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. | |||||||||||||||
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 | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 9000 | 1 | |
| Toyota prius 2008 driving over potholes or wet pavement, it's harder to steer or brake than i've ever experienced in another car. this has happened approximately 15 times since i bought the car in july 2008. *tr | |||
| 11/28/2008 | 14000 | 1 | |
| After having driven my prius nearly 15,000 miles in all types of weather (except snow) and on residential roads as well as interstate highways with no steering problems, on a single day on residential streets at 20 to 25 mph and gentle rain, it hydroplaned twice with damages each time to the car and to a fire hydrant once. each event was while going around a gentle left curve at reasonable speed. the first time, i was able to correct and spin out 360 degrees with the left quarter-panel hitting a roadside garbage container. the second time, the car did not respond to any steering maneuvers nor the brakes when applied. the car stopped only after colliding with the fire hydrant. significant damage was sustained in each collision. i have traveled this street several times daily, often on rainy days, and never before had any steering problems. it was as though something had changed in the steering control on this day. i was sober and unimpaired. *tr | |||
| 08/22/2008 | 2000 | 1 | |
| Vehicle is extremely, almost dangerously, sensitive to cross winds and wake turbulence from larger vehicles, trucks specifically. *tr | |||