Road Reality » steering

2 New Steering-related Toyota Recalls

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:05:42 +0000

Well, it would appear that Toyota isn’t out of the recall woods yet. The automaker is recalling a total of 412,000 vehicles built between 2000 and 2007. Most of the recalled vehicles are Toyota Avalons, but about 10% of them are Lexus LX 470s. The issues are different between the two vehicles, but both can lead to loss of vehicle direction control. Toyota says that neither problem has caused any accidents. Continue reading for more details. If this reminds you of a recent event involving the Corolla, you’re correct, although Toyota says it wasn’t a defect, but will fix Corolla owners’ issues anyway.

2004 Toyota Avalon

The lion’s share of the two recalls is for 373,000 examples of the 2000-2004 Toyota Avalon sedan. It involves improper production of the “steering bar,” which is used as part of the locking mechanism that keeps the steering wheel from turning when the vehicle is parked. Due to improper casting of the part, a crack can develop and over time get worse. This may result in the bar moving while the car is in motion, and certain steering angles line up a hole in the steering column with this steering bar, meaning the steering could be locked at a certain angle while the car is in motion. If this issue pops up while the car is parked, it could make it impossible to unlock the steering wheel, in effect disabling the car.

Definitely not good, this shows another quality control failure on Toyota’s part, albeit one that is hard to spot when the car is being built. Perhaps if Toyota had spent more time with pre-production Avalons, they could have avoided this issue?

Toyota will begin notifying owners of affected vehicles in late August, and will be replacing the steering column bracket at no charge to customers.

2007 Lexus LX 470

The smaller of the two recalls, for 39,000 Lexus LX 470 SUVs, involves those built between 2003 and 2007. Apparently, a large enough impact to the front wheels, say hitting a deep pothole, can cause a snap ring to come off. This ring holds two parts of the steering column together, so once it’s dislodged, using the steering can cause the two parts to work themselves free, causing complete loss of control over vehicle direction. While Toyota says they have no reports of accidents due to this problem, I can see how it would easily result in LX 470s running off the road or into oncoming traffic.

Toyota will be notifying affected Lexus owners starting in mid-August, and their vehicles will be receiving a new snap ring and another component designed to prevent separation of the steering shaft.

Nissan recalls Xterra, Pathfinder airbags, steering columns

admin — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 14:00:52 +0000

The NHTSA recently announced the recall of 4,038 2010 model Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs, over possibly faulty steering columns and passenger airbags. The fault stems from improperly tightened fasteners on the aforementioned items. In the case of the steering column, it could become dislodged in an accident, which could result in loss of control. For the airbags, it could change its trajectory, which is very carefully calculated and controlled. The explosive nature of airbags could have serious consequences if they deploy at even a slightly wrong angle. The recall begins this month.

by John Suit

Source: NHTSA

PedalGate: Now SteeringGate? Toyota Corolla Steering issues

admin — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:03 +0000

2010 Toyota Corolla S

When it rains, it pours. In Toyota’s case, make that a monsoon. Automotive News is reporting that the NHTSA is considering an investigation into concerns over Toyota’s bread-and-butter small car, the Corolla. So far, 83 owners in the United States have complained about steering issues with their cars, a feeling similar to hydroplaning or being buffeted by the wind. Some 73 of the reports have occurred at speeds of 40mph and greater, and the consensus from owners is that it takes a tight 2-handed grip on the steering wheel to keep the car driving straight when this problem occurs.

One complaint said, “if you take your eye off the road for a second, the car will drift into another lane,” in October, while on September 11, a grandmother from North Carolina had this to say to the NHTSA:

“This was the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me in my life as well as my grandchildren!”

This was after her car veered off the road, down a cliff, and into a tree. The grandmother and her grandchildren count for part of the 10 injuries in 6 accidents so far reported because of the power steering issue.

The cause for this issue stems from a change for the 2009 model year Corolla, in which Toyota changed from the traditional hydraulic power steering setup to an electronic one. The difference is in how the steering is powered. In hydraulic systems, an hydraulic power steering pump is run off of the engine of the car, which magnifies the driver’s steering inputs, easing slow-speed maneuvers. In the new electronic system, an electric motor takes the place of the hydraulic system, doing the same magnification but no longer powered by the engine. This allows manufacturers to build cars which can parallel park themselves, among other neat tricks. Toyota uses electronic power steering in many of its cars, including some Lexus models. Other manufacturers, including Ford, GM and Honda use similar systems, but nobody but Toyota seems be drawing complaints about it, yet.

Electronic power steering systems have several benefits over the traditional setups, the big three of which are greater efficiency for the engine, lighter weight, as well as the aforementioned self-parallel parking feature.

When any more news about this latest investigation surfaces, you can be sure I’ll have it all here for you.

by John Suit

Source: Automotive News