2008 Toyota Prius Steering Problems

- Steering column components are loose. They make the steering unpredictable. The vehicle moves dangerously from side to side when driving over 65 mph. "U-joint" inside the cabin is the component with play. - Previous recall "12V537000" could be related. My vehicle was not called during that campaign but meets the characteristics. - No dealer has confirmed. - No insurance has inspected. - No warning lamps on. Problem started appearing 2 years ago. Replaced all the steering components with OEM replacements but there is no replacement for steering column components to address the issue on my own.

NHTSA ID

11597152

Incident

Jun 27, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Toyota Prius. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V537000 (Steering) and the vehicle was repaired under recall. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel started to shake with the traction control warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the recall repair had failed. The contact made an appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the vehicle be diagnosed by an authorized Toyota dealer. The failure mileage was 119,000.

NHTSA ID

11474078

Incident

Jun 20, 2022

Mileage

119,000 mi

MY 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE ROAD I COULD'VE INVOLVED IN BIG ACCIDENT IF I WAS ON A HIGHWAY THE WAY IT SHUTDOWN WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGN. IT JUST SUDDENLY STOPPED

NHTSA ID

11289134

Incident

Dec 10, 2019

Mileage

150,000 mi

THERE WAS A POPPING NOISE IN MY STEERING WHEEL AND THEN I HAD NO MOVEMENT IN MY TIRES. MY STEERING WHEEL JUST SPINS ROUND AND ROUND BUT MY TIRES WILL NOT MOVE I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND I HAD NO CONTROL OF MY CAR. SO I BELIEVE IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE STEERING SHAFT OR SUSPENSION.*DT*JB

NHTSA ID

11192607

Incident

Mar 29, 2019

Mileage

14,400 mi

I WAS ALREADY DRIVING (HIGHWAY) FOR OVER 30 MINUTES THIS MORNING (24 SEPT 2018) AND EXITED TO THE CITY STREET. AFTER MAKING A RIGHT TURN (ABOUT A MINUTE AFTER THE TURN AND NOW ON A STRAIGHT ROAD) I MOMENTARILY LOST CONTROL OF STEERING - THE CAR JUST MOVED INTO THE OPPOSITE FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND I SLOWED DOWN AND TRY TO CONTROL IT AND I SWAYED BOTH WAYS BEFORE I WAS STABLE AGAIN. (LUCKILY THERE WERE ONLY A FEW CARS ON BOTH SIDES OF TRAFFIC) IT HAPPENED SO FAST (2-3 SECONDS MAX) AND WHILE A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD AND AN AUDIBLE SOUND - I WAS NOT ABLE TO SEE WHAT IT WAS. I MANAGED TO DRIVE ONTO A VACANT PARKING LOT, OBSERVED THE STEERING AND WHEN I FELT I HAD CONTROL I DROVE ANOTHER 10 MINUTES TO WORK, THIS TIME HAD NO PROBLEMS NOR SIGNS OF A PROBLEM. IT WAS LIGHTLY RAINING AND ROAD WAS WET.*DT*JB

NHTSA ID

11130928

Incident

Sep 24, 2018

Mileage

30 mi

WHEN VEHICLE IS TURNED ON, INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ALSO KNOWN AS THE COMBINATION METER, FAIL TO TURN ON. THIS ISSUE IS VERY CONCERNING DUE TO THE OVERALL COMPUTER CONTROLLED FUNCTIONS OF THIS VEHICLE. THE SPEEDOMETER, TRIP METER, ODOMETER AND OTHER FUNCTIONS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE COMBINATION METER. FUNCTIONS THAT ARE CONSIDERED SAFETY ITEMS SUCH AS THE POWER BRAKES, POWER STEERING, ANTI LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM, SPEEDOMETER, LIGHTS, ETC. THERE IS AN ISSUED WARRANTY COVERING THE ISSUE UP TO A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME HOWEVER SINCE IT IS NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ITEM IT SHOULD BE COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDLESS. AFTER VEHICLE IS EVENTUALLY IGNITED, COMBINATION METER DOES NOT ILLUMINATE AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN OFF THE VEHICLE, IT FAILS TO DO SO WHICH ALSO INCLUDES NOT BEING ABLE TO REMOVE THE KEY. I WAS ADVISED BY A TOYOTA MECHANIC TO ACCESS THE SAFETY OVERRIDE BY HOLDING THE POWER BUTTON HOWEVER THAT PROCEDURE DOES NOT WORK ALL OF THE TIME. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS ISSUE DUE TO MY SAFETY AND DRIVERS AROUND ME AND THEIR SAFETY AND HOPEFULLY THIS ISSUE CAN BE AVOIDED BEFORE A POSSIBLE A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT HAPPENS.

