NHTSA Complaint #10544708 — 2007 TOYOTA YARIS

ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2013, WHILE TURNING MY STEERING WHEEL AND ATTEMPTING TO PARK MY 2007 TOYOTA YARIS I HEARD A LOUD CRACK. I KNEW SOMETHING WAS DEFINITELY WRONG AND QUICKLY REALIZED THAT A CONNECTION BETWEEN THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE WHEEL HAD BROKEN AS THE STEERING PIECE WAS NO LONGER TURNING THE WHEELS. IN FACT, THE STEERING PIECE JUST SPUN AROUND 360 DEGREES. I LEFT MY CAR IN PARK AND CALLED A FRIEND WHO REALLY KNOWS CARS. UPON EXAMINING THE CAR, HE IMMEDIATELY SAID THAT SOMETHING WAS SERIOUSLY WRONG WITH THAT TOYOTA PART AND IT NEVER SHOULD HAVE BROKEN ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THE PART IS COVERED BY A PROTECTIVE BOOT AND IS NOT LOCATED IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR. IF I HAD BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY, I COULD HAVE DIED. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT BECAUSE THE PART IS NOT YET ON THE RECALL LIST AND MY CAR HAD OVER 60,000 THEY TOLD ME THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY NEARLY $2,000 FOR THE REPAIR. I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH A TOYOTA PART THAT SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL LIST AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PART.