2004 Toyota Matrix

ONE OF 4 (FOUR) HANKOOK TIRES ON MY VEHICLE, WHICH WERE PURCHASED NEW ABOUT 1 1/2 YEARS AGO, SEEMS TO HAVE A DEFECT ON IT THAT PREVENTS WATER AND SHUSH FROM CHANNELING PROPERLY FROM THE INNER GROOVE TO THE SIDE OF THE TIRE. ONLY ONE OF THE TIRES SEEM TO HAVE THIS DEFECT, AND SEEMS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT, AS IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN MOLDED WITHOUT A CHANNEL OR A VERY SHALLOW CHANNEL COMPARED TO THE OTHER 3. THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WHEEL DOES NOT SEEM TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN THIS ALLEGED DEFECT. THE LACK OF THE PROPER CHANNELING ON THIS TIRE MAY HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT DURING WET OR SLUSHY WEATHER, AS CHANNELING OF THE FLUID IS AN IMPORTANT FUNCTION OF GOOD HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER. IT DEFECT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN DUE TO A LARGE QUALITY PROBLEM, AS THIS TIRE MADE IT'S WAY THROUGH HANKOOK'S DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM AND ONTO A PERSONAL VEHICLE. THE TIRE IN QUESTION IS A HANKOOK VENTUS V4 ES . I WILL BE DEMANDING THAT THIS TIRE BE REPLACED BY THE MANUFACTURE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS IT SEEMS TO BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY CONCERN IN MY OPINION, MYSELF BEING A DEGREED MECHANICAL ENGINEER. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE KEY FELL OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT PLACED THE KEY BACK INTO THE IGNITION AND TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER WAS CONTACTED AND COMMUNICATED TO THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURED WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000.

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA, 19001 SOUTH WESTERN AVENUE, TORRANCE, CA ON A VEHICLE RECALL FOR MY 2004 TOYOTA MATRIX REGARDING A DEFECT, WHICH RELATES TO MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY. TOYOTA STATED THAT THE "ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE (ECM) FOR THE SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS) ... COULD HAVE BEEN MANUFACTURED WITH INTEGRATED CIRCUITS THAT ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUITING... IF INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUITING OCCURS, THE FRONT AIRBAG(S) AND/OR SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS COULD INADVERTENTLY DEPLOY. ANY AIRBAG THAT INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYS CAN, UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCES, INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH." ON JANUARY 4, 2014, I CALLED PHILLIPS TOYOTA LOCATED AT 8629 U.S. HIGHWAY 441, LEESBURG, FL 34788, AT TEL. 352-728-2030 TO SCHEDULE THE INSTALLATION OF "... A SUB-WIRE HARNESS (FILTER) TO MINIMIZE ELECTRICAL NOISE FROM THE OTHER VEHICLE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS AT NO CHARGE TO ME." I TALKED TO A PERSON BY THE NAME OF "[XXX]." HE TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD ORDER THE PART AND CALL ME AFTER IT COMES INTO THE DEALERSHIP. IT IS NOW FEBRUARY 19, 2014, AND I STILL HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL FROM PHILLIPS TOYOTA TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. THIS IS A FULL 46 DAYS AND/OR ABOUT 1 AND 1/2 MONTHS SINCE I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE "RISK OF INJURY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH." THE LETTER STATED THAT SHOULD THE AIR BAG(S) DEPLOY OR THE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS, THEN THERE IS AN INCREASE IN THE "RISK OF INJURY AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A CRASH." THE RECALL LETTER FROM TOYOTA STATED THAT I COULD FILE A COMPLAINT IF I FEEL THE AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED OR IS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE DEFECT WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME. UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES, I FEEL THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAS FAILED AND THAT SIX (6) WEEKS IS AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I WAS LEAVING A SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT ON AN INCLINE. THE SPEED WAS APPROXIMATELY LESS THAN 2 MPH. THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY REVVED LOUDLY, ATTEMPTING TO LUNGE FORWARD. I IMMEDIATELY APPLIED BRAKES WITH SUBSTANTIAL FORCE, BARELY STOPPING THE VEHICLE. I THEN PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL. THE ENGINE RETURNED TO NORMAL RPMS. I PLACED THE CAR IN DRIVE WITHOUT PROBLEM, RETURNING HOME. *TR

LOW NOISE FROM ENGINE AREA, THEN HEARD A POP OR THUD. AFTER THIS CAME A SCRATCHY/GRINDING NOISE WHEN CAR WAS IN GEAR AND COASTING. THE NOISE WENT AWAY WHEN CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED OR CAR WAS TAKEN OUT OF GEAR TO COAST. I CALLED A SERVICE REPAIR TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THE SAME DAY. THE VERY NEXT DAY THE CAR LOCKED UP AND WAS UNDRIVEABLE. SOUNDED LIKE THE ENGINE HAD FALLEN OUT THE BOTTOM WITH HORRIBLE METAL GRINDING NOISE. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED ($150) AND THE SERVICE CENTER SAID I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH AND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA MATRIX AND COROLLA. AFTER READING ONLINE, IT SEEMS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA OWNERS WITH LOW MILES HAVING BEARING ISSUES AND THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS GONE UNADDRESSED. EVEN THOUGH I WAS GOING ONLY 10 MILES PER HOUR, THE CAR LOCKS UP. THIS ISSUE WILL KILL SOMEONE, SOMEDAY. COST OF REPAIR WILL BE AROUND $3,100+. *TR

DURING DAYLIGHT ON THE ABOVE DATE, AS I MADE A TURN FROM SMALL PARKING LOT INTO A PARKING SPACE, CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO CONCRETE BUILDING. AS IT WAS ACCELERATING, THAT SPLIT SECOND, I CHECKED MY FOOT TO MAKE SURE IT WAS ON THE BRAKE, AND NOT GAS. I PRESSED HARD ON IT, TO NO AVAIL. IT DID NOT RESPOND. IT WAS TOTALED BY INSURANCE COMPANY. I HAD MINOR INJURIES: BRUISED LEFT CHEST AND SHOULDER. FOLLOWING DAY, A MILD STIFF NECK. ALL OF PHYSICAL AILMENTS GONE, EXCEPT MILD SORE NECK, IN 3 DAYS. NOTE; I PUT SPEED AT APPROXIMATE SPEED IN PARKING LOT BEFORE ACCELERATION OCCURRED. *TR