I purchased the vehicle new in May 2013. ALL maintenance has been done at my local Toyota dealer. I don't drive the vehicle hard and it's NOT lifted. It's still at factory specifications. I keep it in a garage and feel like a baby it. It's primary function is to drive me the 34 miles to work and back each day.
We got a lot of snow and the temp got really cold in the weeks previous to the problem. The stabilizing features of the truck where active a lot going around corners and navigating parking lots. I noticed my steering being hard when I made 90 degree turns. I didn't think anything of it but took it into the shop. I was told after several hours of investigation that the problem was that power steering gear had shredded and filled the system with metal destroying the pump. The cost would be $2850 to replace the gear and $600 to replace the pump. I was floored! Power steering issues on a non-lifted truck don't happen. The dealership couldn't explain it. The dealership appealed to toyota to have the repair covered and after 5 days of waiting Toyota agreed to cover the cost of the pump but not the gear. The gear was where the failure occurred. I feel toyota is admitting product failure but choosing to only cover the pump is nuts. I requested help from Toyota directly and they promptly declined my request. I'm disgusted with situation. Currently seeking other bids for the repair.
The whole reason I purchased a Toyota was to avoid costly repairs. THERE IS NOTHING I'VE DONE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS PART FAILURE.
If anyone has suggestions on how to get Toyota to take responsibility and repair the truck it would be greatly appreciated.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I purchased the vehicle new in May 2013. ALL maintenance has been done at my local Toyota dealer. I don't drive the vehicle hard and it's NOT lifted. It's still at factory specifications. I keep it in a garage and feel like a baby it. It's primary function is to drive me the 34 miles to work and back each day.
We got a lot of snow and the temp got really cold in the weeks previous to the problem. The stabilizing features of the truck where active a lot going around corners and navigating parking lots. I noticed my steering being hard when I made 90 degree turns. I didn't think anything of it but took it into the shop. I was told after several hours of investigation that the problem was that power steering gear had shredded and filled the system with metal destroying the pump. The cost would be $2850 to replace the gear and $600 to replace the pump. I was floored! Power steering issues on a non-lifted truck don't happen. The dealership couldn't explain it. The dealership appealed to toyota to have the repair covered and after 5 days of waiting Toyota agreed to cover the cost of the pump but not the gear. The gear was where the failure occurred. I feel toyota is admitting product failure but choosing to only cover the pump is nuts. I requested help from Toyota directly and they promptly declined my request. I'm disgusted with situation. Currently seeking other bids for the repair.
The whole reason I purchased a Toyota was to avoid costly repairs. THERE IS NOTHING I'VE DONE THAT WOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS PART FAILURE.
If anyone has suggestions on how to get Toyota to take responsibility and repair the truck it would be greatly appreciated.
- Jared B., Lindon, UT, US