Problems with 2009 Toyota Corolla STEERING

Extremely loose steering. car has no control on highway. i almost hit a car. called toyota and pretty much got hung up by toyota rep.

At highway speed car wanders across lanes. experienced complete loss of power steering while driving down side street.

I have been experiencing a lot of highway wanders and i have replaced tires and had three or more alignments done since january of this year. it feels as if the wild is blowing a hundred miles an hour around me and pushes my car all over the freeway. i feel it getting worse as well. i'm not sure what else to do or who to contact. i really need to get this fixed asap and we have tried many things.

Most pronounced at highway speeds the car will intermittently not go straight. it feels like a notch both to the left and right of center. it takes both hands to fight the wheel to make it go somewhat straight. pulling the steering wheel out of one of these notches at 65 mph makes the car veer a few feet or more in the other direction of the notch. this is very dangerous when a car or 18 wheel semi truck is in the next lane and complicated further with a side wind. i just brought my car in for a takata airbag replacement and the service advisor knew nothing about any steering problems regarding a 2009 corolla. i went to the corporate level and again, toyota customer service knew nothing about any problems. when i asked if i could send them links to reports by abc, consumer reports, usa today and multiple other sources about law suits, judgements and decisions, they said they had no way of accepting these links. apparently, hundreds of 2009 corollas have this issue. i have experienced this issue at all speeds, although at slower speeds it isn't as dangerous but moving at a highway speed means that a few feet of unpredictability is not only possible but happens every few hundred yards. there are times but very few times where the steering is completely normal. my suspicion is that the electronic steering box or control may be affected by cell phone interference, both from my own phone and others as well as reception towers. i am a driver of almost 45 years and have logged almost a million miles with no accidents. i am mechanically inclined and am sensitive to mechanical malfunction and abnormalities. this steering issue is dangerous and has already cost lives and created accidents according to the articles i have found. please help me convince toyota to either recall the car or fix my car to normal operating conditions.

The car steering wheel drags to the left while driving in a hilly curvy road. sometimes the steering wheels gets stuck while driving and cannot move or operate.

Takata recall have not been notified to correct this problem needs to be corrected do not like driving around with bad airbag.

I own a toyota corolla 2009, and when i was driving at 285 s. altanta, ga; all of the sudden the steering wheel became very heavy. it was very difficult to turn right at exit 40 and to change direction. just like the steering was locked. i just barely could turn into the parking space close to that exit. i am driving this car every day for one hour in the morning, and one hour or more in the afternoon, i'm scare that this will happen while i'm driving on the highway (85 atlanta) or in a lot of traffic. i am so afraid of driving this car. please, help me!! do we have a recall for this problem? i think that toyota corolla steering problems may lead to another recall. what are they waiting for?

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. while driving unknown speeds, the steering wheel had friction and was not centered. no warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to a local dealer (cross bay toyota, 2001 n bayshore dr., coos bay, or 97420), but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified and opened case number: 1803082465. the contact was referred back to the dealer by the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 188,000.

While driving the electric power steering causes car to drift and locking up on highway

I was driving with 30 mile/hour on the anderson mill road, austin, texas. all of sudden, the steering wheel became very heavy, just like steering was locked. it's so difficult to change direction. in this situation, i almost hit another car when i tried to find place to park. this situation may last several minutes, and become normal. i drove my car to the toyota center, the technician took few hours to check, but nothing they found. right now, i am so afraid of driving.

The steering does drift at times which is scary!

I've had everything fixed on my 2009 corolla regarding the steering, thinkin it was the alignment ,tires,balancing,brakes ,spent alotta money at my mechanic.. turns out its the steering control unit. at highway speeds my car wanders very bad and i'm afraid ill hit another car.even changing lanes my car trouble sometimes and it is a safety issue. my mechanic and tire guys said this is not safe to drive.. i will be writing toyota and takin my car in to see if the cost my car is covered or not. toyota was investigaged but noting and were later sured over this issue. toyota shoud be ashamed for knowing about this issue and refuseing to cover the costs.

