NHTSA Complaint #10981179 — 2005 TOYOTA TACOMA

INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFT RUSTED AND BINDING MY STEERING WAS BECOMING TOUGH TO STEER AND THEN IT WOULD BE FINE. IT FELT LIKE THE POWER ASSIST WAS STOPPING ASSISTING THEN IT WOULD BEHAVE NORMALLY DURING A TURN. THIS CAUSED LOSS OF PROPER STEERING DURING TURNING ARE ANY SPEED. SOMETIMES IT WOULD BE TOUGH TO STEER, (AS IF YOU HAD MANUAL STEERING) AND HALFWAY THROUGH THE TURN, THE STEERING FEEL WOULD GO BACK TO NORMAL (POWER ASSIST WORKING) WHICH CAUSED BACK AND FORTH MOTIONS TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN THE PROPER LANE. THE DEALER INSPECTED THE TRUCK AND " FOUND STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT RUSTED AND BINDING". I HAD TO REPLACE THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, HAVE A FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND HAVE THE POWER STEERING FLUID FLUSHED. TOTAL BILL WAS $796.89 THIS ALSO SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO INADEQUATE RUST PREVENTATIVE MEASURES, POSSIBLY SIMILAR TO THE RUSTING FRAME ISSUES. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES DUE TO SAFETY CONCERNS AND REIMBURSE ANYONE WHO HAS ALREADY HAD THIS REPAIRED AT THE DEALER. THIS SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS OR DEATH DUE TO STEERING FAILURE AT HIGH OR SLOW SPEEDS.