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So far no one, not even Toyota has a solution for this.
We bought a Corolla new in 2005. Very soon after the belt was "squealing". We took it in and the belt was replaced. After 3-5 drives the squeal returned. We took it back a year later (my wife is hearing impaired and I rarely am in the car so I was unaware of the problem) and the belt was replaced again. Then again. Then, after a Service Bulletin was issued for the tension arm assembly, the belt and assembly was replaced. After each time, the problem returned in 3-5 drives. Then the warranty expired and the local dealership told us we were on our own. We had the belt removed, cleaned, and placed back on 3 times since the warranty expired and each time it was great for a short while.
So I called to Toyota Corp and reviewed the problem and they wanted to take one last stab at fixing it and sent us back to the dealership and all they have offered is to replace the belt again.
To me, the key is the fact that belt has come off that car 6 or 7 times and each time it is silent for a few drives and then squeals again. She averages about 7,000 miles per year.
It's the tensioner arm - and the bottom line is that it's a horribly sucky design that doesn't provide enough tension on the belt. Add to that the fact that the routing of the belt makes tension difficult, and you've got a serious design problem. You aren't the only Corolla owner who is having this problem. And short of figuring out a way to "redneck modify" the tensioner, you're always going to be fighting the problem.
Thanks to everyone. Based on your answers I did some additional research and this does indeed seem to be the problem.
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