Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 09/01/2011 | |||
| Power steering metal tubing rusted out causing fluid leak and ultimately steering failure. | |||
| 09/03/1998 | 09/02/1998 | ||
| While driving at any speed the steering and the vehicle vibrate. when applying the brakes the vehicle will be vibrating. contacted dealer, can't determine the problem. *ak | |||
| STEERING - COLUMN | |||
| 10/25/2005 | 92000 | 0 | 02/17/2004 |
| 1998 toyota tacoma 4x4 reg cab there is a knock and play in the steering wheel. most toyota dealerships say it is normal and say nothing is wrong. the problem has been isolated to the slip joint in the main steering column coming loose. this was done by a toyota service tech. the problem was taken to another dealership with this information and was fixed but they say it will most likely happen again due no change in design by toyota. the slip joint is crimped over the shaft, and after use it becomes loose causing play in the steering wheel. *nm | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | |||
| 11/01/1998 | 1 | 02/20/1998 | |
| Power steering failed. yh | |||
| STEERING - RACK AND PINION | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 12/01/1997 | ||
| Was experiencing vibration in the front end of the truck. took truck to dealer and they looked at it. they said that the reason for the vibration was the tires were out of round and that the left outer wheel bushin that is associated with the rack was excessively worn. they estimated that it would be $1300 to replace the entire rack since toyota does not sell the individual bushing, nor does it have a procedure to replace the bushing if an after market one is available. the truck was under warranty at the time but toyota quality care denied the claim because the bushing wear was deemed noraml wear and tear. because i would ahve to pay for the cost the dealer said that i should be able to drive with the rack the way it is for awhile??!*ak | |||
| 09/01/2000 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| Had to have rack an dpinion steering ends replaced b/c boot was holding water. toyota advised truck had been in high water, truck has never been in high water. truck is now making the same noise it made when rack ends faild before. rack ends were rusted out. *ak | |||
| 08/10/2001 | 02/01/1998 | ||
| Dealer went for a test ride, and said the noise was coming from tire wear. i refused new tires there, and went home to tell my husband, who spent his lunch hour pointing out the faulty rack and pinion. they then put it on the lift a second time to agree with us that the tie rods and rack and pinion needed replacement. we opted to see another repairman locally who was amazed to see the rack and pinion so rusted, it has been described as looking worse than the bilge on a lobster boat. the boot has been retaining water and the whole assembly was said to be highly corrosive. people need to be alerted. this truck drives in snow and dirt roads not across the ocean. we will be contacting the dealer again tomorrow to see what they think of the situation. | |||
| 07/08/2000 | 1 | 08/01/1998 | |
| Dealer advised that truck had sat in water for a large amount of time for grease to escape rack end boots. truck has never been in deep water, only dirt roads. rack ends are rusted and need replacement. truck has been through two sets of tires both being the type supplied by toyota with the vehicle. we get about 12000 miles on 50000 mile tires, truck wears tires as if faulty front end parts. tie rod end on drivers side bad, probably cause of tire wear, been to dealer several times to complain about tire wear. never inspected tie rod ends or shocks, dealer said they get many complaints on tire wear on these trucks.*ak( dot number: tire size: 265/75r/15 ) | |||