CRAZY 2007 Corolla CE - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

dente2013 · 12-19-2009, 10:17 PM

Ok, so here is the rundown of the 2007 toyota corolla CE I purchased new is Jan. 2007. I apologize in advance if in any way this thread seems too long or redundant, I just need answers. LIke I stated, I purchased the car new from what seemed to be a reputable company in louisville, KY; however, THIS CAR HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE SINCE DAY 1!!! I have had the car looked at several times without luck. Ok, so here is the issues I am experiencing:
The car use to POP loudly when I would slightly accelerate while in reverse.
The steering wheel is set off center to the right (while driving straight, the steering wheel is at least 10 degrees to the right)
The transmission shifts really hard into reverse
There is crunching sound that comes from the right side of the car when I am going over something uneven. For example, if I were to drive over a speed bump slowly with the right tire first (sort of driving over it at an angle) the crunching sound is made.

PLEASE HELP...ANYONE ELSE HAVING THESE ISSUES AND FOUND ANSWERS, I AM ON THE VERGE OF TRADING THIS IN ON A SCION.....BUT I REALLY DO LOVE THE GENERAL RIDE OF MY COROLLA, SAVE THE COROLLA!!!

mikered30 · 12-19-2009, 10:42 PM

Any check engine lights?

dente2013 · 12-19-2009, 11:12 PM

Nope, like I said, this has been the car since I purchased it new with like 18 miles on it.

Pwner Guy · 12-19-2009, 11:24 PM

Where have you taken the car to have it looked at? You bought it new from a 'reputable' company, so not a Toyota dealership I take it. Which means there is a decent possiblity its a salvaged vehicle.

dente2013 · 12-19-2009, 11:31 PM

No, sorry let me clarify. I bought the car from a Toyota dealership. I have taken it back to that dealership 3 times regarding these issues and have tried two other dealerships all resulting in, "these issues are normal, I do not see any reason for concern" I am just confused as to what to do. I like my car and would like to keep it instead of trading it in, but at the same time I am at 57,000 miles and did not purchase the extended coverage for the car.

Pwner Guy · 12-19-2009, 11:53 PM

Ah ic, I'm just used to seeing people buy low mileage Toyota's from guys that do salvage and getting screwed. Anyway with the crunching noise, could be from a worn out sway bar link or something of that nature. I've done a right sway bar link on an 05 with only 40,000 KM on it, premature wear, made noise when going over uneven terrain, wasn't a crunch though more of a thud. As far as your wheel being off center, first thing I'd advise is get your tires, suspension and steering components checked out, replace anything that needs it, then have and alignment performed. I'm afraid for the pop that it used to do I've never encoutered that before so I can't really help you there. However if the transmission is shifting hard into reverse then I have to ask when was the last time the fluid was changed and if it hasn't been I would recommend getting it done. Also do you have any MIL's on?

dente2013 · 12-20-2009, 12:20 AM

Thank you for the advice. As far as the steering wheel the car does not pull to one side or the other when coasting or even braking, so i am not sure it would be alignment. I will certainly get the sway bar checked. As far as the transmission I have not had the fluid changed, but at the same time, the car had this characteristic since i purchased new. I may sound stupid, but what is an MIL?

Pwner Guy · 12-20-2009, 12:42 AM

Sorry its a Malfunction Indicator Lamp or a Check Engine Light is another common way to put it. It doesn't have to pull to one side or another wheel could just be off center, alignment can fix that though I have to ask if its been cocked to the side from day one or did it happen over time? I'd advise changing your transmission fluid anyway since it's due at 96,000 KM which is just shy of 60,000 Miles. If its a characteristic its had since new I'm not too sure what to tell you. I know from the Corolla's I've driven they seem to shift hard as out of the factory but my old '94 Sable is really the only automatic car I drove for an extended period so I'm more experience with how it used to shift.

drjay1116 · 12-20-2009, 10:04 AM

I would go around and check all the labels on the vehicle. Make sure they all match up. what i mean is every piece of the car (body panels, fenders, doors, hood, bumper, etc) should carry the vin number of the vehicle originally found on the dash or in the drivers door jam. It sounds to me like it is a salvaged vehicle, but seems wierd that you would get it like that from a toyota dealer. In any case they should have either corrected these problems or given you a completely different corolla, that IS their responsibility and im pretty sure there is a few laws that state this.
GL with the poor thing, i know how hard it is to deal with a lemon.

mikered30 · 12-20-2009, 08:11 PM

^^Not likely a salvage car with 18 miles on it.