While driving on the road, suddenly the red battery sign and abs break red sign came on and steering left or right was extremely hard and could have led to an accident. it was diagnosed as no output from alternator by toyota dealership. seeing this behavior second time in last 2 years due to alternator failure. *tr

I was driving my toyota corolla during the day and went to make a right turn into a parking space and suddenly the steering wheel locked. i just barely could turn into the parking space i was turning into and my car was sideways. my car was still running. i didn't know what was going on with it. i turned the car off and went into the pharmacy. when i came out and went to start my car, it wouldn't start. i had to call aaa for a jump start and even after the jump start, the steering wheel was still locked but the car was running. i was able to turn it enough to make it home because it was a straight ride home and half way home the steering wheel all of a sudden unlocked on it's own. now i'm scared that this will happen while i'm on the highway or in alot of traffic and i'll be in an accident and kiiled or hurt someone else.

Takata recall - dealer was contacted but no parts available june/1/2015 unintended acceleration at a security gate when braking to approach gate arm. 04/24/2017

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel seized and the windows failed to function. in addition, the instrument panel lights illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the vin was unknown. the approximate failure mileage was 81,000.

Letter from senator boozman on behalf of constituent regarding his 2009 toyota corolla. *smd the consumer stated the vehicle would wander, even after having the tires and two wheels replaced. the consumer stated he dealt with the steering issue for several years. eventually, the consumer received a claim form in the mail from toyota stated there was an issue with the steering. *jb

Electronic power steering in my 2009 toyota corolla becomes noticeably loose and will drift to one side while driving. i notice the steering wheel become less responsive after pulling into/out of a driveway, over train tracks, pothole, anything that provides shock to the vehicle with throw off the steering control, but it could be a flat straight road and the vehicle will drift. the steering control is so loose that one must constantly be adjusting the steering wheel to prevent the vehicle from drifting. i had my alignment adjusted 3 times over the past 3 weeks thinking something may be wrong with it, but the technicians stated that alignment was within spec. i purchased new tires (and balanced tires) and the drifting still occurs. found this technical service bulletin tsb-0140-10 and it is exactly the same drift like crosswind pushing the vehicle. i called a toyota dealership and spoke to a service technician who stated that the authorized solutions was to replace the ecu with a different ecu part number, calibrate steering wheel centering and again align the wheels for the new ecu. if they give replace it with a different part number why isn't this a safety recall, since they are not replacing it with the same defective part number? someone at toyota is clearly aware that the old part number is no good. if the vehicle steering goes out even slightly while the vehicle is in motion, why is that not considered a safety recall? no preventative maintenance can prevent this, only a toyota service center can repair this. this would only be covered by toyota warranty if the issue was reported within 36 months or 36000 miles, even though a settlement was reached with toyota in july 2015 that closed the issue with the nhtsa. the toyota dealership quoted me an out of pocket repair cost of $1200, for something that they know is a problem with the steering control.

My daughter was parking the car at college iin a parking building going up a spiral and it would not turn. towed to datsun doctor mechanic. failure in power steering rack or the stearing gear box.

Takata recall: how could this have a recall and your company is stalling to complete this recall when you are knowing that when driven we can get into a major fatal car accident with the airbags forcing pressure against our bodies and even can burn our face and moreso death can appear during this incident. i was so frightened to think i see the airbag 6 second light light up and blink driving on the highway. thank the lord that nothing happened to cause an accident or a 36o turn multple crash on the rain, mudslide roads..

I was driving back to home, when i arrived i need to turn my car to the right side to my apartment but i couldn't steer my car to the right side. i decided to go straight to park in other parking space in front of me. i try to turn steering wheel but it became harder to turn then the beginning. then i saw the "abs" light and "battery" light are on, the steering wheel locked and my car stopped working. if i was on the freeway, probably will cause horrible accident!

H first time the car malfunction i was coming back from returning the rental truck, i was pulling out on the highway and at that time the steering wheel locked up, the battery indicator light come on, abs brake light come on, and rest of the idiot lights on the panel come on. it was very hard to steer the car, will all my effort with two hands i can steer the wheel and control the car. the engine was running really rough and sounded like it was going to quit. this lasted for approximately 20 seconds it seemed like, and then the car started running right now and i was able to steer again and all the lights on the panel went out. i was very concerned about this thinking my car was failing and i knew that there is probably something the matter with it but when it started running right, i figured i just can't fix something that's not broke and really take no notice of it. how my daughter got a driver's license on august the 4th and then on august the 6 you wanted to use the car. so i let her use it. the car malfunction again on this day and and it took out the alternator when it did. so i change the alternator in the car and let my wife use the car for two days because she travels a short distance to work to see if it's ok. after two days of my wife driving and then i resume driving it to work. didn't appear to be the car was working fine until august 13th, and that's when my daughter erica drove the car again and while backing out of the driveway the car malfunction, she couldn't steer the car the brakes won't work and naturally grown in reverse the emergency brake is not that effective in she ran off the road and damage the car.

