2002 Toyota Prius

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND BEGAN FLASHING A WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT IT WAS SAFE TO CONTINUE DRIVING. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ANOTHER DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE STEERING GEAR BOX AND ELECTRIC SYSTEM FAILED. THE COST OF THE PART IS $1,800. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SLOWED DOWN TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY AND HIS POWER STEERING FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE TORQUE SENSOR IN THE STEERING GEAR BOX FAILED. A NHTSA RECALL WAS ESTABLISHED (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 00V285000). REPAIRS WERE NOT MADE. THE DEALER INFORMATION IS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 128,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 55-65 MPH, THE STEERING WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE POWER STEERING FAILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A FAULTY SENSOR AND THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 00V285000 (STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)) FOR A 2001 TOYOTA PRIUS WAS REFERENCED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 72,000. UPDATED 10/23/07 *TR

I PURCHASED 2002 PRIUS IN JUNE, 2005. IN SEPTEMBER 2005 POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON 3 TIMES WHILE DRIVING ON FREEWAY BETWEEN TUCSON AND PHOENIX. DEALER SAID THE POWER STEERING TORQUE SENSOR WAS MALFUNCTIONING AND WOULD COST $1450.00 TO REPLACE. TOOK TO MY OWN MECHANIC (AUTHORIZED PRIUS MECHANIC) WHO CONFIRMED THE DEALERS ASSESSMENT AND ALSO TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA DOES NOT PROVIDE PARTS TO REPAIR THE POWER STEERING SO ENTIRE UNIT MUST BE REPLACED. PROBLEM DISAPPEARED FOR ABOUT 1 YR. THEN IN JULY OF THIS YEAR, POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT STARTED TO COME ON WHILE DRIVING FROM TUCSON TO LAS CRUCES. ALSO, STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY WHEN BACKING UP OR TURNING WHILE CAR WAS IN MOTION. BATTERY ALSO FAILED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE NM AND HAD TO REPLACE BATTERY AT A COST OF $140 WITH ONLY A ONE YEAR WARRANTY AND NO ONE EXCEPT TOYOTA SELLS THE BATTERY. AFTER DISCUSSING PROBLEMS WITH MY MECHANIC I CALLED TOYOTA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPLACE POWER STEERING COLUMN - THEY TOLD ME MY CAR WAS TOO OLD AND HAD TOO MANY MILES ON IT (ONLY 59K). I OWN A 1975 CELICA THAT HAS 265K MILES AND IT HAS NEVER NEEDED ANY STEERING COLUMN WORK - HOW COME A CAR 30 YEARS LATER NEEDS ONE AFTER ONLY 59K? I USED TO THINK TOYOTA MADE A GOOD PRODUCT AND STOOD BY THEIR CARS, BUT I GUESS I WAS WRONG. THE 2002 PRIUS IN NOT A ROAD-WORTHY CAR AND THE SAVINGS IN GASOLINE CONSUMPTION DOES NOT COME ANYWHERE CLOSE TO PAYING FOR A $1450 REPAIR ON AN OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE STEERING COLUMN. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE TAKING THE PRIUS OUT ON THE FREEWAY AND STEERING WHEEL CONTINUES TO SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY. I WILL REPLACE THE POWER STEERING UNIT ONLY WHEN REPAIR PARTS BECOME AVAILABLE OR THE PART BREAKS DOWN COMPLETELY. I DOUBT I WILL KEEP THIS CAR VERY LONG AND I KNOW I WILL NOT BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA IN THE FUTURE. NOW WHEN I AM ASKED HOW I LIKE MY PRIUS I TELL PEOPLE TO BUY A HONDA CIVIC INSTEAD. *NM

