NHTSA Complaint #10342443 — 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA

WAS AT A STOP LIGHT AND PUT THE CAR INTO 1ST GEAR AND PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE UP TO 15MPG. UPON SHIFTING THE CAR INTO 2ND GEAR IT DID NOT TAKE AND THE CAR THEN MADE A NOISE. I HAD TO THEN PLACE THE CAR BACK INTO 1ST GEAR AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALMOST GETTING HIT BY OTHER TRAFFIC AND STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR A FULL INSPECTION. THERE WAS NOTHING VISIBLE UPON INSPECTION AND NO CURRENT NOISES AT THAT TIME SO I PROCEEDED TO GO AGAIN FIRST SHIFTING INTO 1ST GEAR THEN SECOND AND I STOPPED AT 3RD AND WENT STRAIGHT HOME. ABOUT ONE AND 1/2 MILES LATER IT STARTED MAKING ANOTHER NOISE SIMILAR TO THE FIRST, BUT IT WAS CONTINUOUS AND SO I PARKED THE CAR AT HOME AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY THEN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTOR(BEING THE TYPE THAT IT WAS) AND WHAT HAD HAPPENED IS A ROD IN THE ENGINE HAD BEEN SPUN. THEY SAID IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE AND I COULD HAVE LOST CONTROL AND WRECKED THE CAR VERY EASILY. THEY SAID THAT DUE TO THE NATURE AND PRICE THEY WOULD NOT FIX THE CAR BECAUSE IT WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A FULL NEW ENGINE REPLACEMENT AND THAT WOULD BE UP TO $8K BECAUSE OF IT BEING A RARE AND HIGH PERFORMANCE PRICE. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION AND ONLINE RESEARCH IT IS VERY COMMON WHILE DOWNSHIFTING THIS ENGINE THAT THEY SLIP A GEAR AND SPIN THE ROD MOSTLY IN THE #4 ROD AND NEED A NEW ENGINE FOR COMPLETE REPAIRS. ALSO IT WOULD VERY LIKELY CONTINUE TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND AGAIN THUS PUTTING ME AND MY FAMILY IN DANGER ON THE ROAD. TOYOTA WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM THEY DO ACKNOWLEDGE IT AND THAT IT EXISTS, BUT WILL NOT DO THE REPAIRS BECAUSE OF THE PRICE ISSUE. IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THOUGH. THE BAR ALSO REQUESTED THAT IT BE REPORTED TO NHTSA. *TR