Toyota Prius - Special Service Campaign (Steering Shaft Assembly Issue)

I received a letter on Friday saying my Prius (bought Aug 2005) is part of the recall. After calling the Hollywood service center and getting a couple of different/conflicting stories, I called Santa Monica and scheduled an appointment for July 27th (first available due to others for the same thing). I'll drop it off at 8:15 am and they will drive me to work, then come pick me up later. I was going to take it back to my dealer and have my 15,000 service done at the same time, but it's a long way to OC and I don't know when I'll be able to do it, so I'm taking care of this ASAP. I have noticed a "buzzing" sound lately on the drivers side front and the letter describes that.

 

Well, we received our notice on Saturday and tomorrow (Tuesday) morning is our appointment. Our dealer in Lake City, FL did not mention a time frame for this but they are aware that I will wait for the car (maybe see if they have a Camry hybrid to test drive?). I gave them 2 hours as these folks aren't fully spooled up on the Prius yet.... Especially when my better half has to show them how to reset the computer after the 5K service - here's the Technicians quote: "Oh, we don't know how to do that yet." I hope they know how to do it now! I told her she should have charged for the training. More tomorrow after it's done.

 

I got my notice a couple of weeks ago. As my 20K was coming up, I went online with Kearny Mesa Toyota for a Saturday morning 7am drop off, which would include the standard 20K service. I left it there and got a ride home (didn't use their shuttle service). Took roughly 3 hours with no steering problems (took a 4-hour+ trip the next day).

 

I have seen several posts here from people who say their steering wheel was centered before SSC-60C was accomplished and off one way or the other after the procedure. This means the technician/mechanic doing the work put it back together with the shaft off one way or the other a spline or two. What bothers me is that some have reported that the problem was "fixed" by doing a wheel alignment. What is going on here anyway? If the problem is caused by mis alignment of the steering shaft splines why are they "fixing" it with a toe in/out adjustment?

I understand how this can re center the steering wheel but I don't think it's the proper way to do it. The steering should have exactly the same range from center to lock going one direction as it does the other. If they are using the wheel alignment to re center the steering instead of lining up the splines correctly wouldn't that effect the VSC steering angle sensor adjustment and the power steering torque sensor zero point adjustment?

Toyota (TMS USA) please comment on this. My car is due in next week and I have already had some serious alignment problems and I DO NOT want them messing with the alignment now that I have it driving the way it should again. I admit I may be somewhat sensitive to the alignment issue but I think my questions are valid.

 

I got my recall letter a couple weeks ago. Last week I had been told it would take 3 or 4 hours and they'd give me a ride to the mall. When I got there in the morning, the guy said I would have to leave it all day. I took the car home.

Today I called to arrange to leave it one day next week. The guy on the phone said I had to leave it so they could "test it" and then order the parts.

I started saying that last week they didn't mention anything about ordering parts and he hung up on me.

Why should they have to test it? Don't they know how many cars in the recall range they've sold and have the parts on hand? I was pretty surprised since this dealership has always had a good service reputation.

Any ideas on what to tell them when I call again? This is Toyota of Dartmouth, Massachusetts by the way.

Thanks!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tumbleweed @ Jul 17 2006, 04:27 PM) [snapback]287708[/snapback]</div>

this *should* be bothering folks (!)

there's only a certain allowance... oh i can't remember the term for it and here i am at work without the hubby by my side.. anyway they really should NOT be doing alignments with this campaign. bah. i'll get a proper description tonight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(clongwor @ Jul 17 2006, 04:33 PM) [snapback]287711[/snapback]</div>

I'd tell them to not expect you to give them any more of your business. From what I've read here it should take 1 hour, and they should be willing to give you a loaner if it's going to take them all day for some reason. And the fact that he'd hang up on you just pushes it over the edge, as far as I'm concerned.

Anyway, I'm sure someone here can give you useful advice. . .

 

you can straighten the steering wheel by doing the alignment. however, you have a half inch or so of thread exposed on the tie rods. by doing the alignment, you're taking threads from one side and adding threads to the other by adjusting the toe. in effect, the steering wheel will turn farther to one side than to the other. it's called the rack end-length measurement. the rack is designed to be left approximately centered. if the alignment is done, the steering angle sensor and center point also need to be reset.

make SURE that the wheels aren't aligned, just the steering wheel.

and for the record, DH timed himself today and he took 31min 36 sec to do the recall job, oil change and tire rotation with tire pressure adjustment to 42 psi/tire.

 

My steering shaft recall went smoothly in terms of getting the steering wheel straight when I got the car back, although the farthest left side dash vent was out of place it its frame. A little pulling and jiggling got it right. And the hood was ajar! That reallly annoyed me. :angry:

The last time I had an issue with the steering wheel cocked to one side was years ago in my Civic after I changed a tire. I put it back up on the jack, turned the steering wheel straight, held it steady, and then DH went and turned the front wheels straight. Problem solved. It certainly wasn't an alignment issue. Is this issue possibly as simple as that?

