Aurion intermediate shaft spline

[budgoi]

I was out of warranty with the seat.

I tested the steering this morning with a few full lock turns and some quick starts and stops, Everything working like it should I am now happy to report......until next time...ha ha ha.

[Silver-Aurion]

Excellent :-))

[FourToyotas]

I've just had my intermediate shaft replaced and it feels like a new car. I also had the VVTi pipe replaced at the same time.

I also had the transmission problems that others have mentioned. The car was slow to change gears when cold. I wasn't going to do anything about it because it went away within half a kilometre but on one occasion I drove up a hill when the car was cold and after about 100 metres the car actually went out of gear and revved until it slipped into gear. The ECU was replaced and the transmission seems to be very different. I haven't had a chance to drive it much since it was replaced so I can't really tell whether it's better or not.

I've also had the dash creaking problem others have mentioned which I fixed by inserting a rubber strip between the dash and windscreen.

Even though I've had some problems with the car I'm happy with it.

[czaja74]

My issue with drive shaft become more apparent last week. I can feel it through a steering while manuwering, breaking or accelerating. Even wen bloke was testing it I could feel it on the passenger side. To cut story short they ordered shaft and said it wil be there next week :)

[czaja74]

Got it installed yesterday. A biiig difference.

[Silver-Aurion]

Got it installed yesterday. A biiig difference.

Yeah it is, isnt it! Good to see every things going okay.

[GSV40R]

They have refitted the dash under warranty - CHECK (but now auto-headlights don't work).

Chances are they forgot to connect the ambient light sensor when they re-ftitted your dash. Easy fix, but if you are going back there, you can just get them to look at it if you want.

As for your knocking issues etc, it sounds like the same issue I have where my steering rack mounts are stuffed, but I think mine is more of a rarer case that doesn't happen to many Aurion's from the sounds of it.

The thing is, there are three possible faults being the intermediate shaft, steering rack ends, or steering rack mounts. Each of these can produce very similar symptoms, so without seeing it first hand, you can't simply say over the internet which issue you have. It's like trying to diagnose an illness over the phone.

Checking the steering rack ends and mounts will be much easier if you can hoist your car up so you can visually inspect everything. The intermediate shaft can be inspected from inside the car, but you will have to loosen a few things to test for play in it.

Hey Everyone , im a newb here. own a 2006 zr6 silver with 23000klms.

just a bit of background , i currently work for a toyota dealer and have been there for 22 years , qualified tech , done time in spare parts ,service advisor,workshop controller then branch service manager but now just quality controlling whilst the now closed branch gets rebuilt (sometime in the next 2 years ???).

the steering shaft spline issue that appears on some vehicles is becoming more prevalent. Mine showed up just as my warranty was ending. Now the shafts are on back order from japan. There is a service bulletin stating the part was a production change and there is a photo showing the difference between the old and revised part. my issue was noticeable at 20000klms. When the vehicle accelerates and brakes with a slight amount of steering input it can be felt , the splines are a slip joint. The rack is mounted to the sub frame and the sub frame is rubber mounted to the body so movement is expected (you probably shouldn't be able to feel it ?)

the shaft is the same as 40 series camry and currently there are a few 100 on back order. i have diagnosed 1 camry with this knock (the worst ive seen) and the car has over 300000 klms .

so the knock is felt as described and is not normally felt going lock to lock whilst stationary hence a seized or notchy uni joint in the steering shaft like mcu28 kluger or aca33 rav 4.

cheers Tim

[czaja74]

Hey Everyone , im a newb here. own a 2006 zr6 silver with 23000klms.

just a bit of background , i currently work for a toyota dealer and have been there for 22 years , qualified tech , done time in spare parts ,service advisor,workshop controller then branch service manager but now just quality controlling whilst the now closed branch gets rebuilt (sometime in the next 2 years ???).

the steering shaft spline issue that appears on some vehicles is becoming more prevalent. Mine showed up just as my warranty was ending. Now the shafts are on back order from japan. There is a service bulletin stating the part was a production change and there is a photo showing the difference between the old and revised part. my issue was noticeable at 20000klms. When the vehicle accelerates and brakes with a slight amount of steering input it can be felt , the splines are a slip joint. The rack is mounted to the sub frame and the sub frame is rubber mounted to the body so movement is expected (you probably shouldn't be able to feel it ?)

the shaft is the same as 40 series camry and currently there are a few 100 on back order. i have diagnosed 1 camry with this knock (the worst ive seen) and the car has over 300000 klms .

so the knock is felt as described and is not normally felt going lock to lock whilst stationary hence a seized or notchy uni joint in the steering shaft like mcu28 kluger or aca33 rav 4.

cheers Tim

Welcome to the forums.

