2012 Toyota Prius Steering Problems

I was driving on highway & the vehicle stopped accelerating as I was pressing the gas. I put my hazards on & got to the side of the road. Then the eps light came on & the dash stopped showing the mph. The ac stopped blowing cold air & the windows were working slow. I turned car off then back on a couple of times then more lights came on. No lights were on prior to this & I haven’t had any problems w the vehicle before this. I just got this car & I feel like it has something to do with a recall but no one wants to take responsibility for the issue.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Prius. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle lost brakes and power steering functionality. The traction control, ABS, and braking system warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with brake booster failure. The vehicle remained at the dealer and was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V235000 (Service Brakes). The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

THIS CAR HAS A STEERING WHEEL PROBLEM

After feeling looseness from the front end all the way up to the steering wheel when going over any bumps I brought the car to the local dealer. After inspection I was told four things that are very disturbing: The steering shaft needs replacement; The cost will be more than $1100; There is no warranty or recall or cost coverage; The car is not reliable and should not be driven any more than essential until fixed (and they don’t know when the parts will be available). Although the car is out of warranty based on age, this car has only 66,525 miles after almost 9 years, and my wife and I have been the only drivers and not on any dirt roads. I have been told by an independent repair shop this is a known problem with Prius and should be a recall item since it is dangerous to keep driving. This is especially troubling since the dealer could not fix it when I was there because they have to order parts and they don't know when the parts will be in.

Found car tampered with cut in carpet under driver seat to check battery maintenance per Toyota owner manual where hybrid battery was not receiving charge , was running hot Unknown person impersonated me registered my VIN to enroll with Toyota upgraded software app Entune version not with purchase is a 2021 software version with parental like controls, I took to Toyota dealerships below for assistance , new battery and hybrid faulting losing charge, car does not provide hybrid fault notice , loses charge , uses little gas , I researched on side of road to rest throttle and work around as I was driving it could have lost all power and stalled per recall notice needed hybrid software update Ran dr Prius app and finding recalls serviced at Toyota chambers burg pa are coding J0V issue w/inverter not completed and additional engine & battery codes almost causing my car to not enter fail safe mode hybrid battery almost fully discharged as approaching Bay Bridge Service notes from Fitzgerald day there were no issues specific repair request was for diagnostic report of car hybrid battery and sensor check, they claim no issue Only repair was replaced fob key although car at location 10 days, missing fuses found upgrade causes car to get 2-4mpg and burn battery hot/discharge without any dash or other warnings from car Safety recall notice no. 18v-684 are indicative of car symptoms Since incident Easton Md Toyota Service, Arlington Va Koons, Hagerstown MD Toyota and chambers burg refused to provide diagnostics Chambers burg held car did not perform service claiming no issues but noted cut carpet under driver seat above hybrid air vent battery cool/ intake Problem still an issue no Toyota will run diagnostics -

THE STEERING WHEEL MAKE A CLUNKING NOISE AND FEEL LIKE IT'LL FALL OFF WHEN DRIVEN. *TR

INNER LEFT TIE ROD LOOSE, REVEALED WHEN ANNUAL INSPECTION CONDUCTED. TOYOTA HAS NO PART NUMBER FOR THE INNER TIE ROD (EST PRICE $30.00) SO MUST PURCHASE ENTIRE STEERING ASSEMBLY (PART COST = $1,000; LABOR ABOUT THE SAME).

MORE THAN ONCE I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 40/45MPH, ONCE ON A CURVE, ANYHOW AS I WAS GOING THROUGH THE CURVE IT FELT AS THOUGH THE BRAKES ENGAGED, WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THEM. I UNDERSTAND THE SAFETY THING, HOWEVER AT BOTH INSTANCES IT WAS NOT NECESSARY. IT CAUSED THE CAR TO PULL TO THE LEFT. ALMOST CAUSING ME TO LOOSE CONTROL.

AFTER REPAIR OF STALLING ENGINE CONDITION: VSV VALVE REPLACED, A SOFTWARE UPDATE SUBSEQUENTLY WAS PERFORMED ON MY CAR (JOV RECALL). EVER SINCE THAT SOFTWARE UPDATE IT HASN'T BEEN SAFE TO DRIVE MY CAR : UNSAFE BREAKING, REALLY HARD BREAKING, ESPECIALLY ON HIGHWAYS AND UNTIMELY DASHBOARD LIGHTING RELATED TO TRAC/VSC, CHECK ENGINE AND HYBRID WARNING LIGHT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS V. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS INOPERABLE. WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY LOOSE AND THE VEHICLE WENT IN ANY DIRECTION WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL WAS TURNED. ALSO, THE VEHICLE SHOOK WHEN TURNING. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 178,000.

STEERING COLUMN BROKE. DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. HEARD AND FELT A LOUD CLUNK. THUMPING FEELING WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL. WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED. ONLY 130,000 MILES. SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN ON ANY CAR.

