steering motor strangeness

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Technical Discussion' started by Tombukt2, Oct 30, 2023.

  1. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Base
    Anybody got any information on the electric motor that does the steering? This is what I got when I'm going straight down the road it feels like the electric motor that's amplifying my steering input It feels like that motor let's go of the steering for tenths of seconds like it's trying to hunt for center or something to that effect It's very sensitive like the registration motors on my four unit printing press Very sensitive and I'm driving down the road all of a sudden it feels like nothing is holding the steering but it's only for tenths of seconds and then it grabs the steering again like it's trying to find a certain point somewhere around center I don't notice it when the steering wheel is greatly turned of course you're not going lots of places with the steering wheel greatly turned for any seemingly length of time and just feels really strange none of my other generation twos do this at all. And I and I guess it would be a quick swap to change this motor that's right above my knees but if I don't have to I don't want to I've never been prompted by tech stream or anything else to happen to do anything with the steering angle sensor the cars had several alignments and never any problems everything on the car steering wise and suspension wise is nice and tight there's no slop in the system at all looks like the vehicle just had tires put on it and an alignment and then something the dash went out or something like that and they stop driving the car literally right right after putting these tires on and it's been doing it ever since I got the car to run and went and looked at it it's annoying more than it is anything else.
     
  2. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    To keep the troubleshooting tree straight, it may help to remember that the steering angle sensor has nothing to do with the power steering. That sensor is used for VSC.

    The power steering depends on the steering torque sensor. That's a different sensor.

    In Gen 1 it went bad in a lot of cars. Starting with Gen 2, it's a different design that isn't supposed to.
     
  3. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    Like I say there's no codes so I don't even know what I'm troubleshooting It just feels like in the steering wheel that the electric motor is letting go and is trying to advance or retard the steering wheel to some place it wants to be is what it feels like in the steering wheel I've jacked the car up and checked all of the suspension and all of the steering componentry nothing is loose clunking clanking play in the inner and outer tie rod ends is not and I don't feel anything with the car off just turning the wheel side to side so on and so forth It's only when the car is ready and the steering wheel moves when the steering motor comes on once that's on and I start driving straight ahead say around 40 mph it feels like the electric motor is like trying to find center or something that it wants to find I don't know what that might be none of my other generation twos do this and I have a few that are daily driven almost I've never felt this before in any of these cars this car is not been wrecked it was serviced by the Toyota dealer its whole history bad or good don't know It was from Florida the lady that owned it was a serious hypochondriac and the car spent its life at the dealer every little thing she felt hurt or saw drove straight to the dealer All paperwork in the glove box nothing ever done with the steering almost everything else yes. Car has a paltry 171,000 mi on it everything on the car and in the car works perfectly. Except for this slight funny feeling in the steering about every I don't know 20 seconds or so.