Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||||||||||||
| 12V537000 | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing | from 08/05/2003 to 03/30/2009 | V (Vehicle) | 669705 | 12/20/2012 | MFR | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 11/14/2012 | 11/14/2012 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 prius vehicles manufactured august 5, 2003, through march 30, 2009. the affected vehicles have a steering intermediate extension shaft assembly built with metal splines that complete the connection from the steering wheel to the steering gear. these splines may have been manufactured with an insufficient hardness. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the extension shaft and replace it if it is one with insufficient hardness, free of charge. the recall began during december 2012. owners may contact their toyota dealer or the toyota customer experience center at 1-800-331-4331. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owners may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
| STEERING - ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | ||||||||||||||||
| 06V188000 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | from 08/05/2003 to 11/10/2005 | V (Vehicle) | 170856 | 06/09/2006 | MFR | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 05/31/2006 | 06/01/2006 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | The intermediate shaft and sliding yoke in the electric power steering system can crack when large forces are applied and the connection may separate or the sleeve may fracture. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | This could result in a loss of steering control of the vehicle. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Toyota will replace the steering intermediate shaft and inspect the sliding yoke and replace it if necessary. the recall began on june 9, 2006. owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Toyota recall no. 60c.customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration | |||||||||||||||
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| DP13001 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 02/21/2013 | Steering Intermediate Shaft Failure | |||
| On january 30, 2013, mr. william rosenbluth, of automotive systems analysis, inc. in reston, va, petitioned (odi 10495921) the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) to open a defect investigation concerning the upper coupler of the steering intermediate shaft on model year (my) 2004-2009 toyota prius vehicles. the petition was based on an inspection of a client's (mr. george richwine of san diego, ca) vehicle, 2005 toyota prius.mr. richwine had expressed this concern to nhtsa via odi 10437229 in late 2011.the petition consists chiefly of the vehicle inspection and repair records.it includes images that illustrate wear and corrosion on the splines at the base of the steering column and indicates that these conditions indicate partial engagement to the upper intermediate shaft coupler.the petition also reports that no known service took place that would account for this condition since the time of vehicle production. | ||||||
| STEERING - COLUMN | ||||||
| DP13001 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 02/21/2013 | Steering Intermediate Shaft Failure | |||
| On january 30, 2013, mr. william rosenbluth, of automotive systems analysis, inc. in reston, va, petitioned (odi 10495921) the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) to open a defect investigation concerning the upper coupler of the steering intermediate shaft on model year (my) 2004-2009 toyota prius vehicles. the petition was based on an inspection of a client's (mr. george richwine of san diego, ca) vehicle, 2005 toyota prius.mr. richwine had expressed this concern to nhtsa via odi 10437229 in late 2011.the petition consists chiefly of the vehicle inspection and repair records.it includes images that illustrate wear and corrosion on the splines at the base of the steering column and indicates that these conditions indicate partial engagement to the upper intermediate shaft coupler.the petition also reports that no known service took place that would account for this condition since the time of vehicle production. | ||||||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | ||||||
| DP13001 | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION | 02/21/2013 | Steering Intermediate Shaft Failure | |||
| On january 30, 2013, mr. william rosenbluth, of automotive systems analysis, inc. in reston, va, petitioned (odi 10495921) the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) to open a defect investigation concerning the upper coupler of the steering intermediate shaft on model year (my) 2004-2009 toyota prius vehicles. the petition was based on an inspection of a client's (mr. george richwine of san diego, ca) vehicle, 2005 toyota prius.mr. richwine had expressed this concern to nhtsa via odi 10437229 in late 2011.the petition consists chiefly of the vehicle inspection and repair records.it includes images that illustrate wear and corrosion on the splines at the base of the steering column and indicates that these conditions indicate partial engagement to the upper intermediate shaft coupler.the petition also reports that no known service took place that would account for this condition since the time of vehicle production. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 01/01/2013 | 1 | ||
| 2006 toyota prius. consumer writes in regards to steering recall notice. *smd the consumer stated he received an urgent recall notice in the mail. however, when she called the dealer to schedule an appointment, she was informed the part was not available and they were not sure, when it would arrive. | |||
