NHTSA Complaint #10277433 — 2006 SCION TC

IN EARLY FEBRUARY 2009 MY DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR DID NOT OPEN ALL THE WAY. I THOUGHT THAT IT JUST WAS STICKING AND GAVE IT A HARDER PUSH. IT THEN STARTED WORKING FINE. A COUPLE OF WEEKS LATER I WENT TO THE DRIVE THROUGH AT THE BANK AND LOWERED THE WINDOW. WHEN I WENT TO PUT IT UP IT ONLY WENT UP HALF WAY. IT WAS TWO MONTHS OUT OF WARRANTY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY TOLD ME THAT THE WAY THE HINGE AND WINDOW MECHANISM ARE DESIGNED I NEEDED A COMPLETELY NEW DOOR, THAT THE OLD ONE COULD NOT BE FIXED. I FOUND OUT THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT WITH THE CAR WHICH DEALERS WERE NOTIFIED OF IN 2007, BUT WERE NOT REQUIRED TO NOTIFY VEHICLE OWNERS. THE REPAIR WAS GOING TO COST ME AROUND $2400. JUST FOUND A FRIEND WHO WAS ABLE TO FIX IT IN AN HOUR AND A HALF. THERE IS A MODIFICATION AVAILABLE IF YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ASK. MODIFICATION REALLY NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE THE PROBLEM OCCURS, OR AT LEAST BEFORE YOU USE THE WINDOW AFTER THE DOOR STICKS, BUT IF YOU ARE UNAWARE OF THE DESIGN PROBLEM, THE INITIAL STICKING OF THE DOOR SEEMS LIKE A MINOR NEXT TIME THE CAR IS SERVICE HAVE IT LUBED TYPE ISSUE. *TR UPDATED 09/01/09. *LJ