Problems with 2005 Toyota Camry STEERING

Heard a thumping noise in the drive shaft of the steering wheel. it would not go away, took the car to the toyota dealer to look at. my car has always been serviced by a toyota dealer there is a part in the drive shaft that links to the control arm of the wheels, this part has failed and could have caused me to loose control of the steering wheel and disabled my ability to turn my wheels, and cause a deadly accident, toyota motor corp, has failed to notify there customers of this tsb bulletin, and this is a safety hazard. i cannot believe that this is not a recall item. i spoke with the dealer and they have had over 100 and 1000's of 2005 camry's with this problem. yet nothing has been done. does someone need to be killed or toyota sued to have this part replaced. the part in the drive shaft failed, there is a tsb on this, but toyota refused to fix this due to that my car has over 36k miles on it, and under 50k, not one person at the toyota dealership would fix this for me, without charging me, yet this part has been put on a tsb bulletin. the dealership nor toyota did not inform me of this situation. this should be a recalled item. i have my car service at toyota dealerships and i am the original owner, yet the lack of toyota to due something about this, is irresponsible. this was the first time i took my car to priority toyota, because the service being provided by the other toyota dealerships in the area was subaru. i do not blame priority toyota for not fixing the problem, in fact they were the very first dealership to identify the problem. the other toyota dealerships in the area failed to address this issue, even though i took my car to these other dealerships for service. first team toyota was the main dealer that serviced my car when there was less than 36k miles on it. i use to bring it to them and have them check everything, and the only tsb they told me about was the belt pulley, tsb, when i asked if there were any others, they said that was it. *tr

While driving at various speeds the steering wheel "clicks" when changing direction. there is also an incessant and random vibration that feels almost like "driving over bumps" on the side of the road. there is also excessive play in the steering wheel. the dealer did not cover this under the tsb, but instead charged ~$500 for the intermediate steering shaft replacement. car is 2005, with 44k miles. *tr

Subject:2005 camry le steering shaft problem i wanted to find out whether there's been any consumer complaints or problems reported in regards to a clunking, popping or knocking noise reported in toyota's 2003-2006 camry's and the 2004-2006 solara's steering columns when turning the steering wheel left or right, or going over bumps in the road. my 2005 camry le began experiencing this problem back in early 2008 and it is progressively getting worse. i took my car into my mechanic at harbor auto center in costa mesa, ca about a year 1/2 ago to get the problem checked. (i don't trust toyota dealership repair service or their prices). upon further investigation he was able to discover what the problem was and even found a toyota technical sevice bulletin titled "steering intermediate shaft noise", reference # st001-06, date of issue 2/16/06 that outlined the exact problem with my steering column. i then called the toyota dealership in san juan capistrano where i had purchased the vehicle, but since my car was past the 72,000 mile extended warranty and this was not a recall item, they would have to charge me. obviously toyota corporation is very aware that there is a mechanical problem with the steering shaft on these two makes & models, since even the dealership was aware of the service bulleton. even though my mechanic thought my car was probably ok to drive, i am very concerned, because the clunking noise is getting more pronouced the longer i drive the car, especially when i turn the wheel, go over speed bumps or brake and turn. i'm not sure what recourse i have to get this fixed, but with all the current problems toyota is experiencing, it makes me very concerned about the dependability of my own car. from nhtsa web site. *cn

When parking the steering intermediate shaft has a clunking noise,the noise becomes more pronounced as the years go by. *tr

Steering started clucking at about 40,000 miles. seems to be slowly getting more pronounced. *tr

The steering on my toyota camry le 2005 makes a persistent clunking noise. we have not hand any injuries but are scared to take this car on the road especially long distances. the tires wear out quicker and the alignments do not last. *tr

My 2005 toyota camry sometimes has all of the sudden diverted hard to the right. i had the car checked many times at longo toyota in los angeles but i was told nothing found. in fact, the problem exists for a few years that makes me drive my car anxiously. recently, many problems have been found on toyota vehicles and i request nhtsa should have an investigation. vin: [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Dt*: the contact stated while driving various speeds, a clunking noise was heard and excessive play occurred in the steering wheel. the vehicle was driven to the dealer, who replaced the intermediate shaft in the steering column. updated 1/29/2007 - *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota camry. the contact stated that the steering wheel shaft failed and caused the steering wheel to feel tight because of the wheel bearings. the dealer stated that the steering wheel could lock while driving. the steering column, steering assembly and the bearings were replaced at no cost to the owner. the failure and current mileages were approximately 38,000. updated 8/25/10 *cn updated 08/27/10 updated 08/30/10

