2003 Toyota Prius

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS WITH ABOUT 76,000 MILES. I AM ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY CURRENTLY STATIONED IN GERMANY. I HAVE ENCOUNTERED A STEERING PROBLEM WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL SHUTTERS AND SHAKES AS IF YOU ARE DRIVING ON ROUGH TERRAIN. IT USUALLY OCCURS BETWEEN 5 MPH AND 30 MPH WHILE IN A TURN. WHEN THIS OCCURS YOU TEMPORARILY LOSE CONTROL OF THE STEERING AND POTENTIALLY, THE CAR. AFTER DOING SOME CURSORY RESEARCH ON LINE THIS APPEARS TO BE A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA PRIUS (HTTP://PRIUSCHAT.COM/FORUMS/CARE-MAINTENANCE-TROUBLESHOOTING/36358-03-POWER-STEERING.HTML ) I THINK IT HAS ALSO BEEN AN ISSUE WITH THE 2001-2002 MODELS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT FOR THE 2003 AND BEYOND. I BELIEVE THAT THIS DOES AFFECT THE ABILITY FOR THE CAR TO BE DRIVEN SAFELY. WE TOOK IT IN TO A DEALER HERE IN GERMANY AND THEY GAVE AN ESTIMATE OF 2500 EURO FOR REPAIR, WHICH EQUATES TO ABOUT $3800 US DOLLARS. THE CAR IS ONLY WORTH APPROXIMATELY $10,000. BECAUSE OF THE EXTREME COST, I CONDUCTED RESEARCH ON THE PROBLEM AND THEN CALLED TOYOTA TO SEE IF THIS WOULD BE COVERED BECAUSE THIS IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT WITH THE ENGINEERING. TO MY DISMAY, TOYOTA INFORMED ME THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THIS VEHICLE REGARDLESS BECAUSE I AM STATIONED OVERSEAS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO SLIGHTLY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT, THE STEERING COLUMN BECAME STUCK IN A FIXATED POSITION. THE CONTACT COULD NOT COMPLETE THE TURN. SHE PULLED TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE TO RESUME NORMAL OPERATION. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP AND THE STEERING MAIN SHAFT ASSEMBLY, TILT COLUMN ASSEMBLY, AND BOLT WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND IT IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 36,000. UPDATED 10-07-08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED SHE HAS NOT EXPERIENCED ANY MORE FAILURES SINCE THE REPAIR WAS DONE. UPDATED 10/15/08. *JB

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON A FRIDAY EVENING, TURNED RIGHT, AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING A PARKED TRUCK, AND SPENT THE NEXT SEVERAL MINUTES TRYING TO REGAIN STEERING CONTROL. THE NEXT DAY I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THE ELECTRONIC STEERING RACK HAD FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AT A COST OF APPROXIMATELY $2000 (AS THE STEERING SYSTEM WARRANTY ONLY EXTENDS TO 3 MONTHS OR 36,000 MILES.) MY CAR HAS JUST OVER 69,000 MILES ON IT. I HAVE ADHERED TO THE MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE, AND ALWAYS BRING IT TO THE DEALER. THERE IS NOTHING I COULD HAVE DONE TO PREVENT THIS FAILURE, AND I AM SHOCKED THAT THERE WERE NO WARNINGS OR REDUNDANCIES IN PLACE TO DETECT THE FAILURE OF SUCH A CRITICAL SYSTEM. I LIVE IN LOS ANGELES, AND IF I HAD BEEN ON A FREEWAY OR CANYON ROAD WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED, I WOULD LIKELY HAVE BEEN KILLED. THERE HAVE BEEN TWO ISSUES RELATING TO THE PRIUS STEERING SYSTEM (RECALL #18732/NHTSA # 00V285000 AND TSB # 0403/NHTSA # 10008428), BUT I WAS TOLD THAT NEITHER OF THESE APPLIED TO MY VEHICLE. I PICKED UP MY CAR TODAY AND WAS TOLD THE WORK IS COVERED BY A 1 YEAR, UNLIMITED MILEAGE WARRANTY. I FIND IT UNACCEPTABLE THAT TOYOTA PROVIDES SUCH A SHORT WARRANTY ON SUCH A CRITICAL PIECE OF EQUIPMENT. IF THIS PART EVER FAILS AGAIN, I AM EXTREMELY LIKELY TO BE HURT OR KILLED. I AM HAPPY TO HAVE MY CAR BACK, BUT AM PRETTY TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT, OR ANY TOYOTA, AGAIN. I UNDERSTAND THAT CARS DON?T LAST FOREVER, AND I AM GENERALLY VERY HAPPY WITH HOW MY PRIUS HAS HELD UP. HOWEVER, I ALSO THINK THE MANUFACTURER HAS A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO EVERYTHING IT CAN TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF ITS CUSTOMERS. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT SYSTEMS ARE IN PLACE TO PREVENT THIS PART FROM FAILING AGAIN, WHAT TOYOTA WILL DO IF IT DOES FAIL AGAIN, AND WHAT TOYOTA HAS TO SAY ABOUT THE FAILURE AND INCREDIBLY HIGH PRICE TAG OF A SYSTEM THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED IN OTHER MODELS, AND COULD HAVE COST ME MY LIFE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE TURNED HIS VEHICLE TO THE LEFT AT ANY SPEED, THE STEERING MADE A WEIRD NOISE AND WOULD NOT RETURN TO THE STRAIGHT POSITION. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER 15 MONTHS AGO AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE TEMPERATURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT AT A COOLER TEMPERATURE, THE STEERING WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL. THE FAILURE NEVER CORRECTED ITSELF AND THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER INFORMED HIM THAT HE NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE RACK AND PINION STEERING SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN, ENGINE SIZE, AND NUMBER OF CYLINDERS WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 70,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

