Problems with 2002 Toyota Prius STEERING

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota prius. while driving less than 65 mph, the emergency and power steering indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the power steering would lock and the contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the highway. once the vehicle was shut off and restarted, the warning indicators would no longer illuminate; however, there was a lot of play in the steering. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in any recalls; therefore, they would not assist with the liability of the repairs. the failure and current mileages were less than 96,000. updated 3/16/09 *cn the consumer stated there was an occassional shimmy in the steering wheel. updated 03/19/09.*jb

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). to whom it may concern, i was attempting to make a left turn in my 2002 toyota prius traveling approximately 30mph when the steering wheel suddenly locked. i did manage to slow the car down and forced the wheel into completing the turn after hearing a cracking sound. i was told that the vehicle had a faulty sensor and the entire steering rack had to be replaced. i had just exited the highway and was lucky there were no other vehicles or pedestrians around. this situation occurred 08/15/08. this is after i had brought in both my 2002 prius and my 2002 toyota highlander in for numerous sensor defects that were either fixed or replaced. i continued to have problems with my toyota highlander as well. the last issue with this vehicle was oil the constant loss of engine oil. to be more detailed, i lost 8 quarts of oil in approximately 2000 miles. there was no explanation given considering there were no visible signs of leak or burning. this was the reason i no longer own this vehicle but unfortunately still own the prius. [xxx] *tr

2002 toyota prius, this car suffers from an intermittent steering shake. what happens: often at parking lot speeds and some times at highway speeds, the steering pulses violently and steering control is temporarily lost. *tr

Intermittent severe steering wheel movement at low speed and steering failure which illuminated the ps failure light. steering was difficult after failure. system reset after ignition turned off. still have severe wheel vibration. toyota dealers state an internal failure in the rack and pinion.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota prius hybrid. while driving 55 mph, the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and began flashing a warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they informed the contact that it was safe to continue driving. the following day the vehicle was taken to another dealer and they stated that the steering gear box and electric system failed. the cost of the part is $1,800. the purchase date was unknown. the current mileage was 85,000 and failure mileage was 83,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota prius. while driving 55 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated. the contact stated that he slowed down to exit the highway and his power steering failed. the dealer stated that the torque sensor in the steering gear box failed. a nhtsa recall was established (nhtsa campaign id number: 00v285000). repairs were not made. the dealer information is not available. the current and failure mileages were 128,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota prius. while driving between 55-65 mph, the steering warning indicator light illuminated and the power steering failed. the dealer stated that there was a faulty sensor and the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. the vehicle has not been repaired. nhtsa campaign id number 00v285000 (steering:gear box (other than rack and pinion)) for a 2001 toyota prius was referenced. the current and failure mileages were 72,000. updated 10/23/07 *tr

Power steering failure. when first starting car steering can sometimes vibrate vigorously, then warning light can come on sometimes power steering works for a wile then fail other times it fails immediately making steering very difficult. *jb

I purchased 2002 prius in june, 2005. in september 2005 power steering warning light came on 3 times while driving on freeway between tucson and phoenix. dealer said the power steering torque sensor was malfunctioning and would cost $1450.00 to replace. took to my own mechanic (authorized prius mechanic) who confirmed the dealers assessment and also told me that toyota does not provide parts to repair the power steering so entire unit must be replaced. problem disappeared for about 1 yr. then in july of this year, power steering warning light started to come on while driving from tucson to las cruces. also, steering wheel started to shake uncontrollably when backing up or turning while car was in motion. battery also failed when attempting to leave nm and had to replace battery at a cost of $140 with only a one year warranty and no one except toyota sells the battery. after discussing problems with my mechanic i called toyota to see if they would replace power steering column - they told me my car was too old and had too many miles on it (only 59k). i own a 1975 celica that has 265k miles and it has never needed any steering column work - how come a car 30 years later needs one after only 59k? i used to think toyota made a good product and stood by their cars, but i guess i was wrong. the 2002 prius in not a road-worthy car and the savings in gasoline consumption does not come anywhere close to paying for a $1450 repair on an obviously defective steering column. i do not feel safe taking the prius out on the freeway and steering wheel continues to shake uncontrollably. i will replace the power steering unit only when repair parts become available or the part breaks down completely. i doubt i will keep this car very long and i know i will not buy another toyota in the future. now when i am asked how i like my prius i tell people to buy a honda civic instead. *nm