Steering wheel gets really stiff sometimes it locks up when i reverse and then put the car back in drive. there seems to be some lost of power for a brief moment, this has been occurring for the past month.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. while driving approximately 65 mph, the steering failed and was difficult to control. in addition, the engine stalled. as a result, a crash occurred. the contact was injured and received medical attention. a police report was not filed. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was towed to a salvage yard and was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 95,000.

There is a loud clunking noise coming from the steering column. the road surfaces causes the steering wheel to jerk and creates a rattling clunk noise and low speeds. if the steering wheel shook side to side, the apparent noise is clicking. i suspect this is a faulty steering intermediate shaft. at highway speeds, the car tends to drift out of the lane. uneven road surfaces causes the wheel to jerk at city and highway speeds. wheel balancing and vehicle alignment were performed. the issue has not been fixed. replacing the intermediate shaft should be a recall as well as the replacement/reprogram of the eps module. *tr

The car is constantly moving left or right in your lane with out you moving steering wheel. you need to correct all the time. some times when you correct a little it moves a lot. every one that drives car has same problem with steering. to me it is a safety problem. can cause you to loose control of car. thanks [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Car would not track down the highway. feels like i'm constantly corralling this car , adjusting the steering wheel to stay in my lane of traffic. in my 40 plus years of driving, i have never experienced this behavior from a vehicle. this behavior actually occurs at all speeds. have been told by my mechanic that it is not an alignment issue, but is a manufacturing problem. seems like a grave safety concern to me. from the sheer number of complaints on steering components, looks like someone needs to be a little more proactive and pull the trigger on a recall. *js

Steering wheel coil remedy never resolved took vehicle in twice for service update at the dealership on steering column coil and airbags.was turning at 5 miles an hour on way to drive onto a trailer so the vehicle could be pulled when the steering wheel was sloppy and was hit by another car from the left side

Vehicle veered off road onto grass as if being pushed by a strong wind, however the air was calm. i believe it was defective steering responding improperly to uneven pavement. this is a known problem with this year, make and model. *tr

I don't drive this vehicle much on the highway. this problem has been coming on for some time. for the longest time i thought it was the wind. it's not. the vehicle floats on the highway and requires maximum attention or i'll find myself in the ditch or worse. i've had the alignment checked and the tires are in very good condition. there's something wrong with the steering. i call it my "all over the road corolla." *tr

The car's steering got out of control. the car was stopped at red light and i tried to turn left at green light. it suddenly turned left sharply and went over the opposite lane. while i tried to steer the car straight without applying either gas or break, the car swung to right. it came back to control a moment later. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. the contact stated that the vehicle was traveling approximately 40 mph when the power steering suddenly malfunctioned, causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a tree. the air bags did not deploy. the front passenger suffered neck and shoulder injuries and was treated at the hospital. a police report was taken at the scene. the vehicle was destroyed. the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 42,000.

Well i received a recall letter in may 2014 stating my corolla was recalled for a spiral cable assembly and to this day i still have not heard from toyota regarding this recall and it will be a year and im not getting anywhere with then. please look into this matter. thank you *tr

At approximately 11:00 a.m. on a beautiful sunny day, i was driving on the pa turnpike at the speed of 65 mph when the power steering in my 2009 toyota corolla failed. my car unintentionally veered left and right as if i was encountering hurricane-like strong wind gusts. the car bounced back and forth for approximately 5 seconds, while feeling as if it was floating/hydroplaning, as i attempted to regain control. my attempts at correcting the power steering issue were unsuccessful and ultimately the front right side of my car crashed into the right guardrail. fortunately, i was unharmed in this frightening accident and the state troopers and tow trucks responded in a timely manner. no other individuals were hurt and there was only minor guardrail damage. my car, however is extensively damaged. i am confident that this was not a result of driver error or unforeseen weather conditions. one of the state troopers that reported to the scene even commented, "everyone out here is driving the same speed as you and no one else experienced any of these wind gusts.' i am an experienced driver who has been driving this car since i purchased it in 2009, with no prior power steering concerns or issues. my car was well maintained and a week before the accident, i had it at the dealership for an inspection, alignment and new tires. i intend to file a claim with toyota. *tr

