2000 Toyota Celica

2000 TOYOTA CELICA HATCHBACK. THE HATCHBACK HYDRAULIC HINGES ARE DEFECTIVE. THE REAR DOOR DOESN'T REMAIN OPEN WHEN IT GETS WARM OR COLD. I'VE REPORTED TO THE LOCAL DEALER WHO GAVE ME A 1-800# THAT PUTS ONE IN AN ENDLESS LOOP. I PROVIDED FEEDBACK ON THE CONSUMER FORM BUT HAVEN'T BEEN CONTACTED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS ONE COULD RECEIVE SEVERE OR EVEN FATAL HEAD INJURIES.*AK

MY CAR MAKES A LOUD SQUEALING NOISE USUALLY OCCURRING WHEN IT RAINS OR IN THE MORNING (I'M GUESSING DUE TO CONDENSATION). THE DEALER REPLACED MY BELT TENSIONER TWO TIMES TO FIX THIS PROBLEMS BUT IT ALWAYS COMES BACK. THE FIRST TIME THEY REPLACED IT UNDER WARRANTY. THE SECOND TIME I HAD TO PAY AROUND $450 TO REPLACE IT AND THE NOISE STILL CAME BACK A WEEK LATER. I'M GUESS THAT THE RAIN IS LEAKING INTO THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DESTROYING THE BELT TENSIONER. I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS MANY TIMES AND THE DEALER WOULD EITHER SPRAY THE BELTS WITH OIL OR REPLACE THE TENSIONER BELT BUT THE NOISE ALWAYS COMES BACK. *JB

ON 8/8/03 I BROUGHT MY 2000 TOYOTA CELICA GT-S W/ 33K MILES TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT A-1 TOYOTA, 50 AMITY RD, NEW HAVEN, CT FOR A PROBLEM REGARDING SOME VERY LOUD CONTINUOUS SQUEALING ORIGINATING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, ESPECIALLY DURING ENGINE IDLE. AT 4:20PM, A SERVICE TECHNICIAN (KEN) CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT A PART CALLED A 'BELT TENSIONER' WOULD HAVE TO BE ORDERED, AND THE ESTIMATED COST FOR THIS PART AND INSTALLATION WOULD BE $485.00. KEN ASKED ME IF I'D LIKE HIM TO ORDER THE PART AND SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, I SAID I'D LET HIM KNOW MONDAY. THEN I DID SOME RESEARCH, AND FOUND A NHTSA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN #628669 (TOYOTA TSB #EG01401) PERTAINING TO MY SPECIFIC COMPLAINT, AND HOW TO REMEDY IT. I ALSO READ A VERY GOOD ARTICLE ON EDMUNDS.COM ABOUT TSB'S, AND HOW THEY ARE REGARDED BY THE INDUSTRY AS 'SECRET WARRANTIES'...IF THE CUSTOMER'S VEHICLE IS EXHIBITING A PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED IN A NHTSA TSB, THE MANUFACTURER WANTS THE DEALERSHIP TO FIX THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE, EVEN IF THE VEHICLE IS OVER IT'S WARRANTY PERIOD (MINE IS BY 7 MONTHS) SO THAT CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS ARE RESOLVED BEFORE IT TURNS INTO A RECALL ISSUE. I THEN CALLED A-1 TOYOTA'S SERVICE MANAGER (MIKE), EXPLAINING THAT I HAD A NHTSA TSB IN MY HAND FOR THE VERY SAME PROBLEM MY VEHICLE WAS EXHIBITING, AND WAS NOT HAPPY THAT I'D HAVE TO PAY $485.00 TO HAVE IT FIXED, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TSB ISSUED ABOUT MY VEHICLE'S PROBLEM. I FOUND MIKE EXTREMELY UNCOOPERATIVE REGARDING THIS ISSUE, TELLING ME TOYOTA WOULD NOT FIX MY PROBLEM SINCE I WAS OVER MY WARRANTY PERIOD BY 7 MONTHS. AGAIN, ACCORDING TO THE EDMUNDS.COM ARTICLE PERTAINING TO TSB'S, WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS OVER OR UNDER THE WARRANTY, MANUFACTURERS WANT THE PROBLEM FIXED BY THEIR DEALERSHIPS BEFORE TOO MANY CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN ABOUT THE SAME DEFECT AND ARE FORCED BY NHTSA TO ISSUE A RECALL. CONSIDER THIS MY FORMAL COMPLAINT IN GETTING THIS PROBLEM ONE STEP CLOSER TO A RECALL. *NLM

FROM THE DAY OF PURCHASE THE BELT TENSIONER HAS BEEN SQUEAKING. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER AT LEAST 10 TIMES. INITIALLY THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY TIGHTENED AND THAT IT WAS FIXED. AFTER ABOUT A YEAR THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE BELT. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY EVER HAVE. AFTER I MOVED TO ST. PAUL I TOOK IT TO A NEW DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT IT IS A SELF TIGHTENING BELT AND CANNOT BE TIGHTENED. FOR THE PAST 2 1/2 YEARS IT HAS GOTTEN CONSISTENTLY WORSE, AND NO ONE WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. ALSO, UPON STARTING, THE CAR BOGS, HAS SOME SORT OF LOSS OF POWER. THIS CAN BE DANGEROUS WHEN PULLING OUT IN TRAFFIC. THERE IS ALSO A KNOCKING IN THE ENGINE AND WHEN IDLING, THE RPM'S JUMP AROUND ERRATICALLY. I HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS FOR OVER 2 YEARS, YET NONE OF THE DEALERS WILL DO ANYTHING ABOUT ANY OF IT. *JB