1.8

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
92,936 miles

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problem #2

Dec 032004

T100 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 99,871 miles
(1) while backing out of a parking space, I heard a noise like a pop. I thought someone might have been walking behind me and thumped my truck to let me know they were there. Approximately two miles down the road my vehicle started to veer off the road. The steering wheel turned unusually freely, but there was no change in the direction I was moving. I was moving across the opposite lane of the road, and heading for a hill, so I used my brakes to stop the vehicle. After stopping the vehicle I got outside and watched the front wheel on the driver's side, while I turned the steering wheel. Both front wheels were free of any connection to the steering wheel! (2) the cause of the loss of steering ability was a broken steering relay rod. It broke at a point close to the power steering box, in the same place that other steering relay rods on vehicles similar to mine have broken. The failure of the steering relay rod was due to defective design and manufacture of the part, as proven by the difference in rockwell harness from one side of the rod to the other, (rockwell hardness of 31 on one side, and 13 on the other side), at the break. The consequences were; a. the vehicle could no longer be driven, because it could not be steered and had to be towed to a repair shop. B. I was very frightened when I found I couldn't steer my vehicle, which was headed for a hill. C. I am worried that other drivers of vehicles equipped with this part may unexpectedly loose steering control of their vehicle, causing great bodily injury, including death. E. I have lost confidence with Toyota, because the Toyota customer assistance representative who took my report said that they had no history of problems with this part, yet three similar instances have been filed with NHTSA. (3) the steering relay rod was replaced with a new one (pn 45451-34010). The old part is available. I have digital pictures of the broken part, as well. This was on A1996 Toyota T100.

- Santa Cruz, CA, USA

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problem #1

Nov 262002

T100 4WD 6-cyl

  • 86,000 miles
Steering rod cracked and showed evidence of a long term defect and old rust deposits.

- Seattle, WA, USA

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