1997 TOYOTA COROLLA Complaints

WHILE TRAVELING ON FREEWAY, TIRE EXPLODED. TREAD SEPARATED FROM TIRE AND BLEW ACROSS FREEWAY. COULD BARELY DRIVE TO GET ONTO SHOULDER. METAL FROM INSIDE TIRE SCRAPED PAINT OFF SIDE OF MY CAR AND THE FLYING RUBBER DISLODGED MY REAR BUMPER. NLM

WHEN TRYING TO START VEHICLE IGNITION SWITCH WILL GET LOCKED, AND CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO START VEHICLE. DEALER NOTED THAT WHEN MOVING STEERING WHEEL FROM SIDE TO SIDE IGNITION SWITCH BECAME UNDONE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE.*AK

REAR BRAKES HAVE WORN OUT TWICE ALREADY AND I AM STILL ON THE ORIGINAL FRONT BRAKES PADS. DEALER IS NOT ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHY. REPLACING ALL REAR BRAKE COMPONENTS.*AK

ON MAY 1, 2002 I LEFT MY OFFICE WHICH IS SIX MILES FROM MY HOME. WHEN I STARTED MY CAR I HEARD A WHINING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AS THE CAR STARTED FINE I DECIDED TO DRIVE HOME. I HAD NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AT THIS POINT. AS I WAS DRIVING HOME THE WHINING SOUND INCREASED. ALL THE GAUGES READ NORMAL, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INCLUDED. ABOUT 4 MILES FROM HOME THE WHINING SOUND INCREASED SO I TURNED OFF THE A/C AND THE RADIO. I BEGAN TO FEEL A SLLIGHT VIBRATION WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. ABOUT 2 MILES FROM HOME I BEGAN TO SMELL A SICKLY-SWEET ODOR. APPROX. 3/10 OF A MILE FROM MY HOME THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON THE CAR BEGAN TO RUN VERY ROUGHLY. THE SICLY SWEET SMELL BECAME MUCH STRONGER AND I HAD A SENSE THAT MY CAR WAS GOIN TO CATCH ON FIRE. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STILL READ NORMAL SO I THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS WRONG AND POSSIBLY THE ALTERNATOR WAS FAILING. I DROVE THE CAR HOME AND PARKED IT DOWN BY THE ROAD, THE ODOR WAS BECOMING VERY STRONG. I GRABBED THE CAR KEYS AND SOME OF MY WORK ITEMS AND RAN TO GET THE WATER HOSE ABOUT 25 FT. FROM THE CAR. I TURNED AROUND, HAVIG BEEN OUT OF THE CAR POSSIBLY NO MORE THAN 10 SECONDS AND BROWN SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE RIGHT FRONT OF THE HOOD. I CALLED FOR MY SON TO BRING THE CORDLESS PHONE AND TOLD HIM THE CAR WAS ON FIRE. HE BEGAN TO SPRAY WATER ON THE CAR IN AN EFFORT TO CONTAIN THE FIRE. I CALLED 911. TWO FIRE ENGINES RESPONDED BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SAVE THE CAR. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS, THE ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED, EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD HAD MELTED OR FUSED TOGETHER, THE FIRE BURNED THROUGH THE DRIVERS SIDE FIRE WALL MELTING THE DASH AND THE RADIO, THE HOOD LINER AND VISORS COMPLETELY BURNED, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND MELTED, THE FIRE BEGAN TO BURN THROUGH THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL WELL, THE HOOD LATCH HAD MELTED SHUT SO THE FIRE DEPT HAD TO USE A CHAIN SAW TO OPEN THE HOOD WHEN THE FIRE WAS OUT. THE PAINT BURNED OFF THE HOOD OF THE CAR. I HAVE PICTURES TO VERIFY THE FIRE DAMAGE.*AK

WHEN APPLYING GAS PEDAL, VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE, ALSO BRAKE PEDAL GETS REALLY HARD AND VEHICLE STARTS TO LOSE POWER. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER/CALIPERS, AND BRAKE PADS, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. *AK. CONSUMER STATED AFTER APPLYING THE PEDAL, IT WILL EVENTUALLY GET HARD WHICH SLOWS DOWN THE VEHICLE, WHEN STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL FROM 40 MPH TO 30 MPH THEN THERE IS SMELL OF SOMETHING BURNING AND EVENTUALLY THE VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE.*JB

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR STICKS INTERMITTENTLY; AFTER SEVERAL PULLS ON BELT, SEAT BELT FINALLY GETS BUCKLED; ALWAYS, WHEN UNBUCKLING SEAT BELT, IT DOES NOT RETRACT FULLY INTO HOLDER. *AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL FOLLOW-UP NOTICE ON AIR BAG COMPUTER, CONSUMER DOES NOTTHAT WHY IT TOOK MANUFACTURER THREE YEARS TO SEND A RECALL NOTICE SHE STATES SHE HAS BEEN AT THE SAME ADDRESS SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, ALSO CONSUMER HAS BEEN BACK ANF FORTH FOR OTHER RELATED ISSUES AND THE DEALER NEVER CAUGHT THE RECALL THAT WAS ISSUED BACK IN APRIL OF 1997.*YH

WHILE SITTING AT A LIGHT, CONSUMER WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE WITH SUCH GREAT FORCE THAT HIS VEHICLE SLAMMED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HIM, CONSUMER STATES THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY.*JB

VEHICLE WAS GOING 40-45MPH WHEN CONSUMER T BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT CROSSED IN FRONT OF CONSUMER. NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING CONSUMER TO SUFFER FROM WHIPLASH. DEALER STATED "IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT AIR BAG DIDN'T DEPLOY, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED MORE INJURIES. CONSUMER WAS NOT GIVEN EXPLANATION WHY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK A FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE FROM TOYOTA INSPECTED VEHICLE AND STATED AIR BAGS OPERATED AS THEY SHOULD HAVE BY NOT DEPLOYING. *SLC

LIGHTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE GO OUT WHEN HE HIT 45MPH WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK