Sunday, June 1, 2008

Q Dear Tom and Ray:

I was driving home in my beloved 2003 Toyota Prius on Friday. I turned right a few blocks from my house, and the wheel froze in the turned position. I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a parked truck. With all my might, I forced the wheels straight enough to get it home. I had it towed to a dealer, and they say it's an electrical connection between the steering column and the rack and pinion, and will cost about $2,000 in parts and labor. I'm at about 70,000 miles -- way past the 36,000-mile warranty. I know there was a recall having to do with the steering system on Priuses made just after mine, but the dealer says it doesn't apply. Do I have any recourse?

-- Rebecca

A RAY: I'm afraid the dealer is right, Rebecca. The later steering recall is for a different issue entirely, so it wouldn't apply to your car.

TOM: And he's right that what you probably need is a rack and pinion, which will cost you two grand.

RAY: Welcome to the world of new technology! One of the many ways the Prius saves fuel is with electric power steering.

TOM: It works by using sensors in the steering column that tell a computer how far, how hard and how quickly you're turning the steering wheel. The computer then sends an appropriate amount of electrical "boost" to the electric power-steering motor.

RAY: This electric system saves fuel by being smaller and lighter, and by running off electric power only when that power is needed, instead of off the gasoline engine all the time. The disadvantage of it is that it's new, and apparently it can fail catastrophically.

TOM: So, you're a guinea pig, Rebecca.

RAY: You can try asking to speak to the dealer's zone manager. You can make your case to him or her, and ask whether he or she will help you with the cost of the repair, since you almost died -- and now that you're still alive, if he or she treats you well, you'd be around to buy more Toyotas.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1997 Ford Aspire, and I can't plug in my Sirius Satellite Radio adapter because my car lighter does not work. I changed all the fuses -- and got some other stuff working, but not the cigarette lighter. What can I do? -- Laura

RAY: Make sure you have fire coverage on your car insurance.

TOM: There are several possibilities, Laura. One is that you do a have a systemic electrical problem. How many accidents did you have in this car? Systemic problems are often related to grounding. So you might suggest to a mechanic that he run you a new ground from the battery to a solid metal piece of the car's frame.

RAY: While you changed all of the fuses, it's possible that there's something wrong with your fuse box that's not allowing electricity to get to that fuse. So, you might want to have a mechanic look into that.

TOM: Or you could have a broken wire leading to the cigarette lighter. No amount of grounding or fuse-box fiddling is going to fix that.

RAY: So, if all else fails, or you don't feel like going through the trouble of diagnosing the real problem, you can always hook your Sirius radio adapter directly to the battery -- provided you put a fuse in the circuit. You'll have to find out what size fuse you need to protect your radio, but it's probably a five- or 10-amp fuse.

TOM: If you want to go this direct route, take the car to a car-stereo shop instead of a mechanic. This is their area of expertise.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click & Clack in care of The Post, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site at http://www.cartalk.com.

Copyright 2007 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman