Toyota Prius - Special Service Campaign (Steering Shaft Assembly Issue)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fcm7a @ Jun 21 2006, 03:53 PM) [snapback]274804[/snapback]</div>

Here is a VIN breakdown:

Mfg Identifier JTD
Vehicle Type K K indicates "5 door sedan"
Engine Family KB
Series KB2
Restraint System KB20 Seat belts w/2 airbags, side airbags, curtain shield airbags
Car line KB20U The 'U' indicates "Prius" (We should all have that)
Checksum digit KB20U8 (Ignore this digit in the recall listing)
Model Year KB20U86 (Ignore this digit in the recall listing)
Mfg Plant Code KB20U863 (Recall range begins here)
Car Serial # KB20U863128270

The recall range that Toyota has sent out are based on the last 7 digits of your VIN.

 

Another VIN decoder:

http://fleet.toyota.com/html/vin_decoder.asp

 

Well, I had an appointment this morning at my Toyota dealer for the recall. I thought I would be OK as my VIN was not on the list although I do have a 2005 model; picked up October 8, 2005. After there inspection, they replaced the small shaft and said I would need to come back as my large shaft failed there test. I was shocked but feel the dealer is doing his job!

I asked about safety and was told the parts basically eliminate noise and there isn't a safety issue?

Any further comments welcome.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TMS USA @ Jun 21 2006, 05:59 PM) [snapback]274854[/snapback]</div>

I had the toyota recall letter. You don't suppose they were sent out randomly do you?

 

Took the Prius in today for it's 15k service and SSC 60C. A-a-a-r-r-r-g-g-g-h-h-h! :angry:

Took the mechanic about 1 1/2 hours to do it (another hour or so for 15 k maint) and when I was driving home, I noticed the wheel was off to the left about 10 degrees when the car was driving straight. BACK to the dealer tomorrow! I saw in the 40+ pages of instructions from Toyota how the mechanics are to make measurements and thread the seatbelt through the steering wheel so this doesn't happen; I guess he didn't read that part! Not particularly how I want to spend my Saturday tomorrow after several hours there today.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jun 13 2006, 03:31 PM) [snapback]270707[/snapback]</div>

Same thing happened to my steering wheel after SSC 60C today. It's going back tomorrow.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mojo40 @ Jun 14 2006, 11:29 PM) [snapback]271531[/snapback]</div>

EXACT same thing with mine today!



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TMS USA @ Jun 15 2006, 12:49 AM) [snapback]271542[/snapback]</div>

TMS USA,



I WISH the mechanics would read the detailed instructions AND FOLLOW THEM! I have to take mine back because the steering alignment is about 10 degrees to the left off.

 

After reading all these posts about misalignment, certainly, there's quality control issue here. I m going to schedule the appointment for next week. Hope this won't happen to me. I'll driver around afterwards to make sure the steering wheel is straight.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mbarrows @ Jun 23 2006, 09:35 PM) [snapback]276098[/snapback]</div>

well it is certainly in the guy's best interest to get the job done within the 0.9 hours that the job pays... otherwise he's wasting his and your time. he didn't get paid for the extra time he took on it. took my husband less than the 0.9 hours to do the thing in our driveway.

sorry that your steering wheel is off.

my husband used a small tool that is made to stabilize the steering wheel (sits between the seat and the wheel to hold it steady- much better than threading the seatbelt) and we still had the install done with one tooth off. see- things still happen when you follow the instructions! what your tech failed to do was check the steering wheel center location as he drove it out to the parking lot. could be the dealer you used has porters that drive the cars to and from the bays, so the tech didn't see it, or that he just wasn't paying attention which is something that he should be doing.

i'm willing to bet that a single tooth adjustment on the new part has your steering wheel straight again. a quick adjustment for someone who knows what he's doing. it did it for us- took 10 minutes to do the actual adjustment, again in the driveway.

good luck and i hope that does the trick.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScottY @ Jun 23 2006, 10:29 PM) [snapback]276128[/snapback]</div>

just ask the service writer to note your concern about the steering wheel being straight, and take the car for a drive around the parking lot before leaviing to double check.

 

The saga continues . . . .



When I took it back and explained the misalignment of the steering wheel, the Service Advisor (whom I worked with yesterday) said the mechanic apparently re-installed the intermediate shaft "one spline off" true center (DUH!). Then he informed that sorry, (yeah, right) there were no Prius technicians available today and I'd have to come back a I would warn other PC members to check the alignment of their steering wheels BEFORE leaving the dealership and INSIST on accurate warranty work the first time.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jun 24 2006, 10:12 AM) [snapback]276303[/snapback]</div>

Thank you for your advice; a little too late for me and because a "Prius" mechanic wasn't there today, it probably wouldn't have helped anyway. I do appreciate your concern and helpful advice though!

