NHTSA Complaint #10534253 — 2009 TOYOTA RAV4

I BROUGHT MY 2009 TOYOTA RAV 4 INTO THE ROMANO TOYOTA (6400 BASILE ROWE EAST SYRACUSE, NY 13057) SERVICE DEPARTMENT AFTER RECEIVING A RECALL NOTICE FOR POSSIBLE RUSTING IN THE REAR SUSPENSION BAR. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ASSURED ME THAT THEY HAD THOROUGHLY CHECKED THE RECALLED PART, AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. 5 MONTHS LATER, I WAS DRIVING 55 MPH ON A 3-LANE HIGHWAY, AND I SUDDENLY LOST CONTROL OF MY CAR. WHEN I WAS ABLE TO LOOK AT MY CAR, THE REAR PASSENGER TIRE WAS HANGING AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE CAR. AN INDEPENDENT AUTO BODY SHOP CONFIRMED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION BAR (THE PART THAT WAS RECALLED, AND THAT TOYOTA ASSURED ME WAS PERFECTLY FINE 5 MONTHS BEFORE), HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. ROMANO TOYOTA REFUSED TO DISCUSS THE PROBLEM WITH US, AND SIMPLY REPEATED THAT "IF THEY LOOKED AT THE PART, THEN IT WAS FINE." WHILE TOYOTA CORPORATE CONFIRMED THE FINDINGS OF THE INDEPENDENT AUTO BODY SHOP AND REIMBURSED US FOR THE COSTS OF REPAIR, AS FAR AS I'M AWARE, TOYOTA HAS NOT TAKEN ANY STEPS TO ENSURE THAT THIS TERRIFYING (AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY) EXPERIENCE DOES NOT HAPPEN TO ANOTHER DRIVER. *TR