2002 Toyota Echo

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA ECHO. IT WAS REALLY HOT AFTERNOON AND STEREO MALFUNCTIONED. THE ELECTRICITY SURGED THROUGHOUT CAR, AND THROUGHOUT SPEAKERS. THIS HAPPENED EVEN AFTER SHE TURNED OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER, STEREO, AND VEHICLE .THERE WAS A BAD SMELL OF BURNT PLASTIC THAT REMAINED IN VEHICLE FOR ABOUT THREE DAYS. IT WAS APPARENT THAT IT WAS NOT THE STEREO FUSE BECAUSE THE CABIN LIGHT AND THE CLOCK WAS NOT WORKING. SHE WILL NOT KNOW FOR SURE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL SHE HAS THE VEHICLE LOOKED AT. *AK

MY BOY FRIEND WAS DRIVING MY 2002 TOYOTA ECHO 2-DOOR COUPE. WE WERE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE LANE ON THE OUTERLOOP OF 495 (MARYLAND), RIGHT PAST THE CONNECTICUT/KENSINGTON EXIT WHEN TRAFFIC BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN (50MPH). THE MAZDA 626 IN FRONT OF US SUDDENLY SLAMMED ON HIS BREAKS SO MY BOYFRIEND SLAMMED ON HIS BREAKS WHEN HE NOTICED A CHEVY MALIBU COMING FULL SPEED BEHIND US WITH THE DRIVER UNCONSCIOUS AT THE STEERING WHEEL. HE GLANCED TO THE SIDE AND SAW NO ONE COMING ON HIS LEFT SO HE TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO CHANGE LANES. THE TOYOTA ECHO KEPT GOING STRAIGHT SINCE SLOWING DOWN AT THAT SPEED, THE CAR WAS SKIDDING TOWARD THE MAZDA 626 QUITE FAST. SINCE HE WAS SLOWING DOWN QUITE RAPIDLY AND THE CHEVY MALIBU BEHIND US DIDN'T SEEM TO BE SLOWING DOWN, IT WAS INEVITABLE THAT THE CHEVY MALIBU SLAMMED INTO THE BACK OF OUR TOYOTA ECHO. THE IMPACT CRUSHED THE TRUNK PAST THE GAS TANK. AFTER THAT WE WERE LURCHED FORWARD INTO THE MAZDA 626. IN TURN HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF HIM AND SO FORTH. IT DIDN'T END THERE BECAUSE THE DRIVER BEHIND US WAS UNCONSCIOUS, THE CHEVY MALIBU KEPT SLAMMING INTO THE BACK OF OUR TOYOTA 2-3 TIMES LIKE A BUMPER CAR UNTIL WE FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THE TOYOTA ECHO SUFFERED SEVERE FRONTAL AND REAR DAMAGE, YET THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WHEN THE PARAMEDICS ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, THEY WERE SHOCKED TO SEE THAT WITH SUCH SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE CAR, THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTER HAS TOLD ME THAT THE CAR IS A TOTAL LOSS AND NOT WORTH THE COST OF REPAIRING AS IT WOULD EXCEED $10,000 IN CHARGES. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THAT ALTHOUGH WE ALL SURVIVED THE CRASH WITHOUT SERIOUS INJURY, WHY WOULD SUCH AN IMPACT NOT MAKE THE AIR BAGS DEPLOY?*AK

1. NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER UNTIL EVENT. WE ARE ORIGINAL OWNERS AND THE CAR ONLY HAD 17,000+ MILES ON IT. 2. DRIVING ALONG AT NORMAL RATE OF SPEED, SUDDENLY METALLIC, GRINDING SOUNDS FROM UNDER HOOD (NOT LIKE A BLOW OUT OR TIRE TREAD COMING OFF), SLOWED DOWN TO PULL OVER WHEN CAR PULLED HARD TO THE RIGHT AND LOCKED. HUSBAND PULLED HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT. THE STEERING WHEEL TURNED BUT THE WHEELS DIDN'T. NO CONTROL OF CAR WHATSOEVER. CAR HIT GUARDRAIL. AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. HUSBAND WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE WITH HEAD, CHEST, AND BACK INJURIES. 3. STILL HAVEN'T HEARD FROM INSURANCE COMPANY BUT EVERYONE HAS TOLD US THE CAR IS TOTALED. *JB

