Steering Intemediate Shaft Clunking Noise
 

Hi, All,

I have 25,000 miles on my 2007 Camry LE-V6. Recently, it started to
make clunking noises when turning and, occasionally, even braking. My
mechanic told me this was caused by faulty intermediate steering shaft
design, that Toyota had later fixed with a new design. Cost to repair:
almost $500.

The dealer service department refused to accept the mechanic's word.
Before proceeding, they insisted on performing their own diagnostics.
Cost: $54.

I called the factory Customer Service. They, too, told me to get the
diagnostic first (my own dime). They did indicate that they may help
with solving the problem, but promised nothing.

I had the diagnostic done and, guess what, they discovered a clunking
intermediate steering shaft.

I called Toyota CS again and left a message. The very next day they
responded with an email, telling me the dealer Customer Relations
Manager will contact me. Luckily, I didn't hold my breath, since he
never did. I called him and left a VM message, that he hasn't seen fit
to respond to.

My question to Camry owners here: has anyone had this problem? Did
it start after warranty expiration? How did Toyota deal with it?

I'll appreciate any comments,

-- Ron

I am using Toyota since 2003, and the mechanical problems are almost very very few, but there where a couple of situations when my car gave me some sort of mechanical problem.
I really appreciate the Toyota Customer Support for the kind of service the provided me in those situations. I could get the help on almost immediate from their mechanics.

Read the info at the posts below and research the TSB mentioned. Although the problem mentioned goes up to 2006 cars your problem may be the same with the same repair.

Steering Intermediate Shaft (TSB) - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

steering intermediate shaft clunk : RepairPal

Find a mechanic that can do some research.

Thanks for the links. I am not sure this present issue is the same one
described in these other posts. In this case, Toyota had already found
a design fault in the intermediate shaft itself. The new design is said
to solve the problem.

What bothers me more than Toyota's poor design quality is their flippant
treatment of customers that got bit by that shoddy design. By now they
have finally got back to me (I had to keep calling) and graciously offered
to pay half, out of the goodness of their heart. They kept harping on the
fact that the car, even though with only 25,000 miles, is out of warranty.
I told them that this is not a normal warranty problem, where parts may
fail, but bad design, where the part was guaranteed to fail. This
problem is not common. I've owned more cars than I can remember and
can't recall a steering shaft going bad in 25,000 miles (or 125,000 miles,
for that matter).

I've been driving Toyotas for the past 25 years. Toyota is not the same
company it used to be. The new Toyota is reminiscent of the old GM.
I am going to take this to court. I will also see whether I can interest a
high power lawyer I know in initiating a class action. Customers should
not be forced to pay for Toyota's mistakes.

-- Ron

Your efforts have paid off as most owners out of warranty receive little if any good well support.

Unfortunately Toyota has had problems for some time, it was only their past quality perceptions in the minds of buyers that kept the issue at bay until it could not be ignored.

it's amazing how much GM and Toyota become lookalikes.

dreaded ISS issue now... safe guess, thousands of GM truck owners had it, and GM never changed it.

well, on my Silverado, it's about 15 minute fix. either replacement, or folks install zerk into shaft core and pump it with thick grease.

otherwise, we all have our gripes about our cars and makes, but it does not fix an issue. hands do. on my book, eating myself into death by getting into pissing contests with dealers is absolutely not worth me getting my hands dirty and fixing it.

Let me tell you about Toyota. I've been driving Toyotas for 25 years with
full satisfaction. My first glimpse of where Toyota was going, was with a
2000 Solara. The car was supposed to come with 5 alloy wheels (stated
in the specs and also verbally confirmed to me by the salesman). The
spare in the car I actually got had a steel rim. When I pointed out the
'error', the sales manager said that he didn't believe the salesman told
me what he did (IOW, he accused me of lying); as to the brochure, he
claimed it did not obligate Toyota (he couldn't explain how else does
one determine whether they want to buy a car).

The customer relations manager told me that I shouldn't bother with
such trivialities (the alloy wheel was a well over $500 item). "Go out,
have some fun, play some golf" said he. He truly believed Toyota
customers were a herd of idiots.

I called Toyota and after much haggling and aggravation they offered
a new alloy wheel for half the price. That was the new Toyota: first
they short changed me, then tried to sell me the missing item at
discount.

So, I sued in small claims. The case never got to court. They called me
and after more haggling agreed to give me the wheel I had already paid
for, plus a 'free' oil change to offset the court fee. My view: allowing
Toyota (or any other big corporation) to take advantage fuels their
greed and encourage them to fleece me and other customers in the
future.

Getting back on topic: I am going to sue Toyota. I am also going to get
a lawyer to consider a class action against them. Stay posted...

-- Ron

Camry Steering Clunk
 

Hello Ron -
I have the exact problem you are describing. I have a 2007 Camry V-6, I only have 28,000 miles on this car now. I took the car to Toyota last summer. They told me not to worry about it, just an internal grease problem, bad part but not a safety hazard. Too hard and expensive to fix. I have an extended 5 year drive chain warranty, but I guess this part is not included. Did you get yours fixed? Mine seems to be getting worse, so I am going to start contacting Toyota about it. Mostly noticeable in parking lots, low speed turns.:) Lauree

2011 Camry Intermediate Steering Shaft
 

Has anyone had the slight clunking noise in their steering shaft with a newer Camry? After reading threads about it suggesting the part is somewhat defective (but still not a safety issue, and not under warranty either), I asked the dealership about lubricating it as some others have suggested on this board. However, they said they don't do that, and wanted me to pay $450 to have the intermediate steering shaft replaced.

Common problem. See link below for a method greasing.

Intermediate Steering Shaft - Greasing DIY - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums