You are not going to believe this! Need mechanics input on 2014 engine issue!

I would have called Toyota Corporate and opened a case. I would explain to them that you spoke to the tech and your opinions on the matter. Worst thing they'd do is open a case and nothing would happen...

You'd be surprised how quickly the dealer tries to bend over when they get a call from corporate about not covering warranty work. They get the final say...not the dealer. May even get you a refund.

 

Just a friend fight Ford for almost a year about a reoccuring issue on his brand new Fiesta. Dealt with Ford Dealership and they kept telling him over and over again that they couldn't recreate the problem....when he had to get the car towed there. Anyway, it took him to open a corporate case for the dealership to completely change their tune. Suddenly, they FOUND the issue and fixed it for free under warranty.

Goodluck OP, sorry to hear about your awful situation.

 

My point is this: When I worked at the dealership, part of our job was to put down DETAILED information on the work order. This is to ALSO protect me, the guy working on the truck. For example, if I did not notate that after finding a radiator damaged, coolant EMPTY, and an engine that smoked white out the exhaust when started (As the OP had mentioned earlier I believe) that there was possible engine damage, later on the truck could return say in 500 miles with a blown head gasket. If that happens, GUESS who gets to do ALL of the repair labor for free? Nothing personal against the OP, I promise, but if it is MY ass on the line for what I write on a work order, you are damn sure I am going to put down every bit of information. Yes, there IS a possibility of engine damage. Read the initial explanation at the beginning of this thread. After I read it, I was already expecting to hear about engine damage, or possible damage.

Now take this into account that I am not taking sides here on who is at fault. I have simply posted what information I can from what has been said, and tried to answer to the best of my knowledge.

Again, just a personal observation here. How many cars/trucks have you driven in your life? (Not trying to be insulting here, just trying to make a point) I have driven thousands. Literally. I have been a tech for over 25 years now. I have seen or watched co-workers deal with a dozen cases a year where something as small as a rock, or as big as a piece of wood, has damaged radiators. It does happen. I will say that it really does SUCK that you were the one in a million. We have already seen two other cases of a similar thing happening to two other members on this forum in the last 3 years. You figure out the percentages. 3 members of a 17000 member forum have seen this. Now increase that to the number of vehicles on the road today. It's more common than you think.

You are comparing apples to oranges there. This is a case of physical damage to a vehicle, not a warranty failure repair. Corporate will look at this totally different.

 

I just had a honest opinion, and I know that the whole story can get even worst. In my humble opinion Toyota corp. is monitoring this site for feed back, ideas, pulse of the status of their product etc. Making a statement in this forum is like you admitted something in front of the whole world. Driving on when the gauge is in red, may be the last think one should admit on this forum. Just a taught.

 

Back in the day I worked for an auto parts store. I knew a mechanic ( owner of his shop). He use to carry a handgun in a shoulder holster. While under the hood one day working his piece fell out of his holster & into the engine compartment without him knowing until the car was gone. I don't think he ever got it back. So yea, stuff gets left behind. Also a true story.

 

Somehow I don't buy that from the other guy. How the HELL can your piece fall out of a shoulder holster fall out without him feeling it, or HEARING it? I don't see how that could happen. Not going to say impossible, but it just seems far fetched.

 

This summer I was out working on my truck. I was taking the grill off and one of the screws rolled off the engine cover and fell to the top of the skid plate. Even with my iPhone on and music going, I still heard it. I highly doubt someone would drop a gun and not hear it. So the gun would have had to go off for him to hear it?

 

Wether it happened or not IDK, it just reminded me of the guys problem & thought I'd share it.

 

This situation has to suck with a new truck. I had a rock go through the A/C condenser on a brand new RSX back in 04. Claimed it on my insurance.

Regardless if i'm driving something with 2 miles or 300k miles I always keep an eye on the gauges. Anything above halfway on a vehicle made in the last 15 years or so something is wrong. 3/4 can be big trouble. In the red big no-no. I work with BMW's for a living. They have TERRIBLE cooling systems. I can't even tell you how many times I've heard of people who kept going with them in the red thinking the car would "know" when it got too hot and shut down on it's own. They all shut down all right! Many never to start again. Hopefully the OP's truck is OK. I got mine up to about 3/4 when the serpentine belt came off a few months back and it lived. But I wasn't running it continuously. I kept coasting to get the few miles home. Had it not been pouring rain, in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, and my daughter in the truck asleep I would have just stopped.

Another possible scenario for the foreign object... RODENTS. I've found all kinds of foreign materials brought into engine compartments by them. Small sticks, lots of acorns, etc.

 

Granted the odds are against it, you are right, that is another possibility. I remember countless times repairing or replacing wiring harnesses at the dealership because of mice.

 

Sorry to report so late, but wanted to get an update to you guys and wanted to drive the truck for a little while after getting it back. I had some issues before and after getting it back and wanted to see how it all panned out.

So far, the vehicle has been running ok. The dealers stance is still that they can not confirm or give any concrete explanation on what caused the damage but were generous enough to offer an extended warranty on the vehicle. This, however, does not cover anything that could be related to this incident... take that for what's its worth...

Like others, I had to file a claim against my insurance, who in fact have been great throughout this "event".

Only time will tell what the overall outcome will be...
(Still love it though!!!)

 

I also have a 2014 and so have been following your story with interest. I'm really glad to hear your truck seems to be running ok. There is a great mod on these forum for using an old iPhone with the app "Dash Command" to read all your truck's performance wirelessly from the computer. (I will post the link when I find it again.) You may want to concede this mod to monitor the engine.

Anyway, back to the subject line: would you be willing to share the name of your insurer? It is always great to hear about good service from an insurance company.