2003 TOYOTA COROLLA Complaints

AFTER I HAD BEGUN DRIVING MY 2003 COROLLA I SMELLED A TERRIBLE ODOR IN THE CAR. THIS CONTINUED (AND STILL DOES) BUT, I WAS ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE ODOR...EGGS/SULFUR. IT ONLY BEGINS TO FADE AFTER A FEW MILES. IT OCCURS EVERY TIME I DRIVE. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA WHO REFERRED ME TO THE DEALERSHIP. KOONS SAID IT'S A KNOWN ISSUE, BUT NOTHING CAN BE DONE. SOMETHING TO DO WITH EMISSIONS. I DROVE A 2003 HIGHLANDER AND DID NOT EXPERIENCE THIS. ALSO, AN AWFUL DRAFT COMES THROUGH THE DRIVER'S SIDE CONTROL (POWER WINDOWS/LOCKS) PANEL. I'VE ALSO NOTICED A SUDDEN SURGE WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT. THANKS

MY 2003 COROLLA HAS A ROTTEN EGG SMELL, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM STOPPED, AND IT HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE I GOT THE CAR. THE DEALER SAID TO CHANGE GAS AND IT WOULD PROBABLY WEAR OFF, BUT IT HASN'T AND I HAVE BEEN READING ON THE INTERNET THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS, SO I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. ALSO, WHEN I AM STOPPED, SOMETIMES THE COROLLA WILL SURGE FORWARD. I READ WHERE SOMEONE ELSE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM ABOUT THIS, TOO. I AM READY TO TRADE THIS CAR BECAUSE I DIDN'T BUY A BRAND NEW CAR TO SMELL THIS CONTINUALLY. IT IS VERY DISTURBING AND MAY BE UNSAFE SMELLING THE EMISSIONS FROM THIS. *JB

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA ARE UNSAFE ON THE DIM SETTING. THE HIGH BEAMS ARE GREAT, BUT I CANNOT SEE AT NIGHT. THERE HAS TO BE SOME CORRECTION TO MY LIGHTS BEFORE I RUN INTO SOMETHING AND MAYBE HURT SOMEONE OR MYSELF. WHAT CAN I DO. THE DEALERSHIP AND THE COMPLAINT DEPT. TOLD ME THEY HAVE HAD MANY, MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS. BEFORE SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENS, PLEASE HAVE THIS CORRECTED.*JB

THE SEAT BELT IN MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA LE, PURCHASED IN APRIL 2002 IS LOCKING ME UP IN MY DRIVER SEAT AT EVERY, EVEN VERY LIGHT DECELERATION OF THE CAR. I HAVE TO STOP MY CAR BEFORE THE INTERSECTION, RELEASE THE LOCKED SEAT BELT AND FOLLOW SLOWLY TO THE INTERSECTION LINE, BEING ABLE TO MOVE IN MY SEAT AND OBSERVE THE INTERSECTION SITUATION. IF INSTEAD OF OBSERVING THE TRAFFIC I HAVE TO WORK WITH RELEASING MY SEAT BELT THE SITUATION IMPAIRS THE SAFETY OF MY DRIVING. *JB

TWICE WHILE DRIVING THE CAR HAS SUDDENLY DROPPED OUT OF OVERDRIVE WHILE COASTING ON FLAT ROAD OR GOING DOWN A SLIGHT HILL. IN ADDITION, THE ENGINE MAKES AN UNUSUAL AND VERY LOUD 'TINGY' OR HIGH PITCHED REVING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING, WHICH DISAPPEARS WHEN AT CRUISING SPEED. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURED ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO AND WAS FOLLOWED BY THE INABILITY TO GO ABOVE 15 MPH. THIS PERSISTED DESPITE PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR FULLY TO THE FLOOR. THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THIS WAS TO PULL OVER AND RESTART THE CAR. THE MOST RECENT INCITENT ONLY INVOLVED DROPPING OUT OF OVERDRIVE. DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND HAS TRIED TO FIND PROBLEM WITH NO SUCCESS. MANUFACTURER WILL BE CONTACTED.