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH ON A FLAT, STRIGHT HIGHWAY IN LIGHT-TO-MODERATE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON A ROAD WITH NO OBSTRUCTIONS OR VISIBLE FLUID/OIL SPOTS MY 2002 TOYOTA ECHO SUDDENLY AND SHARPLY VEERED RIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO CORRECT MY TRAJECTORY, BUT THE CAR SWERVED COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL, FINAL TURNING COUNTER-CLOCKWISE TO HIT THE CONCRETE MEDIAN NEARLY-HEAD-ON, WITH MAJORITY OF IMPACT ON RIGHT FRONT OF CAR. THE RECOIL OF THE IMPACT TURNED THE CAR SO THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY 180 DEGREES FROM THE DRIVING DIRECTION ON THE FREEWAY. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS PUSHED IN, AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, THE HOOD PUSHED IN AND UP AND THE DRIVER'S DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. NO INJURY OCCURED FROM THE CRASH. I WAS NOT UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL OR OTHER DRUGS, WAS NOT TALKING ON A CELL PHONE AND HAD BOTH HAND ON THE WHEEL AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. IT OCCURED DURING CLEAR, SUNNY WEATHER AT 4:00 PM ON MAY 7, 2004. THE CAR HAS BEEN DEEMED "TOTALLED" BY MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN DONE.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ROLL DOWN A CLIFF. AS A RESULT OF SEVERE DAMAGE THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK AT AN EARLIER DATE, THE CONSUMER TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BUT SPUN AROUND ON THE FRONT TIRES. TOYOTA INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THEY DID NOT COVER THE TIRES. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND SWERVED TO MISS AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. RECALL #02V268000 WAS ISSUED AFTER THE OCCURRENCE. ON THE SECOND OCCASION, THE VEHICLE HAD GONE OVER A CLIFF AND HIT A TREE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED COMPENSATION. *SC

WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE CLUTCH WOULD GO TO THE FLOOR, AND WOULD BECOME HARD TO STOP. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK THE CLUTCH HAD TO BE RELEASED TO HEIGHT BEFORE THE VEHICLE MOVED (NO REMEDY), HARD START AT ANYTIME, ALARM WENT OFF BY ITSELF AT ANYTIME (NO REMEDY), WOULD NOT START AND OR CRANK (REMEDY-REPLACED THE STARTER ASSEMBLY/PROBLEM-STARTER RELAY), ALARM HAD GONE OFF RANDOMLY, WOULDN'T SHUT OFF AND COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN, HEAD LIGHTS FLASHED, ALARM WOULD COME ON, SOMETIME THE CLUTCH WOULD HAVE TO BE PLAYED WITH IN ORDER TO RESTART THE VEHICLE (PROBLEM-SWITCH INTERMITTENT/REMEDY-REPLACED THE PARK NEUTRAL POSITIONER SWITCH ASSEMBLY), THE RADIO HAD STATIC, THE COOLANT LIGHT STAYED ON 5 TO 10 MINUTES AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THERE WAS A CHIME NOISE WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED OFF, AND THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE HORN DID NOT WORK WHEN THE VEHICLE WOULD GO OFF (NO REMEDY), THERE WAS OVER HEATING, WHEN THE VEHICLE HAD NO POWER, THE ACCELERATOR WOULD GO TO THE FLOOR, THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD TAKE OFF AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, THE GEAR MADE BANGING SOUNDS, AND THE THERMOSTATS RELAY SWITCH WAS PROBLEMATIC AND REMAINED TO BE FIXED. REFER TO ODI#10031522 *SCC *JB