Consumer Complaint Detail

TOYOTA / COROLLA / 1998

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 004269733 Incident Date: Mar, 07 2004
Consumer's City: TROY Consumer's State: MI
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: Toyota Motor Corporation
Model Name: COROLLA Model Year: 1998
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline:belts and associated pulleys
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 1NXBR12E7WZ Date added to File: May, 25 2021
Date Complaint Received: Apr, 05 2004 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: -
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: No
Number of Cylinders: 4 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: The engine of a 1998 toyota corolla died while driving on the highway. the germain toyota of columbus examined the car and identified the timing chain tensioner failure as the cause of the engine damage. replacement engine is needed. toyota refuses to pay for the repair because they consider this wear an tear and also because the failure happened after warranty has expired. this type of wear an tear is not common on a 1998 toyota with 82000 miles. furthermore, toyota's owner's manual supplement does not mention any maintenance requirement on timing chain tensioner. the only reference is in page 45, 90,000 miles maintenance log under "additional maintenance items for special operating conditions", which indicates 'replacing timing belt except for corolla'. the manual specifies maintenance requirements for up to 120,000 miles. a consumer should not be held responsible for wear & tear of a component when the manufacturer does not specify the need for maintenance. i believe this failure is caused by a manufacturing defect or a design deficiency. paid 2375 for a used replacement engine. *la