NHTSA Complaint #10838522 — 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA

ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING IN MY 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA BECOMES NOTICEABLY LOOSE AND WILL DRIFT TO ONE SIDE WHILE DRIVING. I NOTICE THE STEERING WHEEL BECOME LESS RESPONSIVE AFTER PULLING INTO/OUT OF A DRIVEWAY, OVER TRAIN TRACKS, POTHOLE, ANYTHING THAT PROVIDES SHOCK TO THE VEHICLE WITH THROW OFF THE STEERING CONTROL, BUT IT COULD BE A FLAT STRAIGHT ROAD AND THE VEHICLE WILL DRIFT. THE STEERING CONTROL IS SO LOOSE THAT ONE MUST CONSTANTLY BE ADJUSTING THE STEERING WHEEL TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM DRIFTING. I HAD MY ALIGNMENT ADJUSTED 3 TIMES OVER THE PAST 3 WEEKS THINKING SOMETHING MAY BE WRONG WITH IT, BUT THE TECHNICIANS STATED THAT ALIGNMENT WAS WITHIN SPEC. I PURCHASED NEW TIRES (AND BALANCED TIRES) AND THE DRIFTING STILL OCCURS. FOUND THIS TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0140-10 AND IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME DRIFT LIKE CROSSWIND PUSHING THE VEHICLE. I CALLED A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND SPOKE TO A SERVICE TECHNICIAN WHO STATED THAT THE AUTHORIZED SOLUTIONS WAS TO REPLACE THE ECU WITH A DIFFERENT ECU PART NUMBER, CALIBRATE STEERING WHEEL CENTERING AND AGAIN ALIGN THE WHEELS FOR THE NEW ECU. IF THEY GIVE REPLACE IT WITH A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER WHY ISN'T THIS A SAFETY RECALL, SINCE THEY ARE NOT REPLACING IT WITH THE SAME DEFECTIVE PART NUMBER? SOMEONE AT TOYOTA IS CLEARLY AWARE THAT THE OLD PART NUMBER IS NO GOOD. IF THE VEHICLE STEERING GOES OUT EVEN SLIGHTLY WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, WHY IS THAT NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY RECALL? NO PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE CAN PREVENT THIS, ONLY A TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER CAN REPAIR THIS. THIS WOULD ONLY BE COVERED BY TOYOTA WARRANTY IF THE ISSUE WAS REPORTED WITHIN 36 MONTHS OR 36000 MILES, EVEN THOUGH A SETTLEMENT WAS REACHED WITH TOYOTA IN JULY 2015 THAT CLOSED THE ISSUE WITH THE NHTSA. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP QUOTED ME AN OUT OF POCKET REPAIR COST OF $1200, FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY KNOW IS A PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING CONTROL.