NHTSA complaint: 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA — SERVICE BRAKES
ON JAN. 6TH, WE HIT A DEER ABOUT 10 MILES FROM HOME, AND THROUGH OUR INSURANCE HAD THE CAR TAKEN TO A LOCAL BODY SHOP WHERE IT WAS FIXED. REPAIRS WERE MADE AND A FEW MONTHS LATER THE ABS & BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WOULDN'T TURN OFF. WE CONTACTED THE INSURANCE AND THEY TOLD US TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE BODY SHOP, WHERE THEY WOULD SEND TO TOYOTA FOR REPAIRS. TOYOTA INFORMED US THAT THE ABS ACTUATOR WAS BAD AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. FOR INSURANCE PURPOSES, THE BODY SHOP ORDERED A USED LKQ ABS ACTUATOR. TWO PARTS WERE ORDERED, THE FIRST ONE BEING INCORRECT, AND WAS INSTALLED AND WE PICKED UP THE CAR. A FEW MONTHS LATER, TO AVOID BEING IN A CAR ACCIDENT, I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND NOTICED THE CAR PULLED HARSHLY TO THE LEFT. I THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT UNTIL MY SPOUSE HAD SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID A CAR PULLING OUT IN FRONT OF HER, THE CAR LOCKED UP, THEN STARTED TO SKID TO THE LEFT ALMOST CAUSING HER TO CRASH INTO THE VEHICLE SHE WAS TRYING TO AVOID. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TOYOTA TO ASSESS THE PROBLEM, AGAIN, IT WAS THE ACTUATOR. ANOTHER LKQ USED ACTUATOR WAS PURCHASED AS PER OUR INSURANCE GMAC, AND IT WAS THE INCORRECT PART. THE CORRECT PART WAS ORDERED THE 2ND AND 3RD TIME, BUT BOTH WERE DAMAGED AND UNUSABLE. GMAC FINALLY ALLOWED THE BODY SHOP TO ORDER A NEW PART VIA TOYOTA. THIS IS THE 6TH ACTUATOR THAT WAS INSTALLED AND WE PICKED UP OUR CAR ON AUG. 30TH 2013. THE NEXT DAY, I DECIDED TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES TO TEST IF THEY WERE WORKING ACCORDINGLY, AND WAS SURPRISED T
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation