2005 Toyota Tacoma

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT RUSTED AND BINDING MY STEERING WAS BECOMING TOUGH TO STEER AND THEN IT WOULD BE FINE. IT FELT LIKE THE POWER ASSIST WAS STOPPING ASSISTING THEN IT WOULD BEHAVE NORMALLY DURING A TURN. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF PROPER STEERING DURING TURNING ARE ANY SPEED. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE TOUGH TO STEER, (AS IF YOU HAD MANUAL STEERING) AND HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN, THE STEERING FEEL WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL (POWER ASSIST WORKING) WHICH CAUSED BACK AND FORTH MOTIONS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN THE PROPER LANE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE TRUCK AND " FOUND STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT RUSTED AND BINDING". I HAD TO REPLACE THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, HAVE A FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND HAVE THE POWER STEERING FLUID FLUSHED. TOTAL BILL WAS $796.89 THIS ALSO SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO INADEQUATE RUST PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, POSSIBLY SIMILAR TO THE RUSTING FRAME ISSUES. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND REIMBURSE ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY HAD THIS REPAIRED AT THE DEALER. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS OR DEATH DUE TO STEERING FAILURE AT HIGH OR SLOW SPEEDS.

2005 TACOMA PICKUPS AND OTHERS ARE INCLUDED IN A PENDING SETTLEMENT REGARDING EXCESSIVE RUSTING. NOW MY STEERING IS FREEZING UP WHICH I FIND IS A WELL DOCUMENTED COMPLAINT ON THE INTERNET. THE REASON SEEMS TO ALSO BE RELATED TO A FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY PROTECT AGAINST RUSTING. SUDDEN STEERING FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED. I CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE MY VEHICLE DUE TO THIS FAULT. TOYOTA SHOULD IMMEDIATELY BE FORCED TO RECALL ALL THESE DANGEROUS VEHICLES BEFORE THERE ARE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS AND DEATHS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRACTION RE-ENGAGED ON ITS OWN AND THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, WHEN THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED INTO FOUR WHEEL DRIVE, WHEN THE TRACTION CONTROL WAS DISABLED, AND WHEN DRIVING OVER ICE, SNOW, AND/OR SAND. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000. UPDATED 04/05/17 LJ *CN

MAJOR RUST DAMAGE ON FRAME AFTER ONLY 8 YEARS OF VEHILCE BEING RELEASED, A 2 BY 4 INCH WIDE HOLE ON BOTH SIDES FOR THE TRUCKS FRAME CAUSING WARPING AND BENDING AS WELL AS UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS. WHEN TAKEN TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REPAIRS TOOK 9 MONTHS, AND UPON COMPLETION WAS SEND BACK TO OWNERS POSSESSION WITHOUT TEST DRIVING OR VERIFYING PROJECT COMPLETION.

I TOO EXPERIENCED THE STIFFNESS WHILE STEERING. I ALMOST SPENT LARGE DOLLARS BUT DECIDE TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET. I LEARNED THAT THE CAUSE OF IT WAS A RUSTED JOINT. AFTER SOME HEAVY SPRAYING WITH LUBRICANTS, I REGAINED NORMAL OPERATIONS. BUT ONLY UNTIL NEXT WINTER..UGH! RECOMMEND TOYOTA TAKES NOTE OF THIS AND DECIDE ON A SOLUTION FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT MECHANICALLY INCLINED.

I EXPERIENCED ROUGH (STIFF, BINDING) STEERING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND WITHIN TWO WEEKS IT WAS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. I THOUGHT I HAD A STEERING FLUID ISSUE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY KNEW OF THIS PROBLEM AND CONFIRMED IT BY TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THEY KNEW RIGHT AWAY THAT IT WAS CAUSED BY A RUSTED U-JOINT ON THE BOTTOM OF THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT (P/N 4520304020). IN ADDITION TO THE STIFF STEERING GOING INTO A TURN, THE STEERING WOULD NOT RETURN TO STRAIGHT AND I UNEXPECTEDLY NEARLY WENT INTO THE CURB. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION AND MUST BE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF ALL 2005 TACOMA OWNERS. I HAVE NEVER BEEN ADVISED OF ANY NEED TO PERFORM ANY SPECIAL SERVICING OF THIS PART AT ANY MILEAGE INTERVAL. IT APPEARS TO BE A BAD DESIGN THAT ALLOWS SALTY WATER FROM WINTER ROADS TO GET INTO THE U-JOINT WHICH THEN RUSTS.

STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF OVER A PERIOD OF A ABOUT 3 WEEKS, ESPECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER. STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT RETURN TO CENTER ON ITS OWN MAKING STEERING DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET TURNED UP HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. IN SOME CASES PEOPLE'S STEERING LOCKED UP ENTIRELY. PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE A UNIVERSAL JOINT IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT IS UNPROTECTED AND SUBJECT TO CORROSION. MY TRUCK IS CURRENTLY AT A DEALERSHIP FOR FOUR SAFETY RECALLS, ONE OF WHICH REQUIRES THE WHOLE FRAME TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION. I WILL NOT GET THE TRUCK BACK FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS DUE TO A BACKLOG OF PARTS. THE FRAME IS RUSTED THROUGH IN TWO PLACES AND IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE IN THAT CONDITION. I REQUESTED THAT THE STEERING ISSUE BE LOOKED INTO WHILE IT IS IN THE SHOP AND EVERYTHING IS APART. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE STEERING ISSUE, GIVEN THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON LINE AND THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM MAY WARRANT LOOKING INTO. IT ALSO SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO THE FRAME CORROSION ISSUE, FOR WHICH THERE IS A RECALL.