Brand New Corolla Suffers First Setback
May 17, 2007 by Alborz Fallah
Toyota’s all new Corolla has suffered an embarrassing blow without even making it to dealers showrooms. The all new Corolla has shipped from Japan with a faulty clip which holds the steering column in place.
Toyota says the problem was realized when the cars were examined by excited truck drivers.
“One of the truck drivers got into a car, pulled the telescopic steering column outwards and the clip fell off, allowing the steering column to drop down,” Toyota spokesman Mike Breen said.
You have to wonder, how does quality testing take place at Toyota’s factory in Japan? Are cars not inspected for basic faults prior to shipping?
Toyota says the faults have been found and the problem is being rectified. Whilst this has delayed shipping to dealers, it means that no unfortunate souls will find themselves with a broken steering column.
“Some dealers who were expecting their cars today won’t get them. We are making sure the clips are right, so the delivery may be delayed a couple of days.”
The corolla has been delayed, but not for long, expect the new car in showrooms by end of next week.
Print it: 
Good article ! This is what happens when you try and sell a million cars and flood the country and i will say it one more time Quantity has nothing on quality !
This is clearly missleading, how is this a recall if the fault is being fixed before it gets to dealerships… No vehicle that was affected by this has made it to a dealership.
You are just trying to tarnish Toyota’s reputation.
Toyota’s all new Corolla has suffered an embarrassing blow without even making it to dealers showrooms.
the keywords being ‘embarrassing blow’ ,
so keeping that in mind, “the Billion dollar baby” Holden Commodores recalls should be classed ‘an all time new low?
what is the authoer of this article exactly smoking? I’m sure it would intrigue some of my hippy friends.
Mate, the cars haven’t reached any customers and they got on top of it to fix them up. Thats quality for you right there. I’d much rather the scenario above, than to have bought my car, owned it, gotten used to it, oh but wait my brand new car needs to be sent in for some faulty seat belts or whatever else these commodores came up with.
end rant/
I agree with NotARecall (who happens to work for Toyota – yes we can tell), i have renamed it as a “setback” as oppose to a recall.
regarding the commodore recalls, they were issues with 3rd party manufactures who made the seatbelts, not holden themselves.
i actually thought a recall was classed as when a customer buys the car, and the car is RECALLED to be sent back to the dealership to fix the fault.
most new models of cars have teething problems, its just the nature of car production really. most of the time its quite minor and the manufacturer is taking pre-emptive measures.
i think it will sell well anyway, people already know toyotas reliability
I agree,
however a steering column clip is something that you’d think would not be an issue?
lets hope the rest of the car is built well!
True Alborz but in regards to your comments Sam QUOTE= “i think it will sell well anyway, people already know toyotas reliability” So thats an excuse not to check them anymore or do you normally assume that a gun is not loaded??
Lets give it a chance,
first 6-12 months will see any small issues overcome
if its built like any other Toyota, it should do reasonably well.
like i said, the nature of car production means a few things slip through and go un noticed, some worse than others. ALL manufacturers have recalls every year.
i think its worth noting that the cars didnt even get to the dealership before the problem was found and rectified. If toyota still has its old ways that tells me that we’re seeing a car here that can go on past 400,000 KM’s with no problems. theyre reliability and longevity really is that good
400,000KM’S If thats the case they would make great taxi’s ?
No 280ZX because they clearly dont have the same room as a larger car nor the power to comfortably carry 5 people on a constant basis I would imagine. Im assuming you are going to make reference to how Falcons and Commodores are taxis, meaning they are reliable, however Toyotas are KNOWN as being reliable and still aernt used by them. Why? Because they clock up sh*tloads of kms driving (constant driving, not alot of old starts = where 70% or so of wear occurs) then sell em. Your private buyer in many cases doesnt have this luxury, yet Toyotas still push on throughout the kms trouble free.
Actually Tom my last comment was tongue in cheek but while we are on the subject i think you will find that most taxis are Falcons as you pointed out but im not 100% sure its because they are reliable but more the fact that Ford sell them cheaper to cabbies ? Just a thought thats all but i have seen Toyota cabs around funny enough..
It took a Trucky to pulled the telescopic steering column outwards and found the clip fell off. Why a trucky and not a quality controller at the factory. I can understand if it is due to wear & tear after a period of time. Maybe Toyota is becoming too Big, Sluggish & Complacent.
