2000 Toyota Echo

I WAS DRIVING ALONG HIGHWAY CHANGING INTO FAST LANE. TRIED TO EASE INTO LANE BY GRADUALLY BRAKING BUT CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE EVEN FASTER. FLOORED THE BRAKES BUT THIS DID NOT WORK. PULLED UP PARKING BRAKE, MOVED OVER TWO LANES AND ONTO EXIT RAMP WHERE IT GRADUALLY CAME TO A STOP. VERY LUCKY FEW CARS AROUND!! NO PROBLEM FOUND WITH BRAKES AT SERVICE STATION ?? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA ECHO. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA ON MAY 2, 2008 PERTAINING TO THE BRAKES. SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY WOULD CALL HER WHEN THE PART ARRIVED. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT WAITING THREE WEEKS IS UNACCEPTABLE BECAUSE THE BRAKES ARE PRESENTLY FAILING. SHE IS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE A CRASH COULD OCCUR. THE VIN AND RECALL NUMBER WERE UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 70,000. UPDATED 09/15/08 *BF UPDATED 09/18/08. *JB

SPEEDOMETER CONTINUOUSLY FLUCTUATES WHEN DRIVING BETWEEN SPEEDS OF 0 - 60 MPH WHEN VEHICLE IS COLD. SPEEDOMETER WOULD READ 35 - 45 MPH HIGHER THAN ACTUAL SPEED AND WOULD DROP LOWER. VEHICLE ALSO DRIVES POORLY AND SHAKES DURING LOWER SPEEDS. VEHICLE WAS PROMPTLY TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS AT WHICH TIME THE DEALERSHIP NOTATED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT THE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM. CONTINUED DRIVING VEHICLE AS IT DID NOT SEEM TO EFFECT DRIVING. 1 YEAR AND 5 MONTHS LATER, TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING POORLY DURING COLD STARTS FOR AT LEAST 5 MINUTES UNTIL VEHICLE WARMS UP. TRANSMISSION WAS FLUSHED BY PERSONAL MECHANIC BUT PROBLEM CONTINUED. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT WHICH TIME VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. REPORTED OLDER PROBLEM WITH SPEEDOMETER AS WELL AS NEW PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION. DEALERSHIP STATED CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS DUE TO RPM SENSOR MALFUNCTION AND THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND THAT THE SPEEDOMETER PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY THE BAD SENSOR AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS ORIGINALLY DISCOVERED. SAID BAD SENSOR LED TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. WILL TAKE VEHICLE BACK TO ORIGINAL DEALERSHIP TO HAVE FIXED. *TR

I WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL CRASH YESTERDAY (OCTOBER 12,2006). THE REASON FOR MY COMPLAINT WAS THAT THE CRASH WAS PRETTY BAD, THE WHOLE FRONT OF MY CAR WAS TOTALED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I HAD MY SEAT BELT, BUT THE IMPACT MADE ME HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. THE POLICE EVEN ASKED IF I HAD AIRBAGS, ONCE THEY CHECKED THAT IT DID, THEY WERE AMAZED THEY DIDN'T DEPLOY. *NM

I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA ECHO. I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL DESIGNATED: "SSC 40K - 2000 MODEL YEAR CELICA AND ECHO BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER INSPECTION SAFETY RECALL NOTICE". I TOOK THE CAR TO OXMOOR TOYOTA IN LOUISVILLE, KY BUT I WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL NOTICE WOULD NOT BE HONORED UNLESS I AGREED TO GIVE UP MY RIGHTS TO JUDICIAL REMEDIES IN FAVOR OF ARBITRATION. I REFUSED TO DO SO AND OXMOOR TOYOTA REFUSED TO HONOR THE RECALL NOTICE. OXMOOR TOYOTA IS LOCATED AT 8107 SHELBYVILLE ROAD, LOUISVILLE, KY 40222. I BELIEVE THAT THIS REFUSAL VIOLATES THE SPIRIT OF THE RECALL PROGRAM AND EFFECTIVELY DENIES ME THE RIGHT TO HAVE THE RECALL PERFORMED. PLEASE ADVISE ME REGARDING NHTSA'S POSITION ON THIS MATTER. I APPRECIATE YOU HELP. BENJAMIN L. GARDNER, 1402 BRUSH JUMP LANE, GOSHEN, KY 40026 (502)585-3100. *NM