Susan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Florida Prius @ Jul 17 2006, 03:40 PM) [snapback]287685[/snapback]</div>

OK. Good news! My local dealership must have got all trained up. Took an hour and a few minutes and the steering wheel was the same as when I took it in. But that may be because I mentioned to my Service Advisor that I would be watching for this after reading that others around the country were having problems with steering wheel alignment after completion of the SSC. <_< Today they get a good mark!

They didn't have a Camry hybrid for me test drive, but one is expected in very soon. :blink:

 

Is this some kind of a record?

Made an app't with Runnemede Toyota for today at 9:30 for the recall. When I arrived at 9:20 they found no record of my app't, "... had (I) called another dealer? Was (I) planning to wait? OK, we"ll try to work you in."

Had a cup of coffee, strolled around the lot looking for my car, could'nt find it till it came out of the shop going for its test drive!

I was out of there with a straight steering wheel before 10!

Hey, Galaxee, does this beat DH's time?

 

I had some of the other luck.

I had a 1 p.m. appointment for my 20K mile service and the SSC 60C replacement, but I was running early and got there around 12:30. McCord's Vancouver Toyota in Vancouver WA took the car right in and asked if I wanted a complimentary wash; I said sure. I had brought my laptop so I went to the waiting room and surfed PriusChat to pass the time. About 2:45 they called me and said it was ready.

The first thing I noticed were horrible hard-water spots all over the paint and glass. The car still had standing water on it, so I got out my Absorber and tried to dry it and wipe off the spots there in the dealer lot in full sun. That didn't work, so I went back to the service desk to complain. The looked at me like I was being a real a-ho, but took the car back, washed it again, and "hand dried" it (which left the windows smeary, but no big spots.)

That problem semi-solved, I headed back south on I-5 and immediately noticed that the steering wheel was off slightly to the left. I got off at the next exit and went back to the dealer. At first the service writer couldn't find any record of the work just performed, then she found it and called a service manager, sort of like she was calling Security. He came out and brought the guy who did the work. I explained that the wheel was now pointing slightly to the left. The service manager said they would have to give it an alignment. I said that an alignment wasn't called for in the 60C recall, and that I would prefer to have the work performed correctly. I asked the guy who did the work, "Did you secure the steering wheel when you did this?" and he said, "We don't need to, we mark the shafts." The service manager said that the Toyota shafts didn't have the splines in the same place on the new parts, which is why the steering wheel was off. Yeah, sure, just put those splines anywhere.

The mechanic redid the work and moved the shaft over one spline, he said, and that made the wheel about 30° to the right. I never saw this. I told him to make the wheel straight and the steering centered. He moved the parts back one spline, he said, and they did an alignment.

One thing that was funny was the service manager said they had NEVER had a complaint before. Later, talking to the service and parts director, he said they had had a few, on both Prius and Camry (which apparently has a similar problem) where the steering wheel didn't line up level. You can trust everything a dealer tells you...

I got out of the dealer about 6:00 p.m. The car seems to drive straight, as it did before. I just lost an afternoon. I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to come back.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Jul 19 2006, 02:25 PM) [snapback]288869[/snapback]</div>

... Which is precisely why I carried a copy of the "SSC 60C instructions to the service department" when I brought my Prius in for the recall work. There's big bold notes with pictures in multiple places about securing the steering wheel and not using marks on the shaft. The service people need to learn how to read and follow directions! I'm beginning to wonder if they didn't do the same thing to mine. It's slightly off to the right.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(genalex @ Jul 19 2006, 12:58 PM) [snapback]288818[/snapback]</div>

Not to be the devil's advocate, but are you sure they actually did all of the work?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jul 17 2006, 08:12 PM) [snapback]287822[/snapback]</div>

Sure. Rub it in that you're married to a highly skilled and conscientious Prius tech while the rest of us have to deal with mediocrity. Real nice.

 

SSC-60c completed today (7/19) by Toyota of Richardson (Dallas TX area).

Good work: Steering wheel perfectly straignt. Steering seems firmer, tighter... not enough driving home to really tell yet.

Also the 20,000-mile service, replacement of the console lid, used my oil (3½ qts Mobil-1 5W30 - my cost ~$25), their filter, rotate tires (my requested pressures 40/38), other "standard" 20,000 inspections and adjustments, ordered parts for the springs problem on the upper glove box (won't stay up), car delivered exterior washed... bill $47.16.

If you're in the Dallas area looking for good Prius service, call Mickey Hagar at Toyota of Richardson.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Jul 19 2006, 05:32 PM) [snapback]289023[/snapback]</div>

I'd love to take the copy with me, but I'm not about to download a 30Meg file.

Does anyone have the 1-2Meg pdf they can send me?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brandon @ Jul 19 2006, 04:32 PM) [snapback]289023[/snapback]</div>

So you printed the 30+ pages, gave it to them, and they ignored you? How could they? I'm just shocked, shocked, I tell you!

The car goes in the back, it comes back out after a while. Who knows, maybe they're doing voodoo back there to strengthen the shaft. Perhaps I'm a bit cynical about auto dealers, from sales to service.

It's a pity TMS doesn't publicly grade its dealers for quality. It's also a pity hospitals and doctors don't have to publicize their mortality and success rates, but that's a Fred's discussion.

Talonts, the two-pager doesn't really say anything.