A/C evaporator broken, quoted $1,800 to fix

i thought you were trolling but it is a 3rd gen tacoma, imagine the 4th gen

 

im sticking with this truck for a while. I wouldn’t imagine the hybrid would like me too much driving through water up to the floorboards and other shenanigans. This truck puts up with me… most of the time…

 

some noise is normal coming from the evaporator when the refrigerant starts flowing through the metering valve. unless it's leaking, it's most likely normal. i've had two tacomas and they've both made the noise and I never had an issue with the A/C besides condensation in high humidity conditions on the passenger side.

 

I can assure you this noise was not normal

 

hopefully it wasn't just low on refrigerant

 

2019 Tacoma 45,000 miles same thing just happen to my evaporator core.
Do you guys have any tips with contacting corporate with this problem? I’m having a hard time even figuring out how to contact them. Thank you in advance!

 

what's wrong with it? do you smell refrigerant or is the dealership just telling you it's the evaporator?

 

Yes I smell a slightly sweet smell, I got the darth Vader whistle sound, my a/c continued to blow cold for about 300 more miles then it continues to whistle but doesn’t blow cold anymore. I only hear the noise when my A/c is engaged. I hear right at the evaporator.

 

i get a whistle sound sometimes but no darth vader noises. sounds like you got a leak. evaporators are real shitty. made with thin low quality metal and notorious for springing leaks.

 

Yeah I agree, I am pretty positive it’s the evaporator. I am now just trying to figure out how to get ahold of corporate to have them pay for it possibly like others have mentioned they did. Any help on getting ahold of Toyota corporate?

 

try the Japanese yellow pages. but, seriously, i have no idea

 

Try google?

 

Might as well just remanufacture the truck

 

great so that's where my leak is coming from..lol

 

If your A/C evap core, burrowed way under the dash, has failed, explain the following to them:

1) this repair is incredibly expensive, and if you were expecting a $2,000 repair at 50,000 miles, you would’ve bought a GM. You love Toyota quality, that’s why you chose them.

2) They have redesigned the evap core in 2020+, proving that the old one was a known issue. They don’t redesign parts out of boredom; there’s a reason.

3) Most Important: This is a SAFETY issue. The evap core is a key component to window defogging, so if you’re riding around with a failed defogger, that Toyota KNOWS was a bad design, and it’s prohibitively expensive for you to pay to fix, that opens them up to some liability if you are injured as a result of not being able to see through the windows.

I can’t remember what number I used to get I touch with corporate, but I don’t recall it being hard to find.

good luck

 

It would be great if passenger vehicles were built with easy access to these components for repair.

 

What I can't understand is the relationship between a 'whistling' noise when the AC is on and a failed evap core. They really have no relationship. I think Toyota is using that TSB as a reason to help the customer. I have an 18 and hope that I don't have that issue.