2009 Toyota Corolla Interior & seats Problems

THE DRIVERS SIDE "SINKING SEAT" PROBLEM STARTED WHEN I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2009. AT THAT TIME, THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WAS COUGHLIN TOYOTA IN NEWARK OHIO 43055. COUGHLIN TOLD ME THEY HAD NO FIX FOR THE PROBLEM AND NEVER HEARD OF IT BEFORE. THE DRIVERS SEAT CAN BE MANUALLY ADJUSTED UP OR DOWN BY HAND. THERE ARE 20+ POSITIONS UP OR DOWN. SHORT PEOPLE NEED THE SEAT POSITION TO BE ALL THE WAY UP IN ORDER TO SEE OVER THE DASH BOARD AND HOOD FOR SAFE VISIBILITY AND VISION WHEN DRIVING. TALL PEOPLE WOULD WANT THE SEAT POSITION TO BE ALL THE WAY DOWN. I AM SHORT, 5' 6" TALL. I NEED THE SEAT TO BE ALL THE WAY UP FOR SAFE VISION OVER THE DASH BOARD AND HOOD. THE "SINKING SEAT" PROBLEM OCCURS WHEN THE SEAT GRADUALLY GOES DOWN SEVERAL POSITIONS ON IT'S OWN. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT BY TOYOTA, NOT A USER CAUSED CONDITION. THIS PROBLEM COVERS SEVERAL YEARS OF TOYOTA PRODUCTION. IT HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHERS ON GOOGLE. I HAVE LOCAL FRIENDS THAT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR COROLLAS. TODAY, 9-5-2013, I AGAIN REPORTED THIS PROBLEM BY ON LINE EMAIL TO TOYOTA CORPORATE FOR A SOLUTION. HERE IS AN EXACT COPY OF MY REPORT TO TOYOTA: "MY 2009 COROLLA HAS THE WIDE SPREAD AND CHRONIC SAFETY PROBLEM OF "SINKING SEAT SYNDROME" WITH THE DRIVER'S SEAT. WHEN WILL TOYOTA HAVE A FIX FOR THIS CHRONIC SAFETY PROBLEM? MY LOCAL DEALER, COUGHLIN TOYOTA, HAS NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEM OR A SOLUTION. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON ON THE INTERNET (GOOGLE). SOME OF MY LOCAL FRIENDS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR COROLLAS. I NORMALLY HAVE ALL MY COROLLA MAINTENANCE DONE AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP FOR FAST SERVICE AND QUALITY WORK. UNFORTUNATELY, FORD IS NOT FAMILIAR WITH THIS SPECIFIC DESIGN AND SAFETY PROBLEM. CAN YOU HELP WITH A FIX? IF YOU JUST REFER ME BACK TO COUGHLIN TOYOTA FOR HELP, I AM IN BIG TROUBLE" *JB

NHTSA ID

10542168

Incident

Sep 1, 2009

CAR WAS T-BONED ON PASSENGER SIDE OF CAR. IN MONROE COUNTY, KEY LARGO, FL.ON US1. *TR

NHTSA ID

10508410

Incident

Apr 7, 2013

Mileage

20,000 mi

MY HEAD RESTRAINT IN MY CAR PUSHES MY HEAD DOWN SO I CAN BARELY SEE OUT THE WINDSHIELD TO DRIVE. WHICH GOVERNMENT IDIOT CAME UP WITH THIS BRILLIANT IDEA OF REDESIGNING THE HEAD RESTRAINTS SO THEY STICK OUT SO FAR. DOES HE EVEN DRIVE A CAR? THE GOVERNMENT HAS NEVER DONE ANYTHING RIGHT, AND THIS IS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE. STOP FIGURING OUT YOUR EXCESSIVE PENSION PLANS AND ALL THE VACATION TIME YOU HAVE, GET OFF YOUR BUTS AND FIX THE PROBLEM YOU CAUSED. I THINK EVERYONE SHOULD SEND THEIR CHIROPRACTIC BILLS TO YOU CLOWNS. *TT

NHTSA ID

10462494

Incident

Apr 1, 2009

Mileage

10 mi

I HAVE AUTOMATIC LOCKS AND HAVE NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THEM UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN MY FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN FROM INSIDE OR OUT IN THE UNLOCKED POSITION. ALL OTHER DOORS WORK NORMALLY. I TRIED USING MY KEY TO UNLOCK IT AND THAT ALSO FAILED. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH A BROKEN CABLE WHICH THEY REPAIRED. IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *JB

