2003 TOYOTA COROLLA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE MILEAGE ON THE ODOMETER WAS NOT INCREASING. HE INITIATED THE TRIP ODOMETER BUT, AFTER TRAVELING 250 MILES, THE ODOMETER STILL DID NOT INCREASE. THE ODOMETER WILL NOT EXCEED 299,999 MILES. THE FAILURE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION WITH THE SAME MILEAGE AS THE PREVIOUS YEAR. THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THE FAILURE, BUT THEY ARE NOT PROVIDING A REMEDY. THE CONTACT WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR COSTS. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 299,999. UPDATED 06/03/08. *LJ UPDATED 05/30/08

OK , ONCE I DID REPLACED ON RIGHT SIDE PASSENGER WINDOW WAS SHATTERED. I'VE PAID AND FIXED, IT WAS ITSELF WHEN I WAS USING DOWN THE WINDOW MACHINE BUT IT SHATTERED WOW! UNEXPECTED HAPPENED. *TR

I BOUGHT MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA FROM A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, TOOK IT HOME, AND IT BEGAN STINKING LIKE ROTTEN EGGS. I CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY TOLD ME TO BUY MORE EXPENSIVE GAS THAT CONTAINS LESS SULFUR. FOUR YEARS OF BUYING EXPENSIVE GASOLINE, AND I FIND OUT MY CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BURNED UP AND I NEED A NEW ONE FOR $1200. I FOUND OUT THAT CATALYTIC CONVERTERS CAN BE DAMAGED IF FUEL IS BEING MIXED TO RICHLY, EVIDENT BY A SULFUR SMELL. I BEGAN RESEARCHING THIS AND FOUND A TOYOTA TECHNICAL BULLETIN (HTTP://WWW.AUTOSAFETY.ORG/TOYOTA%2003-04%20COROLLA%20CATALYST.PDF) THAT STATES MY SPECIFIC MODEL 2003 COROLLA HAD A MANUFACTURERS ERROR ALL ALONG. THE ECM WAS SET INCORRECTLY TO MIX FUEL TOO RICHLY, AND THAT IF A CUSTOMER COMPLAINS OF AN EXCESSIVE SULFUR SMELL, THE ECM AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED UNDER WARRANTY! THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED WHILE I WAS STILL UNDER A 60,000MILES WARRANTY, HOWEVER I WAS ON VACATION IN CALIFORNIA, AND CALLED A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY TOLD ME MY WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE SYSTEM, SO I WAITED TO GET IT FIXED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF AFTER RETURNING TO COLORADO, AND DIDN'T COME BACK ON FOR 15,000 MILES. AT 85,000 MILES, I FINALLY TOOK MY CAR TO BE FIXED BY A DEALERSHIP IN DENVER. AFTERWARD, I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE TOYOTA BULLETIN, AND AN "EMISSIONS WARRANTY" THAT WOULD HAVE COVERED THE PROBLEM UP TO 8YRS OR 80,000 MILES. NOW, TOYOTA REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE WORK TO FIX THE REAL ECM PROBLEM, BECAUSE I FOUND OUT 5000 MILES AFTER THIS SECRET WARRANTY RAN OUT THAT THE TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS LYING TO ME OR INCOMPETENT! IF YOU SEARCH ONLINE, THERE IS A PLETHORA OF OTHER TOYOTA CONSUMERS WHOM WERE LIED TO ABOUT THE CAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM! THIS EXCESSIVELY RICH MIXING OF FUEL LEADS TO DEFECTIVE CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. *TR

2003 TOYOTA COROLLA HAS BEEN USING OIL SINCE 30,000 MILES. TOYOTA DEALER SAID THE ENGINE NEEDED REPLACING AT 35,000 MILES BECAUSE SLUDGE WAS IN THE HEAD. OIL WAS CHANGED BETWEEN 4,000 - 5,000 MILES SINCE NEW. NOW WE MUST REPLACE THE ENGINE AFTER IT WAS JUST PAID OFF. I SINCERELY BELIEVE THIS WAS A DEFAULT FROM THE FACTORY. *TR

