2003 Toyota Prius Steering Problems
- 31
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
What owners report
- steering wheel · 32 records
- power steering · 11 records
- steering rack · 7 records
- failure mileage · 6 records
- steering column · 5 records
- electric power · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 13 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 1–30k mi | 4 |
| 30–60k mi | 3 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
It's mostly when i'm turning right the power steering warning light will come and there will be no power steering. I have see a lot of complaints with the same problem. Sometimes as i was driving in the city or just as i'm starting to drive
ODI 11301927
Steering
We purchased a 2003 toyota prius in june of 2018. It has approximately 140,000 miles on it. When the weather started getting colder in october of 2018, the car exhibited the following problem: car steering wheel shakes violently for several seconds while exiting the driveway usually as we are turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was in motion when the shaking occurred and it was often after making a turn and/or…
ODI 11210648
Steering
This has happened several times intermittently; the steering wheel shakes when backing out of the garage turning into the "turn-around" spot, it has also happened while turning into my driveway. Mostly at slow speeds, there is a noise, grinding type, coming from the steering column. The dealer said the brakes could be doing it, so they replaced the front pads and re-surfaced the rotors, (after the $175) the problem…
ODI 10957368
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. While driving approximately 35 mph, an unknown warning message displayed and the steering wheel was very difficult to turn. The vehicle was restarted and functioned as normal. The failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number:…
ODI 10715197
Steering
While driving, the steering wheel begins to shudder. At one point, it power steering makes a spontaneous turn to the left, which i prevent with my hands, but nevertheless moves the car to the left enough to cause an accident if the driver is not paying close attention, or happens to be too near another car. The power steering immediately shuts off, and the rest of the trip continues with no power steering, until the…
ODI 10606672
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. While driving 10 mph, and making a left turn, the steering wheel shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the cause of the failure could not be found. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 11v304000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
ODI 10874833
Steering
Violent shaking of the steering wheel when turning in cold weather. It has happened most days this winter when temperatures were below 45f degrees. It was mostly an annoyance at first, and would happen when starting the car, but twice it has nearly caused a crash. The first near collision from shaking was in january when trying to park between two cars in a parking spot and i couldn't control the wheel until i put…
ODI 10567895
Steering
Started vehicle , began to pull out of driveway and steering wheel began to shake violently. Had to stop vehicle to wait for steering wheel to stop shaking. Has been doing it everytime i go to start vehicle . Seems to do o.k. Driving at speeds above 10 mph. Starting to get slight vibration at highway speeds. Toyota dealership says power steering rack needs to be replaced at a cost of $3400.00. *tr
ODI 10542731
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. While driving at approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel shook intensely. The vehicle was serviced under nhtsa campaign number: 11v304000 (steering), but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vin was not provided. The approximate failure mileage was 162,000.
ODI 10783586
Steering
When i put car in reverse, or sometimes in turning, the steering wheel starts to vibrate. At times i have to stop and let it finish, as i cannot keep my hands on it. This started happening more often after car was recalled for steering issue. *tr
ODI 10420708
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. The contact stated that while driving, the steering wheel would vibrate abnormally with the illumination of the power steering warning light. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was repaired multiple times, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.
ODI 10423088
Electrical · Steering
Twice now my steering has frozen as i am straightening the steering wheel after making a turn. There are no particular events leading up to the failure, though this time my steering had felt stiffer and jerkier off and on before the time when it actually froze. The first time it happened i had it towed right to the dealer. This time, i was actually able to get it moving again, but it continued to freeze randomly the…
ODI 10408954
Steering
2003 prius hybrid; steering wheel shudders quite frequently; this shuddering happens backing up and turning corners; sometimes it shakes so violently the steering wheel is pulled from your hands; we contacted toyota and several dealerships; no recalls on this vehicle for this problem because they said it was fixed on the 2002 models; our vehicle only has 33k miles on it and there is a part failure with the potential…
ODI 10392211
Steering
I experienced a shaking in the steering wheel of my toyota 2003 prius when backing up for the first time in the morning each day. The dealer said it was caused by the electric power steering rack and pinion which could lockup at any time. Toyota has recalled 01/02 model prius for this problem, but not the 03. Why is toyota allowed to let this condition to continue with failure of these electric power steering units?…
ODI 10382782
Power Train · Steering · Tires
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius hybrid. The contact stated that she had experienced several failures within the vehicle since purchasing three months ago. The transmission was replaced, the left front tire had a leak and the inverter was replaced because several lights on the instrumental panel remained illuminated. On december 3, 2010, while driving approximately 10 mph the steering wheel began to shake…
ODI 10369488
Steering
Two years ago, my car began exhibiting steering issues. When turning, both in reverse and drive, the steering wheel would shudder violently. After a few seconds, the shuddering subsided and the car steered normally. The issue was especially bad when the car was cold and improved as the car warmed up. Over the past couple of years, the issue has worsened, occurring with increasing frequency and with increasing…
ODI 10483600
Steering
2003 toyota prius steering failure - while driving in traffic in los angeles, turning left at a stop sign the steering system locked. I reset the car and could not regain control until putting the car into reverse and then pulling forward again. The car then continues to intermittently lock in the left turn position and you must use force to try to center and steer again. Took to dealer and they said the rack and…
ODI 10351901
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. The contact stated after having her vehicle repaired under nhtsa recall campaign id number: 11v304000 (steering:electric power assist system) the steering wheel would jerk violently and made a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vin was not…
ODI 10427849
Steering
I have a 2003 toyota prius. When i made left turns the steering wheel would stick and i would have to jerk it back to straighten out the car. I took it into the shop and the steering system had to be replaced. The cost of the repair was approx. $2800. I am making a report in the event that there are other prius' that have had this problem. *tr
ODI 10311624
Steering
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota prius. While driving approximately 10 mph making a right turn, the steering wheel started to vibrate. The contact stated that the failure occurred numerous times intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but they could not duplicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
ODI 10381279
Steering
2003 prius steering rack and pinion failure, when engine is cold and when in a forward or reverse at slow rate of speed (under 5 mph) steering wheel will shake violently for several seconds, once stopped steering wheel will stop shaking. Dealership reports rack and pinion and steering related computer needs to be replaced. 2001 and 2002 prius model had recalled on similar issue. *tr
ODI 10290535
Steering
Steering wheel locks while driving. First time, november 2007, steering rack replaced free (still under warranty). Second time, october 2009, steering rack replaced for $1200. Upon complaint, toyota reimbursed me for half of the cost of parts ($350). Both times the problem was solved, but i think it may not be really the fault of the steering rack, but a computer issue. This is a very frightening situation when on…
ODI 10315801
Electric Power Assist System · Steering
2003 toyota prius, steering wheel shakes when making left turns. Car has had scheduled services. Shaking started as a rattle/grinding sound at the steering column. Shaking now happens when turning left or right, at startup or while driving on interstate. Most recently steering was un responsive at 50+mph. The vehicle has been in for service 3 times prior to today with no troubles found. Today (3 days after warranty…
ODI 10298040
Steering
Electronic: steering in my toyota prius shakes and pulls to the right sometimes. I took it to the dealer when this began last fall and they told me the steering computer and the entire steering system needed to be replaced. They told me this is not dangerous but it scares me, especially with the recent recalls. *tr
ODI 10313437
Steering
I have a 2003 prius with 100k miles. At about 95k miles i began to notice an anomaly in the steering. When i back out of my driveway to my right the steering wheel shudders. This happens more frequently when it is cold. The shudder happens occasionally other places, usually at low speed. I have read the other reports and worry about the more severe failures others have reported. My dealer quoted me $2300 to repair…
ODI 10280653