Warranty news for Great Lakes owners

[clh333]

Last week my 07 hatch began to rattle at the right front wheel. I took it to the dealer for recall on the power window switch and asked them to diagnose the noise as well. I was expecting a loose pad or something. Not so.

The dealer informed me that the lower control arm bolt had broken, that the subframe would need to be removed to repair the damage and that the total cost would be astronomical. I told the dealer I would call back.

I found an Internet article describing the same problem. The cause seems to be the design of the subframe where the bolt joins the control arm to the subframe. It is cupped, and allows water (and salt, as those of us in the Great Lakes area know too well) to pool there. Eventually the bolt rusts enough to fail.

Armed with this knowledge I called the dealer back and asked if this was what was wrong. If so, I asked, shouldn't Toyota kick in something as well?

The dealer called back to say that Toyota was extending the warranty and would cover this repair, saving me an estimated $1000. I'm posting this message because my vehicle is 5 years old and has 93,000 miles on it; way past the 3/36 warranty.

Clearly Toyota realizes this is a problem with design: the new bolt is a different material and is expected not to rust. Just as clearly Totyota considers this a regional problem and not therefore subject to a recall.

The message is this: Get your control arm bolts inspected, and if you find corrosion, ask about Toyota contributing to the cost of repair.