NHTSA Complaint #10625894 — 2007 TOYOTA TACOMA

ON OR ABOUT JULY 24, 2014, I NOTICED WHILE PULLING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY THAT MY 2007 TOYOTA TACOMA TRD EXTENDED CAB WITH 62830 MILES THAT THE STEERING WAS QUITE HARD TO TURN. BUT THE PROBLEM SEEM TO GO AWAY AFTER A MINUTE. THIS THEN CONTINUED TO HAPPEN INTERMITTENTLY AT VARIOUS SPEEDS FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS UNTIL I HAD NEAR COLLISION WHILE DRIVING OUT OF TOWN IN NEW JERSEY. WHILE PROCEEDING AT AN INTERSECTION AT ABOUT 20 MILES PER HOUR AND TURNING WITH MULTIPLE VEHICLES PARALLELED TO ME, I NEARLY SWIPED ANOTHER VEHICLE ON MY RIGHT. THIS WAS BECAUSE MY STEERING BECAME VERY STIFF WHICH MADE IT VERY HARD FOR ME TO TURN THE WHEEL. DRIVING MY TACOMA HAD NOW BECOME DANGEROUS AND I COULDN'T TAKE ANY MORE CHANCES. THE NEXT DAY I CALLED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT TO TAKE MY TRUCK IN FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN I DROP-OFF MY VEHICLE, I INDICATED TO THE ATTENDANT THAT THE INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT MY BE THE CULPRIT. THIS WAS BECAUSE IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I DISCOVERED THAT THE SAME THING HAD HAPPENED TO A MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE WHO OWN A TACOMA. WELL MY VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, WITH THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM BEING THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT. A REPAIR THAT COST ME $579.00 SINCE AS PART OF THE REPAIR THEY HAD TO DO A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. *TR