NHTSA Complaint #11311193 — 2005 TOYOTA COROLLA

NHTSA RECALL NO. 19V-741: I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA REGARDING THIS RECALL. I'M ATTACHING COPIES OF THE LETTER, ON WHICH I WROTE NOTES OF MY CONVERSATIONS WITH TOYOTA AND WITH THE DEALERSHIP. I HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW SOME INFORMATION I BELIEVE IS RELEVANT TO MY COMPLAINT. HALL TOYOTA OF ELIZABETH CITY IS THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP TO ME, AND IS ALMOST 2 HOURS DRIVE AWAY (ABOUT 90 MILES). THE RECALL NOTICE FROM TOYOTA STATES, "IF YOU ARE UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORIZED TOYOTA DEALER WHO WILL ARRANGE FOR VEHICLE PICK UP." THE DEALERSHIP ASSIGNED ME AN ADVISOR, RUSS, WHO SAID I NEEDED TO CALL TOYOTA TO HAVE THEM OPEN A CASE AND GIVE ME A CASE NUMBER. RUSS SAID TOYOTA WOULD THEN CALL THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY WOULD WORK OUT ARRANGEMENTS TO PICK UP MY VEHICLE. I CALLED TOYOTA AND SPOKE WITH SOMEONE NAMED RAFAEL, WHO GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER (2002102338), BUT SAID THE DEALERSHIP WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TOWING CHARGE. HE SAID TOYOTA WAS NOT GOING TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP, AND THAT I NEEDED TO CALL THE DEALERSHIP TO ARRANGE TOWING. I CALLED RUSS AT THE DEALERSHIP, WHO SAID HIS SUPERVISOR WAS TALKING TO TOYOTA AND HE WOULD CALL ME LATER. THE NEXT DAY, AFTER NOT HEARING BACK, I CALLED RUSS, WHO SAID HIS SUPERVISOR HAD NOT YET HEARD BACK FROM TOYOTA, AND THE SUPERVISOR WOULD CALL ME WHEN HE HAD INFORMATION FROM TOYOTA. LATER THAT DAY RUSS CALLED ME TO SAY TOYOTA AGREED TO COVER $120 OF THE TOWING CHARGE, WHICH RUSS SAID WOULD RUN AROUND $500 TO $550. THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT PAY THE DIFFERENCE, SO I WOULD NEED TO PAY THE REST MYSELF. THIS SEEMS CONTRARY TO WHAT IS STATED IN TOYOTA'S LETTER. RAFAEL AT TOYOTA STATED THEY ABSOLUTELY WERE NOT RECOMMENDING I DRIVE 2 HOURS TO THE DEALERSHIP. I SEEM TO BE LEFT WITH NO GOOD OPTION. I'M OBVIOUSLY UNCOMFORTABLE DRIVING TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT I SHOULDN'T NEED TO PAY $400+.