NHTSA Complaint #10472948 — 2008 TOYOTA YARIS

MY 4 YEAR OLD 2008 TOYOTA YARIS WITH APPROXIMATELY 57,000 MILES STARTED MAKING A CLUNKING/BANGING SOUND WHEN I WOULD TRAVEL OVER SMALL BUMPS OR BRAKE SLOWLY. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC WHO LOOKED AT IT AND TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD TAKE IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR REPAIRS. HE TOLD ME THAT A BOLT HOLDING THE PASSENGER LOWER SUSPENSION ARM TO THE FRAME HAD CORRODED AND SHEARED OFF. HE SAID THAT IF I CONTINUED DRIVING IT THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SIDE SUSPENSION AND WHEEL WOULD LIKELY BREAK AWAY FROM THE CAR. HE SHOWED ME A REPAIR BULLETIN THAT TOYOTA HAD PRODUCED DETAILING THE PROBLEM AND STATED THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE CARE OF IT BECAUSE IT WAS AN OBVIOUS MANUFACTURING DEFECT AND SINCE FAILURE OF THAT BOLT COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY LOOKED UP THE BULLETIN AND SHOWED ME THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS ONLY COVERED AS PART OF THE BASIC 3 YEAR WARRANTY. I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE REPAIR MYSELF. WHEN I PICKED UP MY CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP THEY HANDED ME WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE BOLT THEY REPLACED AND THE OTHER BOLT THAT HELD THE CONTROL ARM IN PLACE. BOTH BOLTS WERE BADLY CORRODED AND HAD BEEN REPLACED WITH NEW BOLTS THAT THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME WERE A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER AND WERE CORROSION RESISTANT. TOYOTA OBVIOUSLY KNOWS THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY ARE USING DIFFERENT PARTS THAN THE CARS WERE SHIPPED WITH FROM THE FACTORY. THE TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME TO KEEP MY RECEIPT BECAUSE HE EXPECTS THIS TO BE A RECALL ISSUE AND TOLD ME THAT I WILL BE REIMBURSED WHEN IT IS RECALLED. PLEASE FORCE TOYOTA TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES BEFORE SOMEONE LOSES THE FRONT END OF THEIR CAR AND THEIR LIFE BECAUSE OF A POORLY CONSTRUCTED $5 BOLT. *TR