I bought my car back in august of 2009 and like many others I have had problems with keeping the car straight down the road at higher speeds. I have always said I should not have to hold both hands on the steering wheel in order to go down the road. It gets even worse when the wind is strong. I was told that because it is a small car it will do this. But I have never had a small car act this way. My car is very well maintained and I know it is not the tires nor the front end alignment. If you do not pay attention to this problem it would take nothing for you to cause an accident.
2009 Toyota Corolla steering complaints
Page 10 of 14: complaints 251 to 280 of 382, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The vehicle is difficult to control (drifts) at speeds in excess of about 60 MPH.
The steering on my 2009 toyota corolla s feels loose at highway speeds. Car feels like it drifts and needs constant correcting, always feels like you need a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands. Feels as though you are driving in windy conditions when it's calm. I do not have this probably at lower speeds. The problem occurred as soon as I purchased the car, april 2009, and I still experience it now. I have not attempted to correct the problem. I thought I was over sensitive to it since it was a new car I was not used to driving, but after seeing this website, I know it is the car, not me.
I have a 2009 toyota corolla that is part of the gas pedal recall. I believe it may also have the steering issue as well. I have noticed that my steering is all over the place, it takes 2 hands to generally run smoothly. My husband complains about it more, I just love my car so I defended it but now that I have heard there may be a problem, I think it should be looked at alittle closer. My other issue is that when we called the dealership back in jaunary in regards to the gas pedal they very nicely informed us that they were repairing the more expensive vehicles first and then would schedule me an appointment. Is that allowed? No offense, but my life is just as valuable as a camry, 4 runner, or other vehicle that they consider more expensive. I wanted a toyota corolla so bad and now I would do anything to get rid of it.
Ever since I purchased my 2009 toyota corolla I have noticed steering difficult. I read blogs at the time and it seemed from what I read, that this was just a draw back of the car, so I let it go. I feel I need to report it now. The steering feels way to responsive to even the slightest hand movement of the wheel, or bump in the road. Because the suspension on this model is so stiff, a bump in the road can cause my hand to move a tiny bit, resulting in the car moving much more than one would expect from little movement. The best way to sum up the problem is this; it is near impossible to just go straight, or hold the wheel still for a second. You have to constantly move slightly to the right or the left just to keep in the middle of your lane. Going around curves smoothly is difficult as well. If it is windy this problem is 10 fold, and down right dangerous. I have already skidded off a snowy highway because the car so easily fish tailed while trying to correct my steering. Luckily there was no damage, had there been vehicle in the lane next to mine, there would have been a horrific crash. In my 17 years of driving I have never fish tailed before. The alignment and tires have been checked and are fine. I had the brake recall done before the above mentioned incident. There doesn't feel to be an alignment issue. The car does not pull. The steering just seems far too sensitive, this combined with it's odd aerodynamic response, and bumpy ride make the steering feel very unsafe at times. Even when it doesn't feel dangerous, it is tiring to have to constantly adjust the wheel right and left just to keep it in lane. I've never had a steering issue like this with any other car. There is also the overwhelming smell of sulfur in the passenger cabin several times a week, seems the catalytic converter doesn't handle it well. Took it to a dealer for the sulfur issue and they said that's normal. Makes me light headed at times, on top of just stinking up my new car.
I own a 2009 toyota corolla. I have noticed many other complaints about the steering "wandering". When we purchased this vehicle we were told about the new electric power steering. I have not liked the steering since day one but I thought that's just the way it was. When driving the car the vehicle does "wander" from left to right. You have to constantly move the steering wheel back and forth to keep the car going straight.
The car oversteered and fishtailed yesterday when I was making a left turn. As a result, I almost crashed into another car in the lane to my right. I was going about 25 MPH or less on dry, normal asphalt pavement, in normal weather conditions, after freeway driving in los angeles ca. In a separate incident, I found the steering to be dangerously vague when I was driving around 70 MPH downhill on a steep and curvy mountain highway (I-15 in nevada, about 100 miles south of las vegas) in dark. The car was difficult to control, with the steering being extremely light and vague. I checked the wheel vs. Tire movement of my car. It doesn't appear to be an excessive freeplay issue -- in fact there was no freeplay. It appears that they made the steering way too light and, on top of it, very nonlinear -- that is very slow steering response at the center. Because of this the car doesn't immediately steer unless you turn the steering wheel about two inches. I'm sure toyota did this with safety in mind -- so that the car can't be suddenly steered -- but the end result was unsafe steering instead. It's unsafe because the steering is so vague that people can unintentionally turn the steering wheel without not immediately changing the car's direction but then in a second or two car may veer out of control.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota. He purchased the vehicle in 2008 and since then he noticed that the steering wheel pulled to the left and right. The vehicle acted as if it needed an alignment specifically while driving over 50 MPH it became consistent. He took the vehicle to the dealer twice for the failure who stated that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The manufacturer took a report and advised him that they did not have a remedy for the failure yet. The failure mileage was 10 and the current mileage was 31,000. Updated 3/30/2010
2009 corolla power steering make noise and not smooth.
