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Toyota Motor Corporation Consumer Reviews - Page 2

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Bad Service
By -

VISTA -- When it was time for me to get a new car, I trusted in Toyota Motors for a variety of reasons. Generally speaking, Toyota is known for producing quality cars and in the past, I have been very satisfied with the Toyota cars that I have owned. They have great gas mileage, they do not require as much maintenance as other lesser brands do, and they are aesthetically pleasing. I support Toyota's Lean Manufacturing. I have always recommended Toyotas to friends, family and colleagues.

However, unsatisfactory customer service can change all that. And, that it exactly what I have experienced at the Carlsbad Toyota Service Center. I currently own a 2008 Toyota Yaris in Polar White. I have never had an issue with my car before. My reason for visiting the service center was due to an interior leak which (evidently) resulted from a clogged drain pipe for the air conditioning condensation.

I first noticed the leaking drainpipe on August 30, 2009. It was the only time I ever saw anything leak from the interior of my car. I decided it would be a good idea to bring it in for a service check and I assumed that this type of thing would be covered under my 100,000 mile warranty. On September 1, 2009, I took my Yaris in for a service check.

** is the person with whom I spoke with for most issues regarding my Yaris that day. Mr. ** told me that the issue was not covered under my warranty but that the service check would be done free of charge on ‘goodwill'. He explained to me multiple times what the issue was. He employed the use of technical jargon, which obviously, I did not understand because I do not work on cars for a living.

I asked Mr. ** to explain what was going on inside my car in more elementary terms, but he proceeded to explain the issue the same exact way. He also seemed rushed, and told me, “I only have 15 minutes.” He seemed eager to get to the next customer, but I left without having my questions answered. Today, I still do not understand how a brand new Toyota could end up with a clogged drainpipe after not even two years of ownership. I left confused and unsure about the stability of my car.

When I asked if my car came installed with a cabin filter (because I had read that some Yaris do not), Mr. ** told me that the computer system reads that my Yaris does, in fact, come equipped with a cabin filter. I had asked him to physically check if I have one before my car was serviced. When I picked my car up, I asked him if he found a cabin filter. Mr. ** said he did not check, he only looked in the computer system. He then slid his fingers in the glove compartment and said he could feel it. But again, I left feeling very unsure about this, too, because I couldn't see or feel it.

After I left the dealership I felt better (despite the bad customer service) because I thought my car is good condition again. I was wrong. After making a quick stop at home, I was on my way to school when my ‘check engine' light came on. I was at a stoplight just a block and a half from my house when this occurred. Then, while sitting at a red light still, the ‘overheating' warning sign came on. When the traffic started moving I immediately pulled over, obviously baffled! How could a Toyota with a little over twenty thousand miles on it be overheating?

Of course, I immediately called Toyota Carlsbad to sort this issue out. Only an hour has elapsed between the time I left the dealership and the time my car began overheating. When Mr. ** called me back about my Yaris, he immediately blamed the accident I had. But there are a few noteworthy points to make: First, my accident only dealt body damage to my vehicle, this can be easily confirmed.

Second, the accident happened in January and since then, I have made two trips to Northern California (a long drive) and over five trips to Palomar Mountain (which is a strenuous drive). And third, my vehicle was in perfect health, aside from the clogged drain pipe, before taking it to the Toyota Dealership.

Mr. ** claims that the hood of my car was never even opened during my service visit precisely because of the front end body damage. Since I was not there, and there are no witnesses I can trust, how can I believe this? It is ridiculous to ask me to believe that I brought my car in for service, and the hood of my car was never opened.

Why would Mr. ** and/or any other personnel not open the hood of my car if I am clearly bringing the vehicle to be serviced? Mr. ** never offered me any advice and was cold on the phone, even as I sat in my car with smoke coming out from under the hood on the side of the road. He simply blamed some minor body damage for the reason my new car was overheating!

When I realized that Toyota Carlsbad was not going to help me, I simply hung up and waited for my car to cool down. When it was safe to do so, I popped the hood of my car myself. Upon inspection, I noticed three things: the radiator cap was off, the intake pipe was completely off, and the engine coolant cap was off.

I do not know a lot about cars, but I do know that if my car was in this condition before I had finished having it serviced by Toyota Carlsbad that I would have never have made it to the dealership rather, I would not have had any other choice but to tow it there. The situation seemed like too much of a coincidence to me.

