When car is driven at highway speeds, 70-75 MPH, steering pulls left and right rapidly, causing car to become very unstable in handling. Seems to drift in its lane. When driving it is very unpredictable. I just purchased this vehicle used and became aware of it. No accident issues only 40,000 miles contacted toyota dealer in green bay, and they said they never heard of any complaints regarding the 2009 corolla electric assisted power steering. Further stated I should 'try and find something on the internet' to show if there are any issues.. Complete stonewalling..
2009 Toyota Corolla steering complaints
Page 4 of 14: complaints 71 to 100 of 382, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Every since buying this car something has felt wrong with the steering. It has gotten worse over time. It feels like you are skating on ice as you drive down the highway even on dry pavement with no wind. The steering wanders constantly causing me to have to correct it. You can't drive it with one hand at all. I've had 3 sets of tires and two alignments to try and correct the problem. The mechanics say they can find nothing wrong.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. The contact stated while the oil was being changed by an authorized dealer, he was informed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated the front passenger side wheel was shaking and the steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,000. Updated 03/21/2012
At around 50 miles on up the car starts to wander all over the road . It does not matter if you have 1 or 2 hands on the wheel . The car just drifts from side to side. I am an ase certified mechanic and I cant understand why there is no saftey recall involving such a serious condition. Toyota is asking for a lot of trouble if they cant find a fix for this issue.
The steering is terrible. Every time I get onto the highway, I have to hold on to the steering wheel very hard with both hands to feel safe. I am always worried about hitting the car next to. The car swerves constantly, and is very hard to control. I can not believe that a relatively new car such as this can not stay straight on the road. It feels as if it were extremely windy outside making the car shake left and right. I have always trusted toyota and thought that they sold nothing but the best. I have lost the joy and excitement in driving. Please correct this dangerous issue. Blind spots are also a major safety issue I have found. Also, there is an extremely annoying rattle inside the car. It sounds like it is coming from the ceiling, and from the rear windshield. It is noticeable at all speeds.
I own a 2009 corolla which I bought in september of 2008. Around june 1st I began having trouble with my steering wheel. While making a sharp turn I heard a loud pop. After that my steering wheel did not feel right the rest of the way home. When I parked in my driveway with my wheels straight I noticed my steering wheel was upside down. The next morning it was fine. 2 weeks later the same thing happened again. I took it to the dealership and was told the computer did not show anything wrong and if the steering wheel had turned upside down there would have been an error message on the computer. I had shown them pictures proving that it happened. They told me they had no idea what the problem was so there was nothing they could do. I am afraid to drive my car on interstates now because I am afraid the steering will go out completely and cause me to wreck. I know toyota has had several complaints about steering problems in the 2009 corolla. I just want to know that my car is safe to drive and apparently no one can tell me that.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. The contact stated that the steering wheel cover panel detached and left the air bag exposed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that a bolt was loose and caused the panel to detach. The vehicle was repaired. The contact was concerned that the air bag would unexpectedly deploy without being involved in a crash. The failure mileage was 35,902 and the current mileage was 36,233. Updated 07/25/11*lj the consumer also stated water was getting inside of the head lights causing them to become discolored. Updated 12/19/11
This morning while driving at 55 MPH on the highway our 2009 corolla seemed to jerk itself out of the middle of 5 lanes of traffic, started spinning, hit the guard rail with the right rear tail section. The car essentially bounced off the rail, continued to spin across the lanes of traffic and back, coming to a rest back on the same side I hit the guard rail. I was extremely lucky that no other cars managed to be involved in this accident. From the minute the car first jerked out of control until it came to a rest I could not gain any control over the steering or movement of the car. The car has done this to a lesser degree on a few occasions over the past few months (car was purchased used, from a dealer, 3/13/2010) which we thought might be due to hydroplaning (we're in seattle where the roads are often wet but we've driven here for 35 years with nothing like this feeling in any other car) or a need for new tires but this was clearly not the only issue. On those occasions it also felt like the car was suddenly floating and the steering jerked it to the left (but I was not going through a deep puddle/hydroplaning). It was momentary but enough to scare me and make me wonder what had just happened. It was raining this morning at the time of the accident but something else caused the car to jerk itself out of the lane and lose control of the steering. It is currently in the body shop awaiting an estimate for repair. The toyota dealer didn't want to look at it despite my description. I'm left traumatized, with likely whiplash and a wrecked car. This car is not safe! We are afraid to drive this car anywhere! I will also be contacting toyota corp. Regarding the apparent problem, the accident and the dealership's dismissal.
