2009 Toyota Tacoma Steering Problems

Unknown.no accident ,Steering is tight. Started noticing it May 12 2026.

NHTSA ID

11743521

Incident

May 12, 2026

ODI #11516361 I bought this 2009 Toyota Tacoma with 20,990 miles on it on 11/22/2019. Then the pandemic hit the USA and the truck sat for many months. Then in April 2023 I brought the truck in for repairs and the mechanic told me the frame was rusted real bad and that the recall was past the deadline. I brought it to Toyota of Watertown Dealership on 4/07/2023 with 33,348 miles on it and they said there was nothing they could do because the truck was over the 12 years of manufacturing recall date. My truck was manufactured on 8/20/2009, so my recall ended on 8/20/2021. I owned the truck for 19 months during the recall and I never received a recall notice from Toyota. If I had known I would have had it inspected before the 12 years were up and Toyota would have been responsible for the rusted out frame. Toyota is negligent and liable for not informing me of the recall. Now I am stuck with a rusted out dangerous vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11537275

Incident

Apr 7, 2023

excessive play in steering wheel

NHTSA ID

11514701

Incident

Jan 3, 2023

Mileage

78,000 mi

HAD JUST ENTERED MY DRIVEWAY AND TACOMA CABIN SUDDENLY FILLED WITH HEAVY SMOKE AND SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING. STOPPED VEHICLE, SET BRAKE AND GOT AWAY FROM IT AFTER OPENING BOTH DOORS. SHORT TIME LATER OPENED HOOD TO TRY AND DETERMINE WHAT HAD GONE WRONG EXPECTING S RADIATOR HOSE LEAK. AFTER EXAMINING FLUIDS, ONLY THE POWER STEERING TANK WAS EMPTY AND PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE SMELLED LIKE CABIN DID. HAD TACOMA TOWED TO DEALER TO DETERMINE WHAT WAS WRONG. THEIR MECHANIC FOUND MASSIVE CORROSION OF THE POWER STEERING RACK AND LINES WERE SPLIT/ROTTEN BLOWING POWER STEERING FLUID ONTO MANIFOLD AND LOWER STEERING SHAFT FREEING UP. THEY HAD TO REPLACE POWER STEERING RACK, LINES, OUTTER TIE RODS AND STEERING SHAFT. THEN DID AN ALIGNMENT. BTW THIS TACOMA HAD A FRAME REPLACEMENT ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I FIRMLY BELIEVE POWER STEERING RACK COULD HAVE BEEN STRESSED DURING THAT TIME. ALSO THEY SHOULD HAVE DETECTED THE CORROSION PROBLEM THEN. THE MECHANIC AND SERVICE ADVISOR SHOWED ME WHAT WAS LEFT LEFT OF PSR...SEVERE CORROSION HAD LEFT PIECES OF IT FLAKING OFF. I'M NOT HAVING MUCH SUCCESS GETTING TOYOTA TO COVER PARTS $$$ REPLACEMENT AND I AM A 4 TIME BUYER OF TOYOTA VEHICLES SINCE 1980'S. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED AT HIGHWAY SPEED I WOULDN'T BE WRITING THIS.

NHTSA ID

11270484

Incident

Oct 11, 2019

Mileage

77,482 mi

STEERING SHAFT JOINT FAILED (PN 45203-04021), CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL OF STEERING/ BINDING STEERING

NHTSA ID

11190986

Incident

Mar 13, 2019

Mileage

76,500 mi

IT JUSS STARTED A WEEK OR SO AGO.THE POWER STEERING IS INTERMITTENT GOIN OUT.IT'S VERY SCARY.I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS BUT IT GETS STIFF LIKE THERE'S NO POWER STEERING. THAN IT WILL COME BACK.

NHTSA ID

11181912

Incident

Feb 5, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO NEW COUNTRY TOYOTA OF SARATOGA SPRINGS (3002 NY-50, SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY 12866, (518) 584-7272) AND REPAIRED PER AN UNKNOWN RECALL REGARDING THE FRAME. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL NOISE COMING FROM THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED, THE NOISE INTENSIFIED AND THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

NHTSA ID

11155547

Incident

Aug 28, 2018

Mileage

92,000 mi

POWER STEERING GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. HIGHWAY OR BACK ROADS MAKE NO DIFFERENCE. TURNING THE WHEEL SUDDENLY GETS STIFF, THEN CAN SLIP BACK INTO POWER STEERING AND TURN VERY QUICKLY.

NHTSA ID

11139637

Incident

Oct 8, 2018

Mileage

103,000 mi

IN ADDITION TO A RUSTED FRAME, MY 2009 TACOMA HAS 1.A RUSTY AIR CONDITION SYSTEM WITH RUSTED COMPONENTS. 2.A RUSTED U JOINT FOR STEERING THAT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT & EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE. 3.A RUSTED POWER STEERING COMPONENT WITH A HOLE IN BOTTOM. IT CAN'T BE FIXED UNTIL THE FRAME IS REPLACED. I CAN'T SAFELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE. 4.A RUSTED 4-WHEEL DRIVE ACTUATOR ' TO BE REPLACED. IT DOESN'T G INTO 4 WHEEL DRIVE. 5.BRAKE LINE RUSTED THRU. WILL THESE REPAIRS BE COVERED BY TOYOTA AS WELL DURING THE FRAME REPLACEMENT?

