I've been data mining on the internet trying to locate information on this and cannot find any further information related to the issue I've experienced. I completely lost my steering in my 08 Highlander. Fortunately, it happened just as I was pulling out of a parking spot and not on the hwy with my family. Dealer has never seen anything like this. The steering wheel will just spin and do nothing and it happens intermittently.
I got the news yesterday….The steering linkage was all connected and tight…we immediately have contacted Toyota in Jacksonville to get a Tech Rep involved. I have never witnessed this issue before…your power steering assist is what went haywire. The power steering on this highlander is all electronic, not hydraulic like years past. A 12v motor assists the column inside the cabin to make the wheel easy to turn. It is told to engage by a computer that reads steering angle (the degree to which have the wheel turned to)…the power assist is acting up. There are codes stored in the vsc module that we have given Toyota…waiting on some return information as to how to proceed from this point. I’m so sorry you had to experience this type of failure after leaving my shop, I know what that makes us look like. I have inspected the intermediate shaft replacement for myself and cannot find any fault in what my tech did…still not an explanation for what is occurring now. I will call you and update Toyota’s correspondence leads us to.
Anyone with any information on this?
UPDATE: Looks like the Toyota's technical team is coming to the dealership to investigate this. Steering seems to magically function now, but the steering wheel is 45 degrees off indicating the steering loss. The dealer asked to keep the vehicle in order to pull all the data for review. I guess the Toyota MIB are going to perform this because the dealer does not have access to that level of code..... stay tuned to be amazed....
Last edited by sweeneyp; 11-13-2012 at 07:23 AM.
Reason: removed user online, reported post, and edit gif from post
Anyway, so the steering wheel turned freely (without turning the wheels)? That's strange. Unless there is some kind of physical separation between the steering wheel and shaft within the motor assembly (which I doubt, for safety reasons and that you can turn the tires with the car/ESP off), sounds like there was some kind of physical damage to allow that to happen. The fact its working now almost sounds like something failed then slipped back in place around where the steering wheel connects to the motor assembly...Hopefully the dealer will go over the entire steering column to find the error.
Yes, the wheels were completely disengaged from the steering and the steering wheel spun effortlessly without stopping or locking while the car was running. I was also able to put it in drive.
__________________ 2011 Highlander SE V6 (as of 1/29/11) Black exterior/Black leather interior...Tech Pkg...Aluminum Running Boards...Mudguards...Chrome Exhaust Tip...Body Side Moldings...OEM All Weather Cargo Mat
So this begs the question... is there a physical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels? The only reason I ask is because a co-worker and I were just talking last week (actually, he was informing me) about Infinity supposedly testing a new drive-by-wire design where the steering wheel will not have any mechanical/physical linkage to the front wheels. Ever since that conversation, I've wondered if the Highlander's steering was truly electronic, or just electronically assisted.
__________________ 2012 Toyota Highlander Limited AWD, Blizzard Pearl (His)
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According to Toyota Service: "That is physically impossible" to have a disconnect in the steering. I beg to differ. Scared the he** outta me and I was only in a parking lot.
Sweeney's right; there is a physical connection all the way through the column and steering rack. The electric motor is there for EFFORT assist.
Sounds like one of the universal joint splines is intermittently not staying engaged. Haven't looked at the 2nd gen HL setup, but the older ones had three joints between steering wheel and rack. The 2nd gen also have a telescoping joint.
Hopefully it wasn't a rack failure where the pinion disengages from the rack.
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So this begs the question... is there a physical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels? Ever since that conversation, I've wondered if the Highlander's steering was truly electronic, or just electronically assisted.
Its assisted steering. That's why if the steering lock isn't engaged and the car is off, you can turn the wheels yourself. It should be permanently attached. I totally agree with the Toyota Tech, it should be impossible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeWat
The only reason I ask is because a co-worker and I were just talking last week (actually, he was informing me) about Infinity supposedly testing a new drive-by-wire design where the steering wheel will not have any mechanical/physical linkage to the front wheels.
Its similar to drive by wire (throttle), except it has a physical backup. The steering shafts are still there, but they are not physically connected to the steering wheel. There are multiple ECU (primary and backups) that control electric motors on the "rack" that responds to the steering wheel. In the case of electrical failure, there is a clutch that engages to connect the steering shaft to the steering wheel to give you a physical connection to the rack/tires.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AVConsult
Haven't looked at the 2nd gen HL setup, but the older ones had three joints between steering wheel and rack. The 2nd gen also have a telescoping joint.
There are 2 joints on the intermediate shaft. 1 at the motor, the other at the rack.
It was in the shop to have the intermediate shaft replaced the same morning. The tech swears everything is fine with that repair. They also aligned the car, which is why the steering wheel being 45 degrees off is a puzzle to them. I thought the same thing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweeneyp
.... In the case of electrical failure, there is a clutch that engages to connect the steering shaft to the steering wheel to give you a physical connection to the rack/tires.
Could that clutch fail causing the disconnect?
Last edited by sweeneyp; 11-13-2012 at 05:38 PM.
Reason: merged 2 posts into 1
It was in the shop to have the intermediate shaft replaced the same morning. The tech swears everything is fine with that repair. They also aligned the car, which is why the steering wheel being 45 degrees off is a puzzle to them. I thought the same thing.
There ya go. I've replaced and taken the shaft out for grease. Its CRITICAL the wheel doesn't move while the shaft is out. There will be problems with wheel alignment even if the markings line up. He didn't secure the wheel. It moved.
Take it back pronto, mechanic screwed it up and doesn't want to admit it.
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I guess what I'm struggling with is that the car drove fine for a while, then the steering failed, now it's working again.... what's up with that? I'm just going to let them have the car as long as they want in order to make sure this is corrected. They said it will be 3-4 days of analysis and driving it 2hrs/day to see if it repeats. I feel for the mechanic who has to drive this thing.
Was the TSB replacement or grease? The trick they do with the grease is take out the shaft, expand and collapse it several times moving the existing grease around, put it back. If that was done wrong, or the shaft really did need grease, there will be problems. I suspect they did the hack on the old shaft, stripping the splines in the process. So they did 2 things wrong IMO. The alignment and the grease hack. They are playing games with the old shaft I suspect. Find out. If so demand a new intermediate shaft and a new "tech".
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02 Camry XLE 2AZ-FE 268k M1 HM 5w30 10k OCI
08 Pontiac GP 3800 Series III 80k PU 5w30 OLM OCI
Both: Fram Ultra, PEA, MMO, RMI-25
So this begs the question... is there a physical link between the steering wheel and the front wheels? The only reason I ask is because a co-worker and I were just talking last week (actually, he was informing me) about Infinity supposedly testing a new drive-by-wire design where the steering wheel will not have any mechanical/physical linkage to the front wheels. Ever since that conversation, I've wondered if the Highlander's steering was truly electronic, or just electronically assisted.
I read somewhere recently that BMW is looking at this too. If both those makers are looking at that type of system there have to be others like GM or Honda doing it too. It's not uncommon in the aviation industry, so the auto industry can't be too far behind. Not that I like it, though.
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The only reason I ask is because a co-worker and I were just talking last week (actually, he was informing me) about Infinity supposedly testing a new drive-by-wire design where the steering wheel will not have any mechanical/physical linkage to the front wheels. Ever since that conversation, I've wondered if the Highlander's steering was truly electronic, or just electronically assisted.
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