I bought a 2009 toyota corolla in nov. 2008.I have complained to the dealer that the steering was loose(floats in and out of lane) hard to drive.also about mpg 27 highway.I brought the car in for inspections on four occasions.I was basicly "blown off"
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. The contact stated that the steering wheel was very loose and had a lot of "play" in it. Also, he was advised that the vehicle should receive a mpg rating of 35 for the highway. However, the vehicle only received approximately 27 mpg. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer had not been notified concerning the issue. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 13,000.
In my 2009 toyota corolla, the steering is finicky at speeds about 50 miles per hour. It constantly feels like it is being driven in windy conditions and wanders in the lane, requiring constant steering correction. I purchased the car in may 2008; in june I took it to my local dealer because I thought it had alignment problems. They said the 'light' steering feel was normal and no fix was prescribed. I then wrote a letter of complaint to toyota and received no response. Since then, I have just had to get used to it and be conscience of it while behind the wheel. I've always thought that it was unsafe as any time I take my eyes off the road, the car veers to the left or right randomly. Now I have been made aware that it might not be 'normal,' but a national concern.
Few problems with my corolla 09. Power steering problems, feels very loose and turns by itself sometimes, luckily so far no accidents but is a real issue. Brakes makes a noise when reversing or sometimes going forward, I have told the dealer about both issues, but so far they says it's up to toyota standards.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. Whenever the contact drove the vehicle at various speeds, he noticed that the steering wheel became very stiff and hard to turn in all directions. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating properly and nothing could be done. The contact has noticed the failure since the day he purchased the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 30,126.
The steering on this vehicle is hazardous. I have explained it to the dealer on at least 2 previous occasions as being "hyper-sensitive". While driving if you hit a bump in the road the slightest movement of the steering wheel is exaggerated and the car begins to veer left or right. Trying to compensate the veering only exacerbates the problem.
Steering wanders back and forth at highway speeds.
2009 toyota corolla s drifts from left to right at hwy speed. As if driving in strong wind. Wonderd why wrists sore after 30 minute commute. Read about eps problems and allowed the car to take its course on quiet freeway. Sure enough the car pulled fairly strongly left.
Steering problems---as soon as I pulled my new 2009 toyota corolla off the sales lots in december 2008 from dan cava toyota I could barely keep it on the road. The steering was going from left to right without me turning it. It was by far the most dangerous car I had ever driven and I used to be a goodyear dealer. I complained 3 different times about the problem but it was never fixed. They said it was the wind and buckhannon toyota just let the air out of the tires when I complained there. It was a continuous problem and if I made a sharp turn, at time the wheels would go as far in that direction that they could go and they car would go into a uncontrolled skid. Mind u I was a goodyear dealer, I know about cars. Then I noticed that as I put more miles on the car it was slowly getting better and by the time I had 3,000 miles on the car it had quit. If a lesser experienced driver had been driving I am sure it would have caused a crash.
I bought a 2009 toyota corolla for my wife because of its safety features. We notice d the steering was stiff, but the sales person assured us it would be better the more we use it. It has been over a year and no improvement in the steering, it is still stiff and tends to drift. We bought the vehicle in april of 2008 and it only has a little of 5,000 mile on it because my wife does not like driving it due to the steering.
8-10 instances over 2 years with a 2009 corolla drifting while traveling on a straight highway, as if a strong wind was blowing when there was in fact no wind. The steering would become extremely light and unresponsive, prompting me to immediately slow down. It almost felt like hydroplaning, but again, there were no environmental conditions as such. Nothing has been done to date to correct the failure. I didn't think much of it until hearing about the corolla power steering investigation.
2009 toyota corolla steering is extremely light and requires constant correction to hold a straight line. Even on a calm day it is like driving in a heavy wind. On a windy day speed must be reduced to maintain control. If you run the tires at recommended pressure it is even more difficult to maintain control. About 32 lbs is optimum but still work. This way since purchase. If you lit the steering drift go too far a sudden correction causes an oversteer.
Driving on a highway or roads the is above 50 MPH, my car steering wheel started to make a unusual movements ,it feels like don't have any control over the vehicle I recently had a incident, it was a monday morning went I was driving on a parkway about 55 MPH went my vehicle star to pull to my right them left and was very hard to stay in a straight line so I stop and call my dealer and have them check it out but nothing have been done to my car.since I buy my car I felt this problem and I took my car back to the dealer three times all ready and they say is a engineer problem and because is a sport car ,so after I read about this issue over the internet I'm very sure I wasn't the only one with this problem. Please I willing to provide my car for a deep inspection because I don't feel secure with this car.
