When the catalytic converter was stolen from Vanessa Reimer's Toyota Prius in Long Beach, California, she thought the repair would be a simple one, taking a few weeks at most.
Then her local dealership delivered the bad news: The replacement part could take six months to arrive. Reimer, who is pregnant, may have a baby before her Prius has a new catalytic converter.
"At first, I thought there must be something I could do," said Reimer, 32, a speech language pathologist at an elementary school, before she learned that there were 100 other drivers waiting on the same part. "But there are just too many people in the same situation."
