2009 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX Steering Problems

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST. I PARKED MY TOYOTA MATRIX WHICH WAS RUNNING PERFECTLY. I STAY UP TO DATE ON TUNEUPS AND OIL CHANGES AND ANY OTHER MAINTENANCE ISSUES THAT ARISE. WHEN I CAME BACK TO MY PARKED CAR I NOTICED A RED EXCLAMATION LIGHT ON WHICH TURNS OUT TO BE THE WARNING LIGHT FOR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING. WHEN I TURNED ON MY CAR I QUICKLY REALIZED THAT I HAD NO POWER STEERING ASSIST. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE MECHANICS AND THEY COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE ISSUE. THEY REPLACED THE FUSE THINKING IT WAS A BROKEN FUSE, BUT NOTHING. THEY CALLED TOYOTA AND EVEN TOYOTA HAD NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS. AS I DID MORE RESEARCH THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH TOYOTA MATRIX' BASED ON SOME RESEARCH I FOUND THAT SOME THE POWER STEERING MALFUNCTIONS HAPPEN WITHIN FOUR YEARS OF A HEALTHY CARS LIFE....

DIFFICULT TO STEER. I HAVE TO KEEP HANDS GRIPPED ON WHEEL, ESPECIALLY WHEN TURNING. I'M ALMOST LANDING IN THE ONCOMING LANE. IF I IT A BUMP IN THE ROAD, THE VEHICLE LEERS.

FRONT OF VEHICLE SHOOK WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND CAME TO A STOP.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA MATRIX. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING ABILITY SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE STEERING SHAFT COMPUTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

I WAS TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE WHEN VEHICLE DRIFTED FROM RIGHT LANE TO LEFT LANE, UNABLE TO CONTROL - THIS DISCONTINUED, APPX 4 - 5 MILES LATER THE VEHICLE DRIFTED FROM RIGHT LANE TO LEFT LANE & HIT SHOULDER. WHEN BRAKE VEHICLE WENT INTO SPIN & ENDED UP CROSSING LEFT & RIGHT LANES, ENDING ON INTERSTATE ROADSIDE @ TREE LINE. DAMAGE TO FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE - I AM SORE ON LEFT SIDE (SHOULDER, LOWER BACK & LEFT KNEE - ALSO HAVE PAIN ACROSS STOMACH I GUESS FROM SEATBELT ENGAGING. THIS WAS TERRIFYING, AND I AM ALSO AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE AGAIN. ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON THURSDAY AM, FIRST CHANCE TO RESEARCH FRIDAY NIGHT, I WAS APPALLED TO LEARN THAT WHILE TOYOTA WAS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE NEVER RECEIVED FIRST COMMUNICATION REGARDING POSSIBLE DANGER. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED HAD THERE BEEN TRAFFIC AROUND ME ON THE INTERSTATE, AS WAS THE CASE...

THERE IS A SWAY IN THE DRIVING OF THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY. STAYING IN A LANE IS DIFFICULT. STEERING IS UNEASY. *TR