Go to ‘Drive Blog’ and observe the quality survey that has just been published. Toyota scored either ‘above average’ or ‘dominate’ in every segment. However, Holden didn’t even score average but ‘below par’ in every sector. Infact, it even scored dead last in some segments so take the time and visit the site and research the latest survey conducted right here in Australia. Basically, Toyota trumped Holden and Ford convincingly. FACTS ARE FACTS !!
Can someone help me with this question !!
The new Corolla has been ctritised because it has retained the 4 speed auto. I may be wrong but i can not think of any ‘normal family’ car that is powered by a sub 2.0ltr engine that is mated to a 5 speed automatic. I am trying to workout if the Corolla has been unfairly judged on this matter.
The new 2.0 Base model Epica only comes with a 5 speed manual (Corolla at least has a 6 speed) while the higher spec 2.5 ltr is mated to a 5 speed auto only but atleast that engine is of extra capacity.
Z280X – I gather you are a anti Toyota fella for what ever reason but do as ‘Dingo’ has suggested and visit the site he has mentioned above. The Japanese manufactuers faired extremely well with Toyota scoring very competitively indeed. Belief it or not, Hyundai even got a resonable rap but Holden and Ford really did not score good at all. It is true that Holden scored below average in every single segment – dismal.
The Corolla however has sold inexcess of 32 million examples and is infact the world’s single most highest selling car. It has earned itself a rightful and respected reputation as being a quality, reliable, dependable, durable little machine. Name me another car that has a global recognition as being as bullet-proof and steadfast as the Corolla… there isn’t any !! Bland they may be but they just ‘keep on keep’n on’ and the engineering approach has proven more successful by the mass then any other. The 10th generation will follow suit as always.
^
Exactly. Mind you the fact that they sell so many cars both in Australia in World wide would make you think their quality might sway, but survey after survey shows it doesnt. Kinda sad in light of this that Holden and Ford who dont dominate many markets and have less production still cant provide quality to their customers… both equal last. I find that quite funny, not just one of them last but both, yet they are the two brands always compared here in Australia as essentially the benchmark (well at least in Wheels magazine!). This should be an eye opener for many, nearly 50% of customers needing to bring their car in for an unscheduled service is an embarressing figure.
I really think Holden/GM are due to suffer. This post doesn’t relate to the topic but who cares, half of them don’t anyway. Holden have axed all their Euro-cars (don’t cound VXR, it will be gone soon enough). The only non-korean import is the Isuzu Rodeo. So basically Holden have no vehicles up to European standard (the Commodore is far from EUropean standard). Holden already make an approximate loss of $AUS140 miliion each year as of the past 4 years or so. So if the VE’s succeedor is some dog ugly design (which is possible with the radical design movments, ie. the rear of HSV GTS/R8) they don’t really have any models to be considered decent and their customer sales will have a significant drop. Sure, they will still get some Government and Fleet sales, but I also believe they will drop as most companies are starting to opt for the 380 and Aurion. Especially the 380 platinum which is sold out and is now restricted to fleet buyers, which starts at $Aud28,990 and includes: boot lip spoiler, parkng sensors, sunroof, 6 cd stacker, bluetooth, plus the 5 speed InvecsII gearbox that kills the Omega’s VN Bomadore’s 4 speed rubbish. Not to mention you get more interior space, better fuel economy, performance, reliability, 5 year warranty and roadside assitance for 5 years. It wouldn’t surprise me if more of the fleet companies decide to go for the $7k better deal.
I sort of went off topic comparing the much cheaper/reliable’better value/quality 380 platinum to the Omega crap-car. I was just trying to point out that with the way that Holden is slowly losing sales, and making rapidly increasing losses; their future may not be as bright. BTW, the 140 million AUD approximate consecutive losses were after-tax.
That is poor quality control they are lucky, that is toyota that the truck driver picked up this problem you wonder if toyota check their vehicles anymore.Corollas are always to bland and there is not much offering in the engine department as well.I think personally you toyota fans cant see pass your noses just to let you know a secret check out the new FIAT BRAVO OR RITMO as it would be called in oz you will find that the FIAT is a far better car than the corolla.
Lol.
The Corolla has a long history of being a quality vehicle and above all reliable. On top of all this, your Fiats attract high servicing costs as they aernt the most common car about in Australia.
I wonder if the 2009 Corolla might also have a steering problem.
2009 Toyota Corolla Steering is Dangerous:
It was taking me all over the road. I am now wondering if my radio equipment is make the EPS Steering go nuts. I had to pay more just to trade it in after only about 30 days of driving. Someone is going to die in this car I traded in they they have for sale.