CONTINUATION OF COMPLAINT (ODI NUMBERS) 10162367-68 EARLIER THAT DAY WE HAD DRIVEN MY DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AND GRANDDAUGHTER TO FUMICINO AIRPORT IN ROME AND THEN RETURNED HOME. WE COULD ONLY IMAGINE WHAT A CATASTROPHE WOULD HAVE OCCURRED IF THAT FREEZING OF THE STEERING WHEEL HAD OCCURRED AT AUTOSTRADA SPEEDS. IN THE MEANTIME, BI AUTO IN FLORENCE HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE PART (NO 44200-47060) MUST BE DELIVERED FROM JAPAN AND WILL TAKE A MINIMUM OF 10 DAYS. IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPEDITE SERVICE, I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE IN TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA (REF # 200607110691) TO SEE IF THE PART MAY BE MORE READILY AVAILABLE AND SHIPPED SOONER FROM THE US. THEIR ANSWER WAS NO. FURTHER, THEY INDICATED THAT SINCE THE PRIUS WAS OUTSIDE THE US, THEY WERE NOT WILLING TO HONOR THE WARRANTY EXTENSION AND THUS THE $3500 REPAIR WOULD BE AT MY EXPENSE. I WILL NOW CONTACT MY US DEALER (I BOUGHT A SECOND PRIUS IN 2004, WHICH IS STILL IN THE US) TO SEE IF THEY WILL INTERCEDE ON MY BEHALF. BUT WHAT'S ESPECIALLY TROUBLING IS EVEN IF THIS REPLACEMENT PERFORMED IS WHETHER (1) TOYOTA HAS MADE ANY IMPROVEMENT IN THE REPLACEMENT PART TO ELIMINATE THE FAILURE (APPARENTLY THE 2004 REPLACEMENT WAS INEFFECTIVE), (2) FOR HOW MANY MILES MIGHT THIS NEW REPLACEMENT PART LAST, AND (3) WILL THERE BE ANY WARNING, SUCH AS THE STIFFNESS IN TURNING, THAT WILL PRECEDE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE SUCH AS THIS FREEZING OF THE STEERING WHEEL. FOR THE ONLINE FORM, I HAVE PROVIDED MY US CONTACT NUMBERS. HOWEVER, UNTIL AUGUST 6TH, I WILL CONTINUE TO BE IN ITALY. *JB

CONTINUATION OF COMPLAINT (ODI NUMBER) 10162367 THE STEERING WAS EACH TIME FROZEN IN THE CENTER POSITION WITH NO POSSIBILITY OF TURNING TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT. THE EARLIER PROBLEM WAS NOT DEMONSTRABLE TO THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER WHEN THE CAR HAD BEEN BROUGHT IN FOR SERVICING IN OCTOBER 26, 2005 AND MARCH 2, 2006 (DURING A ONE WEEK VISIT), BUT BECAUSE I HAD MORE TIME IN JULY, I HAD SCHEDULED A TOTAL INSPECTION FOR THE STEERING MECHANISM ON TUESDAY, JULY 11TH. AFTER THIS CATASTROPHIC FAILURE, HOWEVER, I HAD THE CAR IMMEDIATELY TOWED TO BI AUTO TOYOTA IN FLORENCE FOR REPAIR. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE TOWING CHARGE WAS MORE THAN $200, I HAD NO CONFIDENCE THAT THIS CAR COULD BE DRIVEN SAFELY TO THE DEALERSHIP. AT THE DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED THE PROBLEM AS REQUIRING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SCATOLA GUIDA, A PART WITH A PRICE-TAG OF 2840 EUROS (APPROXIMATELY $3500). WHEN I CALLED BACK TO MY TOYOTA DEALER IN PITTSBURGH, I WAS TOLD THAT THE MOST EXPENSIVE STEERING PART THAT COULD BE PURCHASED WAS THE STEERING RACK WHICH WAS ABOUT $1100. HOWEVER, THE BELLS AND WHISTLES WENT OFF WHEN BI AUTO PROVIDED THE PART NUMBER 44200-47060. THIS SAME PART WAS REPLACED BY ROHRICH TOYOTA IN PITTSBURGH ON MAY 14, 2004, AT 26,539 MILES. REPLACEMENT WAS SOON FOLLOWED WITH A WARRANTY EXTENSION. SIMILAR EXPERIENCES TO MINE ARE DOCUMENTED AT HTTP://WWW.PRIUSONLINE.COM/VIEWTOPIC.PHP?T=539&HIGHLIGHT=, BUT AS FAR AS I KNOW, NO ONE HAS REPORTED THIS SECOND INCIDENT TWO YEARS AND 20,000 MILES LATER (THE PRIUS ODOMETER NOW READS APPROXIMATELY 47,000 MILES). MOREOVER THE SYMPTOM FOR THE FIRST REPLACEMENT WAS A VIBRATION WHEN STARTING THE ENGINE AND SHIFTING INTO REVERSE. OTHER INDIVIDUALS HAVE REPORTED THE TURNING STIFFNESS EARLIER AND EXCESSIVE AND UNEVEN TIRE WEAR (MY REAR TIRES WERE BADLY WORN AT 24,000 MILES), BUT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME FOR ME THAT THIS TOTAL FREEZING OF THE STEERING WHEEL IN A STRAIGHT FORWARD POSITION HAS OCCURRED. *JB