Is that with engine off and key on off position? I just went out and checked mine and I have zero play when I move the steering, the whole thing including the wheels move with engine off (my just unlocking the door and moving the steering wheel)

Inspect your steering column, rack and pinion, ball joints, control arms and lug nuts.


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Is that with engine off and key on off position? I just went out and checked mine and I have zero play when I move the steering, the whole thing including the wheels move with engine off (my just unlocking the door and moving the steering wheel)


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Thanks for checking. Yes the videos are with the engine off and the key removed from the ignition.

The wheels start moving beyond the free play in the steering wheel. The steering wheel motion in the video will have the wheels turning towards the end of that amount of movement.

 

Check the intermediate steering shaft not by turning the steeting wheel,but by shaking the shaft back and forth and up and down. It should not rattle. Toyota fixes this by replacing the shaft. You could try greasing the splines and torquing the joint to the proper tightness. That little shaft costs about $180.

 

I can't manage to move the shaft at all in a parallel direction, though it's difficult to get a good grip in that cramped area, so I can't really bear down on it. However, when pushing in some perpendicular directions I can get a bit of the clunking sound. It's really difficult to tell where the noise is coming from, whether a U-joint or the telescoping section or further up in the steering column.

This video shows what appears to be the same noise, and fixes it by replacing the intermediate shaft:

And yes, that little shaft costs quite a bit. The discount price is $270 CAD, plus shipping and taxes, with MSRP closer to $400. So, I want to identify the source of the noise before changing parts.

Some report improvement by tightening the shaft's bolt, or replacing the bolt. I already torqued it to the 26 ft-lbf specified by the service manual. Again the sound reported by others on their Toyota or Lexus sounds very similar:

 

To be clear, I have not solved the problem. I tried loosening the bolt, moving the shaft and splines a bit up or down, and retorquing to factory specs, not more. So far no change for me.

I even wonder if the noise is coming from inside the electric power steering motor, but it's really difficult to tell.

I might really have to disconnect the shaft for more clues.

 

After the shaft was replaced in my 2010 Corolla, the noise went away and the steering was more precise. I took the old part with me, hoping to see a solution to share with others, but nothing made itself apparent in regard to the problem. Before the replacement the old shaft rattled a fair amount when shook by hand.

 

I disconnected the intermediate shaft from the steering column and the rattle was still present when wiggling the steering wheel, so that confirms the source of the issue is in the steering column.

Both the telescoping section and the U-joint of the intermediate shaft moved with some resistance but I could not get any free play in any part.

One possibility is the electric power steering damper. Several videos show it broken and causing noise in various Toyotas like the Camry and Avalon. Some put grease, others get a replacement with part # 45254-28040. But nowhere does it say that the Venza uses this part. Not feeling adventurous enough to disassemble the steering column right now... I may just have to live with this unfortunately.

Though here are my findings from a bunch of research into the topic:

4525428040 - Toyota Damper, electric power steering motor shaft | Toyota Parts Direct, London ON

Genuine Toyota Part # 4525428040 (45254-28040) - Damper, electric power steering motor shaft. Damper, electric p/s. Damper, electric p/s. Fits Avalon, Camry, ES 350. Ships from Toyota Parts Direct, London ON

www.toyotapartsdirect.ca

4525428040 - Toyota Steering. Damper. Column | Toyota Parts Direct, London ON

Genuine Toyota Part # 4525428040 (45254-28040) - Steering. Damper. Column. Ships from Toyota Parts Direct, London ON

www.toyotapartsdirect.ca

4525428040 - Damper, electric power steering motor shaft. Tilt, telescopic, manual - Genuine Toyota Part

Genuine Toyota Part # 4525428040 (4525028641, 45254-28040) - Damper, electric power steering motor shaft. Tilt, telescopic, manual

parts.toyota.com

Did you notice any looseness in the U-joints or telescoping section of the old shaft?

 

I can confirm that the EPS damper, part # 45254-28040, fits and is present on the Venza. Unfortunately, replacing it did not fix the rattling for me. The original damper was not broken, so my issue appears to be different.

The sound might be coming from inside the telescoping section of the steering column, but it's difficult to localize even with a mechanic's stethoscope, because the sound travels well throughout the shaft, intermediate shaft, u-joint, etc.

Dropping and reinstalling the steering column was a huge pain. The presence of 2 u-joints, a telescoping section of the intermediate shaft, the normal rotation of the steering wheel, and the tight and awkward access, all mean that it is very difficult to control the weight and angles to line up the bolt holes. Plus, there are wiring harnesses that are seemingly not present in the diagrams, further encumbering the shaft. I was not able to drop the column completely as it was hanging on a wiring harness that goes up towards the instrument cluster and into the dash. Furthermore, this vehicle has an aftermarket remote start system installed by a previous owner, and that means many additional wires and splices, making the access even more constrained. Seeing all those splices was also more than a bit concerning, and I will avoid aftermarket stuff on future vehicles. Overall, dropping the steering column was an unpleasant ordeal which I don't wish to repeat.

There is a video that shows the EPS damper being accessed without dropping the column, but the two 12mm bolts for the motor have very little clearance around them, have raised obstructions around them, and there is no room to put a socket and wrench above with the column mounted. With special tools it could be possible to do it from below, and my long flex head racheting wrenches would have been perfect except that the clearance is too small for the head to fit. A thin socket or maybe open wrench is necessary. The person who did the job this way used torque adapters, which I found too expensive to purchase just for a single job. Even crowfoot adapters might not fit due to the obstructions.