1998 Toyota Corolla

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH AND MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY SEIZED AND THE DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SPEED INDEPENDENTLY INCREASED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO CRASH INTO A SECOND VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 62,000. UPDATED 8/21/15*CN UPDATED 12/4/2015*JS

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELTS WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER BEING UTILIZED. IN ADDITION, THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO RETRACT AT ALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 185,000. UPDATED 4/30/15*CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELTS WERE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER STATED THE REASON THE SEAT BELT FAILURE, WAS BECAUSE PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE, IT WAS IN AN ACCIDENT; UPDATED 05/07/15*JB

AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED FLASHING INTERMITTENTLY. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHO CHARGED $ 100 FOR DIAGNOSTICS AND TOLD ME IT WOULD COST $500 TO FIX. I THEN TOOK IT TO A SELF EMPLOYED MECHANIC WHO HAD WORKED FOR TOYOTA. HE SAID IT HAD JUST BECOME DISCONNECTED UNDER THE SEAT. HE WAS ABLE TO FIX IT, IT SEEMED, FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, BUT THE PROBLEM KEEPS COMING BACK. I RECENTLY LEARNED ONLINE THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND HUGE SAFETY CONCERN. SEVERAL WHO HAVE SHELLED OUT THE MONEY TO TOYOTA TO HAVE IT "FIXED" SAY THE PROBLEM HAS NOT GONE AWAY. I AM SO ANGRY THAT TOYOTA HASN'T TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY AND NHTSA IS NOT HOLDING THEM ACCOUNTABLE. *TR

AT THIS APPROXIMATE DATE, I BEGAN GETTING A WARNING LIGHT RE. MY AIR BAGS. MY DEALER SAID I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE FAULTY STEERING WHEEL AIR BAG ASSEMBLY COSTING ME BETWEEN $1000-1500 OR MORE TO REPLACE IT. NOW, OTHER COROLLAS ARE BEING RECALLED BUT MINE IS NOT BEING RECALLED. IT APPEARS THAT MY CAR HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM FOR AN EVEN LONGER PERIOD OF TIME THAN THOSE THAT ARE BEING RECALLED. I HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO AFFORD TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. I RECENTLY READ IN THE NEWS THAT THESE PROBLEMS BEGAN IN 1998, THE YEAR I PURCHASED MY CAR. MY CAR HAS JUST NOW TURNED 100,000 MILES AND I FEEL THAT I SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE ONGOING RECALL THAT INCLUDES OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS. I BELIEVE THAT IT IS NOT ONLY ARBITRARY BUT DANGEROUS FOR ME FOR YOU TO EXCLUDE ME FROM THIS RECALL. I HEREBY REQUEST THAT YOU INCLUDE MY CAR IN THIS RECALL. THANK YOU. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN RADIAL XDT TIRES, SIZE P185/65/R14. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ALL OF THE TIRES WERE WEARING PREMATURELY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT ALL FOUR TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE TIRES WERE REPLACED. THE DOT NUMBER AND THE VIN NUMBER WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE WAS 172,000.

AIR BAG WARNING KEPT FLASHING THAT THE AIR BAGS NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. WE TOOK CAR TO DEALER, IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, DEALER SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO "REPAIR IT OURSELVES" IF WE COULD FIND A CONSOLE THAT WOULD REPAIR IT AND HE THOUGHT THERE WAS ONLY ONE IN THE UNITED STATES FOR APPROXIMATELY $2000. WE WROTE TO TOYOTA WHO EVENTUALLY WROTE BACK TO US STATING THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT REPAIR THIS CAR AND HAD NO INTENTION OF RECALLING THIS CAR DUE TO THIS ISSUE AND WE WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THIS CAR OURSELVES AT THE DEALER LOCATION. NOW WE SEE IN THE NEWS THAT TOYOTA IS RECALLING 1.3 MILLION OTHER CARS FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME ISSUE--THE CONTROL OF THE AIR BAGS. DEALER TOLD US HE DID NOT KNOW HOW THIS WOULD AFFECT IF THE AIR BAGS WOULD GO OFF IN AN ACCIDENT OR NOT IN THE FUTURE OR ANY OTHER TIME. THE CONSOLE CONSTANTLY SHOWS THAT A DOOR IS OPEN AND THAT THE AIR BAG NEEDS TO BE SERVICED AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT EXCEPT TO HOPE IT WILL REACT PROPERLY. *TR

THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR WON'T OPEN BOTH FROM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT THE TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO MALFUNCTION OF THE LATCH IN DOOR. THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR IS STARTING TO SHOW THE SAME PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM WAS OCCURRED SOME 2 YEARS AGO. IT WOULD CAUSE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCE WHEN THE OCCUPANT(S) NEED TO BE EVACUATED FROM THE VEHICLE SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN IN EMERGENCY, E.G. FIRE, ROAD HAZARD, CRUSH, ETC. *TR