NHTSA ID

10978840

Incident

Apr 17, 2017

Mileage

130,000 mi

ON 10-28-15, I WAS DRIVING AT A VERY LOW SPEED IN A PARKING LOT. AS I ATTEMPTED TO TURN LEFT TO PARK, I HEARD A LOUD CRACK SOUND IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME EXTREMELY LOOSE AND KNOW LONGER COULD CONTROL THE MOTION OF THE WHEELS. I COULD MOVE FORWARD AND BACKWARDS BUT ALL STEERING CONTROL FAILED. THANK GOD I WAS IN A PARKING LOT! I IMMEDIATELY CALLED TOYOTA AND HAD THE CAR TOWED THERE. THEY COULD NOT PINPOINT THE CAUSE BUT SAID I NEEDED A RACK AND PINION STEERING WHEEL SHAFT REPLACEMENT, SPIRAL CABLE, AND STEERING SHAFT. REPAIR COST TOTAL IS $2298.77. MY CAR IS WELL MAINTAINED AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. I'M UP TO DATE ON RECALLS SO THIS WAS VERY UPSETTING TO ME.....UPDATED 12/30/15 *BF*DT *TP *JS

NHTSA ID

10787530

Incident

Oct 28, 2015

Mileage

155,000 mi

I WAS TRAVELING NORTHBOUND ON THE SAW MILL RIVER PARKWAY. EXITED ON THE NORTHBOUND TACONIC STATE PARKWAY RAMP. AFTER CROSSING THE TACONIC STATE PARKWAT OVERPASS. MY 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS (WITHOUT ANY INPUT FROM MY PART) TURNED LEFT AND ACCELERATED ONTO THE GRASSY AREA. EVEN THOUGH MADE MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT CORRECTING MY DIRECTION BY TURNING THE CAR TO THE RIGHT AND TO STOP THE CAR, NEITHER THE STEERING INPUTS OR ENGAGING THE BRAKES HAD ANY EFFECT ON THE VEHICLE. AFTER TRAVELING ALMOST THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE GRASSY AREA, THE CAR WAS CAUGHT BY A BRANCH ON THE GROUND, JUST BEFORE THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CAR WOULD HAVE SLAMMED INTO A TREE. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TURN THE CAR OFF. WHEN I TURN THE CAR BACK ON, EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL. THERE WAS NO ERROR MESSAGE FROM THE ECU DURING OR AFTER THE INCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

10781917

Incident

Oct 13, 2015

Mileage

18 mi

2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER REQUESTING ALL RECALLS ASSOCIATED WITH VEHICLE. *TA THE CONSUMER REFERENCED RECALL # 09V388000. HE ALSO MENTIONED INFORMATION REGARDING A STEERING DEFECT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10667977

Incident

Feb 2, 2015

I WAS DRIVING MY PRIUS WITH 130,000 MILES LAST NIGHT IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD FEATURING A COUNTERCLOCKWISE,(LEFT-HAND) MODERATE CURVE. THE "CIRCLE" ENDED AT AN INTERSECTION WHERE I WAS TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN. I TURNED MY STEERING TO THE RIGHT TO CANCEL THE COUNTERCLOCKWISE TRAJECTORY, BUT MY FRONT WHEELS SEEMED TO BE "LOCKED" IN THE LEFT TURNING MOTION. I SLAMMED THE BRAKES, BUT COULD NOT STOP THE CAR FROM CLIMBING THE CURB AND SIDESWIPING A TREE, CAUSING MY DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT WHEEL TO BE SHOVED BACKWARD TOWARDS THE DRIVER DOOR IN THE WHEEL FRAME. MY CAR IS NOW AT A BODY SHOP WITH AN AGREED $5600.00 IN DAMAGE, MOSTLY TO THE STEERING ASSEMBLY, SUSPENSION, AND WHEEL/AXLE. THE WHEEL PANEL ABOVE THE WHEEL WILL BE REPLACED, AND SCRATCHES ON THE FRONT BUMPER AND DRIVER DOOR WILL BE REPAIRED. WORK IS SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED BY JANUARY 5. I BELIEVE THAT THE CONDITION WHICH CAUSED THE STEERING TO LOCK IN A LEFT-TURN CONDITION WITHOUT WARNING ON A DRY ROAD IS A SERIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT FOR WHICH I SHOULD BE REIMBURSED .FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC AND NO INJURIES, AND EVEN THE TREE SEEMS UNSCATHED. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC ON AN INTERSTATE OR IN CONGESTED HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC. I HAVE BEEN PLEASED WITH MY PRIUS' PERFORMANCE TO THIS POINT, BUT BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS MATTER AS EVIDENCED BY STEERING RELATED RECALLS ON SIMILAR VINTAGE PRIUS MODELS. I REQUEST FULL REIMBURSEMENT FOR MY REPAIR, MINDFUL THAT THESE EXPENSES COULD BE A LOT HIGHER HAD THIS FAILURE OCCURRED UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. I HAD PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED THIS INFORMATION TO A TOYOTA INQUIRY WEBSITE AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OR RESPONSE FORM TOYOTA. *TR

NHTSA ID

10668150

Incident

Dec 15, 2014

Mileage

130,500 mi

THIS IS A REPORT OF PRODUCT FAILURE AND SUBSEQUENT REFUSAL BY TOYOTA TO REPLACE FAILED PARTS POST 36 K MI. WARRANTY. THEY ARE A STEERING WHEEL COMPOUND DISINTERGRATION AND THE PREMATURE OXIDATION OF THE PLASTIC SPOILER PAINT ONLY W/O SIMILARLY OCCURING ON THE SHEETMETAL OF THE BODY.