THE REAR BRAKES ON MY 2003 COROLLA HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVERAL TIMES WITHIN THE LAST 6 MONTHS AND HAD BEEN ADJUSTED. STILL WHEN YOU BRAKE, IT STILL MAKING A GRINDING NOISE. PADS HAVE BEEN CHANGE SEVERAL TIMES AND TEMPORARILY THE GRINDING NOISE WILL GO AWAY AND AFTER ABOUT 3-4 WEEKS IT RETURNS. ABOUT 2 MONTHS AGO SOMEONE FIXED THE PROBLEM, NOW ITS BACK AGAIN. *TR

MY CHECK LIGHT WENT ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE PIPE SUB-ASSY, FU. THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK DETECTED. EVAP MALFUNCTION. *TR

I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 2003 COROLLA AND THE BELT SQUEAK A LOT. I WORK AT TOYOTA MYSELF AND I KNOW THAT EVERY TOYOTA COROLLA BELT SQUEAKS. IT'S NOT DUE TO THE FACT ON THE DRIVE BELT BUT THE BELT TENSIONER. I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT ONLY PEOPLE THAT ARE UNDER THE WARRANTY WILL BE REPLACE BUT THAT'S A OUTRAGE. TOYOTA ALREADY KNEW THAT THE BELT TENSIONER WAS A BAD DESIGN AND THEY MADE A NEW VERSION TO REPLACE THE 1ST DESIGN. I SPENT 140 BUCKS TO BUY THE PART AND THE SQUEAK WEAK AWAY. EVERY 9TH GENERATION COROLLA SHOULD HAVE A RECALL ON THIS BELT TENSIONER THING BECAUSE MY CAR WAS SLIPPING AND LOSING HORSEPOWER. I KEPT THE OLD PART IN CASE YOU WANT ME TO SHIP IT TO YOU. I HOPE THIS PROBLEM WILL BE RESOLVED. *TR

MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS LOOSING TRANSMISSION FLUID. I TOOK IT TO TWO DIFFERENT TRANSMISSION SHOPS AND THEY CANNOT FIND WHERE THE FLUID IS GOING TO, ITS NOT LEAKING EXTERNAL, INTO THE RADIATOR OR TO THE ENGINE BUT THEY CONFIRMED IT IS LOOSING FLUID TO SOMEWHERE. ANY IDEAS ON THIS ISSUE? *TR

PURCHASED A USED 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA IN 2006, WHICH HAD [UNKNOWN TO ME] A TOYOTA EXTENDED WARRANTY IN FORCE. ABOUT ONE YEAR LATER, AT APPROXIMATELY 67,000 MILES, THE ENGINE DEVELOPED A "ROD KNOCK" AND HAD TO BE REPLACED, BY ATKINSON TOYOTA IN BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION TEXAS. COST $6000. THE DEALER COULD NOT FILE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR US SINCE WE WERE UNAWARE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND SO DID NOT FILE FOR TRANSFER. MY SON WAS DRIVING THE CAR AT THE TIME, AND REPORTED SIMPLY THAT THE LOW OIL INDICATOR CAME ON AND THE ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING. THE VEHICLE HAS NO WARNING INDICATORS REGARDING OIL LEVEL OR LIFE [AS DOES GM AND OTHERS], SO THAT THE 'WORD ON THE STREET' IS THAT IF THE OIL INDICATOR COMES ON, YOUR ENGINE IS ALREADY RUINED. MY SON AND I CHANGED THE OIL IN THE VEHICLE, AND IT HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVEN ABOUT 4,000 MILES SINCE THE PREVIOUS OIL CHANGE. *TR

VEHICLES INFRONT OF ME STEPPED ON BRAKES SUDDENLY. I APPLIED MY BRAKES WITH NO RESPONSE. TAPPED SEVERAL TIMES AGAIN AND TRIED HOLDING DOWN WITH NO RESPONSE AGAIN. TRIED TO SWERVE INTO SUICIDE LANE TO AVOID HITTING CAR THAT WAS 30 YARDS IN FRONT OF ME AND WAS FORCED TO HIT CAR AS VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP OR EVEN SLOW DOWN. BRAKES COMPLETELY FAILED. *TR