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Toyota Corolla Steering Problems Surface

We are not sure yet whether this is just the result of the apparent worldwide panic of hypochondriac Toyota owners, and apparently neither is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), as it has begun an investigation of the 2009 and 2010 Corolla models.

The investigation is required after some 83 power-steering complaints have been sent to NHTSA since April 2008, Autonews reported. According to the complaints (76 of them), the Corolla unexpectedly veers to the left or right at 40 miles an hour and up.

"We are reviewing steering complaints with the Corolla to determine if a safety-defect investigation is warranted, as is standard procedure with all complaints,"
NHTSA spokeswoman Karen Aldana told the source.

Those who experienced this say that after they tried to straighten the car, it overcorrects, forcing the drivers to use both hands and a tight grip to keep the car straight. So far, the incidents caused six accidents and 10 injuries.

"If you take your eye off the road for a second, the car will drift into another lane," one of the drivers says. He was backed by a woman who described the experience as "the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me in my life as well as my grandchildren!"

Toyota said nothing on the matter so far. The models possibly affected are built after 2008, when the electric power steering replaced the hydraulic one in the Corolla.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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