Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I could use some advice.
When my truck was still under warranty, I took it in because I heard a popping noise when turning. They checked it out and said the catalytic converter heat shield was the problem, so they bent it back and lubed up the control arm bolts just in case.
A few months later, the noise came back. I looked under the truck, and all the heat shields seemed fine. No sign of them being fixed. Took it back to the dealership, but now I was just out of warranty. Suddenly, they said it was the control arms, and I had to pay for the replacement. They also found transmission issues and replaced that under the drivetrain warranty.
Now they’re saying the control arms are worn out from off-roading, heavy loads, and extreme conditions. But I only take my truck on fire roads for camping, don’t tow or carry heavy loads, and it’s always parked in a garage. Feels like they’re trying to get money out of me.
Looking back, I probably should have pushed back on their original excuse about the heat shield, but the noise went away for a bit. Most likely because they lubed the control arm bolts.
Cort said:
A warranty is only as good as the dealership you’re dealing with. That’s the bottom line.
Exactly. First, they said it was the heat shield, but they lubed the control arm bolts. Now that I’m out of warranty, they magically know what the issue really is.
How far out of warranty are you? If it’s not too long, Toyota corporate might help cover part of the repair if you have proof that the problem started before the warranty ended.
Keir said:
How far out of warranty are you? If it’s not too long, Toyota corporate might help cover part of the repair if you have proof that the problem started before the warranty ended.
The problem is they originally told me it was something completely different.
@Fin
That’s actually proof that the issue existed under warranty, and they either misdiagnosed it or just didn’t want to fix it. Stop dealing with that dealership and go straight to Toyota corporate. Hopefully, you kept the paperwork from those visits.
@Fin
You need to make the case that they got it wrong the first time. Every visit should have a record saying something like ‘customer states front end knocking’ or whatever. That shows the problem existed while you were still under warranty. Present that to corporate and argue that the dealer either messed up or ignored it.
Had the same thing happen to me with a Dodge years ago. Took it in three times for a clutch issue under warranty. When it finally failed after the warranty expired, they tried to make me pay. I fought it, showed my receipts, and the manufacturer covered it. Your best bet is to escalate this above the dealership. They don’t want to do warranty work because they can’t milk the manufacturer the way they can milk customers.
Same thing happened with my Chevy. AC wasn’t working, took it in every spring under warranty, and they never really fixed it. When the warranty expired, suddenly they had a ‘solution’—but I had to pay for it.
The noise was gone for a few months, so it wasn’t the same issue. If it was, they would have fixed it under warranty since they still get paid for that work.
Jordan said:
The noise was gone for a few months, so it wasn’t the same issue. If it was, they would have fixed it under warranty since they still get paid for that work.
They claimed they fixed it, but they didn’t. The noise came back.
Jordan said:
The noise was gone for a few months, so it wasn’t the same issue. If it was, they would have fixed it under warranty since they still get paid for that work.
Dealerships don’t like doing warranty repairs because they make way more money when they charge customers directly. If they can avoid a warranty fix, they will. Call Toyota and explain what happened. If your service and purchase history are good, they might cover it as a goodwill repair.