Electric power steering over corrects. Dangerous while driving at high speeds. First time I had to report a life threatening incident. My 2009 toyota caused me to pull over twice to check the steering. It felt as if was hit with by heavy winds. While driving at above 60mph I was fighting to control the steering, the car would cross over lanes was about to loose total control, on several long turns in the hwy. At times it was safer to drive with no hands.!!! There was no mechanical noise while driving, but I'm now afraid of the car, my daily commute is 80 miles. I purchased this card second hand from a dealer. Today I registered the car with toyota.com after my terrifying experience; to my surprise the previous owner had reported a long list of issues from faulty sensors to steering problems. Hate to assume that this was the reason to trade-in the car. But ill be looking to do the same. I hope this helps the federal safety agency investigate this issues.
My 2009 toyota corolla purchased in december of 2010 has "wandered" slightly while driving at highway speed since I purchased it. This has been an intermittent occurrence that often left me questioning alignment or road condition until today when while driving to work the problem again occurred and unlike the previous occurrences where the car would drift slightly much like what might occur while driving in high wind, the car began to swerve in and out of the lane requiring me to come to nearly a complete stop in the middle of a freeway. This is my 3rd toyota and 2nd corolla (2003) traded in for this vehicle. I have been driving since 1977 and am a safe driver that understands that different models and equipment changes may create subtle differences from vehicle to vehicle. This condition is not however, something one can contribute to anything logically related as it starts without warning, usually at speeds over 50 to 55 mile per hour and in varying severity. This was a nuisance until today and now is something that leaves me fearful to drive as had there been a vehicle next to me, a collision most likely would have been unavoidable. The road surface was clear, the weather was clear and the wind was low, so weather did not play as a factor.
This is my first complaint I've ever filed with the federal safety agency, and it is because I believe now that our car is incredibly dangerous to drive unless substantial changes are made to the electric power steering. We recently purchased our 2009 toyota corolla, and at highway speeds (60-75 MPH) the car is pushed around by wind constantly. Even if it isn't windy though, the car still will not track straight, and feels as though wind is pushing it from side to side. A few days ago, on a fairly windy day, I had to hold the steering wheel to the right to keep going straight and prevent the car from being pushed into the left lane on the highway. As soon as a short break in the wind happened though the car would then shoot over the line to the right (where the steering wheel was pointed to counteract the force of the wind pushing the vehicle to the left). Although on calm days it is sometimes only an annoyance, on windy days (even in light winds) it can become extremely dangerous at 70mph. I have owned many different vehicles over my years, and this is by far the worst handling car on a highway that I have ever driven.
The vehicle would have an intermittent delay upon start up and intermittent power steering "lock up" when making sharp turns. During the power steering failure the vehicle would also lose radio and A/C as if the vehicle was powering down. I took the car to my dealership where I had purchased the vehicle less than a month before these issues. My first incident happened in a parking lot in front of another vehicle luckily, the other driver was paying attention and did not hit me. Another incident happened on an exit off ramp which was a very sharp circular portion of road, the power steering completely went out and I had to "muscle" through the turn, suddenly the power steering was working again which almost caused me to lose control of the vehicle due to me going from using all my might to turn back to the vehicle working properly. My service dealership recalibrated steering torque sensor and found tsb 0182-09 for hard start condition, reprogrammed engine computer and added fuel tank additive per bulletin instructions. I drove the vehicle a few days until once again my car had the exact same issue. Took my vehicle back to my dealership for service again. Service order states; inspect steering operation found eps will cut out and cause radio, headlights to cut out. Scan check record and flag events. Test and recharge battery pass. Open tech line case review data. Zero point and monitor again per tech assist failed after 3 turn. S/o power column assy. Replaced power steering column assembly and also found loose pwr supply wire nut causing voltage drop to system. Tightened nut and test drove. Vehicle total loss in single driver/vehicle accident. My 17 yr old son lost control and hit a tree. He suffered traumatic brain injury and cannot tell me the cause of the accident. I was disappointed to see the results of the federal safety agency power steering investigation. I know for certain my steering complaint was not due to bad driving, how could bad driving possibly cause power steering to lock up and your car to "power do
The steering goes to the left or to the right... I have to really hold on with both hand to control the steering. When I go fast on the highway the car seems to lose control.. It will not go straight. I get real nervous everytime I drive on a highway. I just do not feel safe.