| 09/13/2012 | 77000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated that while reversing at 5 mph, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel could not be moved in either direction. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the spiral cable, steering shaft, the connecting yoke, and the steering column shaft extension needed to be replaced. there was a recall for the steering failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 06v188000: (steering: electric power assist system) however, the contact's vin was not included. the vehicle was repaired by the contact. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who filed a complaint and offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 77,000. | |||
| 09/13/2012 | 77000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. the contact stated that while reversing at 5 mph, the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel could not be moved in either direction. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the spiral cable, steering shaft, the connecting yoke, and the steering column shaft extension needed to be replaced. there was a recall for the steering failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 06v188000: (steering: electric power assist system) however, the contact's vin was not included. the vehicle was repaired by the contact. the manufacturer was notified of the failure who filed a complaint and offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 77,000. kmj | |||
| 07/25/2012 | 75000 | 1 | |
| While my 16 year old son was practicing driving maneuverability with my wife in a parking lot, the steering shaft completely failed and the vehicle could not be controlled or steered. they parked the car safely and got a ride home. it was found that the splines on one of the intermediate steering shafts completely failed. the upper parts of the steering mechanism could turn without turning the lower parts. toyota had a recall on some 2004-2006 vehicles with this exact description of parts but my vin is not included in the recall. my failure is exactly as described: low speed with the steering turned at the end of travel. searching the prius forums on line, this is a common problem. even cars that have had their steering mechanisms replaced have failed a second time. the issue is a defective design of the steering shaft. first, the electric power steering places forces on the steering shaft that would not exist in hydraulic power steering. the spline now has the force of the driver plus the boost of the power steering. at the end of travel, the power steering is forcing the linkage to turn even though the driver is just slightly turning the wheel. the rack and pinion and the associated shaft and link were designed for non boosted forces. the second design defect is the fact that this safety critical part doesn't include some type of redundancy for failed splines. in state of the art designs available since the 1970s, the clamping bolt provides a secondary fail- safe for loosing the spline interface. if the splines fail, the bolt interferes with the shaft after a few degrees of movement. this gives the driver a sloppy but safe way to drive the vehicle. unlike the prius failure, this system can keep the driver in control. my toyota dealer did nothing for me because the vehicle is outside of the warranty. toyota customer line did nothing. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2012 | 75000 | ||
| While my 16 year old son was practicing driving maneuverability with my wife in a parking lot, the steering shaft completely failed and the vehicle could not be controlled or steered. they parked the car safely and got a ride home. it was found that the splines on one of the intermediate steering shafts completely failed. the upper parts of the steering mechanism could turn without turning the lower parts. toyota had a recall on some 2004-2006 vehicles with this exact description of parts but my vin is not included in the recall. my failure is exactly as described: low speed with the steering turned at the end of travel. searching the prius forums on line, this is a common problem. even cars that have had their steering mechanisms replaced have failed a second time. the issue is a defective design of the steering shaft. first, the electric power steering places forces on the steering shaft that would not exist in hydraulic power steering. the spline now has the force of the driver plus the boost of the power steering. at the end of travel, the power steering is forcing the linkage to turn even though the driver is just slightly turning the wheel. the rack and pinion and the associated shaft and link were designed for non boosted forces. the second design defect is the fact that this safety critical part doesn't include some type of redundancy for failed splines. in state of the art designs available since the 1970s, the clamping bolt provides a secondary fail- safe for loosing the spline interface. if the splines fail, the bolt interferes with the shaft after a few degrees of movement. this gives the driver a sloppy but safe way to drive the vehicle. unlike the prius failure, this system can keep the driver in control. my toyota dealer did nothing for me because the vehicle is outside of the warranty. toyota customer line did nothing. | |||
| 02/05/2011 | 119730 | ||
