NHTSA Complaint #10861635 — 2011 TOYOTA COROLLA

ON JANUARY 7, 2016 WE BROUGHT OUR CAR TO THE WESTON, FLORIDA TOYOTA DEALERSHIP BECAUSE A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THE SERVICE WRITER SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE "CANISTER" AND THAT IT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THEY GAVE US A LONER-CAR AND SAID THE PROBLEM WOULD BE FIXED IN TWO DAYS. LATER THAT WEEK, THE SERVICE WRITER TOLD US THE COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED AND IT WOULD BE "A WHILE" UNTIL THE PART ARRIVED. WE STILL HAVE THE "LOANER" AND THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE JANUARY 7TH. TODAY IS APRIL 27TH. SO FAR 110 DAYS. THE LOANER CAR IS VERY NICE (2015 TOYOTA COROLLA). MY WIFE LOVES THE BACK-UP CAMERA, BUT HER CAR STILL SITS AT THE DEALERSHIP. THE CAR HAS 44,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN REPAIRED ONLY ONCE BEFORE. INTERESTINGLY, THE PREVIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE CAR HAD TO DO WITH THE COMPUTER. THE CAR WOULD LOSE OVER 100 RPM AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THEN QUICKLY ACCELERATE BACK UP TO THE PRECEDING RPM. I THINK THE MECHANIC SAID THAT HE FLASHED THE COMPUTER OR SOMETHING ELSE THAT MADE ME THINK (IN LAYMAN'S LANGUAGE) THAT HE "REBOOTED" THE CAR'S COMPUTER. THIS WEEK THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT THEY EXPECT THE NEW COMPUTER TO ARRIVE BY MAY 15TH. I WROTE A LETTER TO SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVE CALLED TO LET ME KNOW THAT WE WERE NOT ALONE BUT THERE ARE OVER 50 CARS IN THEIR SYSTEM THAT NEED NEW COMPUTERS. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE MOST POPULAR CAR IN THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE AN ADEQUATE SUPPLY OR SUPPLIERS TO REPLACE THE ONES THAT GO BAD...TO GET A COMPUTER FROM MANUFACTURING TO THE DEALERSHIP SHOULD TAKE FEWER THAN FIVE MONTHS. WHAT DO YOU THINK?