Friday, September 27, 2013: While maneuvering out of my driveway, and through the 90 degree turns out of a suburb in Washington state on the way to I-5 northbound, the steering of my well-maintained 6 speed manual 2005 access cab Toyota Tacoma trd 4WD felt alternately stiff and loose, as though the wheel was ratcheting. The wheel failed to return to center, requiring constant effort through all points of steering, with special care required to overcome the high and low peaks in resistance. Negotiating turns has become an imprecise, physically demanding and therefore unsafe exercise. While I have an appointment with the local Toyota dealership to address the issue, at my own expense, the issue seems to be a common complaint on the website, and is likely associated with a faulty universal joint in the steering assembly. The faulty part has been identified as "steering intermediate shaft, " part# 45203-04020. The redesigned part meant to address the defect has been identified as part# 45220-04020. The redesigned part is said to include a protective boot meant to protect "universal joint #2". this problem sounds to me every bit as serious as the gas pedal/floor mat interference recall for which I received a recall notice in recent years. This is a loss-of-control hazard that needs immediate attention, and should be addressed by Toyota directly as a safety recall. Loyal customers like myself should not have to pay out-of-pocket expenses for the repair or replacement of faulty materials, poor engineering, defective workmanship or the unsafe conditions that result from any of these oversights. Ignoring this particular problem, (which is commonly being misdiagnosed as power steering or rack and pinion problems on many Toyota Tacoma forums), could result in fatalities or serious injury.

- Everett, WA, USA

While driving the steering became very difficult to turn to the left or the right direction. This is caused by a faulty design of the steering shaft universal joints. The frame is also rusting very badly and I am concerned about the integrity of the vehicle.

- Crystal Lake, IL, USA

Excessive rust began appearing on the frame of the vehicle at 50,000 miles. Reviewed rust with Toyota dealership (4 times over the last 3 years) and this vehicle is not included in any recalls for a rusty frames. My concrete driveway is now stained with the rust coming off of the vehicle. Frame and bumper is now rusty and getting weaker as the rust continues. Vehicle now has 90,000 miles and frame is covered in rust. Very concerned about the integrity of the frame. Additionally, I needed to replace the steering knuckle on the vehicle -- due to excessive wear - due to extreme rusting.

- North Adams, MA, USA

I was driving down a county two lane road. As I approached a slight curve, the power steering seemed to fail and the truck ran off the edge of the road. I immediately slowed the vehicle, and with lots of muscle I steered the vehicle back onto the road. I jumped out of the vehicle to check for damage such as a leaking steering hose or broken serpentine belt. Not seeing any immediate damage, I slowly drove the vehicle about a mile and a half to my home. After a through investigation of the steering system, I discovered the intermediate shaft that attaches the steering column to the rack & pinion, had a frozen/binding universal joint. This universal joint is exposed to the elements and does not have a lubrication fitting. This item is not mentioned in the manual under periodic maintenance. Under a different circumstance, such as my wife driving the vehicle, this incident my have caused a lot of damage to the occupants and others around the vehicle.

- Black Creek, WI, USA

The Toyota Tacoma became difficult to steer, as though the power steering was failing. To negotiate the vehicle through a bend in the road I had to exert significant amount of force on the steering wheel and had to manually force the wheel back to center. This momentarily inhibited me from keeping the vehicle centered in the lane. This problem has since recurred intermittently. On inspection I was able to determine the cause of the impaired steering control to be corrosion of the universal joint #2 steering intermediate shaft part # 45203-04020. On searching for a remedy I learned this part has been redesigned to address the problem, and the replacement part is 45220-04020. Application of penetrating oil to the steering intermediate shaft universal joint has reduced the severity of the problem but not permanently resolved it. If this problem occurred while a younger, older or otherwise physically weaker operator was driving they may have had difficulty keeping the vehicle in its lane.