Luckily for me, I was able to sort things out without the help of Toyota Carlsbad's service ‘professionals'. I cannot prove whether or not one of Toyota's service employees opened the hood of my car and made an honest mistake in leaving the engine coolant cap off. But, Toyota's success had to do with GM and its dealers ignoring customer complaints, not servicing warranty claims, and substandard products. Perhaps Toyota and its dealers are headed in the same direction.

I will be elevating this issue as far as I can go with it. I did not feel that I was treated equally or with respect during my visit to the service department whatsoever. I have always held Toyota in high esteem. I will never service my car again in the Toyota Service Center in Carlsbad, CA and I will never recommend that anyone goes there for anything.

In fact, I'll be pretty vocal about discouraging anyone I know from going there. And, if anyone else wants to hear my opinion (JD Power & Associates, my attorney general, the Better Business Bureau, newspaper, and/or any Consumer Reports that will listen), I will gladly explain my experience in full detail.

It is really too bad that coming to your service center had been such an aggravating experience. I hated being rushed out and feeling like I had been lied to and/or misled. No one enjoys being patronized or dealing with a condescending service professional. Maybe Honda will treat me better.

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Toyota Tacoma- Chipping Paint, Bent Tailgate
By -

TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA -- 5/20/05 - 4080 miles. Chipping paint- on hood, roof, front quarter panels and in front of rear wheels on bed. Took vehicle to Toyota of Nashua (Nashua, NH) for evaluation. Toyota personnel told me that these were rock chips. I agreed, but stated that the paint was brittle and should not have chipped. Other Tacoma owners with Speedway Blue trucks complained about paint chipping.

I read about these cases on the Internet site TundraSolutions. ** (Service manager) and ** (Regional manager) offered to repaint the bed, but required that I spend $400 for Toyota running boards. I told them that this was unacceptable and that I should not have to spend any money, as this is a Toyota paint defect issue. Issue not resolved.

9/14/05- 10234 miles. Bent tailgate- Approximately Mid-August 2005, I was loading a riding lawn mower into the back of the truck when I felt the tailgate give way. After removing the lawn mower and ramp, I saw that the left side of the tailgate was bent outward. The tailgate did close properly. Tailgate had NO labels that told of a weight limit, nor were there any labels in the truck. The Owner's Manual did not have any warnings of tailgate damage due to excessive weight. I found out soon after that the tailgate can only hold 200 pounds. This is totally unacceptable for a vehicle that is designed to carry ½ Ton.

My 1996 Tacoma could easily load & haul the riding lawn mower. Took the vehicle to the dealer (Toyota of Nashua) on Sept 14, 2005. I showed the vehicle to ** and **. I explained that there was NO warning labels in or on the truck, nor in the Owner's Manual that stated a 200LB weight limit. ** left me outside in 90-degree weather while they went inside to find documentation that states that the tailgate only has a 200LB rating. They came back in about 20 minutes and told me that they could not find any documentation, but reaffirmed that I was at fault for the damaged tailgate and that I abused the truck.

I told them that they were wrong and that this is a Toyota manufacturing defect. And that the problem needs to be corrected AT NO COST TO ME! ** and ** asked me why Toyota would make a cheap tailgate? I said, you should know, you work for the company. I then explained that the light tailgate and composite bed were to save weight, thus increasing gas mileage.

I explained that my family ALL had Toyotas, Father- ‘89 Xtracab Pickup/ '94 Celica ST, Mother- '95 Avalon XLS, Brother- ‘'96 Tacoma Std Cab, Sister- '97 Tacoma Extra Cab, Sister- 2000 RAV4, Me- 1989 Deluxe Pickup, 1996 Tacoma Std Cab V6 and the fact that this is my third Toyota should mean that they would want to take care of my issues to keep a customer happy. All of this fell on deaf ears.

In any case, the truck was not repaired. ** and ** did not give me a receipt to show that my truck was in the shop for this issue, as they felt that the issue was caused by me and that I was wasting their time. I called Toyota Customer Care that evening and let them know that I am a VERY UNHAPPY customer. Issue not resolved.

7/31/07- 36682 miles. Bent tailgate- I had my truck in for other warranty service. I asked Service Advisor ** if Toyota had acknowledged that there were defects with the 2005-2007 Tacoma tailgates and provided a Technical Service Bulletin. He replied that Toyota had no technical service bulletins regarding the tailgate. Furthermore, the dealer (Toyota Of Nashua) had never heard of any other incidents of Tacoma tailgate failures. I explained my situation and he told me that there was nothing further he could do.