Driving at highway speeds the car seems to jerk right or left without warning. must keep hands on wheel firmly while on the freeway to correct when it happens. sometimes i over correct or under correct seems like sometime there is no predicting what the steering will do. just doesn't feel safe to drive, scary when it does it at freeway speeds. *tr

I was driving down interstate 65 in indiana on a windy day and was having trouble keeping my car in my lane. the car was all over the place and i had to constantly fight to keep it on the highway. i slowed down and it did not help. for a while i have heard a clunk noise in the passenger side front tire when hitting a bump. i thought the noise was a broken strut. i took my car to the shop today (midas) in hammond indiana and they said the noise was probably from a loose tie rod. the mechanic showed me he could move the front wheel while the car was in the air 1 to 2 inches to either direction left or right without moving the steering wheel or front wheel on the other side of the car. the tie rod had over one inch of play going into the steering gear box. the car has never been in an accident and this should have never happened at 41,128 miles. i could have been killed. my car is now at my local toyota dealer getting a brand new electric rack steering gear box and tie rod on the front passenger side. *tr

The power steering went out in a parking lot while turning in to a parking spot and almost hit someone. had to have the car towed to the dealership. they told me it was working fine now and they could not find a problem. if it goes out again while driving at higher speed turn it could cause a deadly accident. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. the contact was driving 40 mph over a bridge when another vehicle veered extremely close to the contact's vehicle. the contact crashed into the vehicle and the vehicle then abnormally accelerated. the contact abruptly applied the brakes however, they were unresponsive and the power steering assist then suddenly failed. the failure caused the contact to lose control of the vehicle and spin uncontrollably until the vehicle flipped twice and came to a halt. the vehicle was extremely close to falling off the edge of the bridge. the contact sustained severe bruising to the chest and a fractured left hip. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the vehicle was inspected by the contact's insurance company but they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. the manufacture was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 23,000.

Sporadically the car would give the driver the sensation of severe wind buffeting (car would wiggle side to side). this occurred in both od and 3rd (no other gears tested), with all electronics on, then off (radio, cruise, vent, ac, etc.) and both on and off the nys thruway. occurrences did not cause the driver to lose control of vehicle though it made it difficult to keep the car within the lane markings. this condition was not noticed on 55mph more rural roads in which frequent or semi frequent stops were encountered. our plan is to secure a hero cam in an attempt to record actual steering wheel's (front tires) motion apart from operator's physical steering wheel within passenger compartment. although no loss of control was encountered each occurrence was not always the same in severity so no assertions are being made as to whether or not this condition could yield a catastrophic failure at highway speeds thus producing a severe accident harming vehicles occupants or other vehicle's occupants sharing the same roadway. *tr

Loss of steering at a right bend in the street, think the power went out to the electronic power assist, car went straight into a sign pole with a large cement base, major damage to front end, airbag didn't deploy, seat belt didn't work and there was no power at all to the car even though the battery was not damaged. car was recently at toyota dealership for recall to repair to electrical power window problem to prevent electrical fire, oil change and service done at same time, the car has been well maintained. new tires and brakes. opened a claim with toyota, so far met with apathy and resistance. *tr

Steering requires constant driver correction to go straight down the highway. car pulls to the left or right, but won't track straight when driving on the highway. this occurs whenever the car is driven at highway speeds. when driving on windy days, it's more difficult to control because crosswinds add to the instability. *js

Unable to gradually and safely correct vehicle path. when attempting to correct path (stay in the center of my lane), a minute movement of the steering wheel over-corrects and much too quickly moves the vehicle in the direction you are attempting to steer. i have practiced making my steering movements even slighter, but this is much too tedious and one could very easily steer into oncoming traffic. please note: this is not an issue at speeds below 45 mph, but is dangerous at speeds above 60 mph. *tr

