Toyota won’t honor a warranty on a defective part which was known by Toyota if it was discovered by an independent mechanic during a repair. It also won’t notify car owners of a known defect, so they can take the car to a dealer for repair under warranty, unless there’s a recall.
My A/C failed. I took the car to the independent repair shop which I use because it’s within walking distance of my house. The mechanic found the problem and also discovered a Technical Service Bulletin from Toyota blaming a defective part, installed during manufacture, which gradually damaged 2 other parts. The system was apart, and the car wasn’t drivable, so I told my mechanic to complete the job, and he did. Parts and labor cost me $1575.34.
I phoned Toyota at 800-331-4331 and told my story, giving the TSB’s date and number. The customer service rep said that the warranty had expired and that, even if it hadn’t, Toyota would not honor it because I took the problem to an independent mechanic who might have damaged the part.
I asked the rep if the TSB had been sent to owners; she said that Toyota doesn’t notify owners unless there’s a recall. So Toyota routinely and as a matter of policy fails to alert customers of a known defect which must be taken to a dealer to correct under warranty before the warranty expires. Toyota thereby escapes its warranty obligation and accountability for its defects. This unfair practice is not specific to my vehicle or to its defect.
Toyota and other manufacturers should notify owners of known defects so they can obtain repairs under warranty. If manufacturers won’t do it voluntarily, the government should require it.
After extensive research we found out that the issues I've been having with my car were under an extended warranty that Toyota did not repair when the car was under warranty. It's a manufacturing defect and a safety issue. It's unfortunate that such a large corporation is willing to risk this and their liability.
It’s undeniable that the main advantage of owning a Prius is for the fuel efficiency, but I’m beginning to see there are more disadvantages to owning a hybrid vehicle. Many of us know the controversy of the Prius being an environmentally friendly vehicle. Prior to buying my second generation Prius, I did my research and know that the vehicle production is more energy-intensive and results in higher production emissions than conventional vehicles, but this is offset by the Prius’s lifetime carbon emissions. However, I did not anticipate the amount of repairs and the frequency of them.
I knew that the hybrid battery was an inevitable expense when I purchased the Prius. I was relieved to find out that there are alternatives to the estimated $4,000 battery replacement. Often times one or two of the cells are bad in the battery, which does not warrant a brand new battery - just a replacement of the cells. It’s unfortunate that Toyota does not offer such a repair given that the production of hybrid batteries require much more energy than producing a standard car battery and results in higher emission levels of gases like sulfur oxide. Also, the production of the battery relies on rare earth elements often coming from China who ignore the environmental safeguards during the mining process like removing topsoil and using acids that enter the groundwater.
The production and the disposal of the hybrid batteries have given the Prius a bad reputation. Fortunately in 2010 Toyota launched a battery recycling program which may offset the carbon footprint, but it does not offset the expense and waste of creating a new battery. This does not seem like an “environmentally friendly” solution to me.
It seems to me that Toyota’s strategy is to put you in a new Prius, but buying a new car does not resolve anything - again not very "environmentally friendly". Hybrid cars require more energy to produce than conventional cars, emitting more greenhouse gases and burning more fossil fuels during the manufacturing process. The production of hybrid batteries, in particular, requires much more energy than producing a standard car battery and results in higher emission levels of gases like sulfur oxide:
These more efficient technologies of hybrids often have higher upfront costs because the additional technological element and electric components in them seem to create more issues to fix and more difficulty to work on them independently. Toyota has a monopoly over hybrid parts and services for these vehicles making them much more expensive for repairs because they are newer technologies and basically have to amortize development costs over a smaller number of units produced. For example, the cost to replace the center multifunction display on the Prius runs anywhere from $1,500-4,000!
Since my car turned 150,000 years I have had to replace the Hybrid battery with an estimated cost of apx. $4,000 and the 12 Volt Battery with an estimated cost of apx. $450. Now I have a proposed estimate of $3,660.26 to fix the combination meter and the brakeactuator which seems to be a manufacture defect and is out of its extended warranty. The total cost of repairs for this would cost: $8,110!!! (This is not considering the annual maintenance and costs for expected wear-and-tear on vehicles over its lifetime.) The cost to repair a Prius is absurd. It's cheaper to buy a used Prius, so it’s no wonder that most people opt to buy a new vehicle. It’s unfortunate that we live in a generation were we think that everything is disposable and not repairable. I think we are going to continue to see more issues as we move to more technologically advanced vehicles in the future and these issues are not going to be cheap or easy to fix.