2009 corolla seems to float all over the road and can't keep it straight. Just today the electric power steering sensor light came on. Until now I thought it may have been the wind or my tires. I purchased new tires but still the same problem of wondering all over the road. I experience this at all speeds.
I was driving along the freeway at a normal speed of about 55-65mph, when suddenly my car start swerving right and left, and I have no way of stopping the car but to hold the steering wheel all the way to the left so it would hit the dividing wall of the freeway to stop it moving.
I drive a 2009 toyota corolla s. Starting today I refueled my car and when I started the car again the steering was extremely hard to move. I tried restarting it three times before the steering was back to the way it normally turns. Later that day I started my car again and heard a buzzing from the steering column and the power steering went away again. I restarted the car and power steering was back. Again that day I started my car and proceeded to back up when the power steering went and the wheel locked up turning left as I was backing up. I almost hit a wall in a parking garage and had to restart my car until power steering was regained. I made it back to my office and will drive my car straight to the selling dealership after work.
The car was purchased on 10\19\2010 in a town about 3 hours from where I live. My wife drove the car home. Tire pressures were checked and were at 30 psi per the vehicle's manufacturer's label. I then drove the car (for the first time on a highway) and noticed that the car was indeed unsteady in curves. It wondered left and right and the power steering seemed loose or was adding power steering boost when not necessary. On 11/01/2010 I brought the car to an alignment shop that bighorn toyota uses. They said the alignment was not within specs. Afterwards and on my way home (about 1 1/2 hour drive down interstate and two lane roads) I now noticed that the vehicle, when in left curves, continued to have this slack or loose feeling at highway speeds and would not correct itself or straighten out coming out of the curves. One would have to keep your hands on the steering wheel to compensate for the looseness. Right corners or curves were not loose and the vehicle would correct itself once you came out of the curve. Thinking that the alignment was not done correctly I went to another shop (big o) in craig, co. They said the alignment was perfect (I have both print outs to confirm). At this time I decided (after discussion with the store manager) replace the tires with a higher quality tire. The same problem still existed afterwards. I contacted a toyota service manager, they are aware of the issue but have no fix for the problem as of this date. This may not be a big problem on dry roads but on icy, snow packed or wet roads, this car will be a handful to keep it under control.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. The contact stated that another driver was operating the vehicle 55 MPH when the steering suddenly malfunctioned. The vehicle began swerving in and out of traffic as the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle began to spin out of control and landed sideways before coming to a stop. The driver was uninjured. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer but was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that they would send a representative to inspect the vehicle for the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileage was approximately 29,600.
My 2009 corolla le has been having front end alignment / steering problems since new. It started shortly after buying it, I took it in for it's first oil change and asked the dealer to look into the alignment since the steering wheel was off center. This happened again 2-3 times afterwards, then I finally had brakes serviced and had it aligned. 2-3 days later after alignment I noticed the wheel off center again. I am a busy person so I decided to take it for due oil change and have them take a look at the steering once again because now is getting worse, is pulling to the right and the other day I over compensated taking a left turn and hit the curb which caused to bend the lip of a wheel, lucky for me no air got out of the tire. Now I have to buy a new wheel, that one would never balance. Please help, there is something wrong with the front end of this car, maybe a recall should be made.
My 2009 toyota corolla continues to be all over the road at highway speeds. I have to make constant corrections in steering to keep in within the lane. The eps is way too sensitive. Very dangerous and produces driver fatigue and potential for overcorrections. I have read in consumer reports that toyota has addressed this and is offering a fix, only to those customers who complain, to replace the eps control module. I contacted my dealer on 9/24/2010 and the service manager stated he knew nothing about this fix. The dealers were supposed to know about this in june 2010 from a service bulletin from toyota corporate. Please require toyota to issue a recall to replace the eps control module as the dealers are reluctant to fix upon request from the customer.