JasonA · 12-20-2009, 08:42 PM

The steering wheel should be easy to fix. Has it been crooked the entire time you've owned it? Obviously, a steering wheel that is off-center is not normal, and I'd be surprised to hear a dealer try to do the Heisman on that issue. The crunching while going over a bump...it sounds like it may be a strut problem or a strut bearing problem. Do you ever hear it while driving on the road...or only in slow situations like over a speed bump or into a driveway? I don't have an automatic, so I can't comment on the hard shift into reverse. Is the fluid full? The only thing I could guess on that is these cars idle high when cold, and if you're shifting into reverse when at a high idle, it'd be abrupt because of the high RPM. But if it happens all the time, I'd be hard pressed to believe that it's "normal".

dente2013 · 12-20-2009, 11:19 PM

Thanks Jason! Yes the steering wheel has been off center since new...mind you, however, that the steering wheel is centered with the steering column, but the column itself is off center. The car has be realigned before, but this does not fix the issue. The car does not pull to one side or the other while driving, it is just annoying when you are driving straight down the road and look down to find that the steering wheel appears to be as if you are turning a slight right, ha. The dealer tried to tell me that Toyota makes their vehicles' steering columns slightly to the right that way in the even of a crash the steering wheel 'breaks away' to prevent further injury to the driver. The crunching sound does not happen when traveling down the road, only it say I am turning into a driveway or going over a speed bump, but with the speed bump it only will reproduce the noise when driving the right tire over first, sort of like driving over the bump at an angle. Finally, the weird thing about the hard shift is that it actually shifts more 'softly' into gear when the rpm are higher- on cold start. When the car has heated up is when the hard shift occurs.....

JasonA · 12-21-2009, 06:50 AM

I'm not sure I read you, about the steering column being off center. Can you take a picture of it? Methinks your Toyota dealer is just trying to make you go away. All modern vehicles have safety systems built into the steering column, but the wheel is still centered.

The crunch...I'm not sure. Can you reproduce the sound by jouncing the right side of the car, like to test the strut? Also, you can try jacking up the right side of the car and listening to the suspension as that right front tire drops down as you raise the car. You may hear it then.

Again, I'm sorry that I can't really speak to the hard shift. Only when warm, huh? I wonder if a transmission fluid change would help. Has that been done before? If it only happens when warmed up, the only thought I have is that the fluid may have lost some of its viscosity, and it works well when cold (and the viscosity is higher), but thins out quickly as it warms up, and doesn't work as well.

Bitter · 12-21-2009, 07:22 AM

so take a tech for a test drive with you next time you're there.

20SilverStreakin07 · 01-26-2010, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dente2013

The steering wheel is set off center to the right (while driving straight, the steering wheel is at least 10 degrees to the right)

I bought my '07 Corolla used this past thansgiving from a toyota dealership with just under 40k miles. It was a toyota certified vehicle. Not sure how much of that holds true, but my steering wheel is off a few degrees to the left when driving straight on the road. And when I do straighten out the sterring wheel, it pulls a little to the right. I don't think it is as bad as yours, but a little bit annoying when you think you are driving straight but your steering wheel is showing you something different. I have had it aligned before and the shop told me that everything is within specs. I'm thinking it has something to do with road crown and vehicles are built that way to compensate for that. Just my opinion. Or, maybe the splines on the steering shaft going to the rack and pinion are off a tooth or two. As far as everything else on my vehicle goes, I haven't had any real problems with it. Just enjoying the gas mileage I'm getting.