NHTSA Complaint #10369974 — 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA

I PURCHASED THIS CAR USED IN 2006 WITH 76,000 MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES ON IT. I TRUSTED THE REPUTATION OF TOYOTA AND THOUGHT I GOT A GOOD DEAL ON A DEPENDABLE CAR THAT WOULD LAST ME UNTIL AT LEAST 200,000 MILES WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THIS CAR CURRENTLY HAS 126,000 MILES ON IT. LAST FRIDAY, AFTER GETTING OFF THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THE GEARS/TRANSMISSION RUNNING A LITTLE LOUDER THAN USUAL. DURING THE NEXT 7 RESIDENTIAL MILES HOME, THE GEARS/TRANSMISSION CONTINUED TO SOUND LOUDER AND MORE GRINDING IN NATURE. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED HOME, THE CAR WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT MORNING AND LEARNED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED AND I WOULD NEED A NEW ONE. AFTER A LITTLE ONLINE RESEARCH, I READ THAT MORE THAN A FEW PEOPLE HAD REPLACED WITH REBUILT TRANSMISSIONS ONLY TO HAVE THE REBUILT ONE FAIL. I CHOSE TO PURCHASE A NEW TRANSMISSION (AT LEAST IT'S UNDER WARRANTY FOR 3 YEARS/36,000 MILES) ALONG WITH A NEW CLUTCH AND OTHER ACCESSORIES TO THE TUNE OF $3,500. WHEN I ASKED HOW MY DEPENDABLE LITTLE TOYOTA COULD POSSIBLY HAVE A TRANSMISSION FAILURE, THE SERVICE MAN TOLD ME SOMETHING ABOUT THE CLUTCH BEGINNING TO SHOW SOME WEAR, CAUSING SOME PARTS (BEARINGS?) TO GET INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND WREAK HAVOC. ALL I KNOW IS THAT I NO LONGER ASSOCIATE TOYOTA WITH DEPENDABILITY. *TR