 

I had my SSC60 done on Friday. It was really fast, right at an hour. I had already heard the warning about the misaligned steering, and I checked immediately when I got in the car. Mine was also misaligned, about 10-15 degrees to the left when heading straight. Even though I tried to inspect it when I was still in the parkinglot, it was difficult to tell that there was a problem until I got up to road speed. There was no way to talk to the tech that worked on it, they are so ditch and run making you pay for your work before they have some lacky pull the car around and run off before you can even get inside.

In addition to the steering being off, they put my dash back on crooked over the leftmost air vent so that it is 1/2 inch below the dash (the rolling vent open-close adjuster is completely below the surface of the silver plastic and unusuable). Yeah, they'll hear about that as well.

I have to go back to have my upper glovebox fixed under warranty (another problem a lot of people around here are having!!!!), so I will make them fix the misalignment and crooked dash then.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TMS USA @ Jun 24 2006, 12:50 PM) [snapback]276364[/snapback]</div>

Thank you for responding; this is DEFINITELY something Ford or the other "big" (??) three would not do! I truly appreciate your answering my post.



Yes, I really do believe something should go out to the service advisors/technicians about the importance of following SSC 60C directions EXACTLY in regards to maintaining proper steering wheel alignment. At 40+ pages though, it might be a tad overwhelming to those reading this SSC campaign. And YES, the technician should definitely take the car for a test drive to verify alignment prior to the customer receiving the car back!



The PR part was that I really believe Toyota needs to stand behind ALL of their products everyday and this includes Saturdays! The Prius will need work Monday through Friday AND Saturday as well! I think the supply of Prius trained technicians has steadily risen since the introduction of the Prius and certainly should CONTINUE to do so after the introduction of the Highlander hybrid and the Camry hybrid.



Overall, I had been very satisfied with the repair/warranty work provided by my dealer. This was the first instance of incorrect work (whick is understandable sometimes; we're all human). What got me is that when I returned (and I had to return the next day anyway in order for Toyota to replace a tire with a nail in the side wall), they were not able to rectify the situation that their mechanic caused because "there are no Prius trained technicians available." That, IMHO, is bad PR!



Again, thank you for your concern and prompt reply. Maybe by alerting other Toyota dealers of this problem, incidents like this will decrease over time.

 

I got back from my trip to B.C., Canada (a week of hiking in the most spectacularly beautiful country I've ever seen) and the SSC 60C letter was waiting for me when I got home. I have an appointment to have the work done on Tuesday. Thanks to PriusChat I know I have nothing to worry about between now and then. The dealer tells me they have the parts on hand. I have more confidence in this dealer than in the one where I bought the car.

 

Thanks to those who helped me with the VIN decoding. I got my letter from Toyota about the recall on Thursday and I called the service manager at my Toyota dealer(Casey Toyota in Williamsburg, VA) to explain the problem with their misunderstanding the VIN chart. They scheduled me for an appointment on Friday. They finished the service earlier than promised and must have followed the procedure becuase my steering wheel is NOT off center! I also noticed that the steering is MUCH tighter than before the service. My only real complaint with driving my Prius was the really loose steering, so I am glad that this was fixed as a side benefit of the SSC. Thanks for all of the very helpful information in everyone's posts and I am very glad to have finished with this SSC on my car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TMS USA @ Jun 24 2006, 01:50 PM) [snapback]276364[/snapback]</div>

TMS- this is a good idea. DH says if a tech lets a car go with a crooked steering wheel, they oughtta be drawn and quartered...

he may be a little harsh.. :blink: but he's got a point, it's pretty ridiculous.


can i mention to everyone again, if you can, find a tech who pays attention to detail and give him your business. the ones that run cars in and out carelessly don't deserve your business and shouldn't be representing a company that's dedicated to quality.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SmarterCarThanYours @ Jun 18 2006, 07:02 AM) [snapback]273013[/snapback]</div>

19 days later and the point made moot, you feel the need to post that revelation?
My point, at that time, was that someone made an unsubstantiated comment about what may constitute “under certain operating conditions.†Important details . . . which AT THE TIME nobody had confirmed with a link. An unfortunate trend here on PriusChat.

>>>>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IndyDoug @ May 30 2006, 06:44 PM) [snapback]263133[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ May 30 2006, 07:24 PM) [snapback]263168[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Jun 25 2006, 08:57 PM) [snapback]276715[/snapback]</div>

I'm a little confused about the argument here, but FWIW, here is what the letter to Toyota dealers states regarding SSC 60C:

Hopefully it will help clear up some of the confusion for other members.