I have always loved Toyota for the longevity and integrity of their vehicles, but I have to say I am quite disappointed by their inability to uphold to their mission "To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America."
I have a 2008 Toyoty Prius that comes with Auto traction control (ATC). This ATC system is part of the computer programming and cannot be disabeled for the following conditions
1)emergency manuvers (the car "stalls out" when you try to suddenly accelorate to avoid a collition).
2)vehicle gets stuck frequently when trying to turn corners on snow/ice.
3)vehicle "stalls" trying to climb a hill where the street is covered with leaves,mud,snow,ice.
4) there is no button or other way to temporarraly disable the system under these conditions.
The dealer says its in the program and that they can't change it.
This system has created a very dangerous driving condition. I have had the system "go off" and almost been hit by other cars and a truck at one time. I have as a result had to drive the car into the ditch more than a few times. It has become so unreliable that I have to drive a different car when it snows.
I bought a used 2003 Toyota Tacoma pick up and have only had it for 9 months , the brakes went out in the yard ,i hit a pole in my carport and brake fliud was all over the ground , so i called a mobile mechanic and he said the whole truck was a rust bucket and the tires were even rusted in side and the frame could go any time and advised me to contact toyota or take it to the scrap yard , the brake was so bad in the back it looked like it had been sitting in a lake for ten years , so he could not connect it to the body as it is zip tied at this point and no i still and cant drive it as i am scared me or my family will get killed in it , but the truck looks nice but a bad frame it runs and i still dont have a truck,so i called deluca toyota in ocala ,the lady stated the only recall was the tire carrier underneath and she did not mention that they did have a recall and i did ask her and she said that was the only one ,, so she did lie to me on that part , bottom line this was in a rust corrusion lawsuite and a lot of toyota owners from what i have been reading are still stuck with a rust bucket as toyota will not honer the recall,
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Reviews
Toyota won’t honor a warranty on a defective part which was known by Toyota if it was discovered by an independent mechanic during a repair. It also won’t notify car owners of a known defect, so they can take the car to a dealer for repair under warranty, unless there’s a recall.
My A/C failed. I took the car to the independent repair shop which I use because it’s within walking distance of my house. The mechanic found the problem and also discovered a Technical Service Bulletin from Toyota blaming a defective part, installed during manufacture, which gradually damaged 2 other parts. The system was apart, and the car wasn’t drivable, so I told my mechanic to complete the job, and he did. Parts and labor cost me $1575.34.
I phoned Toyota at 800-331-4331 and told my story, giving the TSB’s date and number. The customer service rep said that the warranty had expired and that, even if it hadn’t, Toyota would not honor it because I took the problem to an independent mechanic who might have damaged the part.
I asked the rep if the TSB had been sent to owners; she said that Toyota doesn’t notify owners unless there’s a recall. So Toyota routinely and as a matter of policy fails to alert customers of a known defect which must be taken to a dealer to correct under warranty before the warranty expires. Toyota thereby escapes its warranty obligation and accountability for its defects. This unfair practice is not specific to my vehicle or to its defect.
Toyota and other manufacturers should notify owners of known defects so they can obtain repairs under warranty. If manufacturers won’t do it voluntarily, the government should require it.
After extensive research we found out that the issues I've been having with my car were under an extended warranty that Toyota did not repair when the car was under warranty. It's a manufacturing defect and a safety issue. It's unfortunate that such a large corporation is willing to risk this and their liability.
It’s undeniable that the main advantage of owning a Prius is for the fuel efficiency, but I’m beginning to see there are more disadvantages to owning a hybrid vehicle. Many of us know the controversy of the Prius being an environmentally friendly vehicle. Prior to buying my second generation Prius, I did my research and know that the vehicle production is more energy-intensive and results in higher production emissions than conventional vehicles, but this is offset by the Prius’s lifetime carbon emissions. However, I did not anticipate the amount of repairs and the frequency of them.
