2002 TOYOTA PRIUS Complaints

MADE A LEFT TURN OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AFTER STARTING VEHICLE. STEERING BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY SHUDDER AND SHAKE, CAUSING TEMPORARY LOSS OF CONTROL (MY GRIP WAS LOST ON THE WHEEL). I WAS ABLE TO GRAB THE WHEEL MORE FORCEFULLY AND REGAIN CONTROL AND COMPLETE THE TURN. HAD THIS HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE RAMP, I MAY NOT BE HERE TO FILE THIS COMPLAINT. ACCORDING TO THE TOYOTA NATIONAL SERVICE REGISTRY, MY VEHICLE HAS ALREADY RECEIVED THE SERVICE COVERED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN 11V304000 WHICH MAKES ME VERY, VERY VERY NERVOUS. PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR FURTHER DETAILS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WITHOUT WARNING, THE STEERING SHOOK VIOLENTLY WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING RACK AND THE NUTS IN THE STEERING LINKAGE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 11V304000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 109,000.

TURNED ON CAR IN COLD WEATHER (UNDER 10DEGF). STARTED UP AND TRIED TO TURN RIGHT. STEERING WHEEL SHOOK VERY HARD, FAST, AND LOUDLY. TURNED OFF CAR AND RESTARTED, DID OK FOR ONE SHALLOWER TURN. 50 FEET LATER AGAIN TRIED TO TURN RIGHT AND SAME THING HAPPENED. LET IT SHAKE FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN TURNED OFF CAR AND RESTARTED. LESS THAN A MINUTE AFTER RESTART IT HAPPENED AGAIN. AFTER THAT LEFT CAR OFF FOR A FEW HOURS. RESTARTED. LET CAR WARM UP FOR 2-3 MINUTES BEFORE MOVING. DROVE STRAIGHT OUT OF DRIVEWAY. RIGHT TURN 100FT LATER WAS OK. PROBLEM DID NOT RECUR ON 30MIN DRIVE. THIS IS THE SECOND DAY I'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO, ALSO IN VERY COLD WEATHER AND ALSO ON A RIGHT TURN WHEN CAR WAS FIRST STARTED. SO FAR I HAVEN'T HAD IT HAPPEN ON A LEFT TURN, BUT MAYBE THAT'S JUST BECAUSE I DON'T DO ONE OF THOSE IMMEDIATELY ON STARTUP. I'VE NEVER SEEN THE PROBLEM IF TEMPS ARE ABOVE ABOUT 10 DEGREES F. *TR

I WAS DRIVING ALONG THE INTERSTATE I-75 RETURNING FROM EAST RIDGE, TN, AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT AND WARNING LIT-UP ON THE SCREEN PANEL. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY RIGID WHILE I WAS DRIVING, AND I HAD TO CLASP THE STEERING WHEEL FIRMLY TO CONTROL THE STEERING OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

VIOLENT SHAKING IN STEERING WHEEL UPON IGNITION; SPORADIC JERKY STEERING; REPEATED LOSS OF POWER STEERING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS INCLUDING HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THIS SEEMS TO THE SAME PHENOMENON THAT WAS THE SUBJECT OF A SAFETY RECALL OF 2001 PRIUSES. THE RECALL SHOULD BE BROADENED. *TR

I HAVE ALWAYS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKES ON THE PRIUS, BUT THE DEALER KEEPS TELLING ME THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. YET YOU FIRST HIT THE BRAKES ON THEY ARE OK, BUT IF YOU HAVE TO HIT THEM HARD - NO BRAKES...YET THE DEALER CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. "THE COMPUTER DOESN'T SHOW ANYTHING WRONG" I GUESS I WILL HAVE TO KILL SOMEONE BEFORE I CAN GET THEM TO LISTEN AND FIX THE PROBLEM. THE LAST 12 YEARS HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE......WHY CAN'T WE GET THEM TO RECALL THIS? I SEEN SO MANY PEOPLE YOU COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAME THING YET NOTHING IS DONE? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE ABNORMALLY WHEN FIRST STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND SERVICED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 11V304000 (STEERING), HOWEVER THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

I WAS EXITING OFF (TURNING) THE HIGHWAY IN EXIT 10 .270 MD, WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME REALLY HARD AND A WARNING PS SIGNAL APPEARED, I HAD TO PULL OVER AND AFTER SWITCHING OFF THE ENGINE AND BACK ON. I CONTINUED DRIVING.*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE PARKING, THE VEHICLE INDECENTLY ACCELERATED TO 115 MPH. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES AND SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER HOWEVER, THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 106,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING A RIGHT TURN, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST FAILED AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AS THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD THAT ENTIRE POWER STEERING AND MOTOR SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 147,800. *TR