NHTSA RECALL NUMBER 15V449 MANUFACTURER RECALL: FOR / HYBRID INVERTER/POWER MODULE (IPM) CRASH INVOLVING PRIUS V (OWNED BY ANOTHER PERSON - MY MOTHER WAS HIT AND KILLED BY PRIUS V) OCCURRED ON SR 105. PRIUS V TRAVELING N ON OUTSIDE LANE CROSSED INSIDE LANE AND 11' GRASS MEDIAN BORDERED BY CONCRETE INTO S BOUND INSIDE LANE AND COLLIDED MY MOTHER DRIVING ONCOMING VEHICLE ON INSIDE S BOUND LANE. WOMAN DRIVING PRIUS V WAS KILLED ON IMPACT, AND MY MOTHER DIED LATER THAT DAY AT UF HOSPITAL JACKSONVILLE. TWO WITNESSES DRIVING BEHIND MY MOTHER SAW CRASH AND SAID THE PRIUS V APPEARED TO BE ACCELERATING ACROSS MEDIAN. CRASH OCCURRED APPROX. 2 MONTHS BEFORE TOYOTA'S RECALL ON JULY 15, 2015 OF 109,000 PRIUS V HYBRIDS. THE PRIUS V THAT KILLED MY MOTHER WAS PART OF THIS RECALL. IN FEB 2014, THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE PRIUS ECU. THE PRUIS V HAD THE SAME ECU, BUT TOYOTA CHOSE NOT TO RECALL THE PRIUS V UNTIL ALMOST A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, 2 AND A HALF MONTHS AFTER MY MOTHER'S FATAL CRASH. IF THEY HAD RECALLED THE PRIUS V IN 2014, WOULD MY MOTHER STILL BE ALIVE?

PIVOT BOLT INSIDE STEERING WHEEL CAME LOOSE, WAS WARNED IT HAD DROPPED TO WHERE IT COULD INTERFERE WITH BRAKE LINKAGES. FILED COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA AND NEVER HEARD BACK SO FILING THIS COMPLAINT. (1) A LARGE BOLT INSIDE A SEALED AREA SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO COME LOOSE IF INSTALLED CORRECTLY (MANUFACTURING ERROR - SINGLE INSTANCE OR SYSTEMATIC?) AND (2) A LOOSE BOLT SHOULD NOT BE A RISK FOR A POSSIBLE CATASTROPHIC OUTCOME - LOSS OF BRAKES (DESIGN FLAW, LINKAGES SHOULD NOT BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO BEING JAMMED - THAT'S WHAT THEY WARNED ME ABOUT WHEN THEY ASKED FOR THE $330 TO FIX IT). THIS WAS DISCOVERED WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR REGULAR SERVICING, THEY TOLD ME THE STEERING FELT FUNNY.

I WAS DRIVING, TRYING TO PARK MY CAR, WHEN THE STEERING (POWER FAILED) IT TOOK ALL MIGHT STRENGTHEN TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE CAR WAS SERVICED BY TOYOTA REGULARLY - THERE WERE NO PREVIOUS SIGNS OR INDICATORS THAT ANY PROBLEM EXISTED. STEERING SYSTEM FAILED; HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. AT 50,000 THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAID THE STEERING COLUMN FAILED, NOT GETTING ANY ELECTRICITY TO THE STEERING COLUMN. NEEDED A NEW STEERING COLUMN.

THERE WAS A RATTLING OR KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE DASH AREA OF THE PASSENGER SIDE WHENEVER DRIVING OVER BUMPS AT SLOWER SPEEDS ON CITY STREETS, OFTEN FELT TRAMSMITTED TO THE STEERING WHEEL. UPON TAKING IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, THEY FOUND THAT THERE WAS FREE PLAY IN THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT, WHICH THEY SAID, COULD EVENTUALLY FAIL. IT HAD TO BE REPLACED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE EMITTED WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ONLY WHEN MAKING A TURN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

NOISE ("CLUNKING") WHEN TURNING LEFT & RIGHT AS IF THERE IS "PLAY" OR SOMETHING IS LOOSE SOMEWHERE IN THE STEERING SYSTEM. WORRIED ABOUT SAFETY AND UNDERSTAND THERE WERE PREVIOUS RECALLS OF THE SHAFT ON PREVIOUS YEAR MODELS. DO NOT WANT TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING SHAFT AS DEALER SUGGESTS IF NOT NECESSARY.

VEHICLE IN MOTION WHEN STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENT RELEASED AND WOULD NOT RELOCK CAUSING THE STEERING COLUMN TO MOVE FORWARD AND BACK, UP AND DOWN. THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN WOULD NOT STAY FIXED IN ONE POSITION. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY REMOVED THE STEERING COLUMN AND REINSTALLED A BOLT THAT HAD COME OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN AND REINSTALLED THE BOLT WITH THREAD LOCK. COST OF REPAIR WAS $532. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND OTHER MODELS SHOULD BE CHECKED FOR THE LOOSE BOLT.