The warranty service included- replacement of a rear shock absorber and the main wiring harness ( Air Bag light was on). I have some other wiring passing through the firewall. This wiring consists of a remote radar detector and an Amateur radio antenna cable. I let ** know that this wiring was in place, and could they please be careful to put it back the way they found it. I was assured that the top accessory technician at the dealership would put everything back together correctly.

When I picked up the truck, the radar detector powered ON, but it indicated that the remote sensor was not connected. And the wiring for the Amateur radio antenna was too short to connect to my radio. The antenna wire was coiled up behind the dashboard and was tie-wrapped to an air conditioner Freon line. This line was HOT and it would have melted the insulation on the antenna cable had I driven the truck for more than the 10 minutes it took to get home.

I drove back to the dealer and told them of these problems. ** did not seem interested in helping me, he told me that they could take a quick look at the problem, but that was as far as they would go. I told him that this was unacceptable and that he just lost a customer. I went home and fixed the problems with the antenna and radar detector myself. Later that night, I called the Toyota Customer Care line and I spoke to **. He was no help and he refused to let me speak to his boss.

5/21/09- 51703 miles. I now live in Tucson, Az. I brought the truck to Precision Toyota in Tucson to have an ECU update done (starting issues, cranks for a long time), to look at the tailgate and the paint chipping. I worked with Service Advisor ** and Service Drive Manager **. Point of note- Technical Service Bulletins. This is the second Toyota dealership I have been to that acts like they never heard of a Technical Service Bulletin until the customer shows them a hard copy. Toyota of Nashua also responded in this manner when asked if there was a TSB concerning an issue with a vehicle.

ECU Issue- The truck does have the latest ECU code so there was nothing that could be done regarding the ECU. The tailgate issue is still not resolved, I was told that they need proof that the issue was brought to Toyota's attention before the 3/36 warranty was up. The Paint Chipping issue was not diagnosed in the shop, but I was told by ** and ** that it was road debris and there was nothing they could do about it. ** told me that his '07 Tacoma has rock chips. I still contend that the paint or the painting process is inferior.

They suggested that I call Toyota Customer Care to see what assistance Toyota Corporate could provide. I called Customer Care and spoke to **. My case # is **. I explained to her about my visit to Precision Toyota a few hours earlier. She told me that under the history for my vehicle, **, the New England Regional Service manager, did look at my truck back in September of 2005 concerning the tailgate. At that time, I was refused assistance.

** had determined that I abused and damaged the truck. There was no technical service bulletin at the time. There is now a technical Service Bulletin (BO018-07) dated 11/13/07 concerning the tailgate. Because ** claimed that I was at fault back in 2005, Toyota still refuses to fix my truck. ** reiterated that once a Regional Service manager makes a ruling, it cannot be reversed or superseded. Also, she told me that Toyota would not help me because I admitted to bending the tailgate.

My Response- Toyota did a poor job engineering the tailgate and the problem lies with Toyota manufacturing and customer service. The '09 Tacoma has a heavier tailgate than my truck, and by coming out with a TSB, they acknowledged that there is a problem with the tailgate. Toyota should be fixing ALL defective Tacoma tailgates, regardless of mileage. I will be speaking with the customer service representative at Precision Toyota in the next week.

5/26/09 - I did speak with **, the customer relations from Precision Toyota. He told me that Toyota would not warranty my tailgate. I explained the tailgate issue to him. He made some notes, then told me to call the Customer care line again. I told him that they had already denied my claim. He told me to call again.

I spoke with Toyota Customer Care Line **. She was very pleasant, but offered no help. She told me that the Denver regional office reviewed my case and denied any assistance. 7/24/09- I received a call from Toyota Customer care on 7/23/09 and returned the call on 7/24/09. I spoke to **. I gave her my case number. She looked at the notes and asked if I had been contacted by the Western Regional parts manager.

I told her that I had not been contacted by any representative from the regional office. She told me that the Regional parts manager has declined my request for service. I explained that I will not buy any more Toyotas and I will tell anybody that asks about my truck not to buy a Toyota until my vehicle is fixed to my satisfaction under warranty. She then said “ I am sorry that you are having a problem with your vehicle. Thanks for calling Toyota, have a nice day.” She then hung up on me.

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Worst Service Ever
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

Unfortunately I fell behind on two payments and they repossessed my leased car. We paid up the total amount due and cannot get the car out of impound. Toyota is unwilling to do anything and neither is the company holding my car. No one will tell me where the car is.

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They get interests for principal payments
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

SUNNYVALE, CALIFORNIA -- I called to them and asked them to put $200 more every month as principal and they did. But they get interest for the principal too! its really weird.

