Third brake light leak warning.

I have the exact same crack that was followed by the leak. Dealership says it’s out of warranty and they are not responsible for the repairs. Left with water damage to seats, carpet, headliner, and sound insulation.

 

Reviving this thread....2016 TRD Sport DCSB with 60k miles and just noticed the leak....very disturbed...

Also just got the frame corrosion letter from Toyota so went into my local dealer to get the brief...

Service manager told me my truck can be given a protective undercoat spray starting next year (two year window to have it done)

As for the leaking brake light...he printed the TSB for me, gave me Toyota's 1800 number, and said good luck...said a 16 Tacoma just got repaired under warranty for this recently...

I called Toyota and they are looking into it, assigned me a case number and will get back to me....

Service manager told me Toyota may cover 0%, 50%, or 100%.

Being in the military, I didn't see it leaking until now due to not using the truck daily and being away often and for long periods...

Any thoughts from you guys here?

 

Keep on them. The bolts were over torqued from the factory it’s 100% their fault. I had to eventually email Toyota North America CEO. But Toyota made it right in the end. Hopefully you don’t have too much hassle.

 

The dealer printed off and handed me T-SB-0055-18 Rev2 July 2, 2018

Although my truck is beyond the 3/36k warranty period I will fight a noble war to have this repaired by Toyota...

I'm definitely not paying around $500 bucks to have the dealer molest my headliner to make this repair...

If I am forced to capitulate and admit defeat, with a victorious Toyota corporate lording over me, I will attempt to make the repair myself with new parts / and / or silicone, etc...However, Toyota will have lost a loyalist

 

Can you give me a more detailed AAR (After Action Report) of your battle with Toyota NA; how did you escalate tensions; what was your strategy, TTPs (Tactics, Techniques, Procedures)?

 

It wasn’t really that complicated I was honest and respectful but to the point. I buy Toyota for reliability reasons and that this is unacceptable Toyota quality. I cited all the Toyota owners in my family and that I expect more from a product that I pay a premium for. I skipped all the Toyota corporate case stuff and sent the email right to the top. I didn’t expect anything at all but Toyota delivered, not only did they fix it but they gave me a 125k Toyota platinum warranty so that I don’t worry about future issues. So they definitely have a Toyota customer for life in me. Like I said I just wrote an honest letter with genuine quality control concerns. Hope this helps. I know it’s frustrating.

 

Thanks for the debriefing..

Which email address did you use?

 

It was over a year ago and I’m not sure if they still have the same CEO, but like most large corporations I just used his firstname.lastname@toyota.com and that worked. I’d start there just look up the CEOs name. Somebody will read it at least.

 

Damn that's pretty smart.

 

I have a mid-range supervisor (I believe) at customer care working the issue and I will give him until Monday afternoon to get back to me. I was given a case number to call back with to get a SITREP on it...

I will escalate tensions Monday afternoon at 1500 Zulu if necessary

O, and superb TTP @Kingair84

 

Sometimes they use an underscore instead of a period between first and last name as well. If one doesn’t work try the other. Hope this helps. I think they will take care of you I’ve been impressed with Toyota. It’s just like any company today you have to be heard by someone who actually cares and with the work ethic in today’s world that’s becoming pretty difficult.

 

So I got a response back from Toyota Customer Care....they are offering me $400 towards any future repair, service, or parts..

This seems to be a collaboration between corporate and my local dealership. They said the brake light leak repair may be as much as $700-800 which is much higher than the 500-600 I was told before...

Not sure how to proceed. Considering attempting the repair myself with new parts and silicone and using the 4 bills for something else.

Any guidance from you gentlemen here would be appreciated

 

If it is just the seal that you are fixing, no other damage or mold, I would do it myself. There are several threads here about dropping the headliner along with the steps in the Service Manual. It looks like the DC headliner removal instructions start on Page 6443 of the file.

I'd request a free seal gasket along with the cash. Can't hurt to ask.

 

Got a link for the file and thread on this repair?

Hoping I don't have to actually drop the headliner to make the repair....any chance of using a new gasket or silicone without dropping the headliner?

Is that seal gasket the only Toyota part actually needed to make this repair? Thanks

 

I am not sure who is hosting the service manual at this time. It gets passed around when the cloud share gets angry about too many downloads.

Here's my copy:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1cx5nnlnCzlhI45D1vbBMj1ni983SKdKf

The fasteners for the DC are on the cab side, I believe. So, you have to drop the headliner. This is the reason for the expensive quote at the dealer.

Search for any of the noise insulation, @MESO brake light, or Rhino Track installation mod threads. There's a bunch. Honestly, if I was dropping the headliner, I'd use that $$ to grab the sound mat and Rhino Tracks and install them while in there. LoL!

Yes. There is an adhesive seal between the light housing and the roof. I know at one time, it was said that the factory didn't peel of the backing on one side. You can see the gasket here:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/3rd-gen-ac-led-third-brake-light.624005/#post-21305071

But that is for an AC, not a DC. Slight difference.

 

Thanks for the manual!

What is the sound mat and Rhino Tracks? Are they Toyota OEM? I already have OEM roof rails...

The $400 can only be spent on official Toyota dealer repair, service, or parts...

 

No problem. Enjoy it!


Rhino Tracks are some cool roof rails that fit in the existing gutter. So, they are flush when not in use. You don't need them if you got the OEM rails though. Sound mat, Dynamat, Noico, and others are insulating foam that will quiet down the cab. If you heard rain pinging off the roof and were annoyed, this is the fix. I'd like to hit the roof and back wall with it myself.


That is some next level BS though. I guess you could use it for a few oil change, but damn, not cool if they aren't going to fix your issue.

 

I'm debating how to accept this peace offer from Toyota, whether to continue to wage war or make peace and live with it.

My truck is out of warranty in both time and mileage and I am the second owner, not original and Toyota obviously knows all this...these are all to my disadvantage

 

The only way it is worth a fight is looking at the service records while under warranty. If the leak was noted or corrected while under warranty, then it might be worth it to fight as stuff just shouldn't leak under normal conditions.

If it was never noted before, I'd take the offer, plus the free gasket if you can, and move on. I certainly wouldn't let them do the work unless they were going to do it for free. That is just me as even ToyotaCare makes me itch. I would rather do it at home. That said, my dealer has been very good and I had no real issues with my Taco.

 

EDIT: Not trying to tell you to fight it or not, just stating that price seems way over the top for the work involved.

I'm going to have to call BS on that pricing (not on you, but the dealer). When I had mine fixed they stated it was around a $400-450 repair if outside of warranty period (if no damage was done). I'm pretty sure they even handed me the receipt when I was done and all the pricing was on there, just over $400 or so, but obviously wasn't charged due to warranty period. I can try to dig it up when I get home.

I remember the materials showing a brand new light housing itself, the gasket, labor, and one or two other very small items. That dealer is trying to screw you, just my $0.02.