NHTSA Complaint #10619002 — 2014 TOYOTA COROLLA

TOYOTA REDESIGNED THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND WENT FROM A SINGLE CLEAR COVER ANGLED TOWARDS THE FRONT TO 2 SEPARATE INSTRUMENT COVERS ANGLED TOWARDS THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE. THE DESIGN OF THESE COVERS RESULTS IN EXTREME REFLECTIONS MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER DURING MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS WHEN THE SUN ENTERS THE VEHICLE FROM THE SIDE. THE REFLECTIONS UNDER THESE CONDITIONS ARE SO EXTREME THAT I CAN'T EVEN SEE THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE. TINTING THE WINDOWS DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. TOYOTA'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO FIX THE ISSUE. ON JULY, 03, 2014 I HAD TO GUESS MY SPEED BECAUSE THE SPEEDOMETER WAS UNREADABLE. I RECEIVED A SPEEDING TICKET SAYING THAT I WAS GOING AT A SPEED WHICH WOULD MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID A COLLISION. I HAVE DRIVEN OVER 20 DIFFERENT CARS IN MY LIFE AND NEVER HAD A SITUATION WHERE I WAS NOT ABLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER, EVEN IN MY 1968 OLDSMOBILE. TO MY UNDERSTANDING, A CAR MANUFACTURER HAS TO DESIGN THE SPEEDOMETER THE WAY THAT IT CAN BE READ UNDER ANY CONDITIONS WHICH IS POSSIBLE. IT APPEARS THAT TOYOTA'S ENGINEERS TOTALLY NEGLECTED THE PROBLEM OF SUNLIGHT REFLECTIONS WHEN DESIGNING THE 2014 COROLLA INSTRUMENT PANEL. *TR