Steering recall---replaced part had to be replaced

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by John Hunter, Oct 31, 2006.

  1. John Hunter

    John Hunter New Member

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    I have a 2005 Prius. When I received the steering recall notice from Toyota Canada I took the car to the dealer, Performance Toyota in St. Catharines, Ontario. The dealer checked the steering, said I would need a new steering part, that they would have to order it. When the part arrived, I took the car in (July 18, 2006) and the part was installed.

    Two weeks ago while on holiday in South Carolina, I noticed a clicking in the steering especially when turning the wheel a fair distance, e.g. parking. I took the car to Stokes Brown Toyota in Beaufort SC on October 23. The shop foreman said that the warranty part would have to be replaced. This was done and the problem was corrected. The dealer did not charge me for the part or labour, said they would sort it out with Toyota.

    Stokes Brown Toyota spoke to Performance Toyota and the folks there swear they replaced the warranty part.

    Both dealers say they have never seen the warranty part fail.

    Has anyone else had to have two sets of warranty parts?

    Any explanation?
     
    #1 John Hunter, Oct 31, 2006
  2. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    Yes, I've had two. The first replacement failed due to rivet separation, resulting in a loose feel and a clicking when going over bumps. The second has been just fine.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
    #2 TucsonPrius, Oct 31, 2006
  3. brandon

    brandon Member

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    Sounds more like an incorrect installation. Don't know why they would have to replace the part rather than just reinstall it. Did you get any more information from the dealer?
     
    #3 brandon, Nov 1, 2006
  4. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    Rivet separation in the part itself, *not* where it's attached (by bolts I believe).

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
    #4 TucsonPrius, Nov 1, 2006
  5. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    there aren't any rivets in the part... so that's strange. could have left the slider bolt loose, that could cause clicking.

    or bad bearings in one of the universal joints. or someone leaving a bolt loose on either end.

    the chances of being a bad installation are much higher than the chances of it being a faulty part. not to say faulty parts don't happen, but DH's dealership has done more of these recalls than pretty much any other dealer in the country and they haven't had one faulty part yet. a couple mistakes early on, easily corrected of course.
     
    #5 galaxee, Nov 1, 2006
  6. TucsonPrius

    TucsonPrius Member

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    I obviously can't say for sure; I've never seen the part. All I can tell you is the work order stated:

    ... Found steering shaft rivet to have separated causing excessive play. Replaced shaft and test drove. Verified now working as per design.

    Thanks,
    Shawn
     
    #6 TucsonPrius, Nov 1, 2006
  7. John Hunter

    John Hunter New Member

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    Hello,

    Thanks to both of you for your interest in my problem.

    The question about whether or not there is a rivet is, well, rivetting. ;)

    I gather that I was one of the first Priuses to be handled after the recall and I sensed that the technicians were a bit unsure about how to install the replacement part. So, I suppose it may not have been installed correctly but the puzzling thing is that it was installed in July and the steering worked perfectly until October---and we drove over 2000 miles during that time.

    The dealer that installed the second part did not suggest that the first part had been installed incorrectly. They thought that the part had failed.

    I am not very autoliterate---so that's about all I contribute.

    John
     
    #7 John Hunter, Nov 2, 2006
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