Suspension Noise Problems of Toyota Yaris

I am a retired autoshop teacher {2 years} and am ase certified in, among others, suspension and steering. While driving my Yaris, started to hear a clunking noise in the front suspension. Suddenly, a loud bang while something broke off the car and hit the underbody. On inspection, discovered that the right side lower control arm rearward bolt, which extends through a center support and is bolted to the vehicle body, had snapped off about halfway. I drove the car home, about 3 miles, but the driveability of the vehicle was affected, the steering became vague and the noise became louder and louder. There is a TSB, number 005-11 on this problem but Toyota fails to admit in this or earlier tsbs that this is a serious safety problem, which in my opinion, it clearly is. This is not an unusual problem, as an internet search found many people had experienced this. This should be addressed in a recall!.

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Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Yaris. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph attempting to engage the brakes, an abnormal sound emitted from the vehicle. After inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front suspension lower control arm bolt number two had fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 70,600. Pm.

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I brought my 2007 Toyota Yaris into the dealership to get the brakes looked at as I was hearing a clunking noise going over uneven roads at slow speeds and I was feeling a sticking with the brakes. The dealership notified me that the brakes were fine but that a bolt in the front cross arm of the suspension had rusted and broken off. I was told that this was a design flaw in the 2007-2011 Yaris and that there was a technical service bulletin that advised on replacing the whole crossmember with a new design. The warranty only covered the car up to 3 years or 36000 miles but my car is 3. 5 years and 53000 miles. The cost of the parts and repair was over $2500 and since it was a safety concern I was not allowed to drive the car without fixing it. The dealership contacted Toyota, who then agreed to pay for the parts. I was still responsible for paying the $848 in labor to repair something that Toyota had designed incorrectly. I had to pay the bill in order to get my car out but the dealership encouraged me to continue to contact Toyota directly as they agreed that this was an issue that Toyota should resolve. I contacted Toyota USA and was told that they "technically" didn't have to do anything since it's not a recall and that because they already paid for the parts, that was the same as me "agreeing" that they did not have to pay for the labor. Toyota should be responsible for fixing problems associated with a design flaw in a major structural element of the car. A bolt shouldn't rust in less than 4 yrs, especially when it's a safety concern. I think that with time, more Yaris owners will begin to experience this and it should be looked into further before someone is hurt or killed as a result of this failure. I have found numerous complaints online from other Yaris owners for this same thing and the apa in canada is requesting Toyota canada recall the problem (10/28/11).

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