NHTSA Complaint #10860224 — 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY

A YEAR AGO IN MAY OF 2015, MY WIFE WAS DRIVING HER TOYOTA CAMRY WHEN THE POWER STEERING SUDDENLY WENT OUT ON HER WHILE DRIVING AND ALMOST CAUSED HER TO CRASH. WE BROUGHT IT TO A MECHANIC WHO WAS MYSTIFIED, HE SAID HE'D NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE, IN HIS WORDS, "IT LOOKS LIKE THE PULLEY BENT ON IT'S OWN AND THEN THE BELT CAME OFF." HE HAD NO IDEA WHAT HAD CAUSED THE PULLEY TO GET OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND CHARGED ME ALMOST $500 TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE. NEARLY A YEAR LATER, I'M INVESTIGATING BRAKE ISSUES WITH CAMRYS AND I CAME ACROSS THIS RECALL WHICH DESCRIBES PERFECTLY WHAT THE MECHANIC COULDN'T FIGURE OUT. WHY WAS I NEVER INFORMED OF THIS RECALL? MY CAMRY IS A 2005, IT CLEARLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. TOYOTA'S NEGLIGENCE ON THIS COULD HAVE COST MY WIFE HER LIFE IF SHE HADN'T NARROWLY AVOIDED THE CRASH THE FAILURE OF HER POWER STEERING ALMOST CAUSED. THIS COULD HAVE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED BY TOYOTA LONG BEFORE THE INCIDENT OCCURED THROUGH THE RECALL. I WANT THE COST OF MY REPAIRS REFUNDED BY TOYOTA AND ANY ADDITIONAL REPAIRS TO GET IT UP TO THE STANDARDS OF THE RECALL PAID BY THEM.