- Milford, OH, USA

The steering all of a sudden became surprisingly hard to turn as if the power steering failed. This is a common occurring problem in this make and model of truck and is a safety concern. The onset of this problem is incredibly fast which could lead to serious crashes and injuries!!! the cause is a faulty part design (part is exposed to the elements and seizes) and needs to be remedied asap. The faulty part # 45203 - 04020, intermediate shaft.

- Canonsburg, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel suddenly became extremely difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The technician stated that there were rusted components within the steering wheel. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000. The VIN was not available.

- Westmoreland , NH, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 mph and completing a turn, the steering wheel slowly returned to a straight position. The failure recurred whenever the contact was attempting a turn in either direction. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Oak Ridge, NJ, USA

Sudden onset of steering intermediate shaft U-joint seizing making steering difficult. Also lost return-to-center of steering. This could pose a serious risk of over-steering into oncoming traffic when making a left hand turn at a tee intersection. The unprotected U-joint is exposed to striking of road debris and salt spray. The U-joint does not have grease fittings or any obvious means of lubrication. Internet research suggests this is a very common defect for Toyota Tacoma with approximately 75K or more miles starting with model years 2005 and newer.

- Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma prerunner 4X4 with only 83,000 miles. There is recurring issues with the front wheel bearings going out. Front left has been replaced 3 years ago, then front left stub axle was replaced less than a year later under warranty by Toyota. The right front wheel bearing also went out 2 years ago and were replaced and now the left side is going out again.

- Santa Fe, TX, USA

TL contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. While driving at 10 mph, the contact stated that the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. He had to manually pull the steering wheel back in position when making turns. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but now it was more frequent. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000. The current mileage was approximately 78,000.

- Gouverneur, NY, USA

I was driving about 40 miles per hour my 2005 Toyota Tacoma on the freeway in light rain. The steering completely went out of control and my truck began fishtailing. I tapped on the brakes lightly but the truck continued accelerating faster. I ended up hitting the concrete barrier and was placed in the ambulance. I now suffer from lower back and possible torn ligaments in the neck. Before the accident there has been a couple of incident where the steering veers of for no reason and sometimes the steering shakes when I drive.

- San Diego, CA, USA

I noticed occasional stiff steering for a few months which gradually became worse with time. Eventually seemed like complete loss of power assist steering. I found that it was the intermediate shaft which contains a universal joint that had become seized. I had this intermediate shaft part replaced at a total cost of $885. The new part ordered from Toyota was different from the original in that the new part had a boot protecting the universal from dirt dust and debris.

- Dingmans Ferry , PA, USA

I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma trd 4X4 they have replaced my front wheel bearings 6 times know my front diff, the transmission once and my rear end.

- Frazier Park, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Tacoma. The contact hears metal grinding when making left turns. The failure has been occurring ever since the vehicle was purchased. Toyota stated that they do not know how to repair the failure, however the vehicle should be safe to drive. They also stated that they do not consider it a safety hazard. Toyota stated that this is a failure dealing with the trans-actual and transfer case of the steering column. The problem still persists. The current mileage is 38,000 and the failure mileage was unknown.

- Omaha, NE, USA

Purchased new 2005 Toyota Tacoma pickup, 4 cylinder, automatic, 4X2. On first drive of new truck a shake or shimmy was noticed at any speed above 20 mph, but most notable in the 45 to 70 mph range. Returned truck to dealer. Was told that this is a defect known to Toyota, but that Toyota has been unable to determine the cause or provide a fix. Bobby rahal Toyota in mechanicsburg refuses to refund money, cannot fix the problem and refuses to work on this defect citing no cure. Concern is that a constant front end vibration of this sort will lead to suspension and / or steering failure resulting is a crash.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

Steering wheel shacks from approximately 62 to 75 miles per hour. Have had the vehicle to the dealer twice. They told me that they can not find the problem and that the shacking is not a safety consern. The second visit to the dealer they had the vehicle for 3 days. Vehicle has 1700 miles.

- Tempe, AZ, USA