Brand new Corolla Cross Hybrid unusable for 6 months from a recall. What do I do?????
I bought a brand new 2026 Corolla Cross Hybrid, and picked it up mid October 2025. Safety Recall 25TA15 (loose bolt in the inverter) was announced mid December. Shortly after I went to the dealership and swapped my new car for a loaner car, considering the recall could cause loss of control, fire, etc. Initial announcement said the remedy was expected to be available the end of Quarter 1 (March).
End of March came, no remedy. End of Quarter 2 was the new target date.
Well, now its June 23rd....and I have yet to hear of a remedy.
I don;t buy new cars lightly, and this was a significant purchase for me. So far, between my down payment and monthly payments, I've paid over 10k for a top trim package vehicle that I only drove for 2 months. The loaner car is a base model Corolla. Initially I looked at the bright side: free repair, free loaner car, not putting miles on my car, but I'm over that.
And now my car has been sitting so long in the parking lot I'm concerned about other issues that may emerge, especially with the battery. I had asked about a list of potential problems a couple months ago and was assured that if these issues occurred they would be under warranty. I was also given a number to call to request an extension of my warranty.
Everyone at my dealership has been kind and helpful, and I do think they are caught in a bind with this situation as well, so my complaint is not with them.
But question is what do I do now? Do I just keep waiting? Do I even want this car back after its been sitting for so long? Do I push for a good trade in deal? (I breifly looked at NYS Lemon Law, but ehhhhh lawyers...I didn't want to escalate to that.)
If anyone has been in a similar situation, or is in this current situation, I'd love to hear your stories and advice!