Third brake light leak warning.

@brohirrim

 

Go to a different dealer it’s a known issue. They are trying to screw you.

 

Has anyone with an 18 had a leaking light? Hopefully Toyota has fixed it by the third year.

 

I'm interested in this as well.

 

Honestly I'd hope they would have fixed this by mid to late 2017 considering people with 2016 Tacomas were having this problem...

 

'17 OR assembled in August 2017 with this leak reporting in. Currently the parts are on order at the dealer. When I reported the problem my service manager didn't take it seriously until I insisted his techs look at it -- "Well the problem with leaks is always replication..."
Techs proceeded to confirm leak in a couple hours. Luckily didn't have any problems with them trying to convince me that I was the one who somehow caused it

 

Do any of you all have pictures like these?

 

I feel same way driving around in a costly new truck smelling like a pond and packing tape trying to keep water out. And fighting with dealer about a problem they know about.

 

So because it's a known problem will they fix it after the warranty expires? I just turned over 40k and noticed it leaking. I haven't contacted the dealer yet.

 

I'm still under warranty and they won't fix it.

 

TSBs are only good during the warranty period but it cannot hurt to talk to the dealer.

 

Have you considered trying a different dealership? You know you don’t have to use the dealership where you bought the truck. I bought my truck in Boston but now live in OC SoCal. Good thing about living in SoCal is plenty of dealerships to choose from. It took me a couple experiences to find a good one. First place I went to wanted to charge me $196 for a smog check, when I could get one done for $39 a block away. I was told it was so expensive because they used a “special machine” to do the test. I guess the guy figured me for an idiot until I told him his “special machine” is the same exact machine used by all smog check stations in the state of California. Point being, some dealership service departments are run by knuckleheads who don’t know what they are doing. I go to Santa Margarita Toyota and they have been great. I have had 3 TSBs, 2 Safety Recalls, and leaking third brake light. The never gave me any grief. I told them what was wrong and they fixed it.
Also if you haven’t call Toyota Customer Care.
1-800-331-4331
I have read on this forum some who called and tactfully complained, that got their truck fixed after Toyota Corp called the dealership and told them to do the repair.

 

So I had this same exact issue and it literally happened 1,000 miles out of warranty. I wasn’t near my normal dealer so I just stopped by a dealer and they not only were rude but told me I broke it it wasn’t covered and would cost me $400 to fix. I told them they were out of their flipping mind and that I was reporting them to Toyota corporate. I wrote a professional email to the Toyota North America CEO saying how this and the few other minor things I had break were unacceptable, when I pay a premium for a Toyota product because I want reliability. Toyota was extremely professional and gave me a bumper to bumper 120k platinum warranty for free. I wasn’t even expecting this I just wanted my light fixed. I did finally get my truck back to my normal dealer (who is amazing) and they not only fixed it for free but they were the ones who told me it was a TSB from the factory over torqueing the bolts. It sucks that there is such a variation in dealers but seriously find another dealer.

 

I highly doubt that warranty is bumper to bumper. Probably only an extended Powertrain warranty

 

https://www.sc.toyotafinancial.com/web/tfs/pub/contents/vsa/TFS_VSA_Platinum_VSA_eBrochure.pdf

That’s what they sent me so yeah not everything. But a lot of the expensive important stuff is covered. I’m cool with it. I think they sell the same thing for over a grand depending on the dealer, and I got it from 1 email and for free. Definitely not complaining about it. And I’m still a fan of Toyota.

 

All comments are good as long there is a solution and have not seen a solution so far except to take it to the dealer.
I am a hands on guy and like to fix most of the problems myself.
- how do you remove the 3rd light housing? post detailed picture and instructions.
- what is the cause of leaking? bad gasket? bad surface matting between cabin and light housing? over torqued screws?
- haw can it be fixed for good? replace gasket? make a better gasket? replace light housing?
Dealer doesn't give a crap about your truck, wants you out of there ASAP and money from Toyota. Learn to do it yourself and do it good once.

 

When I was looking I think I found the brake light for around $90 online don’t quote me on that though. And as for what was broken on mine it was an over torqued bolt that eventually cracked the plastic bracket. So the one side was loose causing water to leak in behind. The gasket was still good. I’m pretty sure you have to pull the headliner down at least the back part of it. I was going to do it all myself as well but figured I shouldn’t have to on a year old truck.

 

We had a major rain storm here the other day in PA and mine was leaking like a faucet. Called the dealership and talked to service manager, he knew exactly what I was talking about and ordered the parts to repair under warranty. My appointment is next week, I will report back the end result and what they replaced. My truck has smelt like wet dog for months.....

2017 SB OR with 32K

 

If you still like your truck, is this puppy love?

 

Has anyone tried to get Toyota to fix this BEFORE it leaks??