'08 Taco steering issue

Hi all, I bought my '08 access cab 4wd v-6 w/71,000 almost a year ago. Just last Saturday I noticed pulling out of my driveway that the steering effort increased somewhat, and having driven a weeks worth(daily), I now have a stiff and notchy feeling in the steering wheel, it's not horrible or dangerous just yet. I checked the serpentine belt, doesn't seem to be amiss, even tried the age old belt dressing to no avail. The pump reservoir is right where it should be with fluid and there are no visible leaks anywhere. I did do a site search for posts related to this problem and haven't found anything helpful or related(could have been my own IT ignorance). Has anyone experienced this issue, and if so any remedies? I did discover the power steering pressure switch and am wondering if this could be the problem?

Thanks in advance, Jim Macaulay

 

Check the intermediate steering shaft joint. May need to be replaced.

 

^^^^
This, it is a growing topic plenty of posts on it.



Crank your wheels left.
Drivers side above axle.

Just a heads up maybe it’s just me but!!
I cleaned kinda, and greased that joint. Wish I didn’t I went from having to turn it where I wanted the truck to go to having a sloppy spot loose floating feel in the steering wheel.

 

Just a heads up:

If it is the intermediate steering shaft joint, and you get it replaced, make sure you don't drive away from the repair shop with a broken clock spring (the airbag light will be on, and you'll have no horn, cruise control or airbag). A clock spring can be easily broken during intermediate drive shaft repairs if they aren't careful, and some shops won't own up to it if they do break it.

I've had that happen to me, ended up having to eBay the part and fix it myself (shop wanted $300 to fix their own mistake, must be nice to live in that world where you get paid to screw up), and there is another active thread on here right now with someone else dealing with the same issue.