Steering recall?

Source: NHTSA Launches Safety Investigations of 1.4 Mil Fords, Toyotas, Hondas | TheDetroitBureau.com

This is weird as I've not found anything on the NHTSA web site nor other sources. Hopefully, this is just an 'investigation', a rumor of an investigation, that goes no further. What gets me is why anyone in the NHTSA would leak this . . . except I keep getting an 'uneasy' feeling about the NHTSA and their objectivity with Toyota.

Bob Wilson

 

Thanks!

Would you have a sketch or illustrated parts breakdown showing the steering gear assembly?

From the write-up, I get the impression there are two shafts that sandwich the rack. I would love to see the documents submitted by Automotive Systems Analysis to understand how they determined there was a difference between a one-of versus a systemic problem. I might suspect it on one incident but would require pulling other units to determine if that is the case.

Bob Wilson

 

Thank you!

I had an entirely different image but the second report really cleared things up and all I could say was 'WOW!'

I'm going to have to think about this one. In particular, how to detect it in existing vehicles. If you turn either of our cars on, the steering assist motor comes on and steering torque could mask 'slop' in the shaft-connecting, splines.

Diagnosis needs to measure any developing 'slop' in the system. Perhaps if the steering assist fuse is pulled and the front rack 'frozen' with a clamp. Then turn the car ON to 'unlock' the steering column and measure the degrees of steering wheel movement with a known torque, a small torque wrench.

What I find interesting is this quote from the owner:

Source: (pp. 4) http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/acms/cs/jaxrs/download/doc/UCM434136/INBC-DP13001-55486.pdf

Of the owner description, my take:

1. Cruise control would cancel - the cruise control interface in the NHW11 is handled by a set of resistors and switches. It sounds as if the chaffing was going through the insulation, random cruise control events would occur.
2. Drift off course - this symptom is similar to the neutral, steering stability of our NHW11 that I mitigated by installing larger diameter tires (still 14" rims) on the front wheels. It is not uncommon for similar symptoms to have difference root causes but the loose splines would definitely lead to this 'wandering' behavior.
3. Radio reception - some of the largest fuses feed the steering ECU. If slop in the system is causing large numbers of micro-steering corrections, the 12V buss noise would be significant and detectable by poor radio reception. Monitoring the current flow through the steering ECU would reveal the problem.

Mr. Richwine is one lucky Prius owner and more importantly, swift enough to call in Automotive Systems Analysis. I wonder how he came up with their name. But what is with San Diego: Saylor fatal Lexus accident; James Sikes 'runaway' Prius, and; now this. One is an accident, two is circumstantial (or copy-cat) but three begins to look like a pattern.

Bob Wilson

 

We've had to put up with a lot questionable calls in the past mixed with what can only be called deliberate, anti-Prius skepticism. For example, the inflated risk to pedestrians that led to a public law mandating noise makers in the face of a Prius accident rate half that for the USA fleet. Because of this, separating fact from fiction about the Prius has always been a challenge. But Toyota's hands have not been totally clean and paid a pretty hefty fine for past failures to be up front about a previous safety issue.

This one report is more than a little interesting because of the early engineering analysis and the six years it took to develop. Furthermore, this car had gone in for a steering recall but no one has been looking for this particular failure mode. Even now, I'm wondering if it could have been detected by just grabbing the shaft and giving it a good shake to detect the worn splines.

As this becomes more known, the automotive version of hypochondriacs will show up with a seasoning of frauds and hungry lawyers. One can almost hear the mental wrenches out there as someone thinks, 'If I can just take this bolt out, I'll win the Toyota lottery and be on easy street.' It isn't fair or justice but exists.

We'll see how it develops.

Bob Wilson

 

I was trying to avoid some Marine language that would force our moderators to 'clean it up' . . . while they agreed with the sentiment. <grins>

Of all the sins of the the anti-Prius crowd, stupid is not one of them. So the Virginia State government is planning a $100/year 'whack a hippy' Prius tax under the guise of reducing gasoline taxes. The anti-Prius crowd won't give up but will simply move their assaults on reality to new 'tall tales' in the hopes no one notices but the rest of this should be discussed in "Fred's House of Politics."

Going back to the steering failure of this NHW20, the question is 'pattern' or 'one time?' You don't do a safety recall for a fleet if it is a one-time instance that can be traced to a specific failure. Sad to say, the clamping nut torque when removed was not in the original report.

Hummm, I don't remember seeing the clamping nut mentioned. I'll have to go back and see if it was even on the part.

In aviation accidents, it is not uncommon to find the torque of fasteners are checked if there is any suspicion that it might have contributed to an accident. Really critical parts (aka., "Jesus Nut") are castled with a safety wire or pin.

Bob Wilson