Like many Toyota owners in Dublin, CA, I received a recall notice a few months ago to have a computer issue fixed in my 2007 Corolla. Like any good Toyota owner, I immediately took my Corolla to Sunnyvale Toyota, the dealership that sold me the lemon, to have the problem fixed. Sunnyvale Toyota told me that I was too early, because its service department was only fixing the older model Corollas that were recalled. I found Sunnyvale Toyota’s reason for refusing work bizarre, but I trusted the service department representative and went on my way without thinking about it until a few months later, when my engine died in the middle of rush-hour commute.

Based on personal anecdotes and news reports, all the Toyota recalls seem to be about cars that suddenly accelerate. Apparently my Corolla did not get the memo, as the engine went kaput without warning on the Santa Rita exit off ramp a few nights ago. There I was waiting at the exit ramp for the light to turn green and the Corolla’s engine sputtered and conked out. I managed to start the engine again, but it would not accelerate, so the Corolla and I cruised along at the idle speed of around 5 MPH as we crossed the overpass into Dublin’s city borders.

The 2007 Toyota Corolla faithfully started up the next morning without any alarming dashboard lights. The uneventful start-up gave me fresh optimism that everything was back to normal with the recalled Toyota Corolla. After stopping at Bagel Street to pick up some goodies for work, I headed down Dublin Boulevard to catch I-680 on the way to Bishop Ranch. Unfortunately my coworkers were not meant to have those bagels. The recalled Corolla crossed the Dougherty Road intersection with no problem, but the engine died again as I passed by the Shops at Tralee Village. The irony that my car died in front of this stalled mixed use project in Dublin was not lost on me.

Once I coasted with engine off to the stop sign at Dublin Boulevard and Dublin Court, I was able to start up my recalled Corolla somehow. I had hoped to take my car into the Dublin Toyota’s service department. After about 30 feet, the Corolla engine gave out on Dublin Boulevard directly in front of the entrance to the America’s Tire Store parking lot during the morning commute.

There I was stranded in the middle of the road with a dead engine, Merrell slip-on shoes, and a bad back trying to foist the Corolla into the parking lot with one hand on the steering wheel and another on the car’s chassis. All seemed to be going well, as I did my best to avoid the hordes of oncoming traffic. I was pushing the Corolla, and it actually moved forward. I felt pretty manly, and my confidence surged. Yes, the road’s downward slope towards the parking lot entrance did most of the work, but those are minor details.

Of course, all my delusion of virility was shattered once my Corolla and I hit the upward sloping driveway into the Dublin Court parking lot. As the car started to reverse its course back towards Dublin Boulevard, I did my best to push my Corolla back up the driveway entrance and to stop it from rolling back into the busy main thoroughfare like a modern-day Sisyphus. The Merrell slip-on shoes flew off and got stuck under the front tire, and my socks slipped off in the struggle.

Once again I was stranded on Dublin Boulevard, only this time I was barefoot and out of ideas. Fortunately for me, the guys from America’s Tire Store came running out to help me get my recalled Corolla into the parking lot. After catching their breath from laughing, we were able to get the car safely into the parking lot. While waiting for the AAA cavalry to arrive, I enjoyed some of the bagels I had bought for my coworkers. Bagel Street bagels had never tasted so good. The R. Lance and Sons tow truck driver arrived quickly and carted the Corolla and me off to Dublin Toyota. The tow truck driver had come to know where exactly to drop my car off at Dublin Toyota, given the countless vehicles he had to tow thanks to this massive Toyota recall.

Hamed Amel from Dublin Toyota was incredibly helpful and was able to inject some humor into the situation. A few hours later Hamed called me with some good news and some bad news. The bad news was that the cost to fix a computer problem with my Corolla was $1,200. The good news was that everything was covered as part of the recall, the very same recall that I had asked Sunnyvale Toyota to work on a few months earlier, when I took my car in for its regular maintenance. Had Sunnyvale Toyota taken care of the recall issue when I took my car in, I would not have been stranded barefoot on Dublin Boulevard during the morning rush hours.