2002 Toyota Prius

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE UNDER SPEED LIMIT WHEN MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF. I WAS DRIVING WHEN MY STEERING WHEEL BECAME STIFF AND AFTER FEW SECONDS I WAS AT A CURVE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN LEFT AND WENT OFF THE ROAD INTO A DITCH AND COLLIDING WITH AN OBJECT. THE CAR GOT HUGE DAMAGE AND WAS NOT DRIVABLE AND STILL IN MY YARD. *TR

I WAS TURNING LEFT INTO A PARKING SPOT WHEN THE STEERING SOUNDED AND ACTED ODD. THE PS LIGHT CAME ON. I BROUGHT IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND HAD TO REPLACE THE POWER STEERING GEAR MECHANISM AT A COST OF OVER $2600.00. I WAS TOLD THE RECALL ON THIS WAS V.I.N. SPECIFIC AND DID NOT APPLY TO MINE. MY CONCERN IS IF THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT IS ADDRESSED IN THE RECALL, AND MY CAR HAD THE ISSUE, WHY IS IT NOT TAKEN CARE OF BY THE COMPANY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A MALFUNCTION IN THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM WHICH CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO SEIZE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REPLACED THE ANGLE SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V304000 (STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM) PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000. UPDATED 01/04/12*LJ THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO REINITIALIZED THE TORQUED ANGLE SENSOR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON STARTING, THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD. IN ADDITION, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO STOP. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON AN INTERMITTENT BASIS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS. THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,000. .. UPDATED 09/15/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HE/SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AUTO SHOP ON AUGUST 2, 2011 FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING PINION SHAFT NUTS. THEY ADJUSTED THE GEAR, ACCELERATOR AND STEERING. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES AND MOVES FORWARD AS SOON AS THE CONSUMER STARTS IT. UPDATED 10/03/11

DAY LEADING UP TO INCIDENT, STEERING WHEEL WOULD PULL TO RIGHT VERY EASILY OR WHILE ROLLING, BUT COULD BE PULLED BACK TO CENTER WITHOUT ISSUE. ON DAY OF INCIDENT, BACKED CAR OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND A CLUNKING SOUND WAS MADE UNDER CAR. STEERING WHEEL WOULD THEN ONLY TURN ABOUT A QUARTER TURN AND WOULD NOT TURN THE WHEELS AT ALL. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE STEERING RACK WAS BAD AND THE SPIRAL CABLE WHICH PROVIDED POWER TO THE AIRBAG WAS BAD AS WELL. THIS WAS A VERY DISTURBING FINDING FOR US AS WE COULD'VE BEEN DRIVING THE CAR ON THE INTERSTATE AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS WHEN THE STEERING BROKE. ADDITIONALLY, THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT HAVE GONE OFF IF WE HAD GOTTEN INTO A CRASH. DEALERSHIP AND TOYOTA WERE CONTACTED REGARDING WARRANTY REPLACEMENT OF BOTH ITEMS. DEALERSHIP AND TOYOTA REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY WARRANTY OR DISCOUNT TO CORRECT THE ISSUES. HAD THE CAR TOWED HOME. ORDERED USED STEERING RACK AND SPIRAL CABLE AND INSTALLED THEM MYSELF. CAR IS FUNCTIONING NOW, BUT I HAVE CONCERN THAT THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I STILL HAVE THE BAD STEERING RACK AND BAD SPIRAL CABLE. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH 140K MILES ON IT. THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY LAST FALL WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. IT NOW DOES THIS AT LOW SPEEDS, PARTICULARLY AROUND CORNERS AND IS BECOMING AN INCREASING PROBLEM AT HIGHER SPEEDS. THE POWER STEERING CUT OUT ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MILES PER HOUR LAST WEEK. THAT CONVINCED ME I NEED TO GET A NEW CAR. I TRIED TO TRADE IT IN AT A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER LAST SUMMER AND COULDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME MORE THAN $2.5K FOR IT AS I HAD PAID $15K FOR IT 2.5 YEARS EARLIER. ADMITTEDLY, I HAD BEEN T-BONED AND A LOT OF WORK HAD BEEN DONE ON THE CAR, BUT MY DEALER HAD IT FIXED IT TO WHERE YOU WOULDN'T KNOW IT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT UNLESS IT WAS POINTED OUT. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEMS ONLINE AND FOUND THIS IS A WELL -KNOWN DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE CARS STEERING RACK. I CAN'T SELL IT TO ANYONE AS IS. I'M STUCK WITH HAVING TO DO A $3K REPAIR TO A CAR THAT'S WORTH LESS THAN THAT TO ITS DEALERSHIP. IT SCARES ME TO DRIVE IT. THEY ONLY MADE 26K OF THESE CARS. DOES EVERY ONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM? I SPOKE WITH TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THEY DID OFFER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY REPAIR ON THIS, BUT SINCE MY CAR HAD >100K, THE BURDEN WOULD BE MINE. THEY SHOULD BE WILLING TO RESOLVE THIS DESIGN FLAW. WHAT IS MY RECOURSE? AGAIN, I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT AS I DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN. *TR

