2012 Safety Recall (C0T) - will Toyota replace

This recall was from 10 years ago so hopefully some experts can weigh in.

C0T Recall:
This recall had to do with the Prius Steering Intermediate Extension Shaft. 2 links about the recall are:

• https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2012/RCMN-12V537-6789.pdf
• https://lusciousgarage.com/blog/prius_steering_intermediate_shaft_recall_c0t_-_details_for_owners/

I checked service history of my Prius in the Toyota Owners website and see that the recall was performed in January 2013 (66K miles):

C0T INSP BOLT HOLE, REPL EXT SHFT, 3 BOLTS, ADJ STEERING
C0T INSP BOLT HOLE, REPL EXT SHFT, 3 BOLTS, ADJ STEERING ~|~CHECK VEHICLE FOR OPEN RECALLS ~|~COMPLETED

Parts
Name = EXTENSION KIT, STEER
Part # = 0400141212
Qty = 1​

History of my Prius:

• Jan 2018 - 113K miles - I purchased my 2009 base Prius.
• Feb 2019 - 123K miles - I purchased new tires from Costco, and they mentioned that my front wheels had a lot of "play" and that I should get it checked out.
• Mar 2021 - 135K miles - I mentioned the "play" to my dealership service department. They looked into it, and said I needed to replace rack & pinion, sway bars, and both front tie rods. They quoted ~$1K for just the rack & pinion fix. I'm getting a second opinion from an independent mechanic later this week.

Questions:

1. Do you think the dealer would replace the rack and pinion under warranty? Or it's been too long that any issues would be attributed to normal wear and tear?
2. Based on Luscious Garage link, the defective shaft is countersunk (04001-41212) while the correct shaft is not countersunk (45221-47041). Based on the service history, I suspect the shaft is still the defective countersunk one. Should I ask the independent shop to take a photo of the shaft to confirm whether it's countersunk or not? If the shaft is the countersunk one, is that enough evidence to convince Toyota to replace under warranty?
3. Do you think it's time to sell the car for junk if repairs are excessive (i.e., ~$2K)? It seems it's better to just use that $2K on a replacement car.

Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks for your thoughts, JC91006. Yes, I'll definitely be getting a second opinion later this week.

The service history states "C0T INSP BOLT HOLE, REPL EXT SHFT, 3 BOLTS, ADJ STEERING" which sounds like Op Code 2510LC on page 6 (of 33) of the pdf I linked which states "Perform Inspection, Replace Steering Extension Shaft and 3 Bolts, and Adjust Steering Wheel Off Center Condition". Since it looks like the shaft was replaced during the recall, my current issue is probably not covered under warranty so I'll unfortunately have to pay for any repairs myself.