2000 Toyota Corolla Suspension Problems

THE VEHICLE KEEPS BOGGING OUT. THE FUEL SYSTEM KEEPS FAILING AND THE STRUTS SOUND AND FEEL LIKE THEY ARE GOING TO COLLAPSE

2000 TOYOTA COROLLA. CONSUMER ASKING FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR VEHICLE REPAIRS FROM A RECALL ISSUED FOR VEHICLE. *TA CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED IT COST $930 TO REPLACE BOTH STRUTS. *JB UPDATED 01/22/15. *JB

TOYOTA COROLLA CE AT ABOUT 30K MILES. RATTLING SOUND OCCURS FROM THE REAR OF VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING. SOUND DISAPPEARS WHEN BREAK PEDAL IS APPLIED. SOUND COMES ON AND OFF UNEXPECTEDLY. HAVE TAKEN VEHICLE TO SEARS AUTO DEPARTMENT, WAS TOLD IT'S DUE TO BREAK PAD WEAR, REPLACED ALL FOUR PADS, BUT THE SOUND RETURNED AS SOON AS I DROVE OUT OF SEARS PARKING LOT. HAVE BEEN TO THE AUTO DEPARTMENT SEVERAL TIMES AND THE PROBLEM IS STILL NOT SOLVED. SINCE THE SOUND IS NOT EFFECTING STEERING AND BREAKING, I'M STILL DRIVING THE VEHICLE, HOPING NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN. *NM

CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM USED CAR "SUPERSTORE"; PURCHASER PAID FOR "128 POINT INSPECTION" AND CAR WAS DECLARED "CERTIFIED" BY DEALER. DEALER ISSUED 100,000 MILE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY WITH PURCHASE OF THIS "CERTIFIED" USED VEHICLE, MEASURED FROM FIRST OWNER USE OF VEHICLE; WARRANTIED UNTIL 2005; VEHICLE HAD 32000 MILES WHEN PURCHASED. FROM TIME OF DELIVERY IN MARCH 2003, CAR HAD "SHIMMY" IN FRONT END AT 68-74 MILES PER HOUR. ON RETURNING TO DEALER FIRST TIME ON 3/20/2003, DEALER SAID IT WAS WHEEL BALANCE PROBLEM, BUT DEALER SAID COULD NOT TEST ABOVE 65 MPH BECAUSE THAT WAS ABOVE LOCAL SPEED LIMIT. DEALER ALSO SAID THAT THEY SPIN BALANCED WHEELS AT ABOUT 55 MPH EQUIVALENT BECAUSE SPIN BALANCE MACHINE DID NOT SPIN ANY FASTER. PROBLEM WAS NOT CORRECTED AT ALL; OWNER THEN WENT TO ANOTHER SERVICE SHOP ON 4/12/2003 AND PAID FOR ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENT AND TWO FRONT WHEEL SPIN BALANCE; PROBLEM STILL NOT CORRECTED. OWNER RETURNED TO DEALER ON 5/06/2003 WITH SAME COMPLAINT. DEALER SAID COULD NOT DO ANYTHING FURTHER. OWNER SUBSEQUENTLY TRIED ROTATING WHEELS FRONT TO BACK, PROBLEM NOT CORRECTED. OWNER BELIEVES THAT ALIGNMENT AND BALANCE ARE NOW RULED OUT AS PROBLEMS; THAT, MOST PROBABLY, FRONT SUSPENSION WAS AND IS DEFECTIVE, CAUSING "SHIMMY", NOW READILY DETECTABLE BETWEEN 65-75 MPH. PROBABLY A SAFETY ISSUE AT CURRENT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.*AK

