NHTSA Complaint #10499387 — 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA

I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, STARTED THE CAR AND TURN THE HEATER. A COUPLE OF SECOND WENT BY I STARTED SMELLING SOMETHING BURNING. THAT MADE ME TURN OFF THE CAR AND GET OUT OF THE CAR. WHEN I GOT OUT THE CAR I DIDN'T NOTICE ANY SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. A THOUGHT CAME TO MIND THAT MAYBE IT WAS ANOTHER CAR PASSING BY. SO AS I JUST GOT IN MY CAR, WITHIN 15 SECONDS OF DRIVING OUT OF THE PARKING GARAGE I NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT THE POWER WINDOW SWITCH AND WITHIN THE WINDOW CRACKS. I WAS SO STARTLED AND DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. I PUT THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW DOWN, STOPPED THE CAR AND CALL 911. THIS INCIDENT COULD HAVE CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE TRAFFIC AND BECAUSE I THOUGHT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPT. CHECKED MY CAR, THEY SMELLED THE ODOR AND TOLD ME JUST TO TAKE IT TO THE SHOP. WHEN I GOT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME THERE WASN'T A RECALL. SO I DECIDED TO RESEARCH IT AND I FOUND A ARTICLE STATING THAT THE POWER-WINDOW SWITCH ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DIDN'T HAVE GREASE APPLIED EVENLY DURING PRODUCTION, CAUSING FRICTION IN THE SWITCH AND SOMETIMES SMOKE, ACCORDING TO TOYOTA. HTTP://WWW.CBSNEWS.COM/8301-505145_162-57529367/MASSIVE-TOYOTA-RECALL-DUE-TO-FAULTY-WINDOW-SWITCH/ WHICH STATED RECALLS DUE TO THE SIMILAR PROBLEM I ENCOUNTERED. I SHOWED IT TO THE TOYOTA SERVICEMAN AND HE CAME TO ABOUT 30 MINUTES LATER AND STATED THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. ON FEBRUARY 19TH, 2013 I CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICE AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY COROLLA VIN NUMBER WASN'T CHOSEN FOR THE RECALL. EVERY OWNER THAT OWNS A TOYOTA LISTED SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A LETTER INFORMING THEM ABOUT THE RECALL NO MATTER WHAT VIN NUMBER WAS CHOSEN! *TR