I had lost functionality for some buttons on the steering wheel that didn't directly impact safety. On replacing the clockspring mechanism inside the whweel I decided to inspect the old unit. Four of the lines in the flex cable are impacted by corrosion, three have already failed. The fourth line is one of the airbag's electrical lines. I'm filing an issue report because the airbag would be next impacted by this failure and I believe there's a fair chance the corroded line could fail during the vehicle's attempt to fire the airbag on the wheel.
2005 Toyota Prius steering problems
39 complaints (4% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 85,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 39
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 85,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
- Linkages: tie rod assembly1
- Linkages1
- Electric power assist system1
- Column1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Toyota Prius steering problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Toyota Prius steering
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Steering: gear box: shaft sector
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2009 Prius vehicles manufactured August 5, 2003, through March 30, 2009. The affected vehicles have a steering intermediate extension shaft assembly built with metal splines that complete the connection from the steering wheel to the steering gear. These splines may have been manufactured with an insufficient hardness.
- Risk
- Over time, the splines may wear and eventually fail resulting in a loss of steering ability, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the extension shaft and replace it if it is one with insufficient hardness, free of charge. The recall began during December 2012. Owners may contact their Toyota dealer or the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 12V537000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- The intermediate shaft and sliding yoke in the electric power steering system can crack when large forces are applied and the connection may separate or the sleeve may fracture.
- Risk
- This could result in a loss of steering control of the vehicle.
- Remedy
- Toyota will replace the steering intermediate shaft and inspect the sliding yoke and replace it if necessary. The recall began on june 9, 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 06V188000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Intermediate Steering Shaft Separation
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a January 2013 defect petition requesting that it open an investigation on Model Year (MY) 2004-2009 Toyota Prius vehicles to address a possible manufacturing safety defect related to the steering column intermediate shaft.During the defect petition evaluation, ODI: 1.Reviewed the petition and its enclosures; 2.Reviewed the subject steering system layout; 3.Examined the Petition Vehicle?s history, including its repair history; 4.Reviewed and followed-up potentially related consumer complaints; 5.Assessed Safety Recalls 06V‑188 and 12V‑537; and, 6.Requested and examined complaint, claim, field report, service history, and warranty information from Toyota.ODI's review revealed that the petition vehicle had been recalled (Recall 06V188) to remedy a defect in the system identified in the petition with the remedy taking place prior to the failure that prompted the petition. Circumstances point to incorrect reassembly of the petitioner's vehicle by those who performed the recall remedy.ODI examined the issues raised by this petition to identify any related safety defect trend in the general subject vehicle population.That review identified a low rate of related consumer complaints (twenty-five over a eight year period from a population of over 600,000 vehicles) and no pattern that would identify either a safety defect not already covered by the two existing steering safety recalls by Toyota or a systematic problem with either recall remedy.Based on this evaluation, ODI does not believe that additional investigation will lead to a finding that a defect related to motor vehicle safety exists in the subject vehicles. Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied. The denial of this petition does not constitute a finding by the federal safety agency that a safety-related defect does not exist. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.For more information, see the Federal Register notice in the public file for this action select the federal safety agency ID, enter: DP13001)The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed on-line under the following the federal safety agency ID numbers:10407520, 10418710, 10429551, 10473654, 10478195, 10478053, 10437229, 10489425, 10510722, 10639984, 10648277, 10499778, 10712626, 10723196, 10787530, 10808124, 10838803, 11071646, 11098144, 11099507, 11102659, 11160767, 11192607, 11287550, 11287606
DP13001
What 2005 Toyota Prius owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The steering on my 2005 prius with roughly 119,000 miles failed. Fortunately it was at a low speed and on a side street but without any ability to steer the car, it could have been really bad if on a main road or at a higher speed! The car is currently with a toyota dealer and the cause is yet to be determined. Toyota stated there is no recall outstanding on the car and it would be out of pocket. There was, however, a prior recall for steering issues. When it failed, I was able to move it back and forth but the wheels would not turn at all.*dt
This is an ongoing problem with their intermediate shaft. They have never completely resolved the recall issue, as it continues to this day.*dt consumer contacted the manufacture, since recall was already replaced once consumer was told they would not be responsible. Also, consumer went to the dealer to get a recall history, shows that shaft has been replaced twice.