I ALSO CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT A RECALL. I HAVE 72,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED THE TIRES 4 TIMES THE FIRST SET (ORIGINALS) AFTER ONLY 12,000 MILES I HAVE HAD IT ALIGNMENTS FRONT AND BACK TWICE. I CONTINUE TO HAVE TIRE WEAR AND THE CAR IS ALL OVER THE ROAD AFTER HITTING 55MPH I SHOULD BE ON MY SECOND SET OF TIRES THERE IS ALSO NO SHOCK ABSORBANT ON THIS CAR EVEN GOING SLOW YOU JUST HIT HARD REGUARDLESS. I CAN NOT KEEP THE ALIGNMENT RIGHT OR THE TIRES FROM WEARING QUICK. THE PAINT IS ALREADY PEELING AND FADING WITH RUST COMING UP IN SOME SPOTS I HAVE A SIX YEAR PAINT PROTECTION BUT THE DEARLER SAYS ITS MY FAULT THE WAY I WASHED IT OR ROCKS IN THE ROAD ALOT OF EXCUSES. MY # 1 COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA THOUGH HAS BEEN BURNING OIL I CAN NOT KEEP OIL IN THE ENGINE I AM REPLACING A QUART TOO TWO QUARTS A WEEK I HAVE REGUARLY SERVICED THE CAR AND AFTER A OIL CHANGE AND ABOUT 400 MILES I AM BONE DRY OF OIL MY CAR HAS DEVELOPED A KNOCK FROM THIS WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA DUE TO MY SERVICE MANS ADVICE THEY SAID WELL SOME CARS ARE RECALLED WITH THIS (BURNING OIL)BUT NOT YOURS AND GAVE ME A CASE NUMBER. THERE ARE NO LEAKS I PARK THE SAME PLACE EACH DAY, NOTHING ON THE ENGINE THE OIL IS JUST BURNING UP AND FROM WHAT MY SERVICE GUY SAYS THERE ARE "SEVERAL" DOING THIS AND HE TOLD ALL TO CALL TOYOTA BUT TOYOTA DOES NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT OR RECALL ANYMORE ENGINES FOR THIS PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE ADMITED SEVERAL OF THEIR MODELS BURN OIL AND HAVE BEEN RECALLED. I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW WITH 5 MILES ON IT, IN MY OPINON THIS CAR SHOULD NOT BE BURNING OIL AFTER 2 YEARS NOT TO THE POINT YOU HAVE NO OIL IN YOUR ENGINE 2 WEEKS AFTER AN OIL CHANGE. THE CAR IS 3 1/2 YEARS OLD NOW BUT THIS PROBLEM STARTED WHEN THE CAR HAD ABOUT 40,000 MILES ON IT. I WOULD SIMPLY JUST LIKE TO STOP CHANGING TIRES SO OFTEN, KEEP AN ALIGNMENT (WHICH OF COURSE MY WARRANTY ON TIRES IS VOID SINCE THE PROBLEM IS ALIGNMENT WEAR) AND STOP PUTTING SO MUCH OIL IN MY ENGINE, OR HAVE IT BLOW UP SOON.

I PURCHASED MY BRAND NEW 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA CE ON MAY 20,2000. WITHIN 4 TO 5 DAYS LATER I NOTICED WHEN I WAS REACHING SPEEDS OF 65-70MPH ON THE HIGHWAY MY CAR WOULD SWAY AND WANDER DOWN THE LANE OF TRAFFIC. IT HAS A PUSH/PULL EFFECT TO IT. WHEN THIS PROBLEM ARISES IT IS VERY HARD TO KEEP THE VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. I AM CONSTANTLY OVER COMPENSATING TO TRY AND KEEP IT STRAIGHT AND IN MY LANE. I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE INTO MY DEALER THAT I PURCHASED IT MANY TIMES. THEY HAVE TAKEN AIR OUT OF THE TIRES, ALIGNED THE FRONT END, ALIGNED THE REAREND AND CAMBER. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA THEMSELVES AND MET WITH THE DPM OF TOYOTA WHO DROVE MY VEHICLE AND REALIZED THAT THERE WAS A DEFINITE PROBLEM WITH MY CAR. SHE THEN TOLD ME THAT THEY CONTACTED THE TECHNICAL DEPT AND HE TOLD THEM THAT THERE WERE CASES OF THIS SAME PROBLEM IN TOYOTA CANADA. AT THAT POINT SHE TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING WITH MY VEHICLE OTHER THAN TO NOTIFY THEIR ENGINEER OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

WE HAD THE DELERSHIP LOOK AT VEHICLE FOUR TIMES AND THEY CLAIMED MY WIFE DID NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT. THE FIFTH TIME ON JUNE 2ND WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER DELERSHIP AND THEY SAID THE RIGHT FRONT STRUT ASSEMBLY WAS FAULTY AND REPLACED.WE HAVE ALSO NOTICED THE BRAKES DO NOT OPERATE NORMALLY ALL THE TIME BUT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. LASTLY, MY WIFE HAD A WRECK AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DIPLOY. WE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD SEND SOMEONE OUT TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. SO, FAR THEY HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY COOPERATIVE. IN NOTIFYING YOU I HOPE THAT MAYBE NO ONE ELSE WILL BE INJURED IN A MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF THE CAR TURNS TO BE FAULTY. SINCERELY [XXX] AND [XXX]. *AK PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

THE CAR DOES NOT TAKE BUMPS WELL AT ALL. IT FEELS LIKE THE SUSPENSION IS VERY SOFT, AND WE BOTTOM OUT WHILE GOING VERY REASONABLY SLOW, ON TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS NOW.