It is hard to say. The piece goes further back into the wheel well, so I could have them pull it all out and replace it that far, or leave it. I feel like leaving it is the better option, it is a new car, so why should I have to put up with it though?

Subaru needs to know about this not just the dealer. I have never seen or heard about an issue like this. It's as if the robotic machines that weld body had an incorrect motion or something, perhaps it was damaged prior to being installed but then where is the QC????? Any explanation as to how this happened? Makes me realize that I need to do a thorough inspection prior to purchase.

It has no real effect on the structural rigidity of the vehicle, but if you were to haul something big into or out of the trunk like that...I would hate for your hand to be there and cut yourself... Ouch...it hurts just thinking about it...it's like asking for stitches... Anyways, personally I would get that fixed; it's definitely a hazard. Just my $0.02

I wouldn't mind taking to a body shop to have the tab straightened since it is at the very end of it and really doesn't do anything for the structure, but I would also like to take the money for the repair, and give it to a body shop I trust. "Toyota Certified," or "Preferred" usually just means they give them a discount for continuing to use them. I really doubt that they do any quality checks on these body shops. All they care is that they are cheap and use Toyota oem parts.

I posted the picture in the feedback for SOA/Toyota thread.

Very interesting defect.

That is what I would do. Replacing that part will probably open a new can of worms IMO.

Replace car.......

^YES! haha

Bypass the dealers and call up TMC directly and say you aren't satisfied with your dealer's solution. Might not hurt to also PM @Moto-P who would probably relay it to the chief engineer who gladly takes action on issues like these since this car is his baby.

I used to work at a Toyota plant and seen them scrap completely built cars (Corollas) because they catch defects like these near the end of assembly line. They'd do a root cause analysis, fix the issue, queue up a new chassis, and build from scratch to replace it (or replace a bad batch).

To be honest, it is very annoying to feel like my car has already been in an accident even though it is brand new. I will send these messages and update here as I learn more.

Update:

Both the local scion sales manager as well as corporate Toyota called me yesterday. They needed the full story on the car and are going to be calling me again today with options. This whole situation is awkward though because I did not buy the car to be a race car or a daily driver. I bought it to save / collect it. So as any of us would know, lots of repairs are not really the best thing for a collectable vehicle.

Either way, Toyota has been really caring so far and I really hope they take care of me. They seem to have my satisfaction as their number one priority right now though. I am hoping this can turn into a testimonial of how awesome they are.

It's one of those rare questions, does the collectible value go up because of the "rare defect", or down because of damage. I'm guessing the latter.

I can't say that I have ever heard of damage making the car more desirable, but I am just excited to get things all figured out.

Not to sound like an unbeliever, but do you have any examples of cars with defects that increased value? I am just curious to see.

In cars, never to my knowledge, but as far as collectibles, sometimes defects are prizes. I had a few trading cards with misprints that upped their value considerably. In your case, it's most likely the opposite, but as with anything, if you find the right buyer...

Today's Update:

Scion/ Toyota Corporate called me and they still want me to take the car into their body shop to figure out how extensive the damage is. They told me on the phone that they really are hoping to just straighten the piece out and repaint it. I think this is a bit strange since I was told at the dealership that the metal should not be bent back as it will never have the same strength or be the same again, but I am willing to spend the time/ hassle and drive downtown to get it looked at. They wanted me to drop my car off at the dealership so they could arrange a loaner car, but I don't want anyone to drive my car around, so I told them I would just drive up to the body shop myself.

I will post more updates as I get them.