Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| 010199 | 01/01/1999 | 605352 | Information regarding short pin installation during pre-delivery service. *tt | 06/08/1999 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 09/02/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2098 | |
| On monday, september 2 the driver side lighted mirror on the visor fell off causing the two wires behind the lighted mirror to come loose and contact each other. this proceeded to short out filling the cars cabin with smoke. the car was stopped immediately on a local road, turned off and both my wife and 21-month old son were quickly removed from the car. i was notified of this occurrence by a local neighbor and upon my arrival saw a very frightened wife holding my 21-month old son and a smoke filled car. upon restarting the car to return back to my home the car immediately began to make a very loud whining sound. after arriving back at my home approximately 1 minute away i turned off the engine only to find that the engine would not shut off. i then immediately opened the hood and began to disconnect the positive side of the battery. in the approximate 2 minutes this took, the engine progressively whined louder and louder until the starter began to smoke and the engine came to an abrupt stop. at this point i finally disconnected the positive side of the battery. | |||
| 09/02/2002 | 1 | 12/01/2098 | |
| On monday, september 2 the driver side lighted mirror on the visor fell off causing the two wires behind the lighted mirror to come loose and contact each other. this proceeded to short out filling the cars cabin with smoke. the car was stopped immediately on a local road, turned off and both my wife and 21-month old son were quickly removed from the car. i was notified of this occurrence by a local neighbor and upon my arrival saw a very frightened wife holding my 21-month old son and a smoke filled car. upon restarting the car to return back to my home the car immediately began to make a very loud whining sound. after arriving back at my home approximately 1 minute away i turned off the engine only to find that the engine would not shut off. i then immediately opened the hood and began to disconnect the positive side of the battery. in the approximate 2 minutes this took, the engine progressively whined louder and louder until the starter began to smoke and the engine came to an abrupt stop. at this point i finally disconnected the positive side of the battery. nlm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - STARTER ASSEMBLY | |||
| 08/01/2002 | |||
| Consumer started vehicle and starter got stuck. turned ignition to off position and removed key, but starter continued to turn engine. vehicle than began to smoke, and almost caught fire. consumer had to disconnect battery to stop starter from turning.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 12/15/2000 | 4 | 07/01/1999 | |
| The unreliable brakes on my car are my gravest concern of the several problems ive had. the electrical problems with this car began only one month into ownership. these problems were mostly corrected by a rewire that was done in october 1999. occasionally, though, a window wont open still. the brakes first failed in the winter of 00-01, and i took the car in for service. the dealership could not replicate the problem. i continued to drive the car, since the problem rarely occurred. it became more frequent and pronounced, however. eventually in july 2001, i slid through an intersection on a hot sunny day on dry roads. i was convinced the car was not performing properly. at this point (august 2001), it is unsteady enough on good roads that i brake with extreme caution at all times. twice, now, in the last week the abs has engaged when the brakes were not engaged once during acceleration, once when completing a stop (that started at about 15 mph). the third dealership i contacted listened to the problem carefully and then explained to me that the car was performing exactly as designed, and this safety feature (the abs) was designed to protect from loss of control. i can certainly control the direction of the car well when its skidding, but i consider the ability to reduce speed an equally important element of control. if a child on a tricycle crossed unexpectedly in front of me, i am almost certain the car could not be stopped in time to avoid an accident, no matter how slowly i was going. the abs takes over even at very low speeds (0-15mph), tripling my stopping distance on the driest, smoothest roads. i know this would be a compelling suit coming from the attorney of a cripple, but i am only interested in being safe and alive. this car is unsafe, and i am exasperated at toyotas refusal to take responsibility for the problem.*ak | |||