NHTSA Complaint #10957751 — 2009 TOYOTA RAV4

IN 2013, TOYOTA ISSUED A RECALL ON THE REAR LOWER SUSPENSION ARMS. THIS VEHICLE WAS TAKEN AND HAD THE RECALL WORK DONE ON 7/19/14. ONE ARM WAS REPLACED, AND ONE WAS COATED WITH AN EPOXY COATING. THE CAR BEGAN PULLING TO THE LEFT WHILE DRIVING AND WAS TAKEN TO FIRESTONE FOR AN ALIGNMENT, AT WHICH WE WERE TOLD THAT THE REAR TOE WAS OUT OF ALIGNMENT AND NEEDED TO BE LOOKED AT BY THE DEALER. THE RECALL WORK DONE IN JULY 2014 INVOLVED APPLYING AN EPOXY THAT MADE THIS PART NO LONGER ADJUSTABLE. ON 2/25/17, THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN THE TOYOTA DEALER, WHICH FAILED AN ALIGNMENT CHECK AT THE REAR TOE. WE WERE TOLD THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER PERFORM A REAR ALIGNMENT DUE TO THIS RECALL "FIX" THAT PERMANENTLY SEALED IT INTO ONE PLACE. WE WERE TOLD THAT IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR BACK INTO ALIGNMENT, WE WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE REAR TOE BAR FOR A COST OF 600 DOLLARS. WE CONTACTED THE CORPORATE OFFICE AND WERE OFFERED A 10% DISCOUNT TO GET THE WORK DONE. MY CAR WAS MANUFACTURED WITH AN ADJUSTABLE REAR TIE ROD, AND TOYOTA'S SOLUTION TO AN ENGINEERING FLAW IS TO MAKE THE REAR TIE ROD NO LONGER ADJUSTABLE, THUS COSTING THE CONSUMER HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS TO FIX A SIMPLE ALIGNMENT ISSUE. IT IS NOT FEASIBLE OR FAIR TO EXPECT THE CONSUMER TO PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS FOR AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE, WHEN TOYOTA CREATED THE ISSUE WITH THEIR "FIX" INSTEAD OF CREATING A REPLACEMENT REAR TOE THAT IS ADJUSTABLE LIKE THE CAR WAS MANUFACTURED WITH WHEN I PURCHASED IT. THE CAR PULLS TO THE LEFT SIGNIFICANTLY WHEN GOING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME AND MY TWO YOUNG CHILDREN.