Be careful before apply here, They still get interest If you are going to pay principal.

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Online banking
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI -- It is next to impossible to view your account online as their website is horrible. Then when you call, you're on hold for 30 minutes... But oh you can bet your sweet buns if you want to purchase a vehicle from them they will constantly blow your phone up. Once you buy a car, hang it up. You're not going to reach a live person period.

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Toyota of Lewisville Sales Associates Offer Fake Quotes to Lure Customers Into the Dealership!!
By -

LEWISVILLE, TEXAS -- THESE PEOPLE ARE HUSTLERS AND SNAKES... STAY AWAY! My wife got a quote on a car over the phone from one of their sales associates. After the offer was made, she took our baby twin girls to the bank to get a cashier's check, and we drove 45 minutes to get to the dealership.

We show up, check in hand, and tell them exactly what we were told on the phone. They say, “Great, why don't you test drive the car before you buy it.” And then, after my wife had driven the vehicle, they explain that they were NOT WILLING TO HONOR THE PRICE THEY OFFERED OVER THE PHONE!

And then the sales manager proceeded to lie through his teeth, claiming the sales associate who made the offer "wasn't answering his phone". But the guy who made the offer was clearly in the building--we were told as such by other employees.

This was a massively painful ordeal, shuttling our baby twins around to get a cashier's check and driving up to the dealership, and we wasted four hours that I wish we could have back. These people don't seem to care at all that they wasted our time.

They don't care that what they're doing is unethical. And they don't seem the least bit troubled by the fact that they lied to a mother of twin babies to lure her into the building so that the sales manager would get a chance to hustler her. These people have no shame, no scruples, and no dignity whatsoever.

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Don't Pay "DEALER HOLDBACK"
By -

I drove 3 Toyota Camrys as a company car. I loved them. When I bought my own I went to test drive a Camry, a Honda accord, and a Nissan Altima. I always test these three as I like them all. More than once when I got down to discussing price with the salesman/manager, I told them I would pay invoice plus $100.00. (They make money on the cars from incentives from the manufactures and many dealerships will sell them this way at the end of the year.)

Well instead of showing me the original invoice from the Toyota manufacturer, they instead brought out something they had printed up on the computer. Included were ALL KINDS OF BOGUS CHARGES. One
of them was "dealer holdback". They were charging this to me as something to pay them when in reality it is something that Toyota pays them. (Basically its like a rebate to them from the manufacturer of the car. It's an incentive to them after they sell so many cars.)

So not only were they getting this say $500 back from Toyota, they were trying to charge me the same money so that they got it twice. They gave me some mumbo jumbo explanation as to what dealer hold back is. My father sold cars and I know exactly what it is. I even had something printed from Consumer Reports that showed exactly what "dealer holdback" is. I highlighted it, sent it back with the salesman to the sales manager right before I walked out.

After going to several Toyota dealerships that tried to pull this on me, I went directly to the Nissan dealership and bought the Altima. I asked for and was shown the actual dealership invoice for the car I wanted to purchase. Toyota thought that since I was a woman coming in by myself that I was going to pick out a "pretty one" and then pay $4,000 more than I should have. Hopefully by writing this I can keep a lot of people from being taken by this scheme.

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Car Engine Light on My Toyota 2000 Keeps Going On
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

DARTMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS -- I got my new Toyota Carroll at the Dart Toyota in Dartmouth in the year 2000. 6 MONTHS after I got it, the engine light went on and they fixed it but it cost me some money. They said that I had to replace the Gas cap. They did but a few months later came back on again. This went on for years. I did not know why it did but they always said they could fix it.

Later one of the guys working there said to me that they told him when I came in for the oil change or came in because of the engine light was on just to reset it and that was what they were doing. He said that they did not know what really was wrong with it and He ask me not to let anyone at the Toyota Dealer know what he said to me but he wanted me to know it. He was so sorry that I was being lied to.

I needed new tires and they put them on and a week later when I went to have my Oil change in the Toyota they said that I needed new tires. I ask for the manager and he apologized and told me it was a misunderstanding. I always went to them for all repairs on the Toyota Carroll and I always thought that they were doing a good job but sometimes I did not like the way they talk to me. I was lied to so many times that I do not want to take my car there anymore.

I am still trying to find out what is wrong with my Toyota Carroll Light engine. I am always taking the car in to the Garage because I am still having problems with the engine light coming on and it is costing me lots of money for the repairs. Can anyone tell me what is really wrong with this car. I have replaced so many parts in this Toyota Carroll and every few months the engine light comes on .

