2001 Toyota Corolla

I AM WRITING REGARDING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2001 TOYOTA COROLLA. I RECENTLY HAD MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON. I NEED TO REPLACE AN EMISSIONS CONTROL DEVICE IN MY CAR, A CHARCOAL CANISTER DUE TO IT BEING CLOGGED OR MAYBE A VACUUM LEAK. *AK I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS MAY BE A WIDE-SPREAD PROBLEM BECAUSE ON THE DAY THAT I HAD MY CAR FOR AN ESTIMATE, I MET ANOTHER PERSON AT THE TOYOTA SERVICE STATION WITH THE SAME ISSUE AND WHO ALSO HAD A 2002 TOYOTA COROLLA. HOWEVER, FORTUNATELY FOR HER SHE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY SO SHE DID NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE WARRANTY FOR THIS PART IS 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME, I WAS AT THE 42,000 MARK ON MILEAGE AND SO I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. MY CONCERN IS HOW MANY CLOGGED CHARCOAL CANISTERS HAD TO BE REPLACED IN THE 1998-2002 MODEL OF A TOYOTA COROLLA. A FRIEND OF MINE DID CONTACT THE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION AND FILED A REPORT REGARDING THE FAILURE ON THIS PART AND HOPE THAT OTHERS WOULD DO THE SAME. DO I AM DOING TI AS WELL. OVERALL, I ALSO FEEL THAT AN EMISSIONS CONTROL DEVICE SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN JUST TWO YEARS. MY FAMILY HAS OWNED SEVERAL DIFFERENT MODELS OF TOYOTA AUTOMOBILES OVER THE PAST 15 YEARS AND WE HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE SUCH A DEVICE. THE TOYOTA COROLLA MODEL, BEING A MODEST CAR, SHOULD NOT REQUIRE TO REPLACE A $300 PART EVERY TWO YEARS THAT IS NEEDED TO KEEP OUR ENVIRONMENT CLEAN. I READ SOMEHWRE THAT WARRANTY ON EMISIIONS ARE 80,000 IS THIS CORRECT?

WE BOUGHT A NEW TOYOTA COROLLA IN SEPT 2001 AND IT HAS APPROX 32000 MILES TILL NOW. IT WAS ALWAYS SERVICED AT THE TOYOTA DEALER. I GOT MY 30000 MILES SERVICING DONE IN SEPT 2003 AND SINCE THEN WE WERE NOT USING THE CAR MUCH. IN APRIL 2004 SUDDENLY THE DASHBOARD WAS SHOWING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I THOUGHT IT WAS 7 MONTHS THAT I GOT SERVICED(ALTHOUGH I TRAVELLED LESS THEN 2000MILES DURING THIS PERIOD) AND IT NEEDS SIMPLE OIL CHANGE AND TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE CHARCOAL CANISTER AND VSV HAVE TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH I MISSED THE 36 MONTHS WARRANTY MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER 36000 MILES. THE DEALER DIDNT CONSIDER MY REQUEST FOR A FREE REPLACEMENT AND WAS ASKING ME TO PAY APPROX. 700 $ FOR PARTS AND LABOR. BUT WHEN I CALLED COUPLE OF OTHER DEALERS THEY TOLD IT IS VERY UNCOMMON TO HAVE CHARCOAL CANISTER REPLACED SO SOON. WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE 800-331-4331, THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE PART BUT STILL THE DEALER IS CHARGING ME 200 $ FOR LABOR. I FEEL TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THIS CANISTER AND IS DELIBERATELY IGNORING INSTEAD OF RECALL OR FREE PARTS AND LABOR. I FOUND A SIMILIAR KIND OF ISSUES RAISED BY OTHER COROLLA OWNERS ON THE NET. PLEASE DO THE NECESSARY INVESTIGATION IN THIS MATTER.*AK

DUE TO ENGINE SLUDGE, THE ENGINE WAS NOT LUBRICATED ENOUGH TO KEEP THE SEALS INTACT. NOW OIL IS GETTING INTO THE SPARK PLUGS CAUSING MISFIRE. DIAGNOSTICS RESULTED IN A TOTAL ENGINE REPLACEMENT (ENGINE COST NOT INCLUDING LABOR) $5,000.00. TOYOTA SHOULD COVER THIS, THE RENTAL CAR NEEDED IN THE INTERIM, AND EXTEND THE WARRANTEE TO 120,000 MI COVERING SIMILAR REPEATED PROBLEMS, AS IT IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

ON MY 01 TOYOTA COROLLA "S" SERIES. WHEN AIR CONDITIONER WAS ON AND OUTSIDE VERY HOT ENGINE STALLED,ENGNE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK INTO THE DEALERSHIP, FOUND THAT THERE WAS A RANDOM MISFIRE OF THE FUEL INJECTORS.WOULD COST $1000 TO FIX. COULD NOT CONFIRM IF THAT TRUELY WAS THE PROBLEM.THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THE PRBLEM,BU IT CONTINUED TO REOCCUR.DEALERSHIP DID NOT KNOW THE CAUSE.VEHICLE WAS THREE YEARS OLD AND HAD MAINTAINED SERVICE. COROLLA BULLETIN INDICATED THAT THAT IN 2000 HAD TO REPLACE INJECTORS DUE TO A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *AK

WHEN TRAVELING DOWN HILL WITH THE DEALER INSTALLED CRUISE CONTROL ON, VEHICLE WILL CHUG AS IF IT IS LOSING POWER OR OUT OF GAS. ALSO, WHEN IT'S RAINING. WHEN VEHICLE IS TRAVELING ON AN INCLINE, TIRES WILL SPIN. CRUISE CONTROL WILL DECELERATE.*AK CONSUMER STATES HEADLIGHTS ARE ADJUSTED TOO LOW, HESISTATION FEELING WHEN TRAVELING SLIGHTLY DOWN HILL, DEALER ADJUSTED THROTTLE CABLE BUT CONDITION STILL EXSISTS.*YD

AFTER DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE I CAME INTO TOWN GOING 30 MILES PER HOUR WHEN THE CAR SOUNDED LIKE A "JET ENGINE TAKING OFF" ALL THE LIGHTS WENT ON THE CAR STARTED JERKING AND DIED. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE PERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP STATED AN "UNMOVEABLE OBJECT HAD BEEN HIT CAUSING A HOLE IN THE OIL PAN THUS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BLOW UP. THIS WAS CLEARLY A HOLE CREATED BY SOMETHING INSIDE CRASHING THROUGH THE OIL PAN.*AK