Help identify mystery part in steering wheel

I have a 2003 Toyota Tundra/V6/Manual. I've had a clanking in my steering wheel whenever I hit bumps. I pulled the horn/airbag assembly off and found the following part was partially detached, enough that it was jangling around in the steering wheel. It was attached in the upper portion of the steering wheel assembly directly behind the airbag/horn assembly. It (was) attached by three rubber mounts, a couple of which had failed to the point that part was very loose. I can't for the life of me tell what this part does or whether it's important. An internet search of steering wheel part diagrams didn't turn up any answers.


Thanks for any help!

 

While this may not help at all, this is a 01/02 steering wheel with piece similar showing location. Other than that, ain't got nothing as far as how it reattaches..

 

Thanks BubbaW! My part looks slightly different but is the equivalent of the part you showed.

 

I've got a couple pics that might help. It looks like that piece was already gone in mine.

 

Honestly, they probably just epoxied that piece in, either metal-to-metal, or molded into the rubber of the wheel.

What I've noticed about Toyota is this: If you don't find some kind of part number embossed, printed, or stamped on it somewhere but it's large enough to have one on it, they never intended for it to be replaced. In their mind it's part of an assembly.

There are some inverse exceptions to this rule, where something *is* stamped with a part number, but you can only buy it as an assembly, but I can't think of a case where a part large enough to have a number doesn't and you can readily buy it.

If it were me and I was concerned about this knowing others like BMF have been running without it, I'd leave it out or epoxy it back in using whatever surfaces look like they may've had epoxy before.

 

Is it really heavy for its size? Wonder if it’s a weight for NVH purposes.

 

Thanks guys!

KNABORES: I wouldn't say it's particularly heavy.

 

Nvh purposes?
I also had pretty much the same part come loose on our 2010 4runner, I asked my tech friend and he wasn’t exactly sure but said it might be for like anti vibration thru the steering shaft? I never bothered to look for a replacement and the runner is still trotting along fine

 

Ahh, that would make sense! It's mounted by three rubber pieces, so maybe it might be a dampener.

 

Yes exactly, and the rubber is kinda torn and barely hanging onto the metal part right?
Mine seemed to happen shortly after a alarm install, I think they had to remove part of the column so maybe it got disturbed somehow

 

N - noise
V - vibration
H - harmonics

 

Then yes, exactly what it’s for!

 

Wait isn’t that a big piece of the armature sprocket that became detached from the dynamic oscillator that is used to balance out the reverberation from the turbo flatulator? ‍

 

Mmmmmm flatulator

 

I always thought it was the turbo encapsulator. ​