Last year, about June of 2014 I got a letter from Toyota Manufacturer that I needed to have warranty work done on my 2009 Corolla pertaining to the air bags. So, I decided to have that done when I took the car in for regular scheduled maintenance in the later part of June. When I went in I told the service advisor I was in for the oil change, etc and the air bags. She told me the air bags were fine. I( told her I got a letter from Toyota that I need to have the work done and she said that was only for the cars in places like Florida. I told her that I also saw on the news that Virginia was included in the recall. She said that I should not always believe what I hear on the news. I traded the car in that day while the oil was being changed for the 2014 Corolla that the issues below are in reference to.
2/23/2015 about 10:00 AM spoke to serviceman at Haley’s Toyota concerning the safety issue of ice accumulation on windshield. He explained that his highlander does the same thing and the only thing he could recommend was to use a napkin or cloth to remove the ice off the blade. I asked whom I should contact about safety issues. He gave me Toyota 1-800-331-4331.
2/23/15 about 10:12 AM calling the toll free number above, I spoke to Maree. I explained the issue. She responded that she would create a case. She reiterated my concerns as to fully understand the issue and explained resources she had that may be able to assist. I let her know that I advise letting the team know that the safety issue is completely unacceptable and that I expect Toyota to come up with a solution or I would escalate this to even a law suit.
I have never had this happen until Saturday, 2/21/2015. All other vehicles in the mall parking lot had clear windshields. I had the only windshield that accumulated thin layer of ice blocking my vision creating the unsafe driving conditions. Maree provided me with a case # 1502230460 and placed me on hold. Design team said it is driving as should, cannot control the weather and need diagnostics at the dealership. I explained to Maree that the Toyota team explanation is not logical as I had the only windshield icing over out of the numerous vehicles on the interstate and at the mall area and parking lot. Clearly and logically something is wrong with my windshield icing over. Maree asked if there were any other Corollas that I saw. I saw none. We agreed a good place to start is with the diagnostics. I called Haley to set up an appointment, but it was advised best to come in even without an appointment when the issue occurs so that the service advisor can see what is happening. I agreed.
3/4/2015 About 1:59 PM spoke to Tina to let Toyota know that I cannot get a diagnostic until the situation is duplicated per the dealership. I am not happy and will not buy another Toyota again. I gave Tina the reasoning that I am certain the engineers are smart enough to figure out why it happened and I should not have to wait until it happens again. I think Toyota is trying to save money and to let me know Toyota does not care about me. Tina is requesting an inspection to see if all is working as it should and gave a new case number. New Case # is 1503041428.
On 3/10/2015 about 10:00 AM I took my car to Haley Toyota to be inspected to see if the car is functioning properly. Hoyt, the operations manager said it is working fine and that the defrost is to 141 degrees. I was glad to hear that, yet I was not glad to hear that as the car is not safe to drive into the snow at 17 degree temps between 35 mph to 45 mph and it should be safe to drive in those conditions without freezing over (while on the interstate 581 approaching the ramp the windshield had 2 small patches of thin ice with 1 patch over the drivers side and the other patch on the passenger side). Coming off the ramp I stopped at 2 stop lights with the windshield continuing to freeze over at the 2 patches growing in size. At the 2nd stop light a Nissan Versa pulled up beside me and had clear windshield while mine was bad enough I was having to attempt to see around the patch that had become one big patch coverage about 90%. I had to be very careful to drive the loop to the parking area where I normally park and was glad to see it was being plowed and several cars already there.
By the time I parked and got out of my car the windshield was about 98% covered in thin ice. I am so glad no one was drivng in front of me without tail lights as I would not have seen them unless they might have created a shadow as the ice is thin enough to see shadows enough to tell a little something. As slow as I was traveling (about 5-10 mph) once off the interstate 581, the ice should not have continued to grow across the windshield. When I got out of my car and saw that all the other windshields of the cars in the parking lot were clear, I became angry and lost confidence in my car. He said they make a windshield wiper fluid that does not freeze and that I should have that put in during the Fall season and that may fix the problem. Hoyt referred to the issue as flash freezing.
