2017 Tacoma 4x4 Off-Road - Intermittent Stiff Steering

Hello everyone! This is my first post to the taco forums. I currently drive a 2017 off-road Tacoma and have noticed intermittent stiff steering since moving to the city. I saw some of the 2nd gen Tacomas had problems with the U-joint, but wasn't sure if that extended to the 3rd gens as well. From time-to-time, usually after driving about 20+ miles, the steering will get super stiff and then soften up again. I've had it to the point where it almost feels like you're getting a bicep workout in while attempting to park. I'm currently still under warranty, but the multiple times I've brought it to the dealership to diagnose, they're unable to replicate or find the problem. Does anyone have ideas on what this could be/have similar issues? If so, how did you go about getting this fixed? The dealership said they reached out to Toyota and opened a ticket/worked with them today, but Toyota supposedly doesn't have any ongoing issues/tickets with this specific problem currently. Thank you for your help in advance!

 

Let the shop foreman take it home and back to experience the problem. This is the best way for them to diagnose the problem that isn't always present.

 

Did you get the problem fixed?

 

No, they couldn't find the problem. They're not sure what the issue is, and don't really "feel" the issue either. The head tech won't take it home, he said it's some sort of personal policy.