1999 Toyota Corolla

WHENEVER WEATHER BECOMES TOO COLD AND WET, DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WILL NOT STAY SHUT BECAUSE OF A PIN INSIDE THE DOOR. I WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE (JOHN LEDFORD) WHO SAYS THAT HE CONTACTED REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER (CHRIS TENEBHN) AND THAT THEY TOLD HIM IT IS BEING CAUSED FROM MOISTURE GETTING INSIDE THE DOOR AND THAT ALL THEY OFFER IS TO LUBRICATE IT MORE (WHICH THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE) TO TRY AND KEEP IT FROM FREEZING AGAIN. I HAVE HAD TO DRIVE IN BAD WEATHER ON I-70 TO GET TO WORK WHILE HOLDING THE DOOR SHUT 4 TIMES THIS WINTER ALONE. I HAVE LEFT MESSAGES FOR THE SERVICE MANAGER (DENNIS YOUNG) AT THE LEE'S SUMMIT MISSOURI TOYOTA WHERE I TAKE MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE BUT HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM HIM.*AK

FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, MY 1999 TOYOTA COROLLA VE HAS BEEN MAKING A SQUEAKING NOISE UNDERNEATH THE CAR WHENEVER I DRIVE OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD, OR UNEVEN PATCHES IN THE ROAD, OR WHENEVER I AM DRIVING AROUND A SHARP CURVE. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR FOR ITS 40,000 MILE OIL CHANGE AND MAINTENANCE YESTERDAY (MAY 21, 2003) THE SERVICE DEALER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE STEERING RACK END, ALSO KNOWN AS THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS. THIS IS PART OF THE SUSPENSION. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA OF CLEVELAND IN CLEVELAND, TN. THE MAN IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN WHICH STATED THAT THIS HAD BEEN A PROBLEM IN COROLLA'S. HE SAID IT WAS NOT TECHNICALLY CONSIDERED A "RECALL" AND THAT APPARENTLY THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT CONSIDER IT ENOUGH OF A PROBLEM TO ISSUE A RECALL. ALTHOUGH HE TOLD ME THAT IT HAS BEEN A PROBLEM IN A LOT OF COROLLAS. HE CLAIMED THAT IT WAS MERELY COSMETIC, THAT IT WOULD JUST MAKE NOISE, AND THAT IT DID NOT REALLY NEED TO BE FIXED. HE SAID THEY WOULD FIX IT FOR FREE ONLY IF THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED A RECALL. ALTHOUGH HE DID TELL ME THAT IF I WANTED TO FIX IT, IT WOULD COST ABOUT $600 TO HAVE IT FIXED. I ASKED HIM IF THEY WERE GOING BAD AND HE SAID, "OH, NO. IF THEY WERE GOING BAD YOU WOULD KNOW IT. THEY WOULD START RATTLING REALLY LOUD AND SHAKING." SO DOES THAT MEAN THAT EVENTUALLY THEY WILL GO BAD AND THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY $600 OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE THE STEERING RACK END ON A CAR THAT IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST RELIABLE BRANDS? IF THIS IS SUCH A PROBLEM, I THINK TOYOTA SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL OF THIS PART AND FIX IT FOR FREE.*JB

WE BOUGHT A 1999 TOYOTA COROLLA WITH 19,509 MILES ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 FROM AN INDEPENDENT USED CAR DEALER. THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE SAME DAY WE BOUGHT THE CAR SO WE TOOK THE COROLLA TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, JAY TOYOTA OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA TO HAVE THE ENGINE INSPECTED THE DAY AFTER WE BOUGHT THE CAR. ON OUR WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE NOTICED EXCESSIVE SMOKE FROM THE TAIL PIPE AND "JERKY" ACCELERATION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT THE ENGINE WAS IN POOR CONDITION DUE TO SLUDGE DAMAGE AND EVEN ADMITTED THAT TOYOTA CO. HAS BEEN HAVING SLUDGE PROBLEMS IN TOYOTA ENGINES. HOWEVER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT TOYOTA MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY DOES NOT HONOR ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO SLUDGE DAMAGE. THEIR ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR WAS $2500-$5800. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED THAT WE NOT DRIVE THE COROLLA ANYMORE THAN NECESSARY BEFORE WE HAVE THE ENGINE REPAIRED BECAUSE THEY SAID THE ENGINE MAY FAIL DUE TO THE SLUDGE. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ENGINE REPAIRED, BUT WE DID SEND AN OIL SAMPLE IN FOR OIL ANALYSIS. ALTHOUGH THE OIL WE SENT IN ONLY HAD 314 MILES ON IT, THE LEVELS OF FUEL AND IRON IN THE OIL WERE CONSIDERED HIGH. ACCORDING TO THE ANALYSIS AN OIL SAMPLE FROM A GASOLINE ENGINE SHOULD CONTAIN LESS THAN 2% FUEL, OUR SAMPLE WITH ONLY 314 MILES ON IT ALREADY HAD FUEL PERCENTAGE OF 2.8. THE UNIVERSAL AVERAGE FOR IRON IS 9 PARTS PER MILLION, OUR OIL HAD 34 PARTS PER MILLION OF IRON. IT SEEMS TO US THAT OUR COROLLA IS HAVING THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM AS THE MODELS THAT TOYOTA COMPANY HAS AGREED TO INCLUDE IN ITS PROGRAM IN WHICH CERTAIN ENGINE MODELS WITH SLUDGE DAMAGE CAN BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY TOYOTA AT NO COST. AFTER VISITING SOME CAR REVIEW AND CAR SURVEY SITES AND PERFORMING SOME SEARCHES ON THE WEB, WE FOUND THAT WE WERE NOT THE ONLY COROLLA OWNERS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE SLUDGE. WE BELIEVE COROLLA SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED FROM TOYOTA'S SLUDGE PROGRAM. *NLM