On 3/11/2015 corporate called about 12:59 PM and I explained I am not convinced this will work, but will try it. I told the caller that I think the car is unsafe to drive in the snow with certain temperatures at a certain degree and I have never had this issue before and drove the 2009 Corolla in the 2010 blizzard into the snow for 1 hour and had no freezing over. I am 57 years old and have driven in below freezing temps before and never had freezing over. I do think there is something wrong with my car and the 2014 Corolla may kill someone someday, if not more than one. I think the thought-to-be-a-possible-fix of the wiper fluid that does not freeze is a long time to wait to see if it works. I am afraid of going through this again due to the severity of the flash freezing (covering about 95% of the windshield) and how quickly it happened.
I do not have confidence in the car in the snow. Especially considering that once I got the car parked and looked at the other windshields of the vehicles in the parking lot were all clear with no freezing over and I am being told that the car is operating as it should.
6/11/2015 I have had plenty of time to think about the situation and to compare notes with others working around the mall. I do not have confidence that a windshield wiper fluid that does not freeze will break up the thin layer of ice. I think Toyota has mishandled this situation. I have since learned that Toyota has heated wiper blades. I think that would be a better option to fix this problem. Since Toyota clearly does not want to fix the problem, I have decided to trade in the car and let a dealership with some muscle deal with Toyota. I simply do not have the energy to fight this. The car is under warranty and basically a new car.
I traded in this car. I do not forgive the manufacturer for the financial burden. I should have been compensated.
Update from Nov 4, 2022: 11/04/2022. Never was repaired. I did trade in for a Mazda 3 Gran Touring and love mu car since June of 2015. It has been a great car. Yes, with any make, it is common that batteries die after warranty is out, etc. but these are expected expenses. I have had no surprises or issues. I am glad I am no longer a Toyota owner.
Last year, about June of 2014 I got a letter from Toyota Manufacturer that I needed to have warranty work done on my 2009 Corolla pertaining to the air bags. So, I decided to have that done when I took the car in for regular scheduled maintenance in the later part of June. When I went in I told the service advisor I was in for the oil change, etc and the air bags. She told me the air bags were fine. I( told her I got a letter from Toyota that I need to have the work done and she said that was only for the cars in places like Florida. I told her that I also saw on the news that Virginia was included in the recall. She said that I should not always believe what I hear on the news. I traded the car in that day while the oil was being changed for the 2014 Corolla that the issues below are in reference to.
2/23/2015 about 10:00 AM spoke to serviceman at Haley’s Toyota concerning the safety issue of ice accumulation on windshield. He explained that his highlander does the same thing and the only thing he could recommend was to use a napkin or cloth to remove the ice off the blade. I asked whom I should contact about safety issues. He gave me Toyota 1-800-331-4331.
2/23/15 about 10:12 AM calling the toll free number above, I spoke to Maree. I explained the issue. She responded that she would create a case. She reiterated my concerns as to fully understand the issue and explained resources she had that may be able to assist. I let her know that I advise letting the team know that the safety issue is completely unacceptable and that I expect Toyota to come up with a solution or I would escalate this to even a law suit.
I have never had this happen until Saturday, 2/21/2015. All other vehicles in the mall parking lot had clear windshields. I had the only windshield that accumulated thin layer of ice blocking my vision creating the unsafe driving conditions. Maree provided me with a case # 1502230460 and placed me on hold. Design team said it is driving as should, cannot control the weather and need diagnostics at the dealership. I explained to Maree that the Toyota team explanation is not logical as I had the only windshield icing over out of the numerous vehicles on the interstate and at the mall area and parking lot. Clearly and logically something is wrong with my windshield icing over. Maree asked if there were any other Corollas that I saw. I saw none. We agreed a good place to start is with the diagnostics. I called Haley to set up an appointment, but it was advised best to come in even without an appointment when the issue occurs so that the service advisor can see what is happening. I agreed.
