2011 Prius Tire Rod Help!

I'd just replace the one tie rod end and have the alignment checked and reset.

The other tie rod and the rack and pinion can wait unless they are defective,

 

Little reticent to say this, but to keep it running great I’d look into cleaning the carbon accumulations in the EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system, and intake manifold. If this is neglected 3rd gens are prone to blow head gasket, quite reliably, anywhere around 120k~200k.

what’s your situation; are you able to DIY moderately involved mechanical maintenance, say an oil change? Or in touch with someone who could?

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Toyota dealership is the last place you want to go for this btw; they’re hopeless.

 

In most of my other vehicles Corollas included when I get to this point with rack ends the ones that are built on or screwed on to the rack . It's usually been cheaper for me to take a rebuilt rack which generally comes with the outer tie rods boots and everything for one price literally for most of these is like 119 to 156 depending upon where you buy this is a remanufactured of course and these were regular Toyota power and some non-power rack and pinions I'm not sure on the Prius if much of this has changed. I have replaced inner ends before. You have to unpeen a washer to be able to unscrew the end that you want to replace off of the rack itself and then when you replace the end you have to peen over the edges of the new washer essentially to lock it down other than that it's a pretty easy job you're either under a lift or on your back on ramps either way and if you're going to waste the time to do this I would say do the inner and outer on the side that is a problem or if you have nothing else to do put all four on just make sure your rack doesn't have any slop in it. Old racks had a big hex right there where the steering shaft would connect that you could adjust slop in the rack itself I do not know if newer racks have this adjustment.?

 

I wouldn't worry about it unless you're getting bad vibrations/noise while driving it. But if you do want to fix it, it isn't hard. Just need a tie rod tool.

 

It's extremly unlikely the inner tie rod would be bad. It's the outer ones
that move a lot more and take the brunt of the stress.
Does the steering feel solid? Do you feel any "play" if you move the
steering wheel left and right an inch or two?
With the low mileage, I would think you are fine. You could go to an independent place
and ask them about the tie rods, don't tell them what the other place said....
See what the come up with.

 

At 1500 miles per year, I would do nothing until I feel significant play in the steering wheel. The worst that happens right now is some uneven wear on that tire and with the miles you drive that wouldn't even be noticed for a good 4-5 years if you didn't do any tire rotations.
Stay away from that dealership!
I have an old 99 Sonoma pickup with 185k miles that I use only to haul off trash, and pick up anything I can't get into my Prius. It has a LOT of loose play in the steering wheel....since I drive it so little I have elected to not repair it and to just buy it a used tire every few years.

 

What I don't like is when the inner rackins get a little slop on the ball end the inner part when you move the steering wheel with the car sitting you hear a faint clunk clunk as you go back and forth and when you pull that mess apart and you have the outer tie rod end undone and you reach up in there and grab the inner tie rod end by the threads that the outer tie rod end was screwed onto and you gently push and pull on that threaded piece of rod you will feel the clunk clunk at this time on the older racks I would undo the big lock ring pull out the adjuster piece put some grease on it put it back in its hole and then adjust that I think with a 22 mm external hex wrench to take the slop out of the rack itself I would do this after I put the inner and outer ends on so I'm not twisting on the rack or anything All that's done. I don't know if these Prius racks still have that adjustment have no idea.

 

If you haven't noticed any changes in steering, tire wear, or pulling to either side, I would forget what the dealer said and keep driving your car. The dealership does not have your best interests in mind. Slight play in "dealer service talk" means no play.

 

Where did you take the car for state inspection, dealership, or independent shop?

Do you have a complete list of what will not pass inspection? If so, can you please tell us?

Try taking your car to a different shop for state inspection and see what they find.

 

You have a difficult decision to make. I would only put that amount into the car if you plan to keep it for three or more years. The car only has 122k miles, but the rust and the age of the hybrid battery, potential head gasket and brake actuator problems of a Gen 3 make it a big gamble to put that amount of money into the car. In my situation, I would not put the money into the car, but your situation could be different.

Let's see what others think.

 

Get out while the getting's good You're in New Hampshire there's no way in the world Yes there's a lot of undercarriage rust Do not put money into this rolling chassis try to find a generation too people up there have them in garages now they're getting scared of them because they're old probably nothing wrong with them but just old or come down south and buy one and bring it home up north but not a generation 3 I can see where they wouldn't do well in the salt in the snow at all whereas the generation 2 is a little bit better built underneath and would do a bit better but still Corollas Prius and Yaris and that condition up where you are Do not last long.

 

In Maine the brake dust shields do not have to be on to pass inspection, and I doubt NH is any different. FYI, I have a 2012 prius with 240K mi on it from NH and yes there was rust, but nowhere near enough to fail inspection. Perhaps they use more salt in your area, or there was some other contributing factor.

If you do end up moving on from it, you may want to consider selling it yourself. Looking at Facebook marketplace there are are several of your year in southern NH/Mass going for $8500 or $7000. Granted, they will probably be talked down a bit, but still! For my area (coastal Maine) Kelly Blue book pops out a range of $4431-$6138 for a car in "fair" condition, which is sounds like would be your car. It thinks the trade-in would be $3083-$4264. It seems to me that selling it yourself could be worth the 1-2k more money you would get.

If you do post on facebook marketplace or craigslist be sure to leave a DETAILED description. People like to know what they are getting into, and it can save everyone's time. I am not sure the paperwork needed for a private sale, but in Maine it is pretty easy. Especially if you only except cash!

If I were closer (and not the winter) I would consider buying it off of you myself.

One lesson to be learned from this car would be: in the northeast undercoat your car so it does not rust to pieces. There are many different opinions on the "best" product for this, or even if you actually need to do it at all. My two cents? Go with something that is lanolin based, such as woolwax or fluid film. Do not get anything that will form a hard, permanent barrier. And yes, you need to apply it every year. It is a pain to do yourself (what I do), or a chunk of change to have someone else do it, but it seems like having a car that does not fall apart is worth it in the long run. Finding a shop that does it right seems like a challenge though, if they take less than 1-2hrs then they are not actually getting in all the nooks and crannies, which is what actually matters. And if you do undercoat with lanolin, do NOT do an undercarriage wash at the car wash.

Whatever your next car is - new or old - I would suggest that you undercoat it from year one.