NHTSA ID

10654405

Incident

Nov 3, 2014

GEAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WITHOUT USE OF GEAR SHIFT CONTROL. HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES AND WASN'T ABLE TO SHIFT INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. KEPT GOING BACK TO NEUTRAL. PARK ALSO WASN'T WORKING. POWERED CAR OFF WHICH DID PUT IN PARK. RESTARTED AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT ISSUE. TRIED TO RECREATE AT HOME AND SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. WAS ABLE TO MANUALLY HOLD GEAR SHIFT IN DRIVE OR REVERSE TO MOVE CAR INTO DRIVEWAY. HAVE LEFT CAR AT TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER TODAY FOR INSPECTION. DID NOT OCCUR WHEN TECH TRIED IT DAY AFTER INCIDENT AT 7AM. INITIAL INCIDENT OCCURRED ON HOT AFTERNOON AT 5PM WITH 100 DEGREE TEMPERATURES. HAVE READ ONLINE OF SIMILAR PROBLEMS RELATED TO HOT TEMP. HAVE HAD CAR FOR 5 YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. JUST CROSSED 50000 MILES AND AM COVERED UNDER WARRANTY UNTIL OCT. I HOPE IT CAN BE REPAIRED. AND HOPE IT DOES NOT HAPPEN WHILE I AM DRIVING AT FASTER SPEEDS. SO FAR ONLY HAPPENS WHEN PARKED AND RECENTLY STARTED. STARTER BATTERY WAS REPLACED AROUND 2 YEARS AGO. *TR

NHTSA ID

10616525

Incident

Jul 25, 2014

Mileage

50,050 mi

STEERING WHEEL SEEMED TO LOCK, CAUSING ME TO NEARLY LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10614888

Incident

Jul 20, 2014

Mileage

56,900 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 10 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY VEERED TO THE LEFT. THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE WAS CRASHED INTO BY A DUMP TRUCK ON THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE STEERING FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 147,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10587760

Incident

May 9, 2014

Mileage

147,000 mi

CPCS:I1410421A. 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS. CONSUMER STATED THE CAR WAS TAKEN IN FOR A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. APPARENTLY, TOYOTA HAS NOT ALLOWED ANY WAY TO ADJUST THE REAR TOE OR CAMBER ON THE PRIUS, WHICH CAN RESULT IN STEERING ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH EXCESSIVE OR UNEVEN TIRE WEAR. *LN

NHTSA ID

10563054

Incident

Jan 15, 2014

TOYOTA PRIUS 2008 DRIVING OVER POTHOLES OR WET PAVEMENT, IT'S HARDER TO STEER OR BRAKE THAN I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED IN ANOTHER CAR. THIS HAS HAPPENED APPROXIMATELY 15 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN JULY 2008. *TR

NHTSA ID

10304384

Incident

Jan 15, 2010

Mileage

9,000 mi

AFTER HAVING DRIVEN MY PRIUS NEARLY 15,000 MILES IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER (EXCEPT SNOW) AND ON RESIDENTIAL ROADS AS WELL AS INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS WITH NO STEERING PROBLEMS, ON A SINGLE DAY ON RESIDENTIAL STREETS AT 20 TO 25 MPH AND GENTLE RAIN, IT HYDROPLANED TWICE WITH DAMAGES EACH TIME TO THE CAR AND TO A FIRE HYDRANT ONCE. EACH EVENT WAS WHILE GOING AROUND A GENTLE LEFT CURVE AT REASONABLE SPEED. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS ABLE TO CORRECT AND SPIN OUT 360 DEGREES WITH THE LEFT QUARTER-PANEL HITTING A ROADSIDE GARBAGE CONTAINER. THE SECOND TIME, THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND TO ANY STEERING MANEUVERS NOR THE BRAKES WHEN APPLIED. THE CAR STOPPED ONLY AFTER COLLIDING WITH THE FIRE HYDRANT. SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE WAS SUSTAINED IN EACH COLLISION. I HAVE TRAVELED THIS STREET SEVERAL TIMES DAILY, OFTEN ON RAINY DAYS, AND NEVER BEFORE HAD ANY STEERING PROBLEMS. IT WAS AS THOUGH SOMETHING HAD CHANGED IN THE STEERING CONTROL ON THIS DAY. I WAS SOBER AND UNIMPAIRED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10251059

Incident

Nov 28, 2008

Mileage

14,000 mi

VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY, ALMOST DANGEROUSLY, SENSITIVE TO CROSS WINDS AND WAKE TURBULENCE FROM LARGER VEHICLES, TRUCKS SPECIFICALLY. *TR

NHTSA ID

10248893

Incident

Aug 22, 2008

Mileage

2,000 mi