Unacceptable Service Delivery

To whom it may concern,

I would like to bring to your attention the following experience regarding a shock replacement done on my wife's Corolla Cross.

My wife (Alecia de Kock) bought a new Corolla Cross in November 2021. A while thereafter she noticed a very strange knocking noise if she went over a speed bump. After questioning Toyota Honeydew about this they confirmed that Toyota South Africa is aware of this problem and that the front shocks need to be replaced. As a result of her busy schedule, she only managed to take the car in January this year to get the shocks replaced. All seemed to be in order and we were happy that the shocks had been replaced.

Yesterday (5th of Feb), while taking our two kids to school, she heard a very loud rattling and knocking sound at the back of the car and initially thought the back door was loose. She decided to drive to Monument Toyota on Ontdekkers Road to have this issue inspected. She also notified them that the shocks were replaced at Toyota Honeydew. She had to leave her car there and called her parents to pick her up from the dealership. Monument Toyota called my wife saying that one of the rear shock absorbers completely came loose and that she could've had a serious accident if she was driving on the high-way and this happened. Monument Toyota said that they will contact Honeydew Toyota in order to collect the car and to repair the problem. My wife was given another Corolla Cross to drive with in the meantime.

I spoke to Natasha at Honeydew Toyota this morning to find out how something like this happened and she said that the bolt just completely came off and that she will get the technician involved to contact me. She also confirmed that not only the front shocks were replaced, but also the rear ones. Chris from Honeydew Toyota contacted me saying that he apologizes for what had happened and that the only reason for this is poor workmanship and that the technician, who did the work, will undergo a formal hearing.

I feel this is totally unacceptable and incredibly dangerous. This is a safety critical component of the car and surely additional quality control measures are required to be taken. Our family as a whole drives Toyotas because of the reliability but something like this makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I am expecting someone from management to please formally respond to me explaining what Toyota South Africa is going to do about this matter and how it will be prevented from happening again. If my wife was driving on the high-way, she and my kids could've been in a serious accident and I'm certain this communication would've looked totally different.

Awaiting your prompt response on this matter