2007 Gen II with 238K, noticed just tonight while going down the Interstate the steering wheel button lights had quit working. When I exited the Interstate and made some turns, the lights came back on, would occasional flicker. The lights may be dim, but having them off is a real inconvenience at night. I'm guessing this may be related to a broken wire or 2 in the "spiral cable"? The reason I say that is because about a year ago the "Info" button near the top right of the steering wheel quit working - it worked occasionally for awhile then quit working altogether. I remember reading here that was possibly related to a broken wire in the spiral cable. Now with the steering wheel lights failing, it seems the spiral cable may very well be the culprit. All the other steering wheel buttons work. Repairing this is beyond my capabilities, about what can I expect to pay at an independent Toyota shop?
Probably the clock spring. If the buttons still work I'd leave it alone. Click spring from Toyota is $300+ Parts stores have it for $250+ I found one on eBay for $8.00. Lolz But beware . Can sometimes end up with an airbag code.. the connection on those is a bit cheap.. Your call... It's NOT hard to put in yourself.. you do need to watch out some things are a bit tricky. There Are some videos on YouTube. That can help. I can give you some details on the part installation if you wish.. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Thanks for the quick reply. Found some new "genuine/OEM" spiral cables/clocksprings on Ebay for around $40 from US sellers, showing a Toyota Genuine Parts box in the pic - not wise to go that route? I watched a replacement video but just don't trust myself to do it right, my luck I'd screw it up and it would end up costing me a lot more. Willing to pay a reputable shop for the installation. Looks like about an hour job, maybe $100-150?
OEM cables are not $40, so you know what that means. I’d look elsewhere and a genuine OEM one should run about what your quoted labor rate is. Good luck and keep us posted .
So you're saying the Ebay listings are rip-offs because the prices are too low? They look legit but the price difference obviously makes one question them. I simply don't know, you guys are the experts here and I respect your opinions and info. Can you point me to a reputable source for buying the part (hopefully other than a dealer)?
We’ve had stories here of buying the “to good to be true” cables and then having to do the same repair shortly thereafter . I abide by the old saying that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. I’d search on toyotapartsdeal.com or ask the local dealer for a quote. Maybe even check Rock Auto out and see what they have. Good luck and keep us posted .
Thanks, obviously want to avoid a debacle by going the cheap route. There's an independent Toyota shop here that's treated me well. I'll check with them and report back.
Thanks, I've pretty much ruled out the $40-range units, I'm skeptical like others here. There are a couple of Ebay sellers with units in the $120-140 range with strong feedback rating/volume and not based in CA. Tempting but still... Would certainly be nice to have all working buttons that are lit up but I'll probably keep the car for less than 50K more miles so may decide to just do without.
Independent Toyota shop wants $440 for parts & labor so looks like I'll be doing without. Thanks to all who chimed in here!
I might be going the used route with this, found a regional shop that specializes in the Prius, they have used ones and offered a reasonable price on installing one. My question is: I have trim level 3 with the extra buttons on the right side of the steering wheel. Is the spiral cable/clockspring the same no matter which trim level?