I am unable to drive at a safe speed on the interstate due to instability with the steering mechanism. the car pulls to the left and at times my wheels goes over into the other lane. at times it feels i have no control over the car and must apply the brakes to keep the car from steering in whatever direction it wants to go. my rear tires feel like they want to bypass the front of my car on the left hand side. taking an exit with a sharp curve to the right, i had to slam on my brakes to keep the vehicle from steering off the road especially with another vehicle behind me. i had my tires changed and a front wheel alignment, still the problem continues. the mechanic test drove my car after i took it back to the shop. the mechanic wrote on my sales slip, "vehicle sways at hwy speeds. rechecked suspension, felt no play on both front wheels, vehicle drives straight when it feels like its swaying side to side. steering wheel itself feels loose." i consider my vehicle unsafe to drive on the highway because i could lose control of the steering within a matter of seconds or if i need to change lanes at a much slower speed than most others are going in order to maintain control of the vehicle. with the average person driving 10 miles over the speed limit and some up to 90 miles weaving in and out of traffic, cutting people off, basically being rude; it makes for a dangerous situation not only for myself but others on the road. i can only pray that i make it home safely to work and home each day before i'm able to shell out a large amount of money for more repair work on my car. thanks toyota! *tr

I purchased an 09 toyota corolla x-ray on march 28 2013 i took for an alignment on 4-9-13 because it was pulling and didn't want to stay straight. then i find out that there is a flaw in the rear toe and toyota is not doing anything. this is not safe and needs to be addressed now. *tr

Toyota corolla s 2009 transmission/clutch issue / electric steering wheel on wednesday, march 20th, 2013 at 86000 mi. experienced same lack of acceleration transmission problem after i purchased in 40 month at 79,000 mi. right after i started the engine, no acceleration / no shift. terminated the driving immediately. restart the engine, it accelerate normal. however, an engine light came out. i drove more than 80 miles to willsonville toyota in or where i had a full diagnosis in early march this month (changed transmission fluid/first they denied that it is transmission maintenance free). service manager witnessed engine light but refused to diagnosis right a way even though i had addressed this transmission problem last december to toyota japan, us and willsonvill toyota. service mgr failed to check the code for engine light which they could have find the cause. engine light disappeared in a day. called toyota executive office twice. no respond for last 3 days. nhtsa advice toyota customer to call toyota headquarter. steering wheel issue also remains. it locks, difficult to turn the wheel.. last .5 min -1 min. then return to normal. steering wheel issue continues. dealer requests to bring in over nights to duplicate. however, steering locks after engine start for less than several seconds. how they are going to diagnosis is it only last several seconds? by the time they put in the shop for diagnosis, it is already normal. nhtsa is advising to toyota customer to call toyota. past history on transmission issue at 79000 mi: engine light came out but lasted one day. fail to accelerate more than 10 - 15 miles /hr. never shift it up to and go faster. stopped engine. restart engine again after 10min. low speed of 10-15 miles. restart engine again, and picked up the speed to normal. engine light disappear in a day. i was concerned and it happened again. toyota ignored. *tr

Vehicle lost power steering on freeway, all electronic components shut down and i was stranded on the side of the freeway. the car would not start, after $3200.00 in repairs, the mechanic said the pistons looked like they were from a 30 year old car. regular oil changes, well maintained, this car is not reliable! *tr

Steering needs to be constantly corrected. vehicle drifts as though your driving through a wind storm. very difficult to keep vehicle strait at highway speeds. i had steering checked at dealership and was told no problems were found with calibration. i called toyota and they stated that there were no recalls on steering and if i had concerns i should have it checked at the dealership. this issue needs to be investigated as soon as possible before someone gets killed. i noticed that there have been many complaints to nhtsa with the same steering problems i am having with the 2009 corolla. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. the contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, a loud crackling noise was heard coming from the engine. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileage was 17,000. updated 04-03-13 *bf the consumer stated she just found out, there was a problem with the steering intermediate shaft, that was causing a noise. updated 06/12/14

Steering eps module is down. toyota did replace the computer for the eps on some of the 2009 and early 2010s. but did not recall. *tr

Driving on a straight interstate. speed limit was 70 mph. road surface was wet. drove over water, engine abruptly surged, similar to pushing accelerator to floor. front end veered abruptly left. i applied brakes. car spun backwards. rear right wheel made contact with the metal cable-type barrier on left side of highway. *tr