2009 Toyota Corolla (Japan manufacture) review
Although not purchased from the Tonkin dealership, I chose almost right from the start to have my car serviced in Portland rather than with the Gresham dealer. I found the mechanics and service staff far more competent and patient, and the work has always been first class, in distinction to the poor and erratic service and customer relations experienced at the Gresham dealership. I had all of the factory recall work plus two technical service bulletin items completely complied with with good results. Those "items" included the under-dash computer electric steering module replacement within a year of purchase due to the car's very poor handling and steering characteristics. Apparently the first generation of all-electric steering has NOT gone well with the Corolla, and it could have gained much from European manufacturers who have perfected this technological upgrade beyond what used only to be "power steering" in models older than 2009. I was distressed to discover that handling difficulties were common according to many owners of this model, years 2009 and 2010, and ultimately I got a factory unit replacement to the defective "first run" steering module installed at no charge. The other service bulletin item was a poorly-designed water pump which started to fail with well-documented seepage just short of the fifth year warranty period. While having a new and better water pump installed, I also replaced the serpentine belt long before it was due only because changing it at the time the defective water pump was replaced made good preventive maintenance sense. Despite these problems, I was delighted with the car's handling on a very long road trip at high speeds, something I never would have tried had the electric steering module NOT been replaced. One thing that irks me is that the Corolla was supplied with a doughnut spare despite the standard wheel and tire compartment in the rear trunk. I immediately purchased a standard steel wheel and proper size and tread spare, which required lengthening the hold-down rod and custom-machining an oversize "washer" to secure the spare properly. In-town driving still has the car "handling like a boat." And by that I don't mean a Chris Craft yacht. Reliability rating below reflects the many factory recalls and some selling dealtership "attitude problems." Service at Tonkin has been superb!
