2006 Toyota Tacoma Steering Problems
- 34
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 34 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
What owners report
- steering wheel · 11 records
- steering shaft · 8 records
- power steering · 7 records
- universal joint · 5 records
- difficult turn · 4 records
- intermediate steering · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 13 |
| 60–100k mi | 11 |
| 30–60k mi | 2 |
| 1–30k mi | 2 |
| 150–400k mi | 2 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Steering
Stiff steering while stationary. Difficult turning while moving after not using the vehicle for a time. This occurred after leaving the vehicle for 6 months or so at the dealer for a recall in 2012 or so. When i got the vehicle back it was ok but i don't know what they did to it. This problem just reoccurred last week after i did not use the vehicle for a while.
ODI 11210481
Steering
The steering wheel get really tight and make it difficult to turn. It feels like it's going to lock up on me. Call toyota and the dealer about it. They don't seem to care. Truck has 86,000 original miles on it.
ODI 11206388
Steering · Suspension · Unknown Or Other
Rusted front end passenger side component broke of the frame due to corrosion. Toyota warranty for repair expired 31 january 2019 and vehicle was taken to toyota 2 months later and toyota will not honor repair. Very disappointing on toyotas end. The rusted frame takes longer than 2 months to corrode. Toyota care not willing to work with me and fix there faulty and very unsafe product!
ODI 11194651
Steering
My 2006 tacoma is very stiif steering wheel everytime i use the vehicle . Im afraid of accident waiting to happen.
ODI 11115768
Steering
The steering on my tacoma sometime stiffens and does not return back to center or sometimes you can barely turn the wheel left or right due to the lower intermediate shaft rusting in order to drive safely you have to temporarily put white lithium grease all over it because the design is wide open to road spray and salt i'm almost got into 5 head-on collisions.. And researching online this is a very common issue with…
ODI 11092209
Steering
Lower intermediate steering shaft u joint seized. It is small and exposed to the elements, and there is no protective covering. It is a dangerous piece to have fail. Many other tacoma owners of the same model years experience this problem.
ODI 11082561
Steering
Truck has hard steering in any condition. Took to dealer deihl in butler pa. They told me it was the steering shaft. The dealer is great they replaced my frame rear springs all u joints and driveshafts.we were told this repair would cost $450 roughly. This is a known problem and should be covered too..
ODI 11091581
Steering
Steering getting very stiff. Hard to steer and hard to return steering to straight after completing turn.
ODI 11075537
Steering
Steering has seized up. U joint constantly needs to be lubed.
ODI 11074135
Steering
My steering wheel has become really stiff, because the #2 shaft steering was poorly desing, it's rusted and gets dirty because it doesn't have a boot or nothing covering it. Truck is stiff when turning, and almost gets stock when turning back to straight.
ODI 11074189
Steering
Lower intermediate steering shaft universal joint bearings rust resulting in the steering wheel being difficult the turn. Some of have reported the steering locking. The part number is: 45203-04020.
ODI 11045318
Steering
The universal joint in the intermediate steering shaft has rusted, creating an unsafe condition. This joint in the steering column should have been protected from the elements by a boot, or some other means, to maintain lubrication and prevent this joint from rusting. Online research suggests this is a common, and very dangerous, problem. Due to the cost of this repair ($400- 500), many people may try to simply…
ODI 10980365
Steering
Steering locking up.took shaft off with u joint. Got ot to loosen upwith heat and lube.put back on till i can get new one.dtarting to lock up again. Had frame recall done.toyota said no recall on joint at that time.
ODI 11088740
Steering
Steering issue. When i turn the steering wheel i experience stiffness on/off on the turn. I noticed the u joint was rusted out. I sprayed it with silicone, worked fine for a while, now the stiffness is back. I believe toyota needs to recall this u joint replacement. This is a huge safety issue.
ODI 10875263
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that when the ignition was turned to the on position, the steering column detached from the vehicle. The contact stated that the steering column was reattached to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the diagnosis was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure…
ODI 10767343
Steering
After frame was replaced i started having stiffness in my steering.
ODI 10745707
Steering
With out warning, my steering got very stiff and the wheels would not return to center automatically. After researching i found that it could be the u-joint on the lower steering shaft. I sprayed lubricant on the u-joint and this temporarily resolved the issue. The binding returns every week or so. The u-joint is not protected from the elements allowing road grime, salt and other contaminants to get into the…
ODI 10721170
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel was difficult to turn left or right. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000.
ODI 10689660
Steering
Steering issue. When i turn the steering wheel i experience stiffness on/off on the turn. I noticed the u joint was rusted out. I sprayed it with silicone, worked fine for a while, now the stiffness is back. I believe toyota needs to recall this u joint replacement. This is a huge safety issue
ODI 10881356
Steering
Several weeks ago my power steering started to act erratically. It felt like i had no help with the steering. I had to struggle to turn the steering wheel. Then a few moments later it would feel better but the return motion in the power steering would still be sluggish. The dealership service said to check the fluid level and add fluid if necessary. I topped off the power steering fluid. That helped a little, but…
ODI 10671847
Steering
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota tacoma. The contact stated that the steering wheel became extremely tight and difficult to turn. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where it was diagnosed that the steering knuckles were rusted and that the u-joint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
ODI 10651597
Steering
Steering shaft binds suddenly at lower universal joint, resulting in loss of steering input. *tr
ODI 10705481
Steering · Suspension · Underbody Shields
Returning home with my grandson from visiting a state university i head a knocking sound in the front of the vehicle. I thought a rubber bushing had failed because previous models of toyotas (tercels) made the same sound when the torsion bar bushings needed to be replaced. Upon returning home i found the sway bar had come out of the left bracket which secures it to the frame and was striking the front left spring of…
ODI 10618572
Service Brakes · Steering
The brake lines are all rusty on my truck. I had to have one brake line replaced and all are in danger of leaking at any time. There is so much rust on the underside of my truck that more of the brake lines are going to break and cause an accident. Also i just had to have the steering rack replaced at 63000 miles and the lines to the steering rack were rusty and had to be replaced. *tr
ODI 10608145
Steering
The power steering on my 2006 toyota tacoma stops working and makes it almost impossible to steer at times. I had it towed to the toyota dealer and they said they could not find any thing wrong with the steering. It seems to just happen at times but it could very easily cause an accident when it does. Updated 11/24/2014 *js
ODI 10592237