DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE DRAG LINK BROKE ON THE STEERING. THE VEHICLE WAS PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOR STEERING REPAIRS. UPDATED 04/06/06.
1998 Toyota T100
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Toyota T100 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 26.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all T100 years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 17 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Structure. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seat Belts. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Steering complaints
2 reportsON JULY 28, 2004, MY 1998 TOYOTA T-100 4X4 SUFFERED A COMPLETE LACK OF STEERING CONTROL AS I STARTED DOWN MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAUSE WAS A STEERING ROD RELAY THAT BROKE IN TWO. I HAVE THE FAILED PART. IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN EITHER A TWO-PART FAILURE OR A FLAW IN THE ORIGINAL CASTING. ONE-HALF OF A CROSS-SECTION THROUGH THE BREA…
Read full complaint
ON JULY 28, 2004, MY 1998 TOYOTA T-100 4X4 SUFFERED A COMPLETE LACK OF STEERING CONTROL AS I STARTED DOWN MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAUSE WAS A STEERING ROD RELAY THAT BROKE IN TWO. I HAVE THE FAILED PART. IT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN EITHER A TWO-PART FAILURE OR A FLAW IN THE ORIGINAL CASTING. ONE-HALF OF A CROSS-SECTION THROUGH THE BREAK IS BRIGHT GRAY STEEL WITH THE ROUGH SURFACE CHARACTERISTIC OF FATIGUE FAILURES, THE OTHER HALF IS COMPARATIVELY SMOOTH AND THE SAME RUST-COLOR AS THE OUTSIDE OF THE PART. MY TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN USED FOR ROCK-CLIMBING, NOR HAS IT BEEN RAMMED INTO A SOLID OBSTACLE SUCH AS A CURB OR LARGE POTHOLE. THE ONLY TRAUMA IT HAS BEEN SUBJECT TO IS LOW-SPEED MANEUVERING IN HEAVY SNOW AND ICE. ALTHOUGH THE FAILURE DID NOT CAUSE DEATH OR DAMAGE, IF IT HAD OCCURED A FEW MINUTES LATER, I WOULD HAVE BEEN DOING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY. WHILE I DON'T THINK TOYOTA OWES ME ANYTHING ON A SIX-YEAR-OLD VEHICLE, I AM WORRIED THAT THIS FLAW MIGHT REPRESENT A BAD BATCH OF STEERING ROD RELAYS. IF SO, THEN THERE ARE OTHER T-100S OUT THERE THAT COULD KILL THEIR OWNERS.*AK
Official recalls
105V389000 · Steering:linkages:rod:relay:connecting
Sep 6, 2005
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS REPEATEDLY TURNED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHERE HIGH STEERING EFFORT AND POWER ASSIST ARE REQUIRED, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN FULLY TURNING THE WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE STEERING RELAY ROD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, THE RELAY ROD MAY FRACTURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING RELAY ROD. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE02039 · Clutch Pedal Bracket/firewall
Opened Apr 1, 2002 · Closed Jul 30, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train
No summary supplied.
Illustration