'04 Highlander: Clunk in the steering

I am taking my '04 V6 AWD Highlander to the dealer this week to check a subtle "clunk" in the steering. I feel it when I am making an extreme turn at a very slow speed, such as when parking.

I wanted to get it in this week because my car is about to go out of warranty. Is there anything else I should get checked before the warranty is up? Any weak spots in this model and year?

Thanks! BC

Reply to
BCDrums
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There is a TSB for the this issue. You should be able to find it on the internet.

Reply to
John

I took a quick look and didn't find it. What might the title bee?

Thanks!

BC

Reply to
BCDrums

Steering Intermediate Shaft Noise

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Reply to
Ray O

Ray,

Thanks for this tip. The link did not work, it led me to an error page, but I was able to find it from there. Should I mention this TSB to the service agent at the dealer? What is the right way to do this?

Thanks! BC

Reply to
BCDrums

It is usually not a good idea to take your vehicle in to have something fixed and ask for something specific to be done because all of the responsibility for a mis-diagnosis is yours. For example, if the clunk is due to a loose rack end instead of the intermediate shaft, you might have to pay for the intermediate shaft.

The best approach is to take your vehicle in and describe the conditions under which the clunk occurs, such as turning which direction(s) you are turning the wheel, vehicle speed, ambient temperature, direction of travel, first turn after sitting for x hours, etc. You can mention that you heard about TSB on the intermediate steering shaft and politely ask if it applies to your vehicle, although the proper response from the service advisor should be "I don't know, but we'll check it out" or something to that effect.

Let us know what transpires.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray,

I took the car in, and, following your suggestion, just gave them my observations about the noise. . They replaced the intermediate shaft and noted the TSB on the work order. In my short drive home, I didn't notice the steering clunk, so maybe they got it. I hope so!

They also replaced the carpet clips, subject of a safety notice.

I had complained that the driver's side seatbelt did not retract reliably. The connector would dangle and I'd slam the door on it. The work order said that the belt was "working as designed."

Thanks for the help!

BC sans a belt

Reply to
BCDrums

Ray,

The seat belt retractor spring retracts the belt slowly so that the buckle does not hit the occupant in the face. Unfortunately, as it belt wears, it gets slower and slower. What sometimes happens is that the edges of the belt become frayed-fuzzy and the additional thickness of the fuzz is enough to slow down the belt as it passes through the shoulder guide. This complaint has been around a long time, and I don't understand why Toyota's seat belt supplier has not come up with a permanent solution like a larger opening in the guide.

Reply to
Ray O

Interesting! I went out and checked my belt. Not fuzzy. Also,, when I extended it and released it, it worked just fine. But still, I have all those chips in the paint where the door has slammed on the buckle...

BC unbuckled

Reply to
BCDrums

What is worse is when the buckle gets between the door and the jamb when it closes. Makes it hard to reopen the door and I always fear that I am skewing the door when it does this (98 Sienna). I try to ensure that I throw the buckle on to the seat now when I exit the Sienna (yep it retracts _that_ slow - I get enough slack now that the buckle is on the far side of the seat). This is also a problem in my Jeep and I have a lot of paint chips in that vehicle's door in the vertical spot next to the window from my tossing it aside.

I don't remember having this problem years ago. It seems to be a more recent (10 years?) thing to me. Something changed...(maybe my senility from long ago?) Tomes

Reply to
Tomes

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