NHTSA complaint #11482886

Owner complaint summary

Front bumper and side view mirror cover (passenger side) have been badly deformed with in past few months and getting worse for a vehicle which is still under warranty (~2 year old and under 36,000 miles). Side view mirror cover (driver side) has also started to deform. Side view mirror cover (passenger side) has been deformed to an extent that a slight hand touch or push detaches it from the vehicle body which means it can become falling or flying object when vehicle is in motion and cause safety hazard. Parts are available for inspection (pictures are also attached). I claimed the manufacturer warranty through a local Toyota dealership and after sending me from one dealership to another, my warranty claim was denied based on the reason that deformation is possibly due to heat reflection which is an outside influence. Other than taking pictures, dealership and manufacturer have not tried to replicate the failure of parts. Dealership & Manufacturer have also failed to rule out any safety issues due to deformed components. As a Toyota customer and vehicle owner, I am highly concerned about (1) If front bumper will function under deformed conditions as it is designed to function and will not cause any safety issues to the vehicle and its occupants (2) Deformed components (One of side view mirror is already started to detach) will not completely detach and become safety hazard. I am requesting NHTSA to investigate this matter which looks like a product failure and should be covered under manufacturer warranty or recall.