My shaft was ordered on 19th and arrived on 24th. I hope that they didnt fit the old style one and problem will be back just after warranty finishes... How can I tell if the proper part was installed? Is there ny obvious difference?

[Silver-Aurion]

They have refitted the dash under warranty - CHECK (but now auto-headlights don't work).

Chances are they forgot to connect the ambient light sensor when they re-ftitted your dash. Easy fix, but if you are going back there, you can just get them to look at it if you want.

As for your knocking issues etc, it sounds like the same issue I have where my steering rack mounts are stuffed, but I think mine is more of a rarer case that doesn't happen to many Aurion's from the sounds of it.

The thing is, there are three possible faults being the intermediate shaft, steering rack ends, or steering rack mounts. Each of these can produce very similar symptoms, so without seeing it first hand, you can't simply say over the internet which issue you have. It's like trying to diagnose an illness over the phone.

Checking the steering rack ends and mounts will be much easier if you can hoist your car up so you can visually inspect everything. The intermediate shaft can be inspected from inside the car, but you will have to loosen a few things to test for play in it.

Hey Everyone , im a newb here. own a 2006 zr6 silver with 23000klms.

just a bit of background , i currently work for a toyota dealer and have been there for 22 years , qualified tech , done time in spare parts ,service advisor,workshop controller then branch service manager but now just quality controlling whilst the now closed branch gets rebuilt (sometime in the next 2 years ???).

the steering shaft spline issue that appears on some vehicles is becoming more prevalent. Mine showed up just as my warranty was ending. Now the shafts are on back order from japan. There is a service bulletin stating the part was a production change and there is a photo showing the difference between the old and revised part. my issue was noticeable at 20000klms. When the vehicle accelerates and brakes with a slight amount of steering input it can be felt , the splines are a slip joint. The rack is mounted to the sub frame and the sub frame is rubber mounted to the body so movement is expected (you probably shouldn't be able to feel it ?)

the shaft is the same as 40 series camry and currently there are a few 100 on back order. i have diagnosed 1 camry with this knock (the worst ive seen) and the car has over 300000 klms .

so the knock is felt as described and is not normally felt going lock to lock whilst stationary hence a seized or notchy uni joint in the steering shaft like mcu28 kluger or aca33 rav 4.

cheers Tim

Mate, if its over hundreds and hundreds of Aurions effected, why the hell aren't Toyota putting out a notice or recall? That is lame Toyota, very lame! There is a known fault and they refuse to do anything about it. WTF?

[DJKOR]

Mate, if its over hundreds and hundreds of Aurions effected, why the hell aren't Toyota putting out a notice or recall? That is lame Toyota, very lame! There is a known fault and they refuse to do anything about it. WTF?

Recalls are only done for issues that affect the safety of the vehicle. In the case of the intermediate shaft, the slight misalignment only causes a knocking type sound but does not affect the way the car drives... and would most likely never cause problems.

I really hope my TRD doesn't develop this issue like my last Aurion. And if it does... it better do it before the end of August, because that's all I've got left on my warranty.

[VF-X]

We're not that much apart Daryll... I hope nothin's wrong with mine too.. Ive been reading this thread, and the period the problem occur seems random, unlike the rattles. Let's hope that this would never happen.. Coz honestly, eventhou it occurs b4 the warranty expires and it's replaced, there's a chance it'll happen again.. :(

[Silver-Aurion]

Mate, if its over hundreds and hundreds of Aurions effected, why the hell aren't Toyota putting out a notice or recall? That is lame Toyota, very lame! There is a known fault and they refuse to do anything about it. WTF?