TODAY I WRITE TO YOU WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT REPORTED BY JB ON MARCH 9, 2002. LAST YEAR I WAS TOLD THE VERY SAME THING BY A TOYOTA SERVICE MECHANIC WHEN MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS EVALUATED. I HAVE A MECHANIC IN MY FAMILY WHO ANALYZED THE ENGINE, SENT IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, AND FOUND THE TRANSMISSION TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. HOWEVER, WHEN I HAVE TO RENEW MY INSPECTION STICKER, THEY INFORMED ME IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY FAIL DUE TO THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! PLEASE INVESTIGATE AS I SUSPECT MANY MORE ECHO OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE JUST NOT REPORTED IT.*JB

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER CAR HOME FROM WORK AT APPROXIMATELY 1800 WHEN SHE NOTICED A BURNING PLASTIC SMELL IN HER CAR. SHE HAD STOPPED OFF AT A LOCAL STORE AND DIDN'T THINK ANYTHING ABOUT THE SMELL. SHE CAME OUT OF THE STORE AND STARTED DRIVING HOME A FEW MINUTES LATER STILL NOTICING THE SMELL. SHE PROCEEDED HOME AND HER CONSOLE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND NOTICED THE SMELL BECOMING STRONGER...SHE PARKED THE CAR IN OUR GARAGE AND INFORMED ME ABOUT IT...I WENT TO INVESTIGATE AND NOTICED A LITTLE SMOKE AND THE SMELL THAT SHE HAD DESCRIBED...I GRABBED THE CONSOLE DIMMER SWITCH AND IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT AND FELL OFF...I TOOK APART THE PLASTIC HOUSING THAT THE KNOB IS ATTACHED TO AND SAW A SMALL FLAME ON THE DIMMER SWITCH AND THE WIRES THAT ATTACHED TO THE DIMMER SWITCH...I BLEW THE SMALL FLAME OUT, DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND CUT THE DIMMER SWITCH AWAY FROM THE WIRES TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN...ONCE REMOVED I PICKED UP THE DIMMER SWITCH AND IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT AND THE PLASTIC WIRING HARNESS WAS MELTED...I CAN PROVIDE PICTURES OF THE DIMMER SWITCH AND THE MELTED PLASTIC HOUSING IF YOUR AGENCY IS INTERESTED...I WAS ALSO DOING SOME RESEARCH INTO THIS AND FOUND A WEBSITE FROM AUSTRALIA THAT HAS RECALLED THIS PARTICULAR SWITCH IN THEIR COUNTRY... HTTP://WWW.RECALLS.GOV.AU/VIEW_RECALL_DETAIL.PHP?RECALL_ID_AUTO=13721. *JB

DEAR SIR/MADAM, WHILE ON YOUR WEBSITE, I DISCOVERED THE DEFECT INVESTIGATIONS AND COMPLAINTS. TODAY I WRITE TO YOU WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT REPORTED BY JB ON MARCH 9, 2002,"I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE TOYOTA ECHO 2000. RECENTLY WHEN GOING TO THE MECHANIC I WAS INFORMED THE CAR NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. HOW? AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE CAN IT NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION WITH ONLY 81000 MILES. BACK IN MAR 2002 THE SHIFT AND BRAKES IN THE CAR WAS GIVING MYSELF PROBLEMS WHEN THE MECHANIC SAW IT THEY FELT NOTHING WAS WRONG. ON MY OWN EXPENSE I PUT NEW BRAKES AND TIRES TO BE CERTAIN". I WAS TOLD THE VERY SAME THING BY A TOYOTA SERVICE MECHANIC WHEN I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO HAVE MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ANALYZED. MY REGULAR MECHANIC WHO IS A VERY GOOD MECHANIC, ANALYZED THE ENGINE IN FALL OF 2004, HE SENT IT TO A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST, AND FOUND THE TRANSMISSION TO BE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER. THIS IS RIDICULOUS! PLEASE INVESTIGATE AS I SUSPECT MANY MORE ECHO OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE JUST NOT REPORTED IT. *JB

I WAS DRIVING FROM FLORIDA AFTER A VACATION. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 2-3 HOURS OF DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A DECREASE OF AIRFLOW AND COOLNESS FROM MY A/C UNIT. I SHUT IT OFF AND TURNED IT BACK ON AND TRIED DIFFERENT LEVEL OF AIR FLOW AND COOLING AND NO CHANGE. I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION AND FOUND THERE TO BE CONDENSATION ON A TUBE UNDER MY HOOD. AFTER STOPPING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND THEN DRIVING WITHOUT THE A/C FOR 20 MINUTES I TURNED THE A/C BACK ON AND EVERYTHING WAS BACK TO NORMAL. *JB