I WAS DRIVING EAST AT 50 MPH ON CALIFORNIA HWY 68 AT 0800. IT WAS RAINING BUT THERE WAS NO STANDING WATER. I WAS DRIVING A 2003 TOYOTA PRIUS. AS I CROSSED THE INTERSECTION WITH SAN BENANCIO ROAD THE CAR SLOWLY SWERVED TO THE LEFT ACROSS THE ROAD, ENTERING THE OPPOSITE SHOULDER SLIDING BROADSIDE. THE CAR CONTINUED THE ROTATION, COMING TO REST FACING EAST AGAIN. I DID NOTHING TO INITIATE THIS BIZARRE EVENT. *JB

MY TIRES WERE WORN TO THE CORDS, ALL FOUR OF THEM, ON BOTH SIDES, THE INSIDE WAS WORSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER (TOYOTA OF GLENDORA) AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK IT AND THE ALIGNMENT, AMONG OTHER THINGS. I HAD JUST 22,667.0 MILES ON IT. THEY CALLED ME AND SAID THE TIRES WERE JUST "WORN OUT" AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ALIGNMENT. I TOOK IT TO FIRESTONE (WHO WARRANTIED THE TIRES) AND WAS TOLD BY 3 DIFFERENT PROFESSIONALS THERE THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT WORN OUT, THAT THE SIDE WALLS WERE DESTROYED DUE TO FAULTY ALIGNMENT. I HAD TO PAY FOR 4 NEW TIRES AND AN ALIGNMENT. I WROTE TO TOYOTA WHO REFERRED ME BACK TO TOYOTA OF GLENDORA. TOYOTA OF GLENDORA CONTACTED ME BY PHONE AND DENIED EVER TELLING ME THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE ALIGNMENT. THEY CLAIMED THEY COULDN'T FIX THE ALIGNMENT BECAUSE ALL 4 TIRES WERE BAD. I CLAIMED THEY LIED ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT TO KEEP FROM KEEPING IT OVER NIGHT AGAIN, BUILDING UP TO THE LEMON LAW. I FEEL THEY DAMAGED MY ALIGNMENT WHEN THEY REPLACED MY ENTIRE RACK AND PINION STEERING IN OCT 03, THEY DENIED THIS SAYING THAT REPLACING THE RACK AND PINION DOESN'T AFFECT THE ALIGNMENT. THEY DIDN'T TELL ME ABOUT THE DAMAGE TO THE TIRES WHICH THEY SHOULD HAVE NOTICED LAST TIME THEY ROTATED THEM. I WANT THEM TO PAY FOR MY ALIGNMENT AND PERHAPS MY FOUR NEW TIRES, THEY REFUSED AND HUNG UP ON ME. I WROTE TO TOYOTA AGAIN AND THEY RESPONDED WITH A LETTER DEFERRING TO THE DEALER, TOYOTA OF GLENDORA.*AK