NHTSA ID

11127944

Incident

Sep 1, 2009

Mileage

108,000 mi

STEERING SHAFT BINDING UP WHILE TURNING. THERE ARE NO GREASE FITTINGS OR BOOT ON UNIVERSAL JOINTS

NHTSA ID

11093680

Incident

May 3, 2018

Mileage

170,000 mi

STEERING IS STIFF AND JERKY CAUSING DRIVING CONCERNS AT ALL SPEEDS. PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT MAKING IT AN ISSUE AS CAN OCCUR AT ANY TIME. NOT POWER STEERING RELATED.

NHTSA ID

11093363

Incident

Apr 1, 2018

Mileage

69,100 mi

STEERING SHAFTKNUCKLE IS EXPOSED AND CORRODES RESULTING IN STIFF STEERING. STARTS OUT INTERMITTENT THEN GETS REALY HARD TO TURN, TRUCK HAS ONLY 62269 MILES ON IT AND THIS IS A COMMAN PROBLEM WITH THIS VECHICE ,NO RECALL AND AFTER REPAIR VECHILE HAS TO BE REALIGNED AND AT A TOTAL COST OF $567.58 ALL WORK DONE

NHTSA ID

11090392

Incident

Apr 18, 2018

STEERING IS LOCKING UP WHEN I TURN VERY DANGEROUS!!! SHOULD BE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED!!!!

NHTSA ID

11082092

Incident

Mar 28, 2018

POWER STEERING ASSIST SEEMED INTERMITTENT. THE POWER STEERING LOWER SHAFT AT THE UNIVERSAL JOINT HAS BECOME CORRODED MAKING STEERING DIFFICULT (TO OVERCOME THE CORROSION) AS WELL AS DANGEROUS WHEN FURTHER CORROSION LEADS TO STEERING FAILURE. MANY ON-LINE FORUMS MAKE NOTE OF THIS PROBLEM. IT APPEARS TO BE A SYSTEMATIC DESIGN FLAW THAT CAN LEAD TO DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES. IMAGINE LOSING STEERING CONTROL AT HIGH SPEED. SINCE TOYOTA IS ADDRESSING FRAME RUST FOR THE SAME YEAR, WITH EITHER A REPLACEMENT FRAME OR A PROTECTIVE COATING, WHY ISN'T THIS OF EQUAL CONCERN ON SOME KIND OF RECALL. IT LOOKS LIKE I'VE ADDRESSED THE ISSUE WITH A $600 REPAIR TO PROTECT MY SAFETY, HOWEVER AS THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, WHY IS IT NOT A VOLUNTARY OR MANDATORY RECALL TO ADDRESS THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION. THIS CONDITION STARTED THE DAY AFTER THE TRUCK WAS RETURNED TO ME AFTER GETTING THE FRAME UNDERCOATING. THIS CONDITION HAPPENS AT ANY SPEED, LEFT OR RIGHT TURNS, WHEN COLD OR WARMED UP. IT IS MOST NOTABLE WHEN COLD AT SLOW SPEED (FIRST STARTED UP, TURNING AROUND IN THE DRIVEWAY).

NHTSA ID

11081563

Incident

Mar 27, 2018

Mileage

89,000 mi

STEERING WAS VERY STIFF AND STEERING WHEEL WOULD NOT RETURN AFTER CORNERING CAUSING THE TRUCK TO CONTINUE IN THE WRONG DIRECTION. THE STEERING IS STIFFER IN SOME POSITIONS THAN IN OTHERS.

NHTSA ID

11076397

Incident

Feb 5, 2018

Mileage

82,000 mi

THE WELDS LOWER CONTROL ARM MOUNT ON THE DRIVER SIDE FAILED WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES AT HIGH SPEED AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AND ALMOST COMPLETELY REMOVED MY WHEEL AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM FROM THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11012710

Incident

Aug 2, 2017

Mileage

143,000 mi

STIFF STEERING. STEERING SHAFT KNUCKLE IS EXPOSED AND CORRODES RESULTING IN THE STIFF STEERING. STARTS OUTS AS INTERMITTENT. OCCURS AT ANY SPEED, TURNING RIGHT OR LEFT, ALL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. VERY UNSAFE. WIDELY KNOWN ISSUE

NHTSA ID

10994589

Incident

Mar 1, 2017

Mileage

85,000 mi

PROBLEM WITH TURNING LEFT AND RIGHT, VERY STIFF, LIKE THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE POWER STEERING. BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC, HE HAD TO INSTALL THE LOWER STEERING SHAFT. HE CALLED ARE LOCAL DEALER FOR THE PART, THEY SAID IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM, THEY JUST SOLD 3 THAT DAY. MY QUESTION IS IF THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM, WHY ISN'T TOYOTA TALKING CARE OF THIS! THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE! THIS ENDED UP COSTING ME $400. VERY UNFAIR, THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT.

