1997 Toyota Avalon Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN IN ANY DIRECTION. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED BUT DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH REPAIR TO THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,970 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

CONTINUOUS LOSS OF POWER STEERING FLUID. STEERING FELT TIGHT. RACK AND PINION AND POWER STEERING PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 99,000 MILES. NOTICED A LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA WEBSITE FOR THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE HAD MY RACK AND PINION REPLACED ON MY CAR TWICE AND I AM HAVING IT REPAIRED FOR THE THIRD TIME. THE STEERING WHEEL LOOSES POWER MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY ACCIDENTS. *NM

LEAK IN POWER STEERING MECHANISM CAUSING SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING CONTROL,I.E. STEERING BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT.

SEEMS I'M ALSO THE VICTIM OF A COMMON 1997 AVALON PROBLEM. THE POWER STEERING PUMP/RACK WERE LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. IN REVIEWING ALL OF THE NHTSA COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, IT SEEMS A RECALL SHOULD HAVE OCCURRED FOR THIS ALL TOO COMMON (AND EXPENSIVE) PROBLEM.*AK

1997 TOYOTA AVALON WITH 50,000 MILES DEVELOPED LEAK IN RACK AND PINION STEERING. DEALER REFUSED TO ASSIST WITH COST OF REPAIRS DUE TO EXPIRATION OF WARRANTY. DEFECTIVE PARTS REPLACED BY A REPUTABLE MECHANIC.*AK

I NOTICED A WOBBLE IN THE STEERING AND TOOK THE CAR TO A TIRE DEALER. DEALER BALANCED TIRES AND SAID ALL WOULD BE OK. IN LESS THAN 10 MILES WOBBLE REAPPEARED AND TOOK CAR TO ANOTHER SHOP OF TIRE DEALER. WOBBLE WAS LESS NOTICIBLE AND NEXT DAY NOTICED POWER STEERING OIL ON DRIVEWAY. I TOOK CAR INTO TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE RACK & PINIPN STEERING UNIT AT A COST OF 1200.00. I WAS ABLE TO NEGOTIATED PRICE OF REPAIR DOWN TO 1044.15, APPARENTLY BECAUSE I WAS A GOOD CUSTOMER. I YELLED A LOT! *AK

I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 1997 TOYOTA AVALON FOR MY WIFE. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST RECENTLY TURNED OVER 29,000 MILES, AND OBVIOUSLY HAS PASSED THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY. HOWEVER, IT HAS YET TO REACH THE NORMAL 36,000 MILE WARRANTY MARK. ON JANUARY 18, 2003 I NOTICED A LARGE PUDDLE OF FLUID UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I CHECKED THE FLUID LEVELS, AND FOUND THAT THE POWER STEERING RESERVOIR WAS ALMOST EMPTY. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP (WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING RACK WAS LEAKING, AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $850.00 PLUS TAX, FOR A RE-MANUFACTURED PART. I CONTACTED THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REP WITH THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO, EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE HAD SUCH LOW MILEAGE. HE SUGGESTED I CONTACT TOYOTA CORPORATE, BUT THAT DUE TO THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, THAT TOYOTA WAS NOT BEING VERY GENERIOUS WITH "GOOD WILL" COMPENSATIONS. I CALLED TOYOTA COROPORATE IN CALIFORNIA AND LODGED MY COMPLAINT. WHILE I HAVE YET TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM (IT IS NOW FEBRUARY 6, 2003) I WAS GIVEN THE IMPRESSION THAT NOTHING WOULD BE DONE TO HELP ME DEFREY THE COST OF THESE REPAIRS. I HAVE SINCE DONE CONSIDERABLE RESEARCH VIA THE INTERNET, AND ON THE NHSTA WEBSITE ALONE, I FOUND A LARGE PORTION OF THE COMPLAINTS THAT HAD BEEN FILED REGARDING THIS VEHICLE WAS THE RESULT OF THE POWER STEERING RACK LEAKING FLUID, AND REQUIRING REPLACEMENT. HOW MANY OTHERS ARE OUT THERE THAT HAVE NOT FILED A REPORT. I BELIEVE THIS PROBELM COULD RESULT IN SOME ONE BEING KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED SHOULD THE STEERING LOCK UP OR BECOME TOO HARD TO MOVE BECAUSE OF ALL THE FLUID LEAKING FROM THIS DEVICE. I FURTHER BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA SHOUL BE INSTRUCTED TO RECALL AND REPAIR, OR REIMBURSE ANYONE WHO HAS ONE OF THESE VEHICLES.

