NHTSA Complaint #10496213 — 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA

AIR BAG WARNING KEPT FLASHING THAT THE AIR BAGS NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. WE TOOK CAR TO DEALER, IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY, DEALER SAID WE WOULD HAVE TO "REPAIR IT OURSELVES" IF WE COULD FIND A CONSOLE THAT WOULD REPAIR IT AND HE THOUGHT THERE WAS ONLY ONE IN THE UNITED STATES FOR APPROXIMATELY $2000. WE WROTE TO TOYOTA WHO EVENTUALLY WROTE BACK TO US STATING THAT TOYOTA WOULD NOT REPAIR THIS CAR AND HAD NO INTENTION OF RECALLING THIS CAR DUE TO THIS ISSUE AND WE WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THIS CAR OURSELVES AT THE DEALER LOCATION. NOW WE SEE IN THE NEWS THAT TOYOTA IS RECALLING 1.3 MILLION OTHER CARS FOR WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE SAME ISSUE--THE CONTROL OF THE AIR BAGS. DEALER TOLD US HE DID NOT KNOW HOW THIS WOULD AFFECT IF THE AIR BAGS WOULD GO OFF IN AN ACCIDENT OR NOT IN THE FUTURE OR ANY OTHER TIME. THE CONSOLE CONSTANTLY SHOWS THAT A DOOR IS OPEN AND THAT THE AIR BAG NEEDS TO BE SERVICED AND THERE IS NOTHING WE CAN DO ABOUT IT EXCEPT TO HOPE IT WILL REACT PROPERLY. *TR