NHTSA Complaint #10487431 — 2011 TOYOTA COROLLA

I AM WRITING TO REPORT AN ELECTRIC POWER STEERING SAFETY DEFECT WITH MY 2011 TOYOTA COROLLA LE. I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW AND NOTICED, DURING MY FIRST TRIP ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN CENTER LANE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD DRIFT FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND THE FASTER THE VEHICLE SPEED THE MORE PRONOUNCED THE DRIFT BECAME. ROAD SMOOTHNESS DID NOT SEEM TO MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE. I ASSUMED THAT SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST VEHICLE WITH ELECTRIC POWER STEERING IT MUST JUST TAKE ME SOME GETTING ACCUSTOMED TO DRIVING IT. HAVING DRIVEN IT FOR 18 MONTHS, IN VARIED WEATHER AND ROAD CONDITIONS, I AM NOW CONVINCED IT IS A SAFETY DEFECT AS IT CAUSES ME MUCH FATIGUE TO DRIVE IT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR MORE THAN APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES DUE TO CONSTANT STEERING INPUTS REQUIRED JUST TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN THE LANE. ON 3 DECEMBER 2012 I PRESENTED THE VEHICLE TO MY TOYOTA DEALER FOR WARRANTY REPAIR AND WAS DENIED FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON "TEST DROVE VEHICLE. HIGH WINDS AND POOR STREET CONDITIONS SEEM TO HAVE MORE AFFECT ON SMALLER VEHICLES THAN LARGER HEAVIER ONES. CHECKED ALIGNMENT IN SPEC AND TIRE PRESSURES ARE GOOD AS WELL." THE TEST DRIVE WAS LESS THAN 10 MILES IN DURATION. *TR