NHTSA Complaint #10025333 — 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA

CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM USED CAR "SUPERSTORE"; PURCHASER PAID FOR "128 POINT INSPECTION" AND CAR WAS DECLARED "CERTIFIED" BY DEALER. DEALER ISSUED 100,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WITH PURCHASE OF THIS "CERTIFIED" USED VEHICLE, MEASURED FROM FIRST OWNER USE OF VEHICLE; WARRANTIED UNTIL 2005; VEHICLE HAD 32000 MILES WHEN PURCHASED. FROM TIME OF DELIVERY IN MARCH 2003, CAR HAD "SHIMMY" IN FRONT END AT 68-74 MILES PER HOUR. ON RETURNING TO DEALER FIRST TIME ON 3/20/2003, DEALER SAID IT WAS WHEEL BALANCE PROBLEM, BUT DEALER SAID COULD NOT TEST ABOVE 65 MPH BECAUSE THAT WAS ABOVE LOCAL SPEED LIMIT. DEALER ALSO SAID THAT THEY SPIN BALANCED WHEELS AT ABOUT 55 MPH EQUIVALENT BECAUSE SPIN BALANCE MACHINE DID NOT SPIN ANY FASTER. PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED AT ALL; OWNER THEN WENT TO ANOTHER SERVICE SHOP ON 4/12/2003 AND PAID FOR ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND TWO FRONT WHEEL SPIN BALANCE; PROBLEM STILL NOT CORRECTED. OWNER RETURNED TO DEALER ON 5/06/2003 WITH SAME COMPLAINT. DEALER SAID COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER. OWNER SUBSEQUENTLY TRIED ROTATING WHEELS FRONT TO BACK, PROBLEM NOT CORRECTED. OWNER BELIEVES THAT ALIGNMENT AND BALANCE ARE NOW RULED OUT AS PROBLEMS; THAT, MOST PROBABLY, FRONT SUSPENSION WAS AND IS DEFECTIVE, CAUSING "SHIMMY", NOW READILY DETECTABLE BETWEEN 65-75 MPH. PROBABLY A SAFETY ISSUE AT CURRENT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.*AK