NHTSA Complaint #10241003 — 2006 SCION TC

THE REAR DOOR LATCH BROKE OFF IN MY HAND. THE WHOLE MECHANISM NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. SCION CLAIMS THAT THE OWNER'S MANUAL ADVISES NOT TO LET THE MECHANISM BEAR ANY WEIGHT. THIS IS ERRONEOUS, AS THE OWNER'S MANUAL TELLS YOU TO LIFT AFTER PUSHING THE BUTTON. THIS LIFTING OVER TIME CAUSES WEAR OF THE TINY PLASTIC PIECES THAT ARE BEARING THE WEIGHT OF THE ENTIRE REAR/HATCH BACK DOOR. AFTER HAVING THIS PROBLEM I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT OTHER VEHICLES ON THE ROAD, AND NOT MANY HAVE THIS KIND OF FAULTY DESIGN. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS TWO-FOLD: NUMBER ONE, THE LIGHT ON TOP OF THIS MECHANISM IS THE BRAKE LIGHT. IT JUST FALLS OFF OVER TIME. ONCE IT IS BROKEN, THERE IS NO WAY TO HOLD IT IN PLACE AND IT BLOCKS THE LICENSE PLATE AND ALSO COULD FALL OFF ENTIRELY AND DAMAGE ANOTHER VEHICLE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS DESIGNED INTO THE VEHICLE. I AM CONVINCED THAT NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM AS BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND THE SCION HELP LINE ADMITTED THAT THIS HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. THEY ALL SEEM TO BE IN COLLUSION ABOUT IT BEING A DESIGN DEFECT EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMIT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WEIGHT BEARING ASPECT OF THE TRUNK LATCH. I WAS TO OPEN IT BY TOUCHING THE BUTTON AND THEN LIFTING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNK. WHEN DOING THIS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AS THE LATCH NEEDS TO BE PUSHED AT THE SAME TIME IT IS LIFTED UPWARD. OTHERWISE THE LATCH JUST STAYS LOCKED. I FIND THIS WHOLE SITUATION PROBLEMATIC AS I PURCHASED A SCION BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S SOLID REPUTATION OF STANDING BY THEIR VEHICLES. AS MAY VEHICLE IS PAST ITS WARRANTY THIS DEFECT IS NOT COVERED. I WAS TOLD THAT AS ONE TIME GESTURE THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM IF I PAID FOR IT AND THEN APPLIED FOR REIMBURSEMENT. I LIVE FROM PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK AND DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO FIX THE DANGLING DOOR LATCH. AFTER SPEAKING WITH SCION OVER SEVERAL DAYS THEY AGREED TO COVER THE REPAIR IF THE DEALERSHIP WOULD BILL SCION FOR THE COST. THE ISSUE IS THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR