NHTSA Complaint #10860957 — 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA

MY 2009 COROLLA EXPERIENCED ISSUES IDENTICAL TO A PRIOR RECALL CIRCA 2010 FOR '05-'08 COROLLA & MATRIX MODELS REGARDING ENGINE CONTROL MODULES (ECM) THAT MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY MANUFACTURED. ON 3/30/16, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ON AND MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCED HARSH SHIFTING AND STRUGGLED FOR GAS. VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WITH OVER A 1/4 TANK OF GAS ON A RESIDENTIAL STREET AT THE TIME. ON 3/31/16, I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. DIAGNOSTICS WERE RUN AND ECM FAULT CODES WERE IDENTIFIED. SERVICE ASSOCIATES WORKING ON MY COROLLA ADDRESSED THEIR CONCERNS AND WERE REPEATEDLY DENIED REQUESTS FOR A REPLACEMENT ECM. AT ONE POINT, I WAS ADVISED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP STAFF TO PERSONALLY ORDER AN ECM UNIT THROUGH THE PARTS DEPT., INSISTING THAT THE REQUEST COMING DIRECTLY FROM A CUSTOMER WOULD NOT BE DENIED. I ATTEMPTED TO PLACE AN ORDER WITH PARTS, AND THAT REQUEST LATER WAS DENIED. AFTER SEVERAL RE-TESTS AND DENIED REQUESTS FOR A REPLACEMENT ECM, MY VEHICLE RECEIVED A REPLACEMENT TAIL LIGHT BULB (WHAT I REFER TO AS A "BAND-AID" FIX) AND WAS RELEASED BACK TO ME ON 4/5/16. THE VERY NEXT MORNING (4/6/16), CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT IN. ONCE AGAIN, CODES TIED TO THE ECM WERE IDENTIFIED. AFTER ANOTHER WEEK OF TESTS, DENIED ECM FIX REQUESTS, AND ANOTHER BAND-AID REPAIR, THE VEHICLE WAS RELEASED BACK TO ME ON 4/14/16. DURING THIS TWO-WEEK ORDEAL, I INCURRED OVER $540 IN RENTAL CAR EXPENSES AND $186 IN "BAND-AID" REPAIRS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT ECM ISSUES WERE IDENTIFIED FROM THE BEGINNING. I HAVE OPENED 2 CASES WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CENTER TO ADDRESS THIS ECM ISSUE WITH MY 2009 COROLLA, THE PRIOR 2010 RECALL, AND HAVE REQUESTED THAT MY VIN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE RECALL. SO FAR, TOYOTA HAS DENIED ANY RESPONSIBILITY, INSISTING THAT THEIR ECMS DON'T FAIL, OFFERING NO ASSISTANCE FOR ISSUES THEY DEEM OFF-WARRANTY/OFF-RECALL.