I knew that the hybrid battery was an inevitable expense when I purchased the Prius. I was relieved to find out that there are alternatives to the estimated $4,000 battery replacement. Often times one or two of the cells are bad in the battery, which does not warrant a brand new battery - just a replacement of the cells. It’s unfortunate that Toyota does not offer such a repair given that the production of hybrid batteries require much more energy than producing a standard car battery and results in higher emission levels of gases like sulfur oxide. Also, the production of the battery relies on rare earth elements often coming from China who ignore the environmental safeguards during the mining process like removing topsoil and using acids that enter the groundwater.
The production and the disposal of the hybrid batteries have given the Prius a bad reputation. Fortunately in 2010 Toyota launched a battery recycling program which may offset the carbon footprint, but it does not offset the expense and waste of creating a new battery. This does not seem like an “environmentally friendly” solution to me.
It seems to me that Toyota’s strategy is to put you in a new Prius, but buying a new car does not resolve anything - again not very "environmentally friendly". Hybrid cars require more energy to produce than conventional cars, emitting more greenhouse gases and burning more fossil fuels during the manufacturing process. The production of hybrid batteries, in particular, requires much more energy than producing a standard car battery and results in higher emission levels of gases like sulfur oxide:
These more efficient technologies of hybrids often have higher upfront costs because the additional technological element and electric components in them seem to create more issues to fix and more difficulty to work on them independently. Toyota has a monopoly over hybrid parts and services for these vehicles making them much more expensive for repairs because they are newer technologies and basically have to amortize development costs over a smaller number of units produced. For example, the cost to replace the center multifunction display on the Prius runs anywhere from $1,500-4,000!
Since my car turned 150,000 years I have had to replace the Hybrid battery with an estimated cost of apx. $4,000 and the 12 Volt Battery with an estimated cost of apx. $450. Now I have a proposed estimate of $3,660.26 to fix the combination meter and the brakeactuator which seems to be a manufacture defect and is out of its extended warranty. The total cost of repairs for this would cost: $8,110!!! (This is not considering the annual maintenance and costs for expected wear-and-tear on vehicles over its lifetime.) The cost to repair a Prius is absurd. It's cheaper to buy a used Prius, so it’s no wonder that most people opt to buy a new vehicle. It’s unfortunate that we live in a generation were we think that everything is disposable and not repairable. I think we are going to continue to see more issues as we move to more technologically advanced vehicles in the future and these issues are not going to be cheap or easy to fix.
I have always loved Toyota for the longevity and integrity of their vehicles, but I have to say I am quite disappointed by their inability to uphold to their mission "To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America."
I have a 2008 Toyoty Prius that comes with Auto traction control (ATC). This ATC system is part of the computer programming and cannot be disabeled for the following conditions
1)emergency manuvers (the car "stalls out" when you try to suddenly accelorate to avoid a collition).
2)vehicle gets stuck frequently when trying to turn corners on snow/ice.
3)vehicle "stalls" trying to climb a hill where the street is covered with leaves,mud,snow,ice.
4) there is no button or other way to temporarraly disable the system under these conditions.
The dealer says its in the program and that they can't change it.
This system has created a very dangerous driving condition. I have had the system "go off" and almost been hit by other cars and a truck at one time. I have as a result had to drive the car into the ditch more than a few times. It has become so unreliable that I have to drive a different car when it snows.
I bought a used 2003 Toyota Tacoma pick up and have only had it for 9 months , the brakes went out in the yard ,i hit a pole in my carport and brake fliud was all over the ground , so i called a mobile mechanic and he said the whole truck was a rust bucket and the tires were even rusted in side and the frame could go any time and advised me to contact toyota or take it to the scrap yard , the brake was so bad in the back it looked like it had been sitting in a lake for ten years , so he could not connect it to the body as it is zip tied at this point and no i still and cant drive it as i am scared me or my family will get killed in it , but the truck looks nice but a bad frame it runs and i still dont have a truck,so i called deluca toyota in ocala ,the lady stated the only recall was the tire carrier underneath and she did not mention that they did have a recall and i did ask her and she said that was the only one ,, so she did lie to me on that part , bottom line this was in a rust corrusion lawsuite and a lot of toyota owners from what i have been reading are still stuck with a rust bucket as toyota will not honer the recall,