Gen 3 Persona steering rattle solved.

There is some confusion on Gen 3 steering dampener coupling repair. I’ve been one of those confused. Issue 1 was Toyota showed no such part for my 2015 Gen 3 Persona, and I had a trusted Toyota parts guy of many years who couldn’t find one on any screen in any fashion.

Secondarily, Avalons, Camrys, some Lexus, and certainly Gen 4 Prii can be found on videos, but Gen 3 harder, until I found this one brilliant man below:

The procedure is not for the faint of heart, but even though I didn’t think my car even had the 8.00 part, I dove in and fixed it today, with my son, in almost exactly 3 hours flat. The only glimmer of hope I had to tear in there was the aforementioned video. The part number at Toyota that I used was 45254-28040.

I hope this post helps some, as I had seen a few other questions regarding this very topic.

Incidentally, I didn’t have to use a 14mm ratcheting wrench, but it would have been nice to have one. Sneaking a ratchet and socket up there, after loosening with a 14mm box end wrench, was a bit tricky. You’ll know which bolt when you watch the video. It was parallel to the floor. Also, you needn’t remove quite as many panels as did the gentleman in the video, but you’ll see it when you get in there. I do recommend removing the drivers seat and the steering wheel, which made the job much easier IMO. I learned how to remove the steering wheel in a different video. You’ll find it. Oh, and I did disconnect 12v battery as I was removing airbags. I just think it good practice.

Good luck, take your time, respect the wires/connectors, and you’ll again have a Prius that isn’t embarrassingly loud in the cabin over some little pee-pee road irregularities. My vehicle has 186,000 miles and sounds/drives new again. (Thank goodness, the cacophony was maddening!)

Ed Fisher
Ft Worth, Texas