2011 Steering Wheel "Clunk" or Vibration

Yes, if you can reproduce the issue on demand, take it in. I believe there were others that had problems with the steering mechanism.

 

Well then I would just wait till your next service and mentioned to them what is happening so that it gets documented.

 

I had this in my car when I first purchased it. It turned out to be a loose bolt that held the steering column and covered under warranty. It sounds like a worn out lower ball joint but the dealer found out it was the steering column. Now no more noise. But I'm not sure if this solution carries over from LHD to my RHD Prius.

 

I'm on my third (yes third) steering column because of this issue (RHD Prius). Apparantly in the lower spec models Toyota use a different column compared to the higher end versions. In the UK we have t3, t4 & top of the range T-Spirit (not t5 as Volvo have the rights to that). I have the t3 which has the issue whereas the 4t & t-spirit have a better column and don't have problems.

When this 3rd column goes I shall be getting rid of the car as replacement is £1300 for the parts plus 20% sales tax plus fitting and I am now out of warranty. To be honest I'm getting a little annoyed with this issue as I only have 61k miles on the car!

 

Yes. Up down/ in out steering adjustment. Not sure if it's a RHD issue though.

 

Our 2005 Prius with 101,000 miles on the odometer recently began to develop a "clunking" noise in the steering column, especially during parking lot maneuvers, in particular after backing out of a parking spot and rotating the steering wheel the other direction when moving forward. The clunk occurs immediately as the direction of the steering wheel is reversed, and it happens every single time the steering wheel rotational direction is reversed.

It is definitely a "rotary clunk". When I grab the steering wheel and try to move the column up-and-down or side-to-side, I can detect no looseness. It occurs only when the steering wheel direction is rotationally reversed.

I got under the dash with the vehicle turned off and rotated the steering wheel back & forth a few degrees, and the sound is definitely coming from the column, inside the car, right behind the front of the dashboard covering (i.e. close to where my knees are when in the driving position). It is not near the firewall, it is close to the point where the column disappears into the lower dash cover, and it is definitely rotational looseness, not up/down or side-to-side. I checked the multiple U-joints in the steering column and the brackets that hold the column to the firewall, etc, and I can detect no looseness at those joints and brackets.

When I use a flashlight and crane my neck to peer up under the dash where the column enters the dash, I can see what appears to be a cast-aluminum "gearbox" with the column passing through the center of the "gearbox" but also an electric motor (about the size of a power-window motor, or a windshield-wiper motor) is mounted on the side of said "gearbox" cast aluminum housing and I assume the motor is geared into the column inside that gearbox. Is that actually the electric steering assist motor I see under the dash?

Any feedback appreciated.

Thank you.

 

You may want to repost this in the GenII forums (if you haven't already) as it might not get the attention here in the GIII forums.

 

I am glad you posted this. I have noticed this for about a week now...off and on. It is not 100% of the time, but more so after you have back up in one direction and then move forwad in another. As you initially take off and turn the wheel...there is a slight pop sound coming from the steering.

 

There were similar problems with the Rav4. The solution was to use grease/oil the part that is going in or out when you adjust your steer. You might find it on a German community.The solution for the Rav was also replacing steering columns, but the actual problem appears to be a dry rubber part. Search for jumy-forum.de und search for knacken...