16' TRD OR replaced w/ 17' after 3 CPS and 4 cat failures!!!!!

Hey Everyone,
I should have posted this back in May, just been busy.
Anyway always loved the Tacos, but when the new body styles came out in 16' I was in love. January 2016 I was driving off the lot in my brand new 2016 TRD off road. The truck was amazing, and IMO the best looking truck on the road.
Fast forward to 4k miles. On my way to work at 4am, cruising along (about 75mph), and I notice a strange hesitation. It was like the truck slipped into neutral once or twice. The Rpms were high but there was no power. It happened 2 or 3 times in a row and then suddenly the engine stalls. All the usual symptoms, dash lights, etc, I'm sure you've all read 100 times. The truck is in limp mode, so i pull it over and call for a tow.
This was early in the life of the 3rd gen Tacos so no one knew about the CPS (crank position sensor) issues yet. After they check the truck out at the dealer the determine that the CPS needs to be replaced. They are unsure why it failed, just that it in fact... failed.
The problem at this juncture was that there wasn't any replacement CPS's available due to the truck being so new. Almost 2 weeks went by without a replacement and I'm furious. They tell me it could be at least another 2 weeks until they can get a replacement CPS. I finally lose my cool and call Corporate to open up a case.
I open a case about 2pm and corporate says they will look into it and get back to me within 24 hours.
The next morning I get a call from the dealer telling me my truck is all done. although I confused how by how it could be done when they said 2 more weeks, but no matter, I was eager to get my truck back. I assume corporate told the dealer to pop the hood on another Taco and swipe the CPS for my truck.
All is fine for a week, and then i notice the truck feels a little sick. Check Engine light comes on. Back to the dealer. My left side Catalytic Converter is no good. Its at the dealer for almost 2 weeks until they can get a replacement.
Once again I get the truck back. About 30 days of driving and then once again, Check Engine Light comes on. This time its the right side Catalytic Converter. Ugh...
Another 2 weeks and finally I'm off and running again.

Fast Forward to 65K miles. I'm commuting home from work. I'm southbound on the Garden State Parkway doing about 75mph (again). The problem this time was that I was in heavy traffic and in the far left lane, there was a concrete median next to me on my left and 3 packed lanes of traffic to my right. Well the engine stalls, and its utter chaos. People are slamming on the brakes, beeping the horns, tires screeching, everyone swerving left and right. I thought i was going to be killed, how I made it safely across 3 packed lanes to the shoulder I'll never know, but I thought i was going to be killed for sure.

Back to the F--king dealer again. Lets change out the CPS again. I demand to know why this is happening but they have no clue. I ask how many other Tacos this has happened to but I'm assured its just me. Another 3-4 days in a loaner and Im back on the road.

A week later, Check Engine Light again. Left side Cat again. I demand they change the right side also but they said no because they were only getting a code for the left. Also they have no explanations for the failing Cats. A few more days in another rental, and I'm back on the road.

But!!!!.... Like clockwork, 30 days later Check Engine Light. The right side Cat has now gone.

I'VE ABSOLUTELY HAD IT!!!!!!!!.

I call corporate and go berserk. I'm screaming Lemon law but they are telling me all the reasons that I don't qualify. I'm basically getting no where, I'm explaining how dangerous this truck is, and that I'm going to get killed one of these days. I also said that my wife and kids wont even ride in it and its screwing up my life. Nothing was working, until I finally said I'm hiring a lawyer!!!

That was the magic word... "Hold on, Pump the brakes" they said. We will work with you. How I ask. They said we will put you in a 'Brand New 2017 Taco off road" with all the equipment you had in your 16'

At first I didn't believe it but she said she would put it in writing. And she did. The finance company insisted it be an exact match item for item and of course there were none available. So I had to wait for it to be built and shipped from San Antonio.

About 4 months later I received a 17' Taco TRD OR to replace my 16'. My old truck had 65K miles on it. My 17' had "3". Not 3K miles lol... 3 miles period!!!

This was before all the recalls came out. Essentially this truck was a "hush truck".
Toyota new they had problems on their hands but they only reacted when i threatened with a lawyer. I assume they feared a class action law suit.

Three weeks after i received my new truck, I saw the recall on CBS new york.

What an adventure. Thank god not a single issue with my new truck. Also I financed it for 5 years so they just plugged the new vin number into my contract so it was brand new and i only had 3 1/2 years left. Also my warranties all started over.

In the end it worked out for me, but I sure went through hell to get there...

 

glad they did the right thing...even if it took saying the magic word....lawyer.

 

Glad they gave you a replacement.

 

I was exhausted just reading that I could only imagine your frustration. Glad all worked out for you.

 

Holly Crap! sorry to hear what you had to go thru but also glad to hear that the factory came thru for you, hopefully the 2017 will be trouble free.....

 

Thank you,
Yes it was a strange kind of luck, and seems worth it now, especially because I have an issue free 17’ Taco.
The Finance guy at the dealership who handled the ROC (replacement of collateral), that’s what they called this swap, had no clue how to do the paperwork. He said in his 17 years at Toyota and his nearly 30 in the car business he’s never seen a manufacturer replace a vehicle like that.
Not that I don’t feel I absolutely deserved it, but apparently it doesn’t happen very often.

 

Night crawler..

The first truck is the 16’. The second one is the 17’
They screwed up on the running boards. The dealer was not helpful at all due to the fact they weren’t making any money on the ROC (Replacement of collateral) so they claimed if I wanted the other running boards I would have had to take it up with Toyota. After 1+ years in a bad truck, and then waiting for the new one to be built, I wasn’t waiting any longer.
But... they added mud flaps, rubber bed liner, and upgraded floor mats, all of which I didn’t have in the 16’
All told I probably still came out $150 short on equipment but at that point I just wanted my new truck...

 

Night Crawler. I could write a book on all the Shit that happened. The dealership was worthless. Gave me the runaround from day one. Treated me like garbage during the swap. Finance manager didn’t know how to do the paperwork and since he was making no money acting like an ass the entire time. When I pointed out that the running boards were wrong he said it wasn’t his problem. He said send it back to San Antonio. They also tried to screw me on the lifetime oil changes.
They said the plan wasn’t transferable... well I didn’t sell the vehicle, it broke. It was an $850 plan. I had to fight for 4 months to get reimbursed...
I could go on and on actually

 

Wow that finance guy you dealt with sounds totally worthless, I use a small rural dealership and the finance lady told me she does 1 or 2 buy backs every year.

 

Glad they took care of you!