Recalls are only done for issues that affect the safety of the vehicle. In the case of the intermediate shaft, the slight misalignment only causes a knocking type sound but does not affect the way the car drives... and would most likely never cause problems.

I really hope my TRD doesn't develop this issue like my last Aurion. And if it does... it better do it before the end of August, because that's all I've got left on my warranty.

Yeah but its a production issue with that part. Why should we put up with a vehicle that has a production fault? The issue should be rectified for everyone. Instead Toyota are saying, "let it break first, then we will fix it".

How many KM's has your TRD done by the way? I don't think you have told us yet :P

[VF-X]

He said it somewhere and I read it.. It's around 18,000KMs..

[Silver-Aurion]

He said it somewhere and I read it.. It's around 18,000KMs..

Oh okay, I tried to look I couldn't find anything. Wow, that is really low. Very lucky djk!

[czaja74]

What is the difference between old and an improved version of the driveshaft.

[GSV40R]

What is the difference between old and an improved version of the driveshaft.

In all honesty , i'm not sure. The only way to tell the difference between the old and new is that the top section is left unpainted for easy identification. possibly the component is made by a different manufacturer ?. Just now it is revised and the part number is 1 more digit along

[czaja74]

What is the difference between old and an improved version of the driveshaft.

In all honesty , i'm not sure. The only way to tell the difference between the old and new is that the top section is left unpainted for easy identification. possibly the component is made by a different manufacturer ?. Just now it is revised and the part number is 1 more digit along

Thanks for that. Hopefully it is the new one and I won't have any problems in the later stage.

[skyhigh]

- And what appears to be the infamous 'clunk'.

...

They have told me that the problem was a loose engine mount - I think not - nothing has changed since they torqued that up.

UPDATE: They have (after four visits), replaced the intermediate shaft and presto - problem gone!

Cheers,

SkyHigh.

[CONROD]

- And what appears to be the infamous 'clunk'.

...

They have told me that the problem was a loose engine mount - I think not - nothing has changed since they torqued that up.

UPDATE: They have (after four visits), replaced the intermediate shaft and presto - problem gone!

Cheers,

SkyHigh.

:o

Hi All, after reading about all these steering issues which seem to be quite common,I started to notice a slight thud noise coming from the LH side whilst going over slight irregularities in our street, so I got the wife to rock the steering wheel back and forth quickly with the engine off and stuff me drunk the LH steering rack end (rod coming out of the convaluted boot) is knocking like a bitch.So I rang the service department this arvo and asked them whats this issue I hear regarding Aurions steering and he replied, Oh you mean the knock involving the intermediate shaft,(so dont let them fool you into believing the problem does not exist)I said well mines got it and when I told him our ZR6 is only 6 mths old and we bought from his dealership he said that it should already have the updated shaft.Anyway he wants to have a listen to it, check to make sure it is it ,order in whats needed.

But to be honest to me it only sounds like the steering rack rod wants tightening up or if they are like other rack and pinions a nylon bush replaced at the joint nipped up to the correct torque.

Can any one of you who have had this knoking noise help pin point whether it is the intermediate shaft or the rack rod making the noise in our MY10 ZR6.BY the way the cars only got 16000 ks on it

never hit a pot hole

[boxerboy]

- And what appears to be the infamous 'clunk'.

...

They have told me that the problem was a loose engine mount - I think not - nothing has changed since they torqued that up.

UPDATE: They have (after four visits), replaced the intermediate shaft and presto - problem gone!

Cheers,

SkyHigh.

:o

Hi All, after reading about all these steering issues which seem to be quite common,I started to notice a slight thud noise coming from the LH side whilst going over slight irregularities in our street, so I got the wife to rock the steering wheel back and forth quickly with the engine off and stuff me drunk the LH steering rack end (rod coming out of the convaluted boot) is knocking like a bitch.So I rang the service department this arvo and asked them whats this issue I hear regarding Aurions steering and he replied, Oh you mean the knock involving the intermediate shaft,(so dont let them fool you into believing the problem does not exist)I said well mines got it and when I told him our ZR6 is only 6 mths old and we bought from his dealership he said that it should already have the updated shaft.Anyway he wants to have a listen to it, check to make sure it is it ,order in whats needed.