STEERING WHEEL, UNCONTROLLABLE SHUDDER, WILL LITERALLY RIP ITSELF OUT OF YOUR HAND OR GRIP. USUALLY HAPPENS DURING THE FIRST OF THE DAY WHEN IT'S RELATIVELY COLD. WHILE SLOWLY MOVING THE VEHICLE, THE STEERING WHEEL WILL START TO VIBRATE VIOLENTLY, IN AN UN CONTROLLABLE MANNER. SOMETIMES THE POWER STEERING WILL JUST ERROR OUT WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE STREET DURING THE DAY, LOOSING ALL POWER STEERING AS WELL. *TR

APPLIED BRAKES WHILE CAR WAS MOVING SLOWLY, LESS THAN 10 MPH, AND HEARD LOUD GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM LEFT FRONT AS CAR STOPPED. SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND CAR BARELY MOVED, ABOUT 1 FOOT, WHICH WAS ACCOMPANIED BY THE LOUD GRINDING SOUND, THEN STOPPED. TURNED CAR OFF AND COULD FIND NOTHING INTERFERING WITH THE WHEELS BUT DID FIND PIECES OF BRAKE PAD ON THE GROUND ALONG THE PATH THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL HAD FOLLOWED. THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL APPEARED AS IF THE CALIPERS WERE HOLDING WHATEVER REMAINED OF THE BRAKE PAD AND/OR BACKING TIGHT AGAINST THE ROTOR. BRAKE FUNCTION HAD BEEN NORMAL FOR PRIOR 7 11/12 YEARS, IE, SINCE I PURCHASED IT AS A NEW CAR. THERE WAS A BOTHERSOME GRINDING, SOMETIMES RATTLING OR SQUEALING NOISE FROM THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL SINCE THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP AND I WAS REPEATEDLY TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. BRAKE RUST HAD GRADUALLY ACCUMULATED ON THE LEFT FRONT ALUMINUM WHEEL BUT NOT ON ANY OTHERS AND THE DEALER BLAMED THAT ON WINTER SALT. IT WAS TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALER AND THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED ALONG WITH THE FRONT ROTORS BEING RESURFACED. DESPITE MY REQUEST, THE BRAKE PAD FROM THE OTHER SIDE WAS NOT KEPT NOR WAS ITS THICKNESS RECORDED. NOTHING I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS RELAYED TO WHOEVER WORKED ON THE CAR AND THAT PERSON ONLY RECORDED THAT THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAID THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WAS FROZEN FAST. THE CAR, 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS, HAD 43561 MILES ON IT WHEN THIS OCCURRED AND SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD SIGNIFICANT BRAKE PAD WEAR GIVEN THE HYBRID BRAKING SYSTEM AND BRAKING GEAR AS WELL AS MY DRIVING STYLE. AFTER THE ABOVE REPAIR WAS DONE, I LEARNED THAT THERE WAS A RECOMMENDATION THAT THE LEFT FRONT ROTOR BE REPLACED. I WILL HAVE THIS DONE BY A PRIVATE MECHANIC SO THAT THE PART WILL NOT BE DISCARDED. *LN