Can I avoid replacing my failing clockspring (spiral cable)?

1. Yes
2. The car will run normally but obviously you will lose the protection of the driver's airbag in the event of a front-end accident.
3. There are many wires within the "clock spring" and apparently several of them have lost connectivity given continual flexing as the steering wheel is turned.

 

Yeah, mine is going out also. Seems like the failure progression is nearly the same in all cases, in that the first to go are the buttons in the lower right quadrant of the steering wheel. I figured I'd wait until either the airbag goes or the cruise control. Agreed on the pretty hefty price tag.

 

Yes, you will see the airbag warning light appear which means the skid control ECU has logged a DTC. You can drive the car in that condition.

 

Not a permanent fix but one that works. Scrape off some of the insulation along the conductor track. Then solder across the break, covering the repair with a short length of tape on either side using a tape that does not bleed it's adhesive.
If the airbag system goes open circuit you can get two separate codes "with warning light" they represent open circuit squib 1 and 2 as the airbag in the steering wheel is a two stage bag.

John (Britprius)

 

You can fix it. lol

 

Oh my ... That clock spring has sprung. I'll be leaving my repair to the dealer on this one.

 

04 prius 160k r hand buttons are getting real lazy, really nothing can clean or spray these off with? at least to try? I am too old and life is too short to do a bunch of stuff to my steering wheel switches. let me know how it goes.
i

 

Yes, fix it:
2006 Prius clock spring (spiral cable) repair | PriusChat

 

I just successfully replaced the clockspring on my '07 and I learned a lesson or two. Total cost was under $30!

First lesson: Use your VIN and get the right part number from Toyota. I used this page. My mistake was to order one from eBay, the one that eBay said would work. It didn't. It fit physically and all the connectors connected, but the wiring was different. I could not get the A/C to turn off and nothing else would work.

So I got the right number, ordered again from eBay, and this time it took about 20 minutes to put in. (First time was twice that.) I now have cruise control and defroster control for the first time in many months.

Another lesson I learned was to loosen the wheel nut a turn or two and "pop" the wheel off the splined shaft (no need for a puller), then remove the nut and wheel completely. First time I yanked the wheel and it came flying off, pulling the old clockspring apart. No problem until I had to put it back in because I'd ordered the wrong part. I was very lucky to get it all back together.

And another lesson was the steering position sensor--if you have the VSC option, you have to remove the position sensor from the back of the old clockspring housing (four little tabs) and install it on the new clockspring. It's simple and quick, but not that obvious.

The coming years will tell if the Chinese cable will last, but from what I could tell the housing, terminals, cables, etc all look identical to the OEM part.

 

Dear Andrew,
Thank you. Excellent advice about loosening the nut, and the tip off for the VSC. 2004 prius w/256k. These tips helped me change out my clock spring in just over an hour w/o previous experience in removing the steering wheel. I did spend the extra to purchased an original Toyota clock spring on ebay with full warranty.

Sincerely
John Marshall

 

I installed a cheap Chinese one off ebay, and it's failing a year later - airbag light is on intermittently (comes on after turning the wheel, but seems to stay off if the wheel never gets turned 180 degrees when driving). So for others out there - beware that the Chinese part is likely to not last for long. I'll most likely be buying the Toyota version shortly.

 

Dear Kevin,
Check ebay I bought one for about half what the dealer charges. It is original with warranty mfg in Philippines with original Toyota stickers