violent shaking of steering at low speeds

A little on it here:

It is something you really can't ignore. "Was's " link is a good place to start. Many people have found that a friendly but persistent attitude at the Toyota dealer often results in Toyota picking up a large part of the cost or sometimes all the cost.

An alternative would be to acquire a steering rack on the used market. For example, car-part.com lists four in my state for $125. Two are shown as being under 60K miles or 15K miles per year of age. I haven't looked at the procedure but I expect it is a medium level job, not quite as tough as a clutch replacement.

Mike

Thanks Mike,

Do you know the long-term problems of leaving this be? This isn't the same problem as the cracked steering column that causes loss of steering; from what I can tell it's related to the computer feedback system not tolerating certain conditions (cold, worn joints, etc...)

f'n toyota shop sold me this car in the spring with a 6 month warranty. Just long enough for it to get cold.

It also seems like a problem that should be fixed in 2003 models, so that's a little shady. Maybe it's got some 2002 parts in it.

-Jack