Disappointed...

Okay, I need somewhere to vent. This is your warning...

I am completely disappointed with the entire Toyota line-up. I have had toyotas my entire life. 91 corolla, 01 Tacoma PreRunner, 99 camry, and my last car...a 2005 camry. All of the previous cars have lasted - went to he'll and back, with no problems. Naturally, I wanted another Toyota, and really loved my previous Tacoma, so I took the plunge. 2011 Tacoma, with just about every optioni I could get. I even got the super duper platinum elite protection plan that will cover everything for 6 years. I have had the truck 29 days, and have experienced the following:

Problems From the Dealer
1. Alignment was out, vehicle pulled to the right
2. All tires had less than 20lbs of air, including the spare, which had 10lbs.
3. One key (out of three) had not programmed the RFID Chip.

Problems that came about
1. Within 100 miles, the AC began to chirp.
2. First time on the highway, the windshield whistled louder than the radio, which was at about volume 50/64 (stock radio)
3. Loud ticking from the engine, beyond the infamous tick. Dealer replaced injectors and fixed it.

This is all within 1000 miles mind you. Has Toyota's customer base settled for this kind of workmanship? Even though this hasn't cost me anything extra other than a trip to the dealership per week, it isn't acceptable. The stealership has tried to make me pay for the repair each time, and I've had to bitch and moan for almost two hours today for them to give me a rental car while they repaired my blower motor. I know that there are a couple of known issues, but you think that they're known, they would at least ATTEMPT to put the updated parts in new models, rather than putting the same crap into them. I mean, most of these trucks run around $30k - more after mods and upgrades. Am I the only one that feels this way? I am actually debating returning the truck while I still can and getting something else. I wish I didn't love to drive it soo much.

Update: I am keeping the truck. The dealer and Toyota have made things right by me. The dealership gave me three complete details. Owner of the dealership told me to get it as dirty as I could and they would have it professionally cleaned inside, outside, and undercarriage, clay bar outside and shampoo carpets (something they charge about $250 for if you have them do it during a service appointment). When i got the truck, the dealership had a special where they also included tires and batteries for the life of the vehicle (as long as the routine maintenance is done through them), but they just replace the rugged fails. The dealership agreed to replace my tires with "my choice of BF Goodrich Tire".

And yes, they gave it all to me in writing. It doesn't make my experience better, but at least they recognize their faults and are taking responsibility.

 

Man sorry for your bad luck!

 

I do agree with you, Toyota doesn't seem to learn from previous issues.

My 96 Tacoma had the "clutch chirp", A/C blower squeal, as well as had the 3 leaf leaf springs replaced with a 4 leaf leaf springs.
12 years later, it's deja vu with my new Tacoma, very frustrating.

I still do feel that Toyota makes a superior product when compared to the competition, but they are far from perfect.

Shawn

 

thats the only thing I hate about my 05, it sounds like it has an exhaust leak, but its just the motor ticking

 

Sounds like you need a new dealership... Sorry about the problems you are having. Almost 7 years later and I haven't had any issues with my truck.

 

Just take that bitch back and get a new one!

 

Sorry to hear about the issues.

 

I'm sorry about your misfortunes. Unfortunately several of the problems you mentioned are somewhat typical (AC Chirp, Engine Tick) however yours sound like they may be a bit more severe. As several others mentioned I think that you ran into a dealership with poor customer service. The problems with the truck are minor and shouldn't be a hassle to fix as you described. Look at the bright side. You bought a Toyota it has decades of life left and it's going to hold it's resale value like no other vehicle on the market. Good luck luck with your issues I suggest finding a new dealership if possible.

 

lol yeah. and OP, sorry for your misfortune. i had never owned a nice vehicle till my taco, so there could be a flock of birds chirping away in my AC and a small midget tap dancing under my hood before i noticed some of those things you mentioned and decided to complain about. hope your luck gets better.

 

OP i suggest getting a new dealership, that one sounds like it's the definition of SUCK.

 

On track:

All the problems are minor, and fixed, but I just expect more for $32k. I could see the issues on their base models, but with the reputation the Tacoma has, I expected more from the TRD top of the line whatever.

And this place doesn't help..now all I wanna do is lift and mod and fix Toyota's downfalls. I can't return a modded truck. Looks like I'm going to have to spend hours and hours on here coming up with new ideas. I just got my Weathertech mats in the mail. Have an appt to price exhausts right after I pick up my truck from the shop tomorrow.

And the rental car I got...a Nissan Frontier...REALLY!!!

 

So how does the Nissan compare? My 08 Prerunner is the is my last Toyota. Too much time at the dealer with the same problems over & over & over.......

 

Majority of those complaints are petty and have nothing to do with the quality of the vehicle (you seriously complained about tire pressure?). Mine has had one issue that ended up not smattering since I wanted a lift anyway: weak rear springs. Other than that, I have 62k miles and no problems.

Good luck.

 

Sounds like you need a new dealer. Bitching for a rental for 2 hours for the heater fan repair is ridiculous. I can pull the heater fan, disassemble it, lube it, re-assemble, reinstall and have a beer in that kind of time. A straight up re&re should take like 15 minutes tops. It's 3 screws and a plug-in.

 

Your 'from the dealer' list may be viewed in a positive light - maybe you got such a steal of a deal on the truck that they sabotaged it? Lol, it's more likely they were just dumb and didn't bother checking before delivery...

The problems that 'came about' sound pretty bad too - namely a windshield whistle louder than the radio at volume 50! Assuming you have the JBL, that is NOT quiet at all!

I'd have been furious if I dealt with any of that let alone all of it if I were you. I also have a Double Cab (built in Baja "California" aka Mexico), but it's a long-bed and I have had no problems to report (knock on wood) for 12,5xx miles!

I'm glad to hear it's all resolved for now and I wish you better luck in the future with your Taco Truck!

P.S. Lol on getting a Nissan Frontier as a rental - they must be like the Chevy HHRs/Nissan Cubes, nobody buys them, so companies rent them out instead.

 

Minor Problems?

 

The early Yotas were much better then they are now...IMO

 

Isn't that the truth, the clutch squeak! I also have driven a toyota product since 1987 but hey at least Toyota steps up to the plate more than other mfgs. I hear it at work all the time. Every brand has its nuances. Good luck with your new truck.

 

i have the ac squeak and the engine tick while under acceleration, tick is normal and ac can be fixed

 

Toyota's quality has definitely slipped.