Help! Squeaky Steering Driving me Nutty

[davidhite]

I've been plagued with a squeaky steering wheel on my 08 sedan since a couple of months after I bought it new in August. Its a quiet but obnoxious eeeeeeeee-eeeeeeeee sound that only happens when the outside temp is above about 50 and/or the car is warmed-up. It is quite audible when driving slowly. It is obscured by road noise and engine noise as speed increases.

I originally thought it was something in the suspension, as it would squeak when turning or going slowly over bumps. It took me several months to figure out that it was actually coming from the steering column. I can actually sit with the car turned off moving the the wheel slowly back and forth to make the squeak happen.

I've been to the dealer 3 times. They lubed the firewall boot but it had no effect. I believe it is coming from the electric power steering box under the dash. The last trip to the dealer resulted in a response of "they all do that" and "that's within Toyota tolerances". I find that hard to believe. I'll be going to see the "head" service manager Friday.

Has anyone else experienced this type of squeak?

Have you had any luck getting it repaired under warranty?

Thanks,