3/4/2015 About 1:59 PM spoke to Tina to let Toyota know that I cannot get a diagnostic until the situation is duplicated per the dealership. I am not happy and will not buy another Toyota again. I gave Tina the reasoning that I am certain the engineers are smart enough to figure out why it happened and I should not have to wait until it happens again. I think Toyota is trying to save money and to let me know Toyota does not care about me. Tina is requesting an inspection to see if all is working as it should and gave a new case number. New Case # is 1503041428.
On 3/10/2015 about 10:00 AM I took my car to Haley Toyota to be inspected to see if the car is functioning properly. Hoyt, the operations manager said it is working fine and that the defrost is to 141 degrees. I was glad to hear that, yet I was not glad to hear that as the car is not safe to drive into the snow at 17 degree temps between 35 mph to 45 mph and it should be safe to drive in those conditions without freezing over (while on the interstate 581 approaching the ramp the windshield had 2 small patches of thin ice with 1 patch over the drivers side and the other patch on the passenger side). Coming off the ramp I stopped at 2 stop lights with the windshield continuing to freeze over at the 2 patches growing in size. At the 2nd stop light a Nissan Versa pulled up beside me and had clear windshield while mine was bad enough I was having to attempt to see around the patch that had become one big patch coverage about 90%. I had to be very careful to drive the loop to the parking area where I normally park and was glad to see it was being plowed and several cars already there.
By the time I parked and got out of my car the windshield was about 98% covered in thin ice. I am so glad no one was drivng in front of me without tail lights as I would not have seen them unless they might have created a shadow as the ice is thin enough to see shadows enough to tell a little something. As slow as I was traveling (about 5-10 mph) once off the interstate 581, the ice should not have continued to grow across the windshield. When I got out of my car and saw that all the other windshields of the cars in the parking lot were clear, I became angry and lost confidence in my car. He said they make a windshield wiper fluid that does not freeze and that I should have that put in during the Fall season and that may fix the problem. Hoyt referred to the issue as flash freezing.
On 3/11/2015 corporate called about 12:59 PM and I explained I am not convinced this will work, but will try it. I told the caller that I think the car is unsafe to drive in the snow with certain temperatures at a certain degree and I have never had this issue before and drove the 2009 Corolla in the 2010 blizzard into the snow for 1 hour and had no freezing over. I am 57 years old and have driven in below freezing temps before and never had freezing over. I do think there is something wrong with my car and the 2014 Corolla may kill someone someday, if not more than one. I think the thought-to-be-a-possible-fix of the wiper fluid that does not freeze is a long time to wait to see if it works. I am afraid of going through this again due to the severity of the flash freezing (covering about 95% of the windshield) and how quickly it happened.
I do not have confidence in the car in the snow. Especially considering that once I got the car parked and looked at the other windshields of the vehicles in the parking lot were all clear with no freezing over and I am being told that the car is operating as it should.
6/11/2015 I have had plenty of time to think about the situation and to compare notes with others working around the mall. I do not have confidence that a windshield wiper fluid that does not freeze will break up the thin layer of ice. I think Toyota has mishandled this situation. I have since learned that Toyota has heated wiper blades. I think that would be a better option to fix this problem. Since Toyota clearly does not want to fix the problem, I have decided to trade in the car and let a dealership with some muscle deal with Toyota. I simply do not have the energy to fight this. The car is under warranty and basically a new car.
I traded in this car. I do not forgive the manufacturer for the financial burden. I should have been compensated.
Update from Nov 4, 2022: 11/04/2022. Never was repaired. I did trade in for a Mazda 3 Gran Touring and love mu car since June of 2015. It has been a great car. Yes, with any make, it is common that batteries die after warranty is out, etc. but these are expected expenses. I have had no surprises or issues. I am glad I am no longer a Toyota owner.
- cthomson, McKinney, TX, US