Numerous occasions of unexplained acceleration and were reported to toyota who reported could not find a problem. numerous occasions of braking problems and were reported to toyota who reported could not find a problem. numerous occasions of steering problems and were reported to toyota who reported could not find a problem. numerous occasions of transmission problems and were reported to toyota who reported could not find a problem. vehicle was returned to toyota under ca lemon law in 2006 or 2007. *tr

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) during the years 2006-2007-2008 i leased and drove a 2005 toyota camry le. shortly after i got the car i noticed the vehicle pulled to the right and i felt as though i had no control during speeds of 50 mph or over. when i reported this to the service dept of my local toyota dealer during visits for oil changes, they took the car out, test drove it and told me they saw nothing wrong with the car. i was convinced there was something wrong with this vehicle, but no one believed me. i have since turned in the camry at the end of the lease date and was very happy to do so. i have spoken with toyota and relayed the above info recently. my concern is that something could be wrong with the camry and that someone else might be driving it. i asked toyota if they could find out who owns this vehicle and they should be alerted. i never had an accident; i only always felt scared to drive this vehicle on any major highway that would require me to travel at speeds higher than 50 mph. hopefully someone could find out where this car is now. vin# [xxx] . *tr

This is a follow-up to odi no. 10172668 on the steering pump replacement. when the problem continued and the dealer couldn't diagnose it, i complained to toyota corp. the dealer revisited the problem and replaced the steering rack (under warranty). the car drives great again. *tr

When the car was only six months old, the power steering started to make noise. i took the car to the dealer and was told the power steering pump had to be replaced, but that they would have to order the part. so, i had to make another trip to the dealer to have the work done (under warranty). after the repair the noise stopped, but the steering still didn't feel right to me. i took the car back to the dealer and they drove the car and inspected the steering system and told me everything looked fine. nonetheless, i am quite sure the steering is different than when i first got the car. sometimes the steering seems to catch and i feel like i don't have good control, particularly during a wide left turn through a large intersection. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 mph the vehicle shakes, and bounces while going over bumps. additionaly, the back end of the vehicle makes a clunking noise, and a grinding sound is coming from the steering. the vehicle was taken to the dealership for inspection however, they were unable to duplicate the problem and no repairs were made. the manufacturer was alerted.

Tl*the contact owns a 2005 toyota camry. whenever the contact attempts to make a left or right turn at any speed, the steering wheel makes a clunking sound. he also feels a slight bump on the steering wheel while turning. there were no warning indicators prior to the failures. the vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer, but is still experiencing the same failures. the current mileage was 35,147 and failure mileage was 15,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota camry. the contact could hear a squeaking noise whenever he turned the steering wheel while driving at any speed. this failure began to recur intermittently so the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, on two occasions where they were unable to diagnose the failure. the failure continued so the vehicle was taken to another authorized dealer where it was repaired. after an unknown amount of time the failure began to recur and the vehicle was again taken to an authorized dealer where it was repaired. the failure continues to occur. the failure mileage was 11,000 and the current mileage was 58,000.

Dt: about 300 miles while driving steering wheel came loose, and caused loss of vehicle control. at 537 miles, while making a right hand turn and then a left turn, as driver attempted to straighten the vehicle steering wheel would not respond. steering wheel had no control. the weather was dry, a flat road. the speed was about 65 pmh. vehicle crahed into a wall. upon impact, air bags did not deploy. passenger sustained a broken back, and arm. driver sustained a broken ankle and bruises. *ak

Purchased new 2005 camry se. immediately reported problems with severe pulling to the left (across lanes if not holding steering wheel firmly.) also, complained of intermittent hard shifts between 20 and 40 mph. as if someone had hit the car from rear. this causes a broad period of uncontrolled acceleration as the downshift occurs and the revs increase. the tires also wore out after 8,000 due to pull. took to numerous repair facilities and they all said the alignment was fine. i was never contacted about toyota service bulletins. car now has 40,000 miles. dealer says out of warranty and tsbs are only good for one year. applicable tsbs are: st005r-01, tc003-05, and st002r-04. otherwise love car. have had over 12 toyotas and this is first with a problem. *tr