Plant Company Name: Toyota Motor Corp, Takaoka Plant
Plant Country: Japan
Plant State: Toyama Prefecture
Seat Belts All: Manual
Seats: 5
Series: ZRE186L
TPMS: Direct
Valve Train Design: Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2010
STEERING
WE PURCHASED A BRAND NEW 2010 TOYOTA COROLLA LESS THAN A MONTH AGO FROM A TEXAS DEALER IN NORTH HOUSTON. IMMEDIATELY UPON DRIVING HOME WE NOTICED A "MEANDERING" OF THE FRONT END, DIFFICULTY IN KEEPING THE CAR IN ITS LANE AT HIGH SPEEDS. IT FELT LIKE DRIVING A CAR DURING A WINDY DAY. AS IT WAS A WINDY DAY WE THOUGHT NOTHING OF IT. IT BEHAVED AS YOU WOULD EXPECT AT HIGH SPEEDS, ON THE FREEWAY, ON A WINDY DAY. THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE IS THAT IT NEEDS CONSTANT CORRECTION TO MAINTAIN A STRAIGHT PATH WHILE STEERING; CONSTANT SMALL ADJUSTMENTS TO KEEP IT IN ITS LANE. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED AT HIGH SPEEDS AS SMALL ADJUSTMENTS SEEM TO BE AMPLIFIED. AND A SMALL ADJUSTMENT TO THE RIGHT FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE THE VEHICLE MEANDERS TO THE RIGHT, CREATES AN EXAGGERATED MOVEMENT TO THE RIGHT; KIND OF A DOUBLING OF THE EVENT. SO IF YOU ARE CORRECTING MOVEMENT TO THE LEFT, BY ADJUSTING TO THE RIGHT, AND THE MECHANICAL PROBLEM KICKS IN WITH MORE RIGHT MOVEMENT, YOU GET A BIG SHIFT IN THE VEHICLE, THE NEED TO MAINTAIN ATTENTION TO THE STEERING IS CONSTANT. YOUR HANDS ARE ALWAYS AT THE 10 O'CLOCK, 2 O'CLOCK POSITION, AND ALWAYS MAKING CORRECTIONS TO THE FRONT END MEANDERING. AT HIGH SPEEDS IT IS MORE PROBLEMATIC BECAUSE THE MECHANICAL REACTIONS GET AMPLIFIED AT HIGH SPEEDS. AT LOW SPEEDS THE PROBLEM EXISTS, YOU STILL HAVE TO REACT, BUT YOU HAVE MORE REACTION TIME BEFORE THE VEHICLE MOVES TO AN UNCOMFORTABLE POSITION WITHIN THE LANE. WHERE THIS EVENT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IS ON TWO LANE ROADS WITH HIGH SPEED LIMITS. TWO LANE ROADS IN TEXAS CAN BE NARROW WITH SMALL SHOULDERS. WHEN THE VEHICLE MEANDERS, YOU PULL TO THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC OR NARROW SHOULDERS ON THE TWO LANE HIGHWAYS, MARGIN OF ERROR IS MUCH SMALLER THAN ON CITY FREEWAYS AND STREETS. *TR