| Service visit for our 2006 prius was completed on feb 5, 2011 and upon driving home the car steered differently. a second service visit was initiated at our request and the dealer inspected the car and found no problem. on february 25, 2011 a third service visit was initiated at our request and the service department provided a written estimate for replacing a failing steering motor assembly for an out of warranty cost of $1950.00 plus tax and installation. i asked if this was a recall item and they indicated no and a call to toyota on case number 1102251605 arrived at the same conclusion. out of warranty and no recall at this time. the response to a question is this car safe to drive to the dealer service employees was responded to with yes the car is safe to drive. i have read on the internet that if this unit fails or partially fails, even worse, an un-commanded veer or turn could occur. an out of lane event is likely with a correction force to overcome the servo turn, and additional correcting force to return correct direction will need to be applied. now i understand this, well enough to know that i will not let my wife drive the car and she will drive mine now. if an accident occurs and i am unable to provide additional information, please use this information to hold toyota accountable and responsible. i drove the prius yesterday several hundred miles and the steering problem made me a nervous person by the time i had returned home. clearly this is not a wear and tear item. steering is a lifetime critical item and computer controlled systems like this are normally designed with the intent to last the life of the vehicle unless physical damage has altered the system. this needs to be investigated quickly and openly before lives are lost. this is your chance to prevent loss, i call it mitigation because you now know of the hazard and some of the risks. action is required. i currently have very limited resources. | |||
| 04/28/2010 | 45000 | ||
| Driving in good weather on a local road and car skid light went on and wheels locked to the right. steering was not responsive. the lack of steering caused the accident. however, the airbags did not deploy. | |||
| 02/17/2010 | 8035 | 1 | |
| 1) steering wheel/shaft appears to be improperly supported; feels loose when turning lock to lock since new. have brought to the attention of four (4) toyota dealers when service performed (have taken to toyota for all service work since new), all have advised that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. it is the only vehicle we have ever owned that has this sense of disconnect and potential for a much more serious issue were there ever a steering failure. 2) over rough roads (when vehicle was driven in seattle and bellevue, wa) when stopping, the abs system seems to activate prematurely and increase stopping distances. we have other vehicles with abs brakes which do not activate so readily and stop so slowly. as it relates to incident date(s): since new, vehicle purchased november 2005. *tr | |||
| 02/17/2010 | 55000 | 4 | |
| I was driving at about 65 m/hr on i-95 and noticed my car veering first to the left then to the right. i was puzzled by this and looked over to notice that trees were not moving, i.e., it did not feel windy outside. this was a very peculiar incident that has happened to my car about 3-4 times in the past 3 years. i later heard on the news the recall of corollas for the same type of issue. they actually showed a test model simulation and it looked exactly like what i have been experiencing. i don't know if this is my imagination but it certainly did not feel that way when the incident occurred. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2009 | 40200 | 1 | |
| My 2006 toyota prius has several issues with acceleration, braking, turning car off and on alarm goes off constantly and terrible gas mileage around 30 miles per gallon. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2006 | 4860 | 1 | |
| In 10/06, i had an incident where the brakes and steering of my 2006 prius ceased to function briefly, as i tried to brake at an intersection. i took the car in to my toyota dealer shortly after -- they checked it but found nothing wrong, so nothing was done. the day in question was drizzly and the roads wet. it was daytime, and i was driving with my children in boston, approaching the forest hills intersection. there were trolley tracks in the road (since removed), which i try to avoid, since i know they can be slippery. as i approached the intersection, going about 20 mph, i put my foot to the brake. at that point, it seemed to me that both the brakes and the steering ceased to function or froze up, so that i couldn't stop the car or keep it going straight. thus the car kept going, veering to the right, with one wheel banging into and up onto a curb, before the car stopped. the whole thing took only a few seconds. i turned the car off and sat there in disbelief, since i'd experienced nothing like this in 30 years of driving. fortunately, there were no other cars close by, so i didn't cause an accident, and i had been going slow enough so that neither i nor my two boys were hurt. i have come to know the car better, and have learned that often when the road is slippery or rough, yellow warning lights will flash, and the brakes will seem briefly less crisp. it is possible that the wet conditions and the trolley tracks on the day of the incident contributed to what happened. however, i want to emphasize the qualitative difference of the 2006 incident. i | |||
| 01/12/2009 | 90000 | 2 | 05/01/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 toyota prius. while driving various speeds, the steering wheel suddenly jerked out of his hands and turned sharply to the left. the contact could not maintain control of the vehicle and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the failure has occurred twice since last year. the dealer stated that the steering computer controls the electric power steering system. the computer was sending the wrong or false signals. the dealer is currently repairing the vehicle. the failure mileage was 90,000. updated 2/17/09 *cn the dealer replaced the torque sensors.updated 02/19/09. *jb | |||
| STEERING - LINKAGES | |||
| 02/06/2008 | 1 | ||
| 2004 to early 2006 prius steering shaft replacement safety recall notice form toyota when i called big island toyota 329-8517 they tell me it will be about a month before i can get the service... should i drive the car in the meanwhile??? is it save on mountain roads?? *tr | |||