I am experiencing a clunking noise coming from the front of the vehicle. The noise is most often heard under acceleration or deceleration. The bolts that secure the control arms to the sub frame are corroding and breaking off, causing separation of the control arm from the sub frame and loss of control of the car.

- Massillon, OH, USA

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).

- Woburn, MA, USA