Son And New Corolla ?

[Robert11]

Hello,

First time poster. Looks like a great Forum and resource: so glad I found you guys.

My son has his heart set on a new Corolla LS.
His old '93 one just gave out.

With all the recall news out every day, I am of course a bit leary of having him buy one, but maybe.

May I respectfully ask: What would you advise your son to do ?
Would you feel "safe" having him in one (assuming the shim "fix" has been done ?

I'm a retired engineer, although frankly not all that sharp with auto technology. To me, the shim truly appears to be a band-aid, cheap, supposed fix. My experience tells me that it is very likely a software related problem, and that there will probably be another recall later in the year. But, admittedly, I don't know; just an "old" engineers opinion.

It's a really scary situation; I certainly don't want to worry, more than usual, when he drives.
Opinions ?

If we do get one, what do I have the Mgr. certify in writing as to what has been done on the car:
a. The floor Mat recall, I guess.
Are there clamps that were installed to hold it in place, or just a cut on the mat made ?

b. The shim, of course.

c. Was there any re-programming that was supposed to have been done on the ECM for any of the recalls, or any TSB's ?

d. Anything else ?

Any and all opinions would be most appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Bob

[ZO6_Vette]

Think about it, how many cars are out there with this issue? how many have actually had SUA?
The odds are slim at best.
Have you seen any Toyota's drive by you at full throttle?
I haven't seen any and I work in NYC where there are hundreds of thousands of them.

[cabur]

In your son's case, I'd wait awhile to see if everything recall's fixed.
Maybe Toyota will have a promotion afterwards to entice frightened buyers to buy.

I owned my LE since May '08. Extremely satisfied owner.

[Elusivellama]

Personally speaking, I'd wait until the fiasco blows over. Surely your son can wait a bit longer?

[eskymi]

My 17 year old son has a 2010 Corolla XRS. We bought it in July. He drives it everyday, no problems, no SUA, no steering problems. The shim was installed and the pedal actually feels smoother and the car accelerates more smoothly, I know it sounds silly but it's true. But I believe the shim helped.

I do understand if you wanted him to wait, as some have suggested, then again if the car is fixed, I can't see why waiting makes a difference. If it is a software issue, well then that will be there in 6 months, etc.

Our local dealership told me that have about 200 cars on their list for the recall (we live in a smaller area, about 40,000 people in the county) and there have been no SUA complaints. People are driving their Toyotas all the time.

I believe the shim will have to be done before they can sell the car. The floor mat recall can come later, but the floor mats are anchored in and if in properly they never come close to the pedal, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Good luck in whatever choice you make. I wish you well.

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by Robert11

Hello,

First time poster. Looks like a great Forum and resource: so glad I found you guys.

My son has his heart set on a new Corolla LS.
His old '93 one just gave out.

With all the recall news out every day, I am of course a bit leary of having him buy one, but maybe.

May I respectfully ask: What would you advise your son to do ?
Would you feel "safe" having him in one (assuming the shim "fix" has been done ?

I'm a retired engineer, although frankly not all that sharp with auto technology. To me, the shim truly appears to be a band-aid, cheap, supposed fix. My experience tells me that it is very likely a software related problem, and that there will probably be another recall later in the year. But, admittedly, I don't know; just an "old" engineers opinion.

It's a really scary situation; I certainly don't want to worry, more than usual, when he drives.
Opinions ?

If we do get one, what do I have the Mgr. certify in writing as to what has been done on the car:
a. The floor Mat recall, I guess.
Are there clamps that were installed to hold it in place, or just a cut on the mat made ?

b. The shim, of course.

c. Was there any re-programming that was supposed to have been done on the ECM for any of the recalls, or any TSB's ?

d. Anything else ?

Any and all opinions would be most appreciated.

Thank you very much,
Bob

to TN Bob!

I'll start by saying that I have a 17 year old daughter & I would feel perfectly safe with her driving a new Corolla, she wishes it would happen! She drives her 94 Corolla & it runs great. I have an 09 Corolla S & I've had no issues with anything as the car has run perfect for more than the year I've had it. So on to your questions.

A. The floor mat recall is meaningless IF you use the proper Toyota floor mats that are clipped in & don't stack multiple floor mats on one another. My floor mats don't come anywhere close the the gas pedal.

B. I'm not too concerned with the shim but you won't be able to buy a new Corolla until that has been done to it so don't worry.

C. There was a flash for the ECM for oil usage but I never noticed any oil usage issues at all & on a new one it's not an issue. It was on earlier 09 models that were most affected.

D. I believe that everything has been blown way out of proportion as it usually happens for most anything in the headlines. Toyota has millions of these cars on the road with a very small amount of SUA issues. And this doesn't account for how many of these are really driver error hitting the gas & not the brake which happens all the time with all types of cars. I would make sure your son knows what to do if any type of emergency happens including SUA, hit the brakes & shift to neutral so that you can pull over & stop safely. I have a better chance of being hit by lightening twice than having this issue with my Corolla.

Good luck with the new Corolla when you decide to buy it. I'm sure you will be rewarded with many years of reliable transportation.

[BLiT]

If it adds any consolidation I'm 16 and drive an '09 Corolla everyday and have had no issues with it.

...well, almost no issues with it. Nothing of concern, at least. The way I see it, the current recall is just another tool to haggle your price down with.

[SuperchargedMR2]

Originally Posted by BLiT

The way I see it, the current recall is just another tool to haggle your price down with.

+1

[lefty101]

as BLiT has said, use the current recall as one of your tools to haggle down with..

[lolitsalan]

Hello Bob! I, myself, am a 19 year old college student. I am in love with my Corolla, and I would try to do stuff with it if I can. It meets my requirements of a daily driver, since I need to drive to school and work. I originally wanted a used 350z or RX-8, but those cars don't have good MPG. I haven't met any of the problems with the Corolla recall yet. I have to say it does what it needs to do! If your son's heart is set on it, go ahead and purchase it for him.

[REN69]

The media has blown out this whole recall thing out of proportion as they always do, I agree... wait till all the recalls are done and then hit the dealers, I bet you'll get a deal on a Corolla... also if he's a young guy I would go with either the S or XRS models, he'd be happier with the looks on those models as opposed to the LE models as they're more "sporty".

Get the dealership to give you proof of all the recalls done on the car before you buy it, for peace of mind.

[BLiT]

GET THE XRS.

Lack of 2ZR aftermarket ftl. *sob*

[flamedrgn]

im 19 and i love my rolla. sometimes i wish i had more power but i get good gas mileage, even with my aggressive driving habits. the recall was never an issue for me. I believe that with or without the shim some people are still going to complain about the stuck pedals and still going to have full throttle cars. its like winning a really bad lottery.

[msncorolla422]

Im 17 and I have never had any problems with the car. except minor things that were covered under warranty and stuff that by now have been fixed. I had the car for nearly a year and I love it to death. Get him the S or Xrs with a 5 spd. All my friends w/corolla's park within a few spaces of each other and the le/ce do look good compared to the s and xrs. my school is full of them (le/ce)

[mr_kabo]

You should have to trust your son...hehehe