My 2009 corolla seems to have unsafe steering at highway speeds. It takes a lot of correcting and feels like I have alignment issues in the front or something out of alignment in the rear. It is like the steering is to sensitive and there is absolutely no feedback as to what the car is doing.
2009 toyota corolla with steering issues. Car always pulls to the right. Already needing to replace tires, with only 24,000 miles on it. Dealership not covering anything.
It was raining on 441 and I was doing 45mph, all of the sudden the steering wheel started drifting a lot switching me from one lane to another. I completely hydroplanned. I started spinning, almost hitting a big wooden pole, and I ended up falling into a big ditch full of water. It was the most scary feeling I've ever had.thanks god there weren't any more cars, so I didn't hit anyone. After that incident I got the car checked by a friend. They told me the dealer was so irresponsible for selling me the car with 2 rear tires that were almost worn out. I thought that could've been the reason why I hydroplanned, so I changed the 2 rear tires for new ones after that. After driving it again, over a bridge, the steering drifted again. I didn't spin, but it pulled me to the right, enough to got me scared again, and it wasn't even raining. After that other incident I drove it many more times on the highway, and everytime under highway speeds or when I passed by a big truck or anything that made the wind push the car, I kept feeling the steering wheel drifting. I just got this toyota corolla '09 like 3 weeks ago and I can definitely say this vehicle is so prone to drifting, specially at highway speeds, and I think people should be aware of this defect to either get their cars fixed or to not buy any of these year model car, because it goes against your own safety and other people's.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota corolla. The contact was driving 60 MPH when a vehicle ahead of her abruptly stopped. The contact attempted to steer to avoid crashing into the vehicle and lost control. The steering wheel excessively went from left to right and the contact crashed into a cement median. The contact sustained minor injuries to her neck. The vehicle was towed from the scene by her insurance company who deemed the vehicle as destroyed. The dealer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was 24,000.
My 2009 corolla will not go exactly straight at highway speeds. Close, but not exactly straight. Steering must have a very minor correction about every 3-5 seconds to keep the car in or near the center of the lane. This is a safety hazard. 1. If the driver fails to do the constant correction the keep the car in the lane, the car would veer out of the lane - increased possibility of a crash. 2. The concentration required to do the constant minor steering correction keeps the driver from observing surroundings and other traffic - increased possibility of a crash. 3. On a long trip the concentration required correcting the vehicle increases driver fatigue - increased possibility of a crash. I read in the news that "spokesman brian lyons said toyota believes most of the complaints involved wandering from the center steering position that didn't amount to a safety problem." and "on june 3, toyota issued a bulletin to dealers telling them to address complaints by checking the tire pressure and alignment. If those steps are insufficient, the bulletin told dealers they could replace the computer that governs the electric power steering with a new unit, which toyota said had been "re-tuned" with an "alternative steering feel."". As of aug 18, 2010, my local dealer says he knows of no problem with corolla steering and can not find a service bulletin about 2009-20010 corolla steering.
2009 toyota corolla steering issue. Car sways or "wanders" at highway speeds. Dealer replaced the power steering computer with a "returned" one and the problem only became worse. Im terrified to drive my car down the highway because I cant keep the car straight even with a deathgrip on the steering wheel.
Steering not straight, have to constantly adjust the steering to keep car in the lanes.
My complaint is regarding the electric assisted power steering of my corolla xrs 2009, at an approximate speed of 60kmh is very unstable at the wheel maneuvering, starts to move unexpectedly or jerking feel towards the left hand side or right.
I have a 2009 toyota corolla. Since day one I noticed that the steering felt loose. It feels like the wind is blowing the car around and it is difficult to keep it going straight. I need to constantly keep both hands on the wheel. The car is currently at the toyota dealer for repair. At first they said they would not do anything because there is not a recall for this problem. When I explained to them that I had seen an article on the internet that said toyota issued a technical service bulletin that would allow dealers to do the repair if the customer complained, they investigated and are saying now they will fix it.
I have a 2009 toyota corolla with approx. 7600 miles. I was driving down a residential street approximately 30 MPH , when the car suddenly pulled to the right and hit a parked car. This happened so fast I did not have time to react. There was extensive damage to my car and it had to taken off on a flatbed. I was very lucky that I was on a residential street and not a highway. The only injury was to my left shoulder from the seat belt.
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