09 corolla steering problem feels like its binding and wont hold a strait line. I took it to the dealer in granbury texas dec.21, 09 they drove it 55 miles and said the front end was out of alignment declared it fixed. The car still has a problem .
Safety problem with steering when driving at highway speeds on 2009 corolla when driving at highway speeds, the car tends to veer to one side or the other, especially when driving along a curve, apparently due to the vague, unresponsive electric power steering system. This causes a sense of loss of control and the need to hold on tightly to the steering wheel to keep the car from veering outside of the lane. This is considered to be a serious safety issue and I don't see how this can be remedied by any adjustment or repair except to recall the car itself and take it off of the road. This occurred the first day I drove the car on the highway.
I was driving on to the off ramp and off the freeway decelerating from about 65 miles per hour. I felt as if a strong gust of wind pushed my car to one side at the same time this occurred the steering wheel jerked to the left pulling my hand with it. At this point I had no idea what had happened I tried to recorrect the wheel and instead it went wildly back to the right. This happened another time within a couple of seconds. The next thing I know the car spun around 180 degrees facing oncoming traffic of cars coming off the freeway at which point the car drifted, hit the curb and rolled into the embankment. The car was totaled. My passengers leg was also injured and we are lucky to be alive. Until all this news came out about toyota I had thought that what had caused my accident was strong winds because honestly that is what it felt like when I was driving behind the wheel and on top of that I was traumatized so I never thought about the accident having anything to do with the cars mechanical failure. Looking back I don't even believe the wind was even blowing that day that was the first time I drove that car on the freeway after purchasing the car. My sister also drove it once on the freeway and she also mentioned that the steering wheel felt hard to handle. Shed mentioned that driving from san jose to san francisco she had to have a firm grip with two hands on the steering wheel because it felt strange. The accident was in 2008 and it was a 2009 corolla. Because of the accident we weren't even able to have a chance to determine whether or not the steering wheel actually had a defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. He stated that the electronic steering wheel became difficult to control and resistant when turning the wheel in either direction. He also stated that the vehicle would bear to the left or right often times without driver intent. The dealer was contacted and they test drove the vehicle with the owner at approximately 35 MPH and verified that the failure does exist. When depressing the brakes at various speeds, the brakes would feel as if they were not engaging, then they would immediately respond and lunge the vehicle forward. No repairs were made to correct the failures. The failure and current mileages were under 13,300.
This letter was dated and sent june132009 re: steering, brakes and/or suspension of my 2009 toyota corolla le, 4 door sedan. With a mileage of 11,682 to date. Toyota motor sales, u.s.a., inc., this letter is in regards to the recent road handling of my toyota corolla (listed herein). I purchased this vehicle to replace my 1995 toyota avalon as a vehicle to drive to and from work. I drive quite a distance to work having put on 8000 miles on this car in only 3 months of ownership. Our family car is a 2007 matrix xr. We are obviously fans of toyota vehicles. This past week the bishop ford highway, which is part of my route to work in chicago, was scraped prior to a resurfacing of the road. This left a stretch of road which was very rough and with deep wavy grooves cut into the pavement. When my car crossed into the scraped section of pavement my car lurched about a foot to the right (without the steering wheel moving). This alarmed me as it could have caused an accident but the steering recovered under normal conditions but I realized something was wrong or loose in the front end. My warranty was coming due (12,000 bumper to bumper) and the car does handle well for the most part and I need the car for work so I figured I would wait a few days until the weekend to have it fixed along with the brakes which are starting to feel spongy. New pads are probably needed on the front end. I will have them checked independently this week and pay the out of pocket expense (even though this should have been covered under the warranty, even if the brake pads are close to being in need of replacement at this point). Our service department at toyota on 30 in merrillville indiana did not find any problem with the brakes and the road handling could not be duplicated by their mechanics. I am a very experienced driver at age 45 with not even a parking ticket to my name. If there is a serious flaw...
Steering 2009 toyota corolla, vehicle continually feels as if it's being buffeted by winds, it wanders from center of lane and readily veers from straight trajectory while checking over shoulder for traffic during lane changes. Condition is unnerving and uncomfortable, hazardous for young or inattentive drivers. Purchased vehicle july 28 2008 and this is a continuous condition.
My toyota corolla/s/l has had steering problems since we bought it. Especially on the highway the car veers/swerves to the left and right like you were driving in a wind storm. This is my 18 year old daughters car. It's a 2009 with 20,000 on it and every single time she brings it for a oil change she tells the mechanic to check the alignment because she has a hard time steering it on the highway. Which that is the only driving she really does. She commutes to college. I am very worried.
Steering on 2009 toyota corolla is loose at highway speeds. Feels like trucks passing you all the time. I complained to several dealers, they told me I would get used to it as it is electronic steering. Now I see I am not alone with this problem.
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