NHTSA Complaint #10226958 — 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA

I BOUGHT MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, TOOK IT HOME, AND IT BEGAN STINKING LIKE ROTTEN EGGS. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY TOLD ME TO BUY MORE EXPENSIVE GAS THAT CONTAINS LESS SULFUR. FOUR YEARS OF BUYING EXPENSIVE GASOLINE, AND I FIND OUT MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BURNED UP AND I NEED A NEW ONE FOR $1200. I FOUND OUT THAT CATALYTIC CONVERTERS CAN BE DAMAGED IF FUEL IS BEING MIXED TO RICHLY, EVIDENT BY A SULFUR SMELL. I BEGAN RESEARCHING THIS AND FOUND A TOYOTA TECHNICAL BULLETIN (HTTP://WWW.AUTOSAFETY.ORG/TOYOTA%2003-04%20COROLLA%20CATALYST.PDF) THAT STATES MY SPECIFIC MODEL 2003 COROLLA HAD A MANUFACTURERS ERROR ALL ALONG. THE ECM WAS SET INCORRECTLY TO MIX FUEL TOO RICHLY, AND THAT IF A CUSTOMER COMPLAINS OF AN EXCESSIVE SULFUR SMELL, THE ECM AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED UNDER WARRANTY! THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED WHILE I WAS STILL UNDER A 60,000MILES WARRANTY, HOWEVER I WAS ON VACATION IN CALIFORNIA, AND CALLED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY TOLD ME MY WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE SYSTEM, SO I WAITED TO GET IT FIXED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF AFTER RETURNING TO COLORADO, AND DIDN'T COME BACK ON FOR 15,000 MILES. AT 85,000 MILES, I FINALLY TOOK MY CAR TO BE FIXED BY A DEALERSHIP IN DENVER. AFTERWARD, I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE TOYOTA BULLETIN, AND AN "EMISSIONS WARRANTY" THAT WOULD HAVE COVERED THE PROBLEM UP TO 8YRS OR 80,000 MILES. NOW, TOYOTA REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE WORK TO FIX THE REAL ECM PROBLEM, BECAUSE I FOUND OUT 5000 MILES AFTER THIS SECRET WARRANTY RAN OUT THAT THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS LYING TO ME OR INCOMPETENT! IF YOU SEARCH ONLINE, THERE IS A PLETHORA OF OTHER TOYOTA CONSUMERS WHOM WERE LIED TO ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM! THIS EXCESSIVELY RICH MIXING OF FUEL LEADS TO DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. *TR