NHTSA Complaint #10393177 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

THE STEEL WHEELS OF OUR 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY ARE RUSTING. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY BEEN IN CALIFORNIA SINCE IT WAS NEW. IN OUR FAMILY WE OWN A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH STEEL WHEELS AND THEY ARE NOT RUSTING. THIS VEHICLE WAS EVEN ON THE EAST COAST FOR SIX WINTERS AND ITS WHEELS ARE STILL NOT RUSTING. WE ALSO OWN A 1992 TOYOTA PICKUP WITH STEEL WHEELS AND THEY ARE NOT RUSTING EITHER EVEN THOUGH THE VEHICLE IS 19 YEARS OLD. TOYOTA'S QUALITY STANDARDS ARE FAILING. THE CONCERN IS THAT THESE STEEL WHEELS HAVE WELD SPOTS BETWEEN THE PART WHICH IS BOLTED TO THE HUB AND THE PART THAT HAS THE TIRE INSTALLED ON IT. WHEN THE RUST GETS TO THE WELD SPOTS, THE WELD SPOTS ARE GOING TO WEAKEN AND WILL FAIL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOOSE CONTROL AND INJURE ITS OCCUPANTS AND OTHER VEHICLES/PEOPLE ON THE ROAD. A COMPLAINT HAS BEEN FILED WITH TOYOTA IN JANUARY 2011 AND THEY REFUSED TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. A BBB COMPLAINT HAS BEEN FILED AND AGAIN THEY REFUSED TO REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. SINCE WE WERE HAVING THESE ISSUES WITH OUR TOYOTA, I HAVE BEEN A LOT MORE AWARE OF OTHER VEHICLES' WHEELS AROUND ME AND NOTICED A LOT OF THE NEWER TOYOTAS WITH RUSTED STEEL WHEELS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THIS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT TO OUR TOYOTA VEHICLE. THE QUALITY OF TOYOTA'S WHEELS HAS DECREASED OVER THE YEARS AND THIS IS EVIDENT JUST FROM OUR FAMILY FLEET OF VEHICLES BUILT BETWEEN 1992 AND 2007. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS MATTER AND BE ABLE TO HELP US ARRIVE AT A RESOLUTION.