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Misrepresentation of Sales of a Vehicle and Warranty
StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarBy -
Rating: 1/51

MATTESON, ILLINOIS -- November of 2006, a 2007 Toyota solara, was purchased by myself (a single mom of 4) and a cosigner was used. 3 yrs into having the vehicle, the engine began to smoke and I was stranded on hwy 57 expressway. Toyota scion of Matteson auto mall was contacted and their service dept immediately sent a tow truck to retrieve me and the vehicle. They suggested and assured me that the vehicle was under warranty and was fixable, called me a few days later, told me my vehicle has been successfully fixed!!

My car had no problems for 1 1/2 yrs, then this same problem reoccurred. I immediately called Toyota and they refused to retrieve me off the expressway this time with my kids. I paid to have my car towed to Toyota scion in Matteson. It stayed there 1 1/2 mths and then I was told that the warranty dept had come out and said there was slug in my engine and that I had no warranty. I've always had a warranty.

Then once they found the warranty, the service mgr at the time, a caucasian gentlemen that stated he was the mgr, told me there were 2 dates missed for oil changes and if I had receipts that I [brought] my car in, they'd help me otherwise come get my car!! Very rude!! We were unable to retrieve those receipts and ended up towing the car home, and not driving the car while paying 636.00 each month, for the next 2 yrs!!

I called several time after leaving with my vehicle, about dropping my warranty, and was given the runaround from the warranty department at Toyota scion in Matteson as well as the car company I was paying my car notes to. Every month I was complaining about my vehicle that wasn't running that I had to pay for, they (the Toyota company I paid my car notes to) would suggest, I contact the store I bought the car from (Toyota scion, in Matteson) and I did, (Toyota scion in Matteson) redirected me back to the car company instead of assisting me.

It's now 4/45/2012, and today is the first time I was told by a ** from Toyota scion in Matteson that I have a little less than a year and I would come into the Matteson store to discuss, discontinuation of my warranty!!! My warranty hasn't been any used to me for well over 3 yrs and for 3 yrs I've been getting the runaround.

I am respectfully requesting my money back. I have this vehicle down to 8 thousand dollars from 36,000, and feel I have been cheated, overlooked, lied to and discouraged into cancelling my warranty! I am a single mother of four and feel taken advantages of. Pls contact me at **. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter, I've been in distress about this matter for 3 yrs!!! Thank you.

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Outdated Navigation Disk
By -

19001 SOUTH WESTERN AVE, TORRANCE,, CALIFORNIA -- Purchase 2011 Camry XLE with navigation 09/24/2010 came with 2009 navigation disk. Camry that are being sold now 2011 have a 2010 navigation disk. Company wants to charge 200 to 295 for update on car because I purchase car in 2010. Same car now has updated disk install no charge, if purchase a 2011 no matter when you should have 2011 navigation disk. Incident # **. Toyota is doing this to all 2011 sold in 2010. Big rip off. The Toyota company and probably all other car manufactures are doing this charging customers for update.

When new model start production usually in February of that year they do not have that years update so they install the previous year navigation disk. So a 2011 manufactured in 02/2010 will have a 2009 navigation disk. So everyone who buys a 2011 in September through December of 2010 will have the old outdated navigation disk. Then when the auto manufactures upgrades lets say June of 2010 to the new navigation disk you will have the latest upgraded. When you purchase vehicle after January of 2011 that same car will have the upgrade disk at no charge.

How long have the auto manufactures been doing this? That is ripping people 200-295 dollars a person, we are talking millions here. Bottom line is you purchase a 2011 it should have 2011 navigation system in it, if not upgrades to 2011 should be free. You should not be charge twice or three times depending on what month and year you purchased that new vehicle.

Toyota response was "Congratulations on the purchase of your 2011 Camry. We are sorry for your dissatisfaction with the Navigation System DVD. We are sorry to learn that Camry DVD did not meet your expectations. Toyota does not have a program in which we are offering free DVD updates to customers. We have documented your observations and comments at our National headquarters under file # ** where they are reviewed by management.

"Although we cannot guarantee a change like you described would be made, we do know if it were made, it would be because of customers like yourself that provide honest and candid feedback. Comments such as yours provide us the insight necessary to improve our products." All I want is, I purchased a 2011 Camry I want updates till my Navigation Disk is 2011. To get what I paid for not being charged every time there is a new update before 2011.

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