NHTSA Complaint #10192262 — 2001 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

ON FRIDAY, MAY 25, 2007 AT APPROXIMATELY 2:45PM, MY WIFE (BELINDA) WAS TRAVELING ON THE NORTHBOUND 57 FREEWAY TRANSITIONING TO THE WESTBOUND 210 FREEWAY. AT THIS POINT, SHE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. HYSTERICAL, SHE STILL MANAGED TO NAVIGATE THE VEHICLE OVER TO WHAT IS A QUASI SHOULDER ON THIS TRANSITION ONLY TO EXIT THE VEHICLE, EXAMINE THE AFFECTED AREA (PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL), TO FIND THAT THE WHEEL ITSELF HAD COME APART FROM THE VEHICLE LOOKING LIKE A \"PANCAKE.\" IT WOULD ONLY BE A FEW MOMENTS BEFORE PASSERSBY STOPPED STATING TO HER (AFTER THEY HAD EXAMINED THE DAMAGE) THAT HER BALL-JOINT HAD BROKEN ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHER PARTS OF THE SUSPENSION. SHE WAS LUCKY SHE WASN'T KILLED (OR, MY ENTIRE FAMILY FOR THAT MATTER ON A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO WE HAD TAKEN ONLY THREE WEEKS BEFORE THIS DATE). MY WIFE TELEPHONED ME ON MY CELL PHONE, AT WHICH POINT I CALLED THE AUTO CLUB FOR A TOW. SHORTLY AFTER, A CHP OFFICER HAD APPEARED ON THE SCENE AS WELL AS A TOW-TRUCK DRIVER. TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES. HOWEVER, BOTH THE CHP PERSON AND THE TOW-TRUCK DRIVER STATED MORE SPECIFICALLY THAT, THE LOWER BALL-JOINT HAD FAILED. MY WIFE WAS PETRIFIED. WHEN I GOT IN THERE, A SERVICE-WRITER (I HAVE HER CARD SOMEWHERE ELSE) HAD ALREADY UNDERTAKEN A SEARCH TO SEE IF MY VEHICLE FELL UNDER A RECALL. I FOUND IT CURIOUS THAT SHE\'D DO A SEARCH FOR THIS SPECIFIC RECALL IF SHE DID NOT ALREADY KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE (AS IF SHE HAD SEEN THIS EXACT KIND OF DAMAGE BEFORE). IN OTHER WORDS, I AM REASONABLY CERTAIN THAT SHE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE TRUCK WHEN I BROUGHT IT IN. AS OF THIS MORNING, I SPOKE WITH THE SYMES SERVICE MANAGER (LOUIS) WHO IN TURN STATED THAT HE SPOKE WITH HIS \"AREA DIRECTOR\" \"TOMO.\" HE INSTRUCTED HIS SERVICE MANAGER, LOUIS, TO TELL ME THAT TOYOTA WILL NOT BE TAKING CARE OF THIS AS IT DOES NOT FALL WITHIN THE VEHICLES RECALLED. *TR