The defect
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2001 THROUGH 2003 PRIUS PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JANUARY 28, 2000, THROUGH MAY 30, 2003. THE STEERING LINKAGE MAY LOOSEN, RESULTING IN REDUCED ELECTRIC STEERING ASSISTANCE WHEN MAKING A LEFT TURN.
The risk
LOSS OF POWER STEERING, PARTICULARLY WHEN AN OPERATOR IS ACTIVELY INTENDING TO STEER THE VEHICLE, MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE NUTS IN THE STEERING LINKAGE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 8, 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | 2001, 2002, 2003 |
Components: STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Prius | 2001 | 165 | 3 |
| Toyota Prius | 2002 | 167 | 2 |
| Toyota Prius | 2003 | 99 | 1 |
Other steering recalls in 2011
26 of the 597 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2011 concerned the steering; Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing filed 245 campaigns in all.
| 11V591000 19 Dec 2011 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC |
| 11V565000 23 Nov 2011 | NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V549000 15 Nov 2011 | HINO MOTORS SALES U.S.A., INC. |
| 11V514000 13 Oct 2011 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 11V446000 25 Aug 2011 | GILLIG CORPORATION |
| 11V406000 5 Aug 2011 | MASERATI NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 11V398000 5 Aug 2011 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC |
| 11V378000 26 Jul 2011 | VOLVO CARS OF N.A. LLC. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2011