Continuation of complaint (odi number) 10162367 the steering was each time frozen in the center position with no possibility of turning to the right or left. the earlier problem was not demonstrable to the toyota service manager when the car had been brought in for servicing in october 26, 2005 and march 2, 2006 (during a one week visit), but because i had more time in july, i had scheduled a total inspection for the steering mechanism on tuesday, july 11th. after this catastrophic failure, however, i had the car immediately towed to bi auto toyota in florence for repair. despite the fact that the towing charge was more than $200, i had no confidence that this car could be driven safely to the dealership. at the dealership, the service technicians identified the problem as requiring the replacement of the scatola guida, a part with a price-tag of 2840 euros (approximately $3500). when i called back to my toyota dealer in pittsburgh, i was told that the most expensive steering part that could be purchased was the steering rack which was about $1100. however, the bells and whistles went off when bi auto provided the part number 44200-47060. this same part was replaced by rohrich toyota in pittsburgh on may 14, 2004, at 26,539 miles. replacement was soon followed with a warranty extension. similar experiences to mine are documented at http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=539&highlight=, but as far as i know, no one has reported this second incident two years and 20,000 miles later (the prius odometer now reads approximately 47,000 miles). moreover the symptom for the first replacement was a vibration when starting the engine and shifting into reverse. other individuals have reported the turning stiffness earlier and excessive and uneven tire wear (my rear tires were badly worn at 24,000 miles), but this is the first time for me that this total freezing of the steering wheel in a straight forward position has occurred. *jb

Continuation of complaint (odi numbers) 10162367-68 earlier that day we had driven my daughter-in-law and granddaughter to fumicino airport in rome and then returned home. we could only imagine what a catastrophe would have occurred if that freezing of the steering wheel had occurred at autostrada speeds. in the meantime, bi auto in florence has informed me that the part (no 44200-47060) must be delivered from japan and will take a minimum of 10 days. in an attempt to expedite service, i contacted the toyota customer service in torrance, california (ref # 200607110691) to see if the part may be more readily available and shipped sooner from the us. their answer was no. further, they indicated that since the prius was outside the us, they were not willing to honor the warranty extension and thus the $3500 repair would be at my expense. i will now contact my us dealer (i bought a second prius in 2004, which is still in the us) to see if they will intercede on my behalf. but what's especially troubling is even if this replacement performed is whether (1) toyota has made any improvement in the replacement part to eliminate the failure (apparently the 2004 replacement was ineffective), (2) for how many miles might this new replacement part last, and (3) will there be any warning, such as the stiffness in turning, that will precede a catastrophic failure such as this freezing of the steering wheel. for the online form, i have provided my us contact numbers. however, until august 6th, i will continue to be in italy. *jb

Steering in car locks up at higher speeds. the issue seems consistent with the 2001 recall items. toyota customer service refuses to offer assistance without charging and claims steering to not be covered under power train warranty. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota prius. the contact stated that the vehicle would shake abnormally when first started. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and serviced under nhtsa campaign number 11v304000 (steering), however the failure was not corrected. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 170,000.

A year ago, i had my 2002 toyota prius shipped to italy while i was on sabbatical. starting in october (2005), i started reporting to the local toyota dealer that the steering was stiff when returning the wheel straight ahead on sharp turns or when moving out of tight places where i had parked. i returned to the us for the spring semester, but returned in june, and found the same intermittent problem. my first thought was that there had been some damage to the car during shipping. this past sunday (july 9, 2006), however, i had a catastrophic incident that might have sent my wife and me off the small country road we were traveling on about a half mile from our home here south of florence in the chianti region. i had been on a steady downhill stretch which then reversed to in an s-curve on an incline. i turned normally through the first half of the s-curve when suddenly the steering wheel froze solid in a straight forward position and i had to jam on the brakes to stop forward motion of the car or go off the side of the road into a ravine. i was probably traveling under 15-20 mph, because the curves were so sharp and i was traveling uphill. to get off the road, i stopped and started the prius a couple of times to see if this were an electrical-computer fault as the steering system in this car had been replaced at 26,000 miles (more about this later). on about the third try, i was able with tremendous force to move the wheel off center and normal steering was restored. because there was no adequate shoulder on the road, i returned the car home, experiencing the same steering wheel lock-up more than once, jamming on the brakes to bring the car to a halt, and then wrestling with the steering wheel to the right and the left with the same immense force until it broke free. this was nothing like the previous stiffness i had experienced bringing the wheel back to center from a far left or far right position. (to be continued). *jb

On cold days, when driving for the first time, the steering wheel will start shuddering back and forth violently and rapidly if i try to turn the vehicle. this occurs regardless of the road condition at speeds of less than 10 mph. the shuddering stops only when i straighten out the wheel. *tr

When driving on the freeway, after a 300 mile drive, a pothole was struck. the steering wheel vibrated forcefully from side to side for about a minute, then power steering failed. steering was possible, but only with great physical effort. after the vehicle rested overnight, symptoms were not present. *tr

Just wanted to alert you that there may be a potential defect with the torque sensor, which affects the power steering. i recently encountered this in my 2002 toyota prius with 43,000+ miles on the vehicle.*ak \ basically, there are no preceding symptoms before the power steering fails. upon failure, the prius central color touchscreen lcd display shows three icons, with the "ps" icon in red. you will also see an exclamation point icon lit on the green lcd display next to the speedometer. at which point, you have no power steering and the car will be hard to steer. \ when this occurs, there may be a temporary fix, which worked for me. pull over to a safe area and turn off the car. wait 30 seconds, and then turn on the car. you have effectively rebooted the prius computer system with the torque sensor, and the power steering should return for the time being. \ the vehicle should be taken to the nearest official toyota service shop (aka dealership) and have them run a diagnostic check. they should see code "c1513 torque sensor abnormal" in the prius' memory banks. then sit down for the price tag: $3159 - $4,160 to replace the entire power steering rack, since the sensor is integrated in the rack itself. this includes the labor of about $261. \ it is recommended not to accept any "cost coverage offer" from the service shop until you call the toyota consumer support line at 1-800-331-4331. make sure you have a service quote from the shop, then call the support line and complain. the support line will assign you a _x001c_case worker_x001d_ and provide a case number. they will contact the shop and make arrangements to repair the vehicle. toyota covered the cost of the part 100% for me, and all i had to do was pay for the labor since my car was out of warranty per the 36,000 bumper-to-bumper coverage. \ in conclusion, i am very happy on how toyota handled the power steering issue. this is to inform other 2000-2003 prius owners if they encounter a similar problem.

Steering wheel shakes when starting to back up or go forward . happens in colder weather more often <dealer said it was not a warraty issue when i first approaced them in 2004.. had 60k miles on it. they said it was an electronic steering issue with motor on rack and pinion gear. toyota prius 2002 year model, they wouldgo t replace it of over $1000.,,, said to drive is and not worry but if it got worse to bring it in,. well recently i have talked to many other prius owners with 2001 and 2002 models and some have had the same problems and some had it fixed so i deicded to go to priuschat and found this was a problem ,. and was dangerous., but there is no recall notice on this issue., so i thought it best to look into again and see you have a complaint registered this year.,., if there is more information you can provide i would like to know mt impression if the service managers at toyota like to skirt the issue of danger or possible accidents and try to get you to repair it at your cost,,,,i hope you folks look into this matter more deeply. *tr

Power steering gear assembly (rack and pinion) is failing. car shakes when turning. it failed on 2 prius out of 5 i have had. i think there should be a recall from toyota for this issue.*ak

Steering rack failure, related to torque sensor failure. replaced once under warranty, but is beginning to fail a second time with same symptoms. *ak

The steering wheel shakes and shutters during low speed driving, especially in reverse, on my 2002 toyota prius.*ak

I have a 2002 toyota prius that i've had for some 7 years. the steering is very sensitive making it necessary to always attend to accuracy in steering. i thought that this was a chacteristic of the design, but now i wonder if this is actually a manufacturing defect because of reports i see on other models" ""if you take your eyes off the road for a second, the car will drift into another lane," said one driver an oct. 18 complaint. another describes it as the most terrifying thing that ever happened to them." this describes my experience. *tr

2002 new toyota prius delivered with bridgestone potenza tires. these tires have failed after 12,000 miles. then changed tires (all 4) which failed at 10,000 miles. toyota corporate says its not their concern. dealer told me they are not safe tires. i have replaced tires every 10,000 miles. toyota corporate recommends these tires and takes no responsibility for them.*ak

Power steering gear assembly (rack and penion) is failing. car shakes when turning and backing up.extended warranty company refuses to cover until system completely fails or it becames a "safety issue".*ak

After parking vehicle and returning back to it later vehicle started up, but then stalled. after stalling vehicle did not restart until the next day. dealer has examined the vehicle five times and was not able to resolve the problem. also, gas tank and steering links had been replaced. *ak *la

Steering wheeel was shaking uncontrollably at low speed. took to dealer, and they stated that power steering rack was defective. the parts were not available for about 6 months.*ak

Steering column and car vibrate when turning or backing. lesser vibration in steering also sensed when driving straight. brought car into dealer on august 14, 2002. am told that replacement steering rack is unavailable and date of receipt of one is not known. reported this problem to toyota consumer services and file # 200208260148 was assigned to my report. there is also extensive discussion of problems with prious steering on several web sites at which i determined that there was a recall of the 2001 model. manufacturer has not corrected defect on 2002 model.*ak