NHTSA ID

10991233

Incident

May 10, 2017

Mileage

58,000 mi

THE UNIVERSAL JOINT ON THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BECAME CORRODED, CAUSING THE JOINT TO BIND AND CAUSE STEERING TO BECOME EXTREMELY STIFF.

NHTSA ID

10986263

Incident

Jan 2, 2017

THE LOWER STEERING LINKAGE U JOINT (INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT) FAILED DUE TO SIMPLE RUST. IT IS UNPROTECTED AND OPEN TO THE ELEMENTS AND THE FAILURE NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. THE SYMPTOMS WERE EXTREME HARD STEERING AND ALMOST CAUSED ME TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD GOING AROUND A CORNER. THIS WAS A SUDDEN ISSUE, NOT A GRADUAL PROBLEM AND OCCURRED AT ALL DRIVING SPEEDS. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAD 100,000 MILES ON IT.

NHTSA ID

10983222

Incident

Apr 15, 2017

Mileage

100,000 mi

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT PROBLEM SEEMS LIKE THE POWER STEERING STOPS WORKING. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE LESS WHEN THERE IS WEIGHT IN BACK OF TRUCK.

NHTSA ID

10978763

Incident

Mar 17, 2017

Mileage

300 mi

STEERING IS GETTING STIFF, ESPECIALLY AT LOWER SPEEDS, TIGHTER TURNS. CAUSED BY CORROSION GETTING INTO THE U JOINT OF THE LOWER INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT. POOR DESIGN, DOES NOT PROTECT FROM WEATHER / ROAD CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ID

10971999

Incident

Apr 5, 2017

Mileage

110,000 mi

STEERING SHAFT BOUND UP THIS AM AND I ALMOST KILLED MYSELF AND ANOTHER PERSN IN THE OTHER CAR CALLED DEALER HE SAID IT IS COMMON PROBLEM AND THEY CHANGE THEM DAILY. HE SAID TOYOTA IS AWARE BUT FEELS ITS NOT A PROBLEM VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN IT HAPPENED AS I WAS TURNING IT LOCKED UP . THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AND IDEALER KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG. I WENT ONLINE AND TYPED IN TACOMA STEERING BINDS AND THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THE UJOINT OG THE STEERING SHAFT IS EXPOSED TO ALL THE ELEMENTS AND IT IS AS COMMON AS THE TOYOTA RUSTY FRAME RECALL.. SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED WITH THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

10971879

Incident

Apr 11, 2017

Mileage

160,750 mi

NEW BRUNSWICK CANADA BOUGHT THE 2009 TOYOTA TACHOMA 4X4 EXTENDED CAB-OFF ROAD TRUCK LAST MAY 2-16 AT SAINT JOHN TOYOTA AND SHORTLY AFTER NOTICED THAT SOME TIMES THE STEERING WOULD GET STIFF AND IT FELT LIKE MANUAL STEERING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTING WRONG. WHEN ON THE HIGHWAY AND COMING TO A TURN I GRIP THE WHEEL WITH 2 HANDS AND BACK OF ON THE GAS. IN MARCH I HAD THE FRONT SHAFT CHANGED AND ON APRIL 7TH I HAD A NEW RACK AND PINION AND PRESSURE LINE FROM STEERING PUMP AND STEEL LINES ON THE PUMP REPLACED IT COST ME $1,200.00. I DROVE ABOUT 20 KILOMETERS AND THE STEERING WORKED GREAT AND I SHUT IT OFF AND WHEN I STARTED HOME IT WENT STIFF AGAIN. I'M HAVE BEEN AFRAID THAT IF SEIZES UP I'LL BE OFF THE ROAD OR HAVE A HEAD ON COLLISION. THE DAY I BOUGHT THE TRUCK I WAS INFORMED BY A TOYOTA EMPLOYEE THAT THEY HAD JUST RECEIVED A RECALL ON THE REAR LEAF SPRINGS AND THEY REPLACED THEM THAT DAY. IF YOU ARE NOT THE FIRST OWNER DOES ANYONE FROM TOYOTA CONTACT YOU?

NHTSA ID

10971246

Incident

May 17, 2016

Mileage

140,000 mi

I WAS GOING INTO A TURN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING GOT VERY STIFF I HAD A HARD TIME STEERING THE TRUCK. I ALMOST HIT A GUARDRAIL. HAD A MECHANIC CHECK THE TRUCK. HE FOUND OUT THE UNIVERSAL JOINT ON THE STEERING WAS VERY STIFF. HE WAS SURPRISED TOYOTA HAS NO BOOT COVERING THIS LIKE GM DOES. HE CLEAN THE UNIVERSAL AND COVERED WITH A GREASE. NOW WHEN THE STIFFENS COMES BACK I SPRAY WITH A PENETRATING OIL THEN RE-GREASE THE STEERING UNIVERSAL. I HAVE DONE A GOOGLE SEARCH AND THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA. I AM SURPRISED THEIR IS NO RECALL OR ANY MAJOR ACCIDENTS YET.

NHTSA ID

10967888

Incident

Feb 6, 2017