I PURCHASED A 1997 TOYOTA AVALON XLS WITH 55,000 MILES ON IT FROM LEITH TOYOTA IN RALEIGH NORTH CAROLINA IN MARCH OF 2002. I NOW HAVE 74,000 MILES ON IT AND HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND COMPLETE POWER STEERING RACK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT THE COST OF $1200.00. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS. I HAVE REVIEWED THE NTSB WEBSITE AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. WHY IS THERE NOT A RECALL? I TRIED TO GET THE DEALERSHIP TO COVER SOME OF THE COSTS AND ALL THEY OFFERED WAS A FREE RENTAL. MAYBE I SHOULD WRITE OPRAH, SEEMS EVERYONE LISTENS TO HER AND SEE IF SHE CAN MAKE IT PUBLIC!

CONSUMER STATES THAT THE RACK AND PINION IS LEAKING. DEALER NOTIFIED AND REPLACED THE SEAL. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. NLM

POWER STEERING PUMP LEAKED AND WAS REPLACED. *SLC

WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED TECHNICIAN NOTICED RACK AND PINION STEERING WAS LEAKING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

I PREVIOUSLT WORKED WITH 2 OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR RACK & PINION ASSEMBLY FAIL ON THEIR 1997 TOYOTA AVALONS. *AK

I HAVE SPOKEN TO 2 PEOPLE WITH 1996 TOYOTA AVALON AND THEY HAVE OR HAD THE IDENTICAL PROBLEMS. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK

EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF POWER STEERING FLUID IS LEAKING FROM MY 1997 AVALON. IT ONLY HAS 37,000+ MILES ON IT. THE DEALER TOLD ME I NEED TO REPLACE MY POWER STEERING ASSEMBY RACK WHICH WILL COST $1250. *AK

IT APPEARS THAT THE COMMON PROBLEM OF RACK AND PINION FAILURE HAS FINALLY OCCURRED ON MY VEHICLE. I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND DEALER AND THEIR RESPONSE WAS THAT THE PART WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. I ASKED THE QUESTION THAT IF YOU KNEW A PART WAS CERTAINLY GOING TO FAIL AFTER WARRANTY AND IT COST ROUGHLY $1000 WOULD YOU BUY THAT VEHICLE? I THINK THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL.*AK

POWER STEERING RACK LEAKING AT 58,000 MILES. DEALER ESTIMATE TO REPAIR IS $1,370. CONTACTED TOYOTA - UNWILLING TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR AVALONS. CONFIRMED THIS WITH FORMER TOYOTA MECHANICS WHO SAID THEY SAW A LOT OF 1997 AVALONS AND CAMRYS WITH LEAKING STEERING RACKS. ALSO, NEED FRONT STRUT MOUNTS REPLACED, ANOTHER APPARENTLY DEFECTIVE PART IN 1997 AVALONS.

VEHICLE LEAKING EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF POWER STEERING FLUID, PRIOR TO NOTICING THE LEAK THE CONSUMER WAS ACCELERATING FROM AN INTERSECTION AND VEHICLE PULLED TO THE LEFT ALMOST CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL AND GO INTO A CENTER MEDIAN, DEALER STATES THE STEERING RACK IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM AND NEEDS REPLACED. *SLC

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NOTICED FLUID LEAKING FROM RACK AND PINION STEERING BOOT, DEALER REPLACED ASSEMBLY, PARTS HAD TO BE BACK ORDERED BECAUSE OF FREQUENCY OF PROBLEM, ALSO RIGHT SRTUT MOUNT HAD TO BE REPLACED,AND BACK ORDERED .*AK

UPPER AND LOWER TIE RODS SEVERED AT LOW SPEED (PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE). IF FAILURE HAD OCCURRED AT HIGHER SPEED, A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE ENSUED.*AK

SEAL ON RACK STEERING WENT BAD AND STARTED LEAKING FLUID. DEALER REPLACED RACK, BUT CONSUMER WAITED A MONTH BEFORE PART WAS AVAILABLE.*AK

RACK AND PINION STARTED LEAKING FLUID AND WITHIN 2 WEEKS NO LONGER HELD ANY FLUID AND THE RACK AND PINION NEEDED REPLACED. CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY FILED THE COMPLAINT, BUT OFFERED NO REMEDY AND WOULD NOT ACKNOWLEDGE ANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME ISSUE. FROM OTHER RESEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COSTLY PROBLEM ON MANY OF THE '97 AVALONS. *AK

STEERING RACK FAILED RIGHT AFTER WARRANTY EXPIRED. *SLC