| Issue ID | 782177 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10324048 |
| Manufacurer | TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION |
| Brand | TOYOTA |
| Model | CAMRY HYBRID |
| Model Year | 2007 |
| File date | 27/03/10 |
| Component | STEERING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Arrived at toyota dealership to pick up my 2007 camry hybrid after servicing and work on floor mat and "electronic steering assembly" recalls. To this point i had no problem with the car whatsoever, ever. Dealer told me it was unable to begin work on the steering assembly recall because the part had not arrived from toyota yet, but the car was safe to drive until the part arrived. When i started the car, the steering wheel moved 100 degrees right, then left, on its own. Then i was unable to turn the wheel more than 1-2 inches in either direction. I repeatedly protested to the service reps on duty that there was a steering problem with the car. Each service rep denied any problem, and was unwilling even to walk 60 feet to check the car. First service rep told me the car was "correcting" as it was supposed to do in backing out of a parking space. Second service rep told me there was absolutely no problem, that the car was perfectly safe to drive, and that i "must not be used to driving with fully inflated tires." they urged me to drive the car off the lot and into the sierras (where they knew i was heading that day), but i refused. Ultimately i escalated my complaint to the dealership's customer relations mgr. Who consulted with a mechanic. And agreed there was a problem with the steering. The dealership kept the car several days until a new "rack"/electronic steering assembly arrived from toyota and was installed. They informed me the part replaced was the same part which was the subject of the "steering recall." the car now drives much as before, with the steering a bit stiffer. Although toyota has replaced the part, i am very unhappy with the initial reaction of service personnel, their insistence that there was no problem with the steering and that the car was completely safe to drive. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 34000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | PALO ALTO, CA |
| VIN pattern | JTNBB46KX73XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | |
| No. of fatalities | |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 0 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |