Steering wheel vinyl coming off

i believe i have read this before. it is probably the 12 month warranty, but not sure, maybe 3 years.

 

What the heck is going on with all these Prius steering wheels???! And now the Prime too? I think there has been 3 seperate threads about peeling. One member had his steering wheel replaced by the dealer, under warranty, after 30 months. Apparently many of the wheels are defective?

 

Bumper to bumper warranty. Of course it's covered

 

I'm having mine replaced as we speak (2017 Prime Advanced, under warranty). The surface is tissue-paper thin.

I'm not that impressed with this Softex material.

 

I guess we are going to have to start to wear driving gloves so we don't get oil/sweat on the material.

 

Treat yourself to "WheelSkin" (see Ye Olde PriusShoppe) and ask for Irene (see threads passim https://priuschat.com/threads/found-small-steering-wheel-cover.129361/page-2#post-2379190
Found Small Steering Wheel Cover | Page 2 | PriusChat
Good luck!

 

Even if it was hand lotion, it's extremely common for people to have hand lotion on their hands. That's why it's called hand lotion. And then there's sunscreen, aftershave, etc. If it won't stand up to that, it's junk.

I'd suggest contacting Toyota directly to verify the dealer's story. And then keep going up the food chain. Eventually, there's generally someone with enough interest in their company's reputation to do what's right.

 

Definitely contact Toyota directly and let them know (nicely) that we at Priuschat are on pins and needles waiting for the outcome of their decision. Public relations demands a positive outcome from them on this.
You've said you don't use hand lotion, so that excuse is not applicable; is your car subjected to extremes of heat or cold. They might try to use that as an excuse.

This should not make any difference; I've had steering wheel covers on Alfa Romeos that lasted a decade or more.
I've had my Advanced for a year and a half, with the car on one occasion in the sun, in 107° heat for about 7 hours; my steering wheel is perfect. The car has seen no extremes of cold. Please let us know the outcome.

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AChoiredTaste.com

 

Any photo? I thought steering wheel wrap is the same material as the SofTex that covers the seats of Premium and Advanced models. Does Plus model with cloth seats have different material on the steering wheel?

 

I don't know what they did, they just covered it no questions asked.

~$900 repair.

 

Now that's GOOD news!

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AChoiredTaste.com

 

It's magic.

 

Do I smell recall??....
Has anyone else had this problem?

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AChoiredTaste.com

 

Anybody know of a good, easy to install steering wheel cover that fits the Prius? Seems like that big white plastic piece on the lower part of the wheel would make it hard to find a cover that fits.

 

It's certainly depressing to hear of this problem, especially since multiple people are having it. The excuse about lotion or aftershave, etc., is absurd. They obviously know some drivers will have those on their hands, so they should make a steering wheel that resists them. Even if you someone is lucky enough to get Toyota to fix this problem, what's going to stop it from happening again?

In the past, the only luck I've had with covering steering wheels in a way that looked decent was using Wheelskins. That worked well on my '01 Maxima, however, the in the photos of installations on Prius steering wheels in these forums, the Wheelskins look like ill-fitting diapers. IMHO, they are in no way an option.

Other than that, I took a steering wheel from a 280zx to a local upholstery shop and had it covered in leather. That looked good, but covering that was far less complicated (and thus less expensive) than a Prius' steering wheel would be.

Worse for Prime Advanced owners is the fact that the steering wheel is heated, which I presume would mean an even more complicated and expensive repair.

 

That's the dumbest thing I ever heard of! A steering wheel "peeling" or falling apart after only a few months or a year of ownership?!

My Prius looked great when it was new! But now it seems Toyota may have used the cheapest material and parts available to build the Gen4. Everything from windshields, to steering wheel wrap, to seat material, to carpeting, electronics, switches, even the tires. YES, I'm a disgruntled Prius owner. I admit it.

I can no longer defend the Gen4 Prius as being this fantastic "green" car. Sure, the MPG is good... if that's all you care about. But there are too many other things that can, and are, going wrong.