But to be honest to me it only sounds like the steering rack rod wants tightening up or if they are like other rack and pinions a nylon bush replaced at the joint nipped up to the correct torque.

Can any one of you who have had this knoking noise help pin point whether it is the intermediate shaft or the rack rod making the noise in our MY10 ZR6.BY the way the cars only got 16000 ks on it

never hit a pot hole

Read replies 23 & 24 in this thread.

[mc223_2]

Ok, i have the same problems with the clunking coming from the LH front wheel when rolling slowly and applying the brakes....

What would be a good phrase to say to the toyota team when i call them?... as in, its there a technical part i should ask to be replaced etc....?

You assistance appreciated.

[boxerboy]

Ok, i have the same problems with the clunking coming from the LH front wheel when rolling slowly and applying the brakes....

What would be a good phrase to say to the toyota team when i call them?... as in, its there a technical part i should ask to be replaced etc....?

You assistance appreciated.

Just tell them there's a knock, from the steering area. Mention the intermediate shaft. Await the response.

[GSV40R]

Ok, i have the same problems with the clunking coming from the LH front wheel when rolling slowly and applying the brakes....

What would be a good phrase to say to the toyota team when i call them?... as in, its there a technical part i should ask to be replaced etc....?

You assistance appreciated.

it is a lot easy for a tech to diagnose better when he/she gets the full information. I have a steering knock as well. If it is the intermediate shaft spline issue this is how i would explain my feeling of it.

my car is at a standstill and if i just take off i can feel a slight clunk, it is worse if i slightly turn the steering and either apply the brake or accelerate off. This can be felt in varying degrees. i first noticed it when driving into my garage. i have a steep driveway and i park on it waiting for the roller door to open, when i drive forward and the front wheels go over the concrete change to the garage flat floor if feel the clunk there, it can be felt thru the steering and even to a slight degree through the brake pedal.

if you have a clunk in the steering rack and the inner rack end or the rack preload is out of adjustment , you can feel a clunk in the steering if turning the left and right whilst stationary .

and lastly some people complain of a clunk in the front end. more like when traveling over bumps and corrugations a knocking sound from the suspension may be heard.

so the more detail given will help in a better diagnosis , and i will admit that toyota issued a bulletin at the end of 2008 to let dealers know of a change in production of the intermediate shaft.with a photo showing how to distinguish the new from the old. It was not necessarily a service hint but a fact that might help in diagnosing and repairing this issue. now 18mths down the track it is more common and more dealers are experiencing it.

i probably test drive 15 to 20 different cars a day and found the intermediate shaft clunk on several camry's and aurions that the owners themselves never complained about it. as i experienced it on my own car i look for it in others.i have re-test driven vehicles after techs had done wheel alignments and found the problem they did not pick up on. i had 1 guy complain at the counter and i knew straight away ,so i roadtested with the owner and his was the worse i had felt. it was 2 months out of warranty but we got toyota to pay for it.

these shafts are currently on back order and if yours has the issue be prepared to have to wait a while 4 -6 weeks, mines due in this week and im on holidays , doh.

i hope this helps.

cheers Tim

[rai12480]

Hi all

I m a newbie and just bought 07 sx6 aurion with 1 year warranty left and everything is all good so far. I also recognise clunk sound but only when the car is cold, after a few km there is no noise. I just thought it was just normal because it didn't effect the driving at all, but now (after reading how bad it is) starting to get worried. I still got 3mth dealer warranty also, should i go to the dealer or toyota about this? Any help is appreciated.

[GSV40R]

Hi all

I m a newbie and just bought 07 sx6 aurion with 1 year warranty left and everything is all good so far. I also recognise clunk sound but only when the car is cold, after a few km there is no noise. I just thought it was just normal because it didn't effect the driving at all, but now (after reading how bad it is) starting to get worried. I still got 3mth dealer warranty also, should i go to the dealer or toyota about this? Any help is appreciated.

i would suggest straight to a toyota dealer as if it is from a used car yard they aren't going to want to spend any money on it ????. they will refer you to a dealer as toyota will cover the repairs if its a warrant-able concern , ie steering shaft intermediate shaft