I FELT A LOOSE NOISE BEHIND THE WHEEL OF THE CAR. TOOK THE CAR TO SERVICE WHERE I HAD BOUGHT IT AND THEY CERTIFIED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT NEEDS A REPLACEMENT @ 47,000 MILES. PRIUS MODELS FROM PREVIOUS YEARS HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS NOT SOLVED, YET THEY CONTINUE TO HAVE THE DEFECT AND NO OTHER RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE REPAIR ESTIMATE IS AROUND 500.00 I HAVE HAD ABOUT TEN CARS IN MY LIFE AND IN NONE HAVE I EVER HAD THE WORRY OR NOT EVEN THE SOUND OF A LOOSE STEERING SHAFT. WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE STEERING WHEEL... AND I HAVE A FAMILY OF 5.

THE STEERING COLUMN WAS A BIT LOOSE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR USED FROM A RENTAL OFFICE AT I 95 TOYOTA BRUNSWICK GEORGIA IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE AT 130000MILES ABOUT 90% HIGHWAY THEY TELL ME IT WILL COST $1100 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE WHOLE COLUMN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA PRIUS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO DRIVE IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND DRIFTED TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT. THE CONTACT HAD TO CONSTANTLY ADJUST THE STEERING WHEEL. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10. UPDATED 11/25/14*CN UPDATED 12/02/14*JB

I WAS DRIVING ON MY RESIDENTIAL STREET AND STEPPED ON THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN TO MAKE A LEFT TURN INTO MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAR FAILED TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP, AND INSTEAD WENT OVER THE CURB, VEERING TO THE RIGHT AND SIDE SWIPED THE LEFT SIDE OF MY NEIGHBOR'S CAR, NARROWLY MISSING HIS GARAGE.THE CAR THEN SIDE SWIPED A TREE ON MY LEFT (ON PROPERTY BETWEEN MY AND NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY.) THE FRONT END OF THE CAR CRASHED INTO A TREE, SAVING ME FROM ROLLING ABOUT 900 FEET TO THE STREET BELOW. THE ENTIRE TIME OF THIS INCIDENT THE BRAKES NEVER ENGAGED (PEDAL WAS DOWN TO FLOOR) AND I FRANTICALLY TRIED TO STEER TO AVOID HITTING ANYTHING. A WITNESS, STANDING ON THE STREET, CONFIRMED MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ON. CAR WAS SERVICED BY TOYOTA (WORLD CLASS INSPECTION) 15 DAYS BEFORE THE INCIDENT. INSPECTION REPORT INDICATED BRAKE FLUID LEVEL AND BRAKE LINING WERE "CHECKED AND OK." AFTER THE INCIDENT THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SITE WHERE THE OPERATOR DEMONSTRATED TO ME THAT THE BRAKES WERE NONEXISTENT AND THE BRAKE FLUID LEVEL WAS STILL APPROPRIATE. CAR WAS DEEMED TOTALED. *TR

I HAD TO RETURN A 2012 PRIUS I RENTED FROM AVIS CORP. THE CARBON FIBER STEERING WHEELS ON THE 2012 PRIUS VEHICLES ARE DECOMPOSING IN THE FLORIDA HEAT AND SUN. THE STEERING WHEEL IS PUTTING CARBON (GLASS) FIBERS INTO PEOPLE'S HANDS. THEY MAKE OUR HANDS RED AND ITCH FROM THE CARBON GLASS FIBERS POKING OUR HANDS. YOU CAN SEE THE FIBERS SHINING IN THE SUNLIGHT AT THE RIGHT ANGLE. YOU GUYS NEED TO LOOK INTO THIS. PROBABLY NEED TO COVER WHEELS WITH LEATHER OR SOMETHING. ALSO, IT APPEARS TOYOTA DOES NOT ANSWER THEIR SUPPORT PHONES AND FIXED THEIR SUPPORT (COMPLAINT) WEB SITE NOT TO WORK. YOU CANNOT TYPE INTO THE MESSAGE FILED TO DESCRIBE YOUR ISSUE. *TR

VEHICLE IS PARKED OUTSIDE, AND DURING MORNING COLD START, THE VEHICLE PRODUCES A MOANING/WOOING SOUND FOR APPROX. 50-75 YARDS WITH VEHICLE MOVING UNDER 25 MPH. THE SOUND IS BEING GENERATED FROM THE FRONT WHEEL WELLS. SOUND GENERATED IS RELATED TO VEHICLE SPEED. THE FASTER THE VEHICLE MOVES, THE MORE FREQUENT THE SOUND BEING PRODUCED DURING THE FIRST 50-75 YARDS. STRANGE SOUND IS GONE AFTER THAT, AND DOES NOT RETURN UNTIL THE NEXT COOL/COLD START. OWNER TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION, AND DEALER TOOK OFF THE FRONT WHEEL TO INSPECT BRAKES, WHEELS, AND TIRES, AND WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE OR REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. ABNORMAL SOUND IS ONLY PRODUCED DURING MORNING COLD STARTS AND WHEN VEHICLE IS LEFT TO COOL(I.E. PARKING LOT AT WORK). *TR