NHTSA Complaint #10495921 — 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS

PETITION FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO DEFECT CONDITIONS IN UPPER IMMEDIATE STEERING EXTENSION SHAFT #2 MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE 2004-2009 TOYOTA PRIUS VEHICLES W/RESPECT TO RECALL 12V-537. *SMD AN INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE CURRENT LOSS OF STEERING ISSUE WAS CAUSED BY A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF THE UPPER STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. THE UPPER STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT WAS DECOUPLED FROM THE ELECTRIC- POWER- ASSIST COLUMN OUTPUT SPLINE. A CAREFUL EXAMINATION OF THE DECOUPLED COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THE UPPER STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT HAD NOT BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED ON THE SPLINE OUTPUT OF THE POWER ASSIST COLUMN. THIS ALLOWED A METALLURGICAL FAILURE ON THE INTERIOR OF THE UPPER STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, WHICH CONSEQUENTLY ALLOWED SEPARATION OF THAT SHAFT FROM THE ELECTRICAL STEERING POWER ASSIST COLUMN. AN EXAMINATION OF THE SHAFT SPLINE SHOWED A LONG TERM DETERIORATION OF THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT #2 INSIDE SPLINE AS EVIDENCE BY METALLURGICAL SHARDS OF DETERIORATED SPLINE METAL STILL RESIDING IN THE UPPER INTERMEDIATE SHAFT CAVITY. ALSO, THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD CANCEL AND NOT RE-ENGAGE, THEN THERE WERE TIMES, WHERE THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD NOT DIS-ENGAGE AT ALL. THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIFT OFF COURSE WHENEVER THE CONSUMER TOOK HIS EYES OFF THE ROAD, FOR EVEN A MOMENT. THE CONSUMER WOULD HAVE TO STEER THE VEHICLE CONSTANTLY OR IT WOULD DRIFT INTO ANOTHER LANE. APPARENTLY, IT WAS DUE TO A COMPUTER ALGORITHM THAT WOULD ATTEMPT TO CORRECT FOR WIND AND ROAD SURFACE ANOMALIES.