DEAR SIR OR MADAM, I AM A US CITIZEN LIVING IN SERBIA, EUROPE, WORKING AS AN EXPAT FOR AMERICAN SEMICONDUCTOR COMPANY WITHIN EAST EUROPEAN SALES DIVISION. I AM BRINING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION BECAUSE US MODELS OF TOYOTA MAY HAVE IDENTICAL OR SIMILAR FRONT SUSPENSION SYSTEMS AS THE ONE IN AVENSIS THAT CRASHED. ON JUNE 24TH, 2014, AN INEXPLICABLE CAR CRASH HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY. AT 8:30AM AND PERFECT WEATHER (MOSTLY SUNNY 75F), MY TOYOTA SUDDENLY STARTED TURNING AROUND THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL AT ABOUT 75MPH. I TRIED TO RETURN IT BACK BY PULLING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT, BUT EVEN STRONGER FORCE PULLED MY CAR TO ROTATE AROUND THE FRONT RIGHT WHEEL, TURNING THE CAR BY 180 DEGREES. THEN, MY CAR SLAMMED WITH THE DRIVER SIDE AGAINST THE OUTSIDE GUARDRAIL. THE CAR THEN FLEW UP IN THE AIR, TURNING SEVERAL TIMES AROUND ITS CENTRAL AXIS, BEFORE LANDING IN THE FIELDS NEXT TO THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR WAS TOTALLED. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLY. UPON EXPERT WITNESS REPORT THAT THE BREAKAGE OF THE FRONT RIGHT HALFSHAFT AND FRONT RIGHT "OSCILLATING BALL SHOULDER" CAUSED THE ACCIDENT, I CONTACTED TOYOTA SERBIA TO HELP WITH THE INVESTIGATIONS AS A POSSIBLE REASON WAS, PER EXPERT WITNESS, POOR QUALITY CONTROL. TOYOTA SERBIA RECEIVED THE PARTS IN QUESTION AND SENT THEM TO TOYOTA EUROPE INVESTIGATIONS CENTER IN BELGIUM. AFTER LONG SEVERAL MONTHS, TOYOTA SERBIA SENT AN ABRIDGED REPORT IN SERBIAN LANGAUGE. THEIR REPRESENTATIVE REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO SEND THE ORIGINAL REPORT IN ENGLISH. IN SUMMARY , TOYOTA'S BEHAVIOR IS VERY UNUSUAL, THEY REFUSED TO ANSWER HOW THESE COMPONENTS AND PARTS COULD BRAKE AT ALL. THEY ALSO DID NOT RESPOND TO THE QUESTION WHY AIRBAG SYSTEM DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE HIT AND SEVERE TUMBLING. AT THE SAME TIME, THEY CLAIM THAT THE TUMBLING DAMAGED HALFSHAFT. ALSO, THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS ONE DAMAGE TO THE COATING OF THE HALFSHAFT OF UNKNOWN ORIGIN THAT THEY DIDN'T EXPLAIN. *TR

Source: NHTSA complaint ODI #10704356 · view all complaints for this vehicle at nhtsa.gov