have a traction warning and feel abs braking,had alot of suspension noise so I Replaced struts, helped with the noise but now notice play in the steering,jacked up front end and can feel play left to right on front wheels. I suspect needs a rack and pinion replacement. also checked for related codes,none found. my question is can a worn rack and pinion cause the traction control to activate? car has 337k miles.no tie rod issues found.
Check for a worn wheel bearing by grabbing the tires at the 12 & 6 oclock positions and wiggling the tire in and out. There should be no play in the tires.
If there is, it can cause the tone ring for the ABS to become misaligned with the wheel speed sensor causing the problem.
Tester
wheel bearing have been replaced about 10 k ago. play in wheel is if you grab wheel at 9 and 3 and can see the movement on the rack and pinion
If you have the traction control light on, then you need a better code reader. Many of them will only read generic OBDII codes. Your traction control/ABS errors won’t show up on them
had to upgrade reader just for this issue. shows no faults for abs/traction control.i assume because its doing what it thinks is the right thing? play induced by worn out rack and pinion interpreted as loss of traction.was hoping someone had the same issue before I change out the rack and pinion.
forgot to mention traction control lt flashes on during a turn at only 35 mph and greater and you can feel brake being applied
Suggest to hire a shop to inspect the suspension and steering play issue, before replacing the rack. There are other more likely and less expensive possibilities imo.
What reader is it? If the light goes on there will be codes. The ideal thing for a Toyota is Techstream, but that’s a very expensive option (unless you go an alternate route that you could learn about by visiting some Toyota forums).
In any case, if there play that you think is steering, why are you assuming the rack? You’ve got both inner and outer tie rods…
i was thinking that if the light stayed on it would latch a code. the traction control light flashes for about two seconds while turning. I was under the assumption that it was letting the driver know the system was detecting a skid and not a fault. yeah,I went cheap on the reader,blue tooth type that links to your smart phone. it lists abs in the menu. also when turning the wheel while driving there is a “dead spot” along with for lack of a better description, “a clunk” abs light does not illuminate.
Ah. Got it now. It wasn’t clear before.
I’ve not personally had this happen, but certainly a worn rack & pinion could cause this. Having your front wheels excessively toed in/out will create different front wheel speed (than the module expects to see) during turns.
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The steering angle sensor is located at the top of the steering column just below the steering wheel. If there is any play in the steering column shaft, rack and pinion or steering linkage, the VSC system will not operate correctly.
Are you seeing the whole rack body moving on the frame, or the skinny long rod going to the tie rod end at the wheel moving??
If the rod, well the inner tie rod end requires replacing, if you are seeing the rack body moving, then check your rack mounting bolts and bushings to make sure they are tight, if you mean the part that the inner tie rod end mounts to is moving inside the rack body easily then the rack requires replacement regardless of any lights being on, if the rack locks up while driving, you are screwed…
Well, those you old enough to remember Paul Harvey,“and now the rest of the story”. It took half a dozen shops to find someone interested in looking at the car. the shop that agreed to take a look is 25 miles away. what a scary ride! I dont normally drive this car because I dont fit.anyway, toolin along and a slight turn to the right and Holy&*%#@ the left front brake locks ups and takes me into the oncoming traffic lane. luckily,it was empty. I suddenly became the Pruis driver we all hate to get behind 25mph with a death grip on the wheel. made it to the shop and within an hour they had confirmed that it needed a rack and pinion. I left it because I didn’t want to drive it anymore.picked it up today,drives like a dream.
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Thank you for the update, and glad you got it repaired…
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Wow! Glad you’re ok.
I see this type of comment and I really don’t understand it .
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Wife’s, daughter’s, son’s etc vehicle…
I think you missed the point . Most vehicles have seats that can have up and down adjustments , tilt steering wheels, adjustable seat backs and of course the seats move forward and back.
There are a few cars I don’t fit in, regardless of seat adjustment.