Dealer called and told me that my truck was in, and that it already has an issue.

My big question is, should I be worried? The salesman called and told me that there was an issue with the locking mechanism, and that they had called Toyota and they had suggested to just replace the wiring harness. Keep in mind that this is already second-hand information coming from the salesman. I don't know if he meant the entire wiring harness for the truck or just to one of the doors, the entire harness for the truck seems a little extreme so I kind of doubt it will be that. I don't really think that its a major issue or that it's an indicator that there may be more problems down the road, but it's kind of been a mixed bag as far as what people I've asked think. A mechanic friend of mine said it's probably not a big deal, and that I might be able to use it to negotiate a better deal or other services from the dealer. I'd still like to get as much feedback as possible though, so any help is appreciated.

 

Your mechanic friend is probably right ... no big deal. I will say KUDOS to the dealership for doing a proper pre-delivery to catch it before you get it. I would definitely get the saleperson to let you talk to the service/manager or mechanic to hear first hand what the problem was.

When I first got my truck ... I noticed the auto tranny shifting 4,5,6 then 5,4,6,5,4,5,4,5,6,5,6 a hundred times on a 50 mile drive to work. My salesperson let me talk to the service manager who then had me come to a question/new owner dinner that had some guest speakers and toyota factory engineers attending. I got to ask my question to an engineer who explained exactly what the tranny was doing and why! All I understood from the 15 minute explanation from all that jargon was that all the shifting is normal and something new to get used too. Point being ... I am now rest assured my TACO is fine because I got the PROPER answer I needed.

 

Lol you're exactly right. Drove to Kansas from Arizona last month and going thru rolling plains in New Mexico the truck kept shifting down on the hills and It would stay in 4th or 5th gear for a while. Long story short it scared the crap out of me, I took it to a dealership and they told me it was fine.

 

Pre-delivery catch. I agree with SamChieftan - nice snag by the dealer. Be nice to them and IF you have any other issues, they will be much more likely to help you out.

 

Good on them that they caught it. But I have a lingering question regarding toyota service in general. How come every time there is an issue the response is "they called toyota and the repair is XXX". Do toyota dealer techs not know how to do diagnostic work? I have called GM once in 4 years and that was in regards to a Vibe (matrix) that I didn't have access to proper service information to make repairs.

 

Toyota has to be envolved with anything wrong during new model launch. They want to know any issues right away.

 

interesting. GM just asks us to provide as much detail as possible when we write up the problem and what our repair was. They will usually ask for the failed part to be sent to them so they can do failure analysis.

 

TAS case and dealer product reports on all new models during the launch period. I had an issue with our loaner truck the day after we registered it. 2 days later a field tech and engineer were out to look at the truck. Tech assistance didn't help much then the region field tech called and said someone would be out.

 

I wouldn´t be worried about it. For one, you know you are working with good people for them to catch that before you got the truck, attention to details, that is comforting. Two, it is now documented, so if any future problems should arise, it´s noted. Third, yes, you can use this to in your negotiation, may not get you much, but it could get you a couple extra free oil changes beyond toyota care, just to ¨ease your mind about the truck.¨ You have warranty, let them handle it. It was probably just a connector wasn´t plugged in properly, but, to be on the safe side, they are replacing the door lock harness, not the complete truck harness. I work for Mercury outboard motors, and yes, issues like this usually need to be reported to Tech Support, for the sake of having it recorded for future reference, keep track of how many of the same issues are out there so any change in quality control can be made, and to notate if it is something that will cause other problems or not. I am sure the Techs there know what they are doing, it´s just that they have to report it to Toyota. They will get you taken care of and you can enjoy that new truck.

 

Sure cannot say that about GM.

 

You could "negotiate" an extended transferable warranty - and by negotiate say $500 for a 7yr 125K mile deal. Electrical gremlins happen. Finding one before you take ownership and the dealer is on the hook for that, lemon laws and all, just sayin.

 

I can. I frequent the GM boards and GM monitors them and will offer assistance to people who post a problem. Have never seen a Toyota Rep on this board?

 

We've never been under any obligation to take a vehicle that we ordered from Toyota once it came in. If you're uneasy about it, you could just tell them to find/order you another one. Am sure they'd find a buyer for yours. Either that, or maybe they'll knock off some $ or give you an extended warrantee for free. I'd probably ask for the warrantee.

It's nice to know your dealer inspected the vehicle at least. Pop up that hood when you stop in to look at it....see if the hood is glued together properly. If not, gives you another issue to think about.

Good luck deciding.