My 2002 Prius (165k) had some problem with the steering wheel and last night on one of the turns the triangle light came on, but after disconnecting the battery it went off. I went to the dealer today and after they diagnosed the car, they told me that the steering rack assembly is getting bad and it needs to be replaced, $2219 for the part and $3375 installed. This amount of money is making me think about buying another car. What do you think I should get instead? I drive many miles (150 +) every day, and I don't want to buy a new car just for work and a lot of mileage every day. A hybrid is important because I'm using it to drive on the HOV lane on Long Island.
Did you ever receive the steering rack warranty extension letter? Mine came in the same envelope with the pinion-nut recall announcement, and I received it a year ago, mid-July. It extends the warranty on rack replacement to December 2013 with no mileage limit, provided the problem is the steering shake that results from the deterioration of the rack's torque sensor. I recently managed to catch the shake on paper for my car, which is actually going in tomorrow morning to get a new rack at 194k. I am not sure how to proceed if you have not received the extension letter showing your VIN. I do not know how Toyota determined the set of owners to get the letter. Have you received other correspondence from them (e.g. the pinion-nut recall letter) - that is, have they got your address? Did they have it last year? -Chap
Thank you for this information! I did get from the dealership near my house a recall for something with the steering assembly an year ago. But never received another one. I wonder why the dealer today didn't mention anything about it.
I wonder if recall I did an year ago was something to do with the rack assembly? If yes, how long the warranty on the part will last?
The recall was probably to replace the pinion shaft nut on the old rack. That was a separate problem from the torque sensor issue, which might still have been covered under the warranty enhancement; I couldn't say. -Chap