NHTSA ID

10461942

Incident

Jun 8, 2012

Mileage

61,000 mi

1. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HER 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA 4 DOOR SEDAN AND DID NOT SEE A PICKUP TRUCK STOPPED IN THE ROAD WAITING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. SHE SWERVED, BUT NOT SOON ENOUGH TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE TRUCK. THE TOYOTA COROLLA SUSTAINED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT OF THE CAR (THE CAR WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY). THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO MY DAUGHTER OR HER PASSENGER. 2. THERE WERE MULTIPLE FAILURES OF SAFETY EQUIPMENT ON THE TOYOTA COROLLA. FIRST, THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE INVESTIGATING POLICE OFFICER SAID THAT THEY DID NOT DEPLOY BECAUSE THE COLLISION "MISSED THE SENSOR". SECOND, AND THE FAILURE THAT MOST CONCERNS ME IS THAT THE HOOD LATCH FAILED TO PREVENT THE HOOD FROM POPPING LOOSE, THEREBY DRIVING THE HOOD BACKWARDS AND BREAKING THE WINDSHIELD. I WAS APPALLED THAT THE HOOD LATCH FAILED TO SECURE THE HOOD IN THE CRASH. 3. SINCE THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE HOOD LATCH FAILURE HAS BEEN REPORTED. THE DELAY IN REPORTING THE FAILURE SI DUE TO MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THIS DATABASE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10384745

Incident

Oct 6, 2010

Mileage

29,000 mi

TOYOTA COROLLA 2009. I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR FOR OVER ONE YEAR, AND I MUST SAY THAT THE DESIGN OF THE FRONT HEADRESTS IS FLAWED. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE AND NOT ERGONOMIC AT ALL. THE HEADRESTS ANGLE FORWARD (AND ARE NOT ADJUSTABLE), PUSHING THE DRIVER'S HEAD/NECK 45DEGREES FORWARD. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THIS, AND IT GIVES ME NECK STRAIN, AND PUTS UPPER CHEST IN CLOSED POSITION, PROMOTING POOR POSTURE, BREATHING AND VIEW OF THE ROAD. THE 'ACTIVE RESTRAINT' FEATURE IS SUPPOSED TO PUSH THE HEADRESTS EVEN FURTHER FORWARD IN CASE OF A COLLISION..I SUSPECT A NECK INJURY WOULD OCCUR IN CASE OF COLLISION (HEAD SNAPPING FORWARD PAST 45DEGREES). *TR

NHTSA ID

10317615

Incident

Mar 7, 2010

I PURCHASED A BRAND NEW TOYOTA COROLLA 2009. SINCE THE DATE THE CAR WAS TAKEN FROM THE DEALER, THE PASSENGER SEAT KEEPS SINKING LOWER WITHOUT TOUCHING ANYTHING. THIS CAUSES THE MIRRORS TO GET OUT OF FOCUS SINCE THE POSITION OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT CHANGES, CAUSING A HAZARD WHEN EMERGENT LANE CHANGING IS REQUIRED. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALER OVER SIX TIMES. THEY DENY THERE IS A PROBLEM AND HAVE NOT TAKEN CARE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID

10312867

Incident

Mar 15, 2008

Mileage

3 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA COROLLA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BOTH THE FONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR COULD BE OPENED WHENEVER THE DOOR WAS ENGAGED IN THE LOCK OR UNLOCK POSITION. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED HIM THAT ALL VEHICLES WERE EQUIPPED WITH THAT FUNCTION. A VOICEMAIL MESSAGE WAS LEFT WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE CONTACT HAD CONCERN OF THE SAFETY HAZARD AND HE IS WAITING FOR A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 12,000.

NHTSA ID

10311368

Incident

Feb 16, 2010

Mileage

12,100 mi

2009 TOYOTA COROLLA I HAVE A FILE NUMBER10284648 I FILED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. MY CAR ' GAS PEDAL DID NOT GET STUCK ON THE FLOOR MAT .TOYOTA IS MAKING UP A CHEAT EXCUSE FOR THE REAL PROBLEM THE GAS PEDAL IN MY CAR COMES FROM WAY UP UNDER THE DASH, HIGH ON THE FIRE WALL PEDAL ARM COMES DOWN TO ABOVE THE FLOOR MATS . I THINK YOU NEED TO DO YOUR OWN INVESTIGATING, I'LL LET YOU CHECK MY CAR EVEN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10285822

Incident

Sep 1, 2009

Mileage

5,000 mi

2009 TOYOTA COROLLA INVOLVED IN REAR-END COLLISION/ DRIVERS SEAT RECLINED/ BACK OF DRIVERS SEAT BROKE IN HALF. *TR

NHTSA ID

10284491

Incident

Aug 10, 2009

Mileage

15,500 mi

OFF-TRACKED DRIVER SEAT. OCCURS WHEN BRAKE APPLY, THE SEAT SHIFT FORWARD. PERIODICALLY, THE SEAT TWIST TO ONE SIDE, AND BODY CANNOT SEAT STRAIGHT. DEALERSHIP REPLACED A SEAT-TRACK, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING. STEERING WHEEL WANDERS IN SPEED HIGHER THEN 50MPH. *TR

NHTSA ID

10282243

Incident

Jun 20, 2008