REAR-END ACCIDENT RESULTING FROM INSUFFICIENT BRAKING ABILITY OF 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA LE, PURCHASED IN APRIL 2002. DURING A NORMAL MORNING COMMUTE TO WORK, I WAS INVOLVED IN A SLOW-SPEED ACCIDENT, IN WHICH I "REAR-ENDED" THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, WHEN TRAFFIC ABRUPTLY STOPPED IN FRONT OF ME. PRIOR TO BRAKING, TRAFFIC IN MY LANE, WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 25-30 MPH AND I HAD ~2-2.5 "CAR LENGTHS SPACING BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE FRONT VEHICLE. WHEN THE TRAFFIC IN FRONT SUDDENLY STOPPED, I ALSO IMMEDIATELY APPLIED FULL PRESSURE ON MY BRAKE PEDAL. HOWEVER, THE BRAKING SYSTEM OF MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA LE WAS INSUFFICIENT TO STOP THE VEHICLE AND PREVENT COLLISION WITH THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME, RESULTING IN $2700 IN DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE AND SUBSEQUENTLY HIGHER INSURANCE RATES FOR MYSELF, FOR FAILING TO AVOID THE ACCIDENT. SINCE I HAD TOYOTA REPAIR THE COROLLA, I ALSO REQUESTED THEY CHECK THE BRAKING SYSTEM. THEY STATED THAT ALL THE DAMAGE WAS STRICTLY COSMETIC AND THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES (AS I EXPECTED THEY WOULD). HOWEVER, EVEN AT LOWER SPEED OF 10-20 MPH, I FIND THAT MY 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA TAKES CONSIDERABLE LONGER TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP (UNDER NORMAL BRAKING FORCE) THAN I'VE COME TO EXPECT FROM ANY PREVIOUSLY DRIVEN VEHICLE (DURING 24 YEARS AS A LICENSED DRIVER). NOTE: THE EXACT DATE OF THE ACCIDENT IS APPROXIMATE. *NLM

COMPLAINT CONCERNING ADDITIONAL FLOOR PADDING ADDED TO ALL 2003 COROLLA'S MANUFACTURED AFTER 1/03 TO IMPROVE CRASH TEST RATING. I WOULD LIKE A RECALL TO INSTALL THIS SAFETY PADDING ON ALL 2003 COROLLA'S. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH IS IMPORTANT TO ALL 2003 COROLLA OWNERS. *JB

THE VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, AND THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. *JB *TS

SULFUR LIKE SMELL ENTERS THE CAR WHILE RUNNING, ESPECIALLY EVIDENT IN WET WEATHER. GARAGE SAYS TOYOTA HAS SENT OUT A TECHNICAL ADVISORY STATING THE GASOLINE IS THE PROBLEM. HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM WITH ANY OF THE OTHER VEHICLES I DRIVE. I BELIEVE THE ISSUE MAY WELL BE THE PLACEMENT OF THE FRESH AIR INTAKE IN RELATION TO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM (?). IT TENDS TO MAKE ONE HAVE HEADACHES WHILE DRIVING. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR AT LEAST 4-5 MONTHS. 2003 TOYOTA COROLLA, NEW. *JB

THE CAR HAS A ROTTEN EGG SMELL. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY. I'VE CALLED BOTH THE DEALER AND TOYOTA A NUMBER OF TIMES. THEY TELL ME IT IS THE GAS - AND TO TRY DIFFERENT BRANDS OF GAS. I CALLED THE EPA AND SPOKE WITH JIM CALDWELL AND HE SAID IT WAS NOT THE GAS. I CALLED THE WI DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION AND JIM CHAJA SAID THAT ANOTHER LADY FROM APPLETON CALLED IN ON MONDAY ABOUT THE SAME THING. SHE WAS GETTING READY TO FILE UNDER THE LEMON LAW. SHE BOUGHT HERS FROM GUSTMAN, I BOUGHT MINE FROM KOLOSSO. TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY STAND BY THEIR RESEARCH AND BELIEVE THE EPA IS WRONG. *NLM