2002 Toyota Prius

WHILE DRIVING LOST OF STEERING MOMENTARILY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS BUT THOUGHT IT WAS BELT SLIPPAGE. TODAY (9/28/ 2018) TOTAL LOST OF STEERING. WAS ABLE TO GET VEHICLE TO SIDE OF ROAD AND SHUTOFF IGNITION SWITCH. STARTED VEHICLE AGAIN AND HAD NORMAL STEERING CONTROL AGAIN. AFTER REVIEWING RECALLS NOTICED THAT TOYOTA HAD TWO VOLUNTARY RECALLS ON SAME PROBLEM BUT HAVE NOW REMOVED THEM. WHAT CAN BE DONE FOR THIS PROBLEM. (XXXX) PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

VEHICLE'S STEERING WHEEL BEGINS TO VIBRATE OUT OF CONTROL WHEN ATTEMPTING TURNS. THIS VIOLENT SHAKING POSES SERIOUS DANGERS TO DRIVER WHILE MAKING TURNS, AND CAUSES DRIVER TO PULL OFF OF ROAD AND COMPLETELY TURN CAR OFF. PROBLEM NOTICEABLE FOR APPROXIMATELY 1 MONTH INTERMITTENTLY BEFORE PROBLEM BEGAN OCCURRING WITHOUT FAIL EVERY SINGLE TIME VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN. WHEN TAKEN TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN BLOOMINGTON, IN, MECHANICS SAID ENTIRE RACK NEEDED REPLACING, ESTIMATING A TOTAL MUCH HIGHER THAN VALUE OF CAR ITSELF. NO RECALL FOUND FOR THIS PROBLEM, NO PAPERWORK PROVIDED TO CUSTOMER. ONCE CUSTOMER PAID FOR DIAGNOSTIC CHARGES AND TOOK VEHICLE BACK, POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHTS ARE PERMANENTLY ENABLED AND STEERING ASSIST IS COMPLETELY OFF, CAUSING TURNING TO CONTINUE TO POSE THREAT, ALTHOUGH STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT VIBRATE, YET.

I HAVE TOYOTA PRIUS 2002 I WAS DRIVING YESTERDAY THE STEERING HAD BEEN MAKING LIKE A RUBBER-SQUEAK NOISE WHEN TURNED TO THE RIGHT AT LOW SPEEDS.I WAS DRIVING, AND THE WHEEL STARTED TO SORT OF PULSE IN MY HANDS LIKE IT WAS GAINING/LOSING POWER ASSIST.ABOUT 10 MINUTES LATER, FAILED. BIG PS BUTTON ON DISPLAY, WITH THE RED TRIANGLE BY THE ODOMETER. THIS MORNING I WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHEN ALMOST HATE SOMEONE BECAUSE A LOST THE CONTROL OF THE CAR AND THE STEERING WAS SHAKING.

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