Clicking noise from steering wheel

Steering intermediate shaft. Check the two bolts under the dash for the joint. Just above the carpet where the steering shaft goes through, there's a plastic cover with two plastic "nuts". Spin the nuts off and remove the cover, there you'll see the two bolts I'm speaking of. Make sure these are tight and then replace the plastic cover. There's a third bolt on the shaft at the steering gear (aka: rack and pinion) that's a little harder to get to without a lift or clear access to under the vehicle. The shaft is under a rubber cover on the gear. There were recalls performed to this shaft for your year model prius and the bolts could have come a little loose. Also, if the shaft has an indention/countersink around the bolt at the steering gear, then the shaft should have been replaced under this recall. I usually see this type of "failure" on the intermediate shafts that weren't replaced for this model prius. so, if you look at the shaft around the bolt, and the shaft has no indention/countersink, then the shaft wasn't replaced (deemed not to be affected by manufacturing by this feature present) and thus this is your problem. Common problem I'm afraid.

It will always sound like it's in the steering wheel. The sound and feel travels up to the wheel. I'm 99% sure it's the intermediate shaft. But, if you want to check and remove the steering wheel....

*DISCLAMER: Not responsible for accidental airbag deployment.*
Disconnect 12V positive terminal and wait 90 seconds before disconnecting any airbag connector

There's two torx bolts, one on each side of the steering wheel. I think t-25 but I can't be certain (I just grab the one I always grab and don't bother looking at the number, sorry). You'll have to pop off the covers around the Cruise control switch and the one on the left side of the wheel to get access to the bolts. Once the bolts are loose, they're captured bolts so the will loosen but not come all the way out. The airbag/horn will now come off. If it feels stuck, check the bolts again using a magnet to get them out as far as they will go and the airbag should pull off with ease (don't force it). There's two connectors for the airbag, one black and one orange. There's a yellow lock on each connector that must be popped up before the connectors can be removed. Then, unplug the horn connector from the spiral cable (single terminal white connector) The airbag can then be set aside. There's a 19mm nut that holds the steering wheel on. Disconnect the cruise control connector from the spiral cable first then remove this nut. Try pulling the wheel off, if it's stuck, use your hands to "beat" the wheel left-right-top-bottom repeatedly. Don't be soft with it either, take out any frustration here. The wheel should come off with ease now. Be careful not to turn the spiral cable with the wheel off. Just one full turn off will break it when you reinstall and turn the wheel the first time. It's a 5 turn cable so you can find center again if you do inadvertently move it and not sure how far. Just turn it with little force until it resists movement (be real easy with it) and then go back 2.5 turns until the cables are at 12:00.

Reassembly is reverse of removal.

 

Sadly, there's nothing to tell with pictures for this concern. The tell-all is the 3rd bolt. The problem is where the intermediate shaft slips over the steering gear. Over repeated lock-to-lock operation at slow speeds (such as parking) the teeth on the joint become deformed, allowing slight movement during turning. If the bolt is tight, replace the shaft. If it's loose, tighten and retry to duplicate noise/feeling.

 

take it to the dealer for the free recall.

 

not sure about non u.s. recalls, try the toyota website.

 

If it was just an inspection, then only the lower bolt was replaced at the steering gear. I'll try to post pictures today on where the bolt is and how to check. The dealers were given a special service tool for inspection and replacement. I say "special" when its really just a prybar with a fork at the end to lift and hold the boot.

Here you go,

The "SST". The fork at the end is what holds the boot upfor inspection


Here's the bolt.


I think the pictures are upside down or sideways. I tried to fix it but couldn't.

 

I need a fork like that

 

Lol. Yeah, when I opened up the SST shipment box and pulled this out, I didn't know what to think.

 

I think your dealer is full of $#!+. that clunk isn't normal. I think you need to get your head under the dash with a strong flashlight and see if you can find something loose. might need to remove the lower dash panels to see the column.

 

I use a piece of hose, 5/8" dia. about 2' long as a stethoscope. Move the hose around to different areas. It takes patience, but when the source of a noise is found, it will be really loud.

The clicking on our 2011 Prius was the coupling, above the carpet. If I grabbed the coupling and , turned the steering wheel quickly in both directions, the noise went away. The bolt on the coupling seemed tight, but the dealership tightened it more, and the noise has not returned. I think there is probably a problem with the shaft, coupling fit, and tightening the bolt, probably beyond specs. squeezed the parts together.
Ken