Leaking 3rd brake light. Platinum coverage?

Yup. Known issue with a TSB. Truck is apparently only water tight for 3 years.

 

Don't buy it from that dealer. Order it online.

TOYOTA SUCKS BALLS for not covering this safety hazard.

 

I'm currently fighting with them over this as well, only mine has a stress crack. I've found identical pics on this forum of the same crack. I'm waiting for the Toyota field rep to make a determination. I'm still within the warranty period though.

The stress crack is from overtightening. All of the picks I've found start in the middle of the lens where the studs are on the back and go toward the top arched corner of the light and also crack the gasket. The shit thing is it leaked a tiny amount before and I had it on my list to get fixed soon. It apparently cracked in the past couple of weeks and now I get to fight about it.

My current options if it is not covered is to attempt to get a goodwill free light and do the labor myself or turn into comprehensive insurance with a $250 deductible and get some extra steam cleaning out of it.

 

I have the 8yr/125K Platinum warranty and had no issues getting it all fixed, zero cost to me.

 

How did it go from $1800 to $400 ? I would never but some have stated that they just ran a bead of silicon or something around the brake light , just saying up to you .

 

Guess it depends on the dealership. Thought $450 was ridiculous but others seem to have it worse.

 

OP, you need to buy Meso 3rd brake light!

Once they are back in stock, that is... Me waiting below.

 

I would buy aftermarket if Toyoda denied my claim. They don't deserve any more $$ after this crap.

 

Is this the same dealership that sold you the Ext warranty?

Is this a situation where a different dealership/ service rep would be worth a try?

 

Updating this post with more data that hopefully gives anyone else with this issue some hope. I have a 16, I found the leak after I had aged out of 3/36 because the truck sits in the garage every night, rarely ever drove it in rain and I hand washed it. I had tried to seal it myself because I initially didn't even want to hassle with trying to get Toyota to goodwill repair it out of warranty and saw some of the other posts here with people getting legitimate claims denied, but the seal didn't hold and with an upcoming week long road trip this summer, did not want to deal with this issue anymore especially with my daughter's car seat back there now. Note that I didn't get any extended warranty, only the factory warranties and I service the truck myself so it has only been to the dealership for the ToyotaCare free oil changes and the blower motor recall. I literally was probably more of a long shot than most on here but I gave it a try anyway expecting nothing.

I actually started by raising a case with Toyota (1-800-331-4331). Mentioned as politely and calmly that I could that I had this issue, that I was out of warranty by age but by mileage not too far (42k), that I was concerned about mold buildup with my young daughter sitting back there now, and how irritated I was that the dealers nor Toyota refuse to send notice to affected VINs when TSBs get issued (we all know why they don't) and that I was inquiring to see if Toyota would be able to offer any financial assistance. The Toyota rep had me take it to a dealer for an official diagnosis (I picked Texas Toyota Grapevine in Dallas because I bought from there) and I gave the dealer my case number when I dropped it off, and was hands off from there. The Toyota rep worked with the dealer directly to confirm the issue was related to the TSB and to estimate the costs so they could make a decision on any offer they would extend. I was totally expecting a back and forth because I figured Toyota would make some half ass offer, but to my surprise their first offer was to cover parts and labor and that I'd be responsible for tax and shop supplies. As hard nosed as I initially was about getting Toyota to pay for it all considering it was an issue the truck had from the factory, I was so shocked at how easy it was that I accepted the offer. From the initial call to Toyota to picking up the truck today was 2 weeks. When I picked up the truck today, I got another surprise when the dealer decided to cover tax and shop supplies as well, so I genuinely paid $0 for a $695 repair and I'm out of warranty. Obviously, the fact that there was a TSB for this significantly helped my chances here.


Lessons Learned:
-Obviously your choice of dealer will affect your outcomes here, but I was pleasantly surprised by how understanding and accommodating the corporate brand reps were, so if you're in this boat, try them first, then pick a dealer in your area for the diagnosis
-Never again will I buy the first model year of a new generation vehicle. I had a first MY FRS that also had a bunch of TSBs and teething issues so you'd think I would've learned my lesson then

 

I believe you're just low on light fluid.

 

So based on this tsb only 2016-2018 models are susceptible? Or is there another tsb for other years?

 

Yeah, once the TSB came out all trucks at the factory came with the revised part, the REV 2 of the TSB has a production change effective VIN range, if your VIN is before that then it has the old part and most likely has this problem. Interestingly, the part they