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Severe steering wheel shaking.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by elendilmir, Nov 7, 2011.

  1. elendilmir

    elendilmir Member

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    This summer, my steering rack failed, and I had it replaced with a remanufacutured steering rack. All went well, until a few weeks ago I started feeling a pulsing effect when turning, usually when turning right. On a few occasions, the shaking has become severe. It is a back-and-forth effect, about three times a second. It is bad enough that it has triggered a power steering error on two occasions. I took it to the garage who installed the rack, asking them to have a look at it, and they found nothing. Because the effect is regular, I am assuming that I am feeling the 12V power assist malfunctioning or reacting to faulty input.

    I just can't have this, so I am going to have another mechanic have a look at it. The part has a lifetime warrentee (I kept the paperwork). What are my rights to have the part manufacturer replace the part if it turns out to be faulty? Has anyone else experienced this problem?
     
  2. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    You send them the part and they send you another one. Shipping the part to them, and labor, is on you. Typically, a shop will include labor in the warranty only if they have acquired the part and charged a markup. No shop is going to pay some other guys labor willingly. Usually it is only under threat of lawsuit that such would happen.

    Did the shop that replaced the rack run the torque sensor zero point calibration with a scantool?
     
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  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It seems pretty clear that the replacement steering rack failed. Has the PS warning icon in the MFD turned on yet?

    I'm not sure how helpful it is to have another mechanic "look" at the rack. A visual inspection is not going to reveal anything. Assuming the rack is at fault, the fault is with the sensors buried deep within.

    You might want to pay an hour of labor time for your local Toyota dealer's svc dept to document the problem so that you can file a claim with the part remanufacturer. Your rights will depend upon how good the warranty is.

    You will now get to find out how willing the remanufacturer is to honor the warranty. Good luck.
     
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  4. elendilmir

    elendilmir Member

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    I have seen the PS warning once. I pulled over, turned the car off and on and it was right as rain. Who knew treating your car like a DVD player would be so helpful?

    My fallback garage declined the job, because they aren't very familar with electric assist steering. I appreciate their honesty. I am planning on taking the car to my dealership (ugh) to see what they can see. If they find nothing, I figure that I can get them to put the rack failure into writing so that I can seek a replacement from the remanufacturer.

    I am not sure what the calibration process was when the remanufactured part was installed, but I didn't have any problems with it for a month or so. Is it reasonable to request my dealership to replace the second remanufactured part? If not, can anyone recommend a good toyota mechanic in greater DC/Baltimore?
     
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    It is reasonable for you to make that request. It is also reasonable for the dealership to decline to do so since they can't make a profit on the sale of the part. Their response will probably depend upon how busy the service dept is.
     
  6. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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  7. elendilmir

    elendilmir Member

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    Understandable. And I'm willing to pay for reasonable labor, although this dealership has padded their labor hours significantly on me in the past.

    @seilerts: I checked in with Hillmouth automotive. They are willing to do the work, but it will be a sclep for me to get all the way to columbia. I'll post up when I know more.
     
  8. elendilmir

    elendilmir Member

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    I had the dealership take a look at it. They cleared the codes, and recalibrated the sensors. The problem happened again this morning. It seems to be a problem when I back out of my driveway first thing in the AM, when I swing the tail sharply to the right (cutting the wheel left). I'll try to post some video, since it's that regular.

    I have a Priuschat-recommended shop (Hillmuth of Columbia MD) about an hour away. I am thinking about having them see if the rack was installed correctly. If not, I guess I will have to swap the part with the manufacturer. :(
     
  9. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    Did the re-builder actually rebuild the rack, including replacing the sensors, or did they do the common replace the seals, clean it and call it good thing? If they don't replace the sensors, you might consider biting the bullet and getting a new rack if you are going to keep the car.
     
  10. elendilmir

    elendilmir Member

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    It's a little hard to know. The car (and rack) are in the hands of Hillmuth Auto Repairs of greater Baltimore. I hope that by tomorrow they will be able to tell me if the rack is bad.
     
  11. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    If you are holding the wheel at the left lock for long period, that can cause high current flow. I am not familiar enough with the Gen I EPS to know if they address this with any kind of protection circuit. You may have noticed on a conventional car that there is a complaint noise (EEK!) from the pump if holding the steering wheel at either lock. With EPS, you can't hear the noise, but the complaint is just as valid. On other EPS cars, a code will set if the steering wheel is held at a lock for long enough. When you get your car back, try to avoid holding at the lock, e.g. turn all the way to the lock but back off by 1/12 of a turn after you hit it.

    I hope you have a good experience with Hillmuth. Good independent shops are hard to find.
     
  12. ystasino

    ystasino Active Member

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    My experience with Thompson Toyota in Edgewood, MD has been positive, particularly with the pricing.