My battery started dying a couple of days ago after a long trip(forgot to turn off the lights after 1 hr.) Was able to jump start for a couple of days with the intent of making the new battery a weekend project. Close to home Friday night when leaving a gas station, I jump started as usual but the steering was very stiff. The steering wheel alarm dash light also came on. After reading several sites I was relieved to see the steering issue was related to the battery. It was disturbing to find out that there was an onboard computer in the dash called an ECM that could also fail. ECM replacement cost est $1100 to $1500 including labor. Bought a Costco battery today and changed it out. The car started up with no warnings and the steering worked just fine. Guess I dodged a bullet on that one. Thanks JimFixer for your post. When I lost my power steering, I thought that either my hydraulic ps pump went out or I lost fluid; didn't know Toyota went electric on this one.