1998 Toyota Corolla

IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT TOYOTA RECALLS REGARDING STICKING GAS PEDALS, I FELT I SHOULD REPORT THAT THIS HAPPENED TO ME WITH MY 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO. THE PEDAL STUCK THREE DIFFERENT TIMES AND I DISCOVERED THAT BRAKING DID NOTHING. HOWEVER, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO RELEASE ALL THREE TIMES BY PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL REPEATEDLY! WHEN I TOOK MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, THEY REFUSED TO CONSIDER MY COMPLAINT SERIOUSLY AND SAID IT MUST BE DRIVER ERROR AS IT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THEIR VEHICLE. AT THE TIME, I ASKED THEM TO CHECK DIRECTLY WITH THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING WHAT WAS POTENTIALLY A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM, AND WAS SIMPLY BLOWN OFF AND TREATED LIKE I WAS NUTS. I AM REPORTING THIS TO YOU NOW, BECAUSE IN LIGHT OF MY EXPERIENCE, I FEEL THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON A LOT LONGER THAN ANYONE REALIZES. I HAVE BEEN A TOYOTA CUSTOMER SINCE 1983 BUT I FEEL LIKE I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. I THINK TOYOTA HAS BEEN SWEEPING THIS ONE UNDER THE RUG FOR A LONG TIME AND THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. I AM SURE THERE ARE A LOT MORE OLDER MODELS OUT THERE LIKE MINE. *TR

HEADLAMPS ON 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA HAVE FOGGED COMPLETELY OVER. THE FOGGING IS ON THE EXTERNAL LENS SURFACE, NOT DUE TO MOISTURE ON THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLY. ATTEMPTS TO CLEAN THE SURFACE AR TEMPORARY, WITH THE FOGGING RETURNING AFTER A FEW DAYS. THE FOGGED LENSES ARE A HAZARD AS THE LIGHT IS GREATLY DIMINISHED OVER A CLEAR LENS. *TR

TWO YEARS AGO I REPLACED ALL THE TIRES ON MY 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA WITH A SET OF NEW KUMHO TOURING A/S 795 (175/65SR14). THE TIRES ARE NOW ABOUT 15,000 MILES OLD. THE WARRANTY STATES THEY SHOULD LAST 70,000. ON 01/05/2009 I GOT THE FIRST FLAT TIRE. IT HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED BY AUTO SERVICE AS CAUSED BY A "BAD VALVE STEM". ON 07/03/2009 I GOT A SECOND FLAT TIRE. IT OCCURRED WITH A DIFFERENT TIRE THAN THE FIRST INCIDENT ABOVE. IT HAS ALSO BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE AUTO SERVICE AS CAUSED BY THE VALVE STEM. TODAY 08/08/2009 I GOT THE THIRD FLAT TIRE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. I HAVE NOT GOT YET TO THE CHANCE TO GO TO THE AUTO SERVICE BUT IT SEEMS THESE TIRES ARE NOT VERY RELIABLE. *TR

I HAVE RECENTLY BOUGHT A TOYOTA COROLLA 1998 AND EVERY TIME I TURN TO THE RIGHT I CAN HEAR A GRINDING NOISE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR AND I FEAR IT WILL COME OFF AND CAUSE A ACCIDENT. I SPOKE TO A MECHANIC AND HE SAID TOYOTA HAD PROBLEMS WITH A BEARING ON THAT SIDE, WOULD YOU HELP ME CONFIRM THIS AS A PROBLEM OR DO I JUST DRIVE IT LIKE THIS HOPING IT DOESN'T FALL OFF. *TR

BFGOODRICH 175/65/R14 TIRES PURCHASED AT SEARS WITHOUT "ROAD HAZARD" ON 4/22/2007. TIRES CLAIM TO HAVE A 60,000 MILE MANUFACTURE WARRANTY. TIRES HAVE BLOWN OUT ON THE HIGHWAY ON 3 SEPARATE INCIDENTS. THE FIRST TIME, SERVICE TECH'S WERE NOT ABLE TO DETERMINE CAUSE- NO ROAD HAZARDS. PURCHASED ANOTHER BRAND TIRE. SECOND INCIDENT AGAIN ON THE HIGHWAY. CAR WAS TAKEN IN AND SERVICE TECH'S AGAIN COULD NOT DETERMINE CAUSE. MANAGER AT SEARS SOLD ME ANOTHER TIRE (SAME MODEL) AT HALF OFF. THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN. THIS TIME SAME MANAGER AT SEARS DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE, CLAIMED IT WAS A VALVE STEM AND BECAUSE I DID NOT PURCHASE ROAD HAZARD SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED. I INSISTED THAT HE CHECK IF IT WAS A TIRE DEFECT AND HE RESPONDED THAT HE COULD NOT DETERMINE THAT. LEFT SEARS RIDING ON MY SPARE TIRE. NOTHING WAS OFFERED BY THE MANAGER. ALL 4 TIRES HAVE BLOWN OUT NOW AND I DON'T KNOW WHO TO TURN TO. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES AND VALVE STEMS FAILED OVER THE COURSE OF ONE MONTH. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VALVE STEMS FAILED, WHICH INEVITABLY CAUSED THE TIRES TO FLATTEN AND FAIL. ALL FOUR TIRES AND VALVE STEMS WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT HAS A COPY OF THE INVOICES AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE MANUFACTURER IN REFERENCE TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 08T018000 (TIRES:VALVE). HE DOES NOT KNOW THE INFORMATION PERTAINING TO THE EQUIPMENT. THE VIN, SERIAL NUMBER, AND PART NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,977 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 64,500.

WHEN EVER I PUT MY CRUISE CONTROL ON, THE CAR WILL STAY AT THE SPEED THAT I SET IT AT FOR JUST A SHORT WHILE. IT THEN STARTS TO SPEED UP BY 2 MPH AND NOW IM CRUISING AT WHAT I SET IT AT +2, THEN IT WILL SPEED UP AGAIN BY 2 MPH, AND THEN IM CRUISING AT WHAT I SET IT AT + 4 MPH. I HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME ONCE WHERE THE CRUISE CONTROL RAISED MY SPEED BY 8 MPH ONCE WITH OUT ME TRYING TO RAISE MY OWN SPEED. I BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE WINTER TIME SNOW AND ICE, ALSO IF I DIDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THE SPEED IN WHICH I WAS TRAVELING I COULD OF GOTTEN A SPENDING TICKET - (BLAME IT ON THE CRUISE CONTROL) YEAH RIGHT. *TR

A PART IN THE DOOR OF MY 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA BROKE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. I COULD NOT OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. I GOT IT FIXED AT THE DEALER FOR ABOUT $300. A FEW MONTHS AGO, SOMETHING IN THE SAME DOOR MALFUNCTIONED. I AM NOW UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE. A FEW DAYS AGO, THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM OCCURRED AGAIN. I AM NOW UNABLE TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S DOOR. *TR