Steering is sticky on turning while driving. Kind of jerky. Toyota dealer in ft. Myers, fl. Said they did all recalls. I don't think they did. Is there proof of recalls on my car? Thanks, [xxx]*dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
Steering is sticky when turning steering wheel while driving at any speed.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 toyota prius. While driving at any speed, the steering wheel felt loose and the vehicle was unstable. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the failure was not a recall issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and restated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 193,000. *dt
Takata recall, dash (sounds like something is losse) when driving over bump or at higher speeds. Then I toke it to the dealer they said that's steering column problem.
I was pulling out of a parking spot and my steering completely gave out. I could turn my steering wheel to the left and to the right, but my wheels were not responding to the movement. There was a rough noise as I tried to correct the steering but there was no forewarning of this (I had been driving around town earlier that day just fine - on busy roads with higher speed limits). It was very scary and thankfully, I was only going 5mph so I just stopped the vehicle and placed it in park. My car is currently at an independent repair shop in austin, tx and they said the splines broke which disabled the steering (and that I need to replace the steering rack and yolk). I'm getting a second opinion at a toyota dealership to see what they say, but this major failure was extremely alarming. My prius has approx 92,000 miles on it, and I take very good care of it from a maintenance standpoint. I've never heard of a problem like this before. I have plenty of friends with older cars with more mileage and none of them have experienced a complete failure of steering while the car is in motion. Additionally, my father spoke to a friend who owns a toyota dealership at home and has sold many prius vehicles - he said this was very serious and uncommon. ....updated 12/30/15 *bf please let me know what other information you need to adequately look into this.
1) sudden unexpected acceleration 2) steering shaft severed 3) drivers side air bag inoperative along with all steering wheel mounted controls
I left my house off noble road, cora, wy and pulled on to wyoming highway 352 headed west at about 11 am; my husband [xxx] was in the car with me as were my dogs. The slippery road icon on the dash came on and there was a beeping noise from the dashboard. I was driving at about 10 MPH, though the road is a 65 MPH highway. The day was sunny and I slowed down as the road was dry and the light should not have been on and the beeping noise was a new sound for this car. After 2 miles I made a left turn and pulled into the first available driveway at mile 2, cora road. As I made the left turn at a slow speed, there was noise from the front of the car, then I heard a series of clunking noises from the steering column. I stopped the car in the ranch driveway and read the prius manual regarding the icon and beeping symbols. Then I tried to turn the car around and noticed that the steering wheel just kept turning and did not turn the wheels of the car. [xxx], a rancher whose road my car was blocking, stopped to help me and noted that the steering wheel was not working. He gave my husband a ride back to our house to get our other vehicle. I called the local towing company, t and l towing, and they came to the site. The car would go forward and backward but the wheels would not turn. Tom nixon, tow guy, and I worked the car around to a position where I could drive the car forward on to his tow truck. The nearest toyota dealer with prius service is in rock springs, wyoming, about 107 miles away and tom towed the car to their service lot. I called the dealer in rock springs to notify them of my car en route to them and explained the situation. I also called the toyota help line at 1‑800‑331‑4331 and talked to sheryl meyers. I explained the incident to her and she assigned a case number of [xxx] to my claim. On monday june 1, I talked to my insurance agent at state farm...updated 06-16-15 *bf ...updated 12/29/15 *bf updated 10/18/2018*cn*dt consumer stated steering has been repaired in 2015. ('parts of this document have b
Questions about the 2005 Toyota Prius steering
Does the 2005 Toyota Prius have steering problems?
Owners have filed 39 complaints about the steering of the 2005 Toyota Prius, 4% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2005 Toyota Prius steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 85,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Toyota Prius steering?
Yes, 2 recalls: 12V537000, 06V188000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Toyota Prius have bad steering?
The Toyota Prius model years with the most steering complaints are 2002 (80 complaints), 2001 (45 complaints) and 2003 (39 complaints).
Other 2005 Toyota Prius problems
Lights 346Brakes 282Electrical 178Acceleration 109Engine 79Airbags 44Transmission 41Driver assistance 38Fuel system 31Visibility 15Body 11Tires 10Seat belts 7Suspension 4Locks 3Wheels 3Seats 1
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