How to deal with Toyota corporate?

Hello all,
So here’s my situation. I have a 14 Baja, you can see mods in my signature. The other day, Friday the 13th, I was driving in traffic and shifted into 4th, and I heard and felt a boom, the truck still was driving so I pulled over to look at everything thing and nothing was wrong visually so keep on my way. Then when I was on the interstate I downshifted to 4th again and another boom! Now the truck is fucked, it’s like I’m in neutral in all the gears. I take in to Toyota and they say I sheared the clutch plate.
They won’t cover it because it’s a wear iteam 3/36 warranty. They start listing my mods of a smaller sc pulley and bigger tires as the cause. Of course I’m gonna fight this but I was wondering if anyone had experience dealing with Toyota corporate to give me some pointers?
I also don’t see the clutch disc shearing as being a wear issue, sounds like a defective part to me.

 

I forgot to mention the truck only has 35k miles on it and Toyota put a clutch in it at 3900 miles due to a faulty slave that was leaking on it.

 

Link missing...

Here it is though: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-member-checking-in-from-denver.476144/

 

It's not uncommon for the stock clutch to go out early on supercharged Tacomas...you're not the first one this has happened to. All that extra power/torque puts a lot more strain on the stock clutch, it wasn't really designed for that especially if you have a heavy foot and like to push the RPMs. Time to upgrade to a stage 2 or 3 clutch from URD.

Sorry to say but you'll never get Toyota to cover a clutch replacement, there's just too much room for them to say that it was due to the driver and the added power modifications. The clutch is a wear item and will only last so long, especially on a supercharged Taco.

 

So you added bigger tires that put more stress on the driveline, you added a different pulley for more power that puts more stress on the sideline and when it causes issues your shocked? Toyota will be doing nothing for you.

 

OP look into getting this upgrade, or the stage 2 version...

https://www.urdusa.com/urd-stage-3-clutch-for-1gr-fe-4-0l-v6-w6-speed-transmission/

 

This doesn't make any sense. Why replace the clutch for a leaking slave cylinder???

Also don't expect much as it is a wear item. If I were Toyota I would not cover it either.

 

Question is, are you in warranty or not? Seems like you're past the 36 months, even if under on mileage? If you're not in warranty........

Frankly I don't even know just what that means. And I've seen a few damaged/worn out clutches and flywheels.

Maybe. We don't know exactly what shear means yet (or I don't) But if it's out of warranty..............

Not only do I not understand how that happened (getting the friction material contaminated) I'm not sure why that matters 31k later. Unless the replacement action extended the warranty past the std 36/36 and you have that in writing.

Not trying to downplay your situation.

Just trying to clarify the details. 'Dealing with corporate' will get you no where if you are not covered by some form of warranty.

And yes, in general a clutch is a wear item, only covered by warranty in some extenuating circumstances.

Personally I'd be saving my breath with Toyota, finding a quality independent shop, and looking for a nice clutch package upgrade to enjoy my SC with.

 

Yep you are buying a clutch on this one. No manufacturer is going to cover a clutch. Even at 1k miles and a month old that would be a tough one to get them to cover. It might have been a faulty part but it's not worth wasting your time trying to fight.

 

Thanks guys!
I know the clutch is a weakness but its never slipped on me. Being a mile high I’m still under power and boost then those at sea level. Also the clutch didn’t wear out, it sheared at the hub. This is what leaves me with concerns about what caused all this. If I was hooning it and clutch drops I would take my toy home and change the clutch, but I wasn’t. This is why I’m concerned that something else caused it.

 

Yep, Once a dealer has to list your mods your screwed.

 

Have you had the dreaded chirp in the tail shaft? I would check to see if that is cracked. I had the MT in my 07 and have been driving a stick my whole life and almost smoked it at 20k backing over a sidewalk. I was like "shit this thing has a weak clutch". I had to put the truck into four wheel drive and bounce it up over the curb because the clutch was spinning and the wheels were not turning.

One of the reasons I went with the AT in the 2011.

 

May have. However, you still haven't clarified. Are you in or out of warranty?

If out, it matters not (to Toyota) what or how it happened.

 

It’s a 14’ in the 5/60 power train warranty but out of the 3/36 everything warranty. This truck has been to the dealer 4 times for clutch “problems” since new. The first time they replaced the clutch. I understand that the clutch is not covered in the 5/60, my concern is that the clutch plate sheared from the hub/broke the fuck off, and I want to know why and what was at fault. Like I said before if I was dumping the clutch and beating on it I would understand, I wasn’t and this is what concerns me.

 

This might sound stupid but has the truck been to a shop or has anyone else driven it lately? I have seen plenty of techs trash something like a clutch "testing" a vehicle. A taco with a SC would be ripe for this sort of thing.

 

I'm betting it happened from the extra torque being applied, something in the assembly just couldn't take the added pressure and broke causing the failure. Sorry I can't be more detailed but I've read of numerous accounts of this happening with stock clutch assemblies on boosted Tacomas, particularly turbo'ed ones but still.

I remember reading of one guy on here with a 1st gen Tacoma and a turbo'ed 5VZE putting out something like 12lbs of boost or more, he went to shift after riding the RPMs up toward redline and his flywheel blew apart and went through the bell housing...destroyed everything in it's path. Just too much power for the stock clutch assembly.

 

Yeah it was at the dealer last month for a chirping throw out bearing. They where adamant that never touched the clutch, just lubed it!

 

Never heard of lubing a clutch but I would be willing to bet your truck got a solid thrashing at some point in there. You will never be able to prove it but that's why I never leave my truck unattended and always note the mileage.

 

Did the supercharger come with the truck stock, or was it added after?

 

Yeah I’m like that too! Unfortunately I couldn’t be there, but I always note the mileage and they put 4 miles on it. That sounds low but then again all my problems happened in under 10 miles. FML!