE STOPPED. EVENTUALLY THE PROBLEM CAUSED THE STEERING ASSIST TO FAIL COMPLETELY. WHEN TOYOTA WAS CONTACTED, THEY KNEW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND SAID THEY HAD RECALLS ON OTHER YEAR PRIUS MODELS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THEY REPORTED THE GEAR RACK ELECTRONIC SENSOR FAILS AND THE RACK MUST BE REPLACED BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE 2002 WASN'T UNDER THE RECALL. WHEN ASKED WHY, NOBODY SEEMED TO KNOW. *TR

MADE A LEFT TURN OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. STEERING BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHUDDER AND SHAKE, CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL (MY GRIP WAS LOST ON THE WHEEL). I WAS ABLE TO GRAB THE WHEEL MORE FORCEFULLY AND REGAIN CONTROL AND COMPLETE THE TURN. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE RAMP, I MAY NOT BE HERE TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT. ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA NATIONAL SERVICE REGISTRY, MY VEHICLE HAS ALREADY RECEIVED THE SERVICE COVERED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN 11V304000 WHICH MAKES ME VERY, VERY VERY NERVOUS. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER DETAILS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITHOUT WARNING, THE STEERING SHOOK VIOLENTLY WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING RACK AND THE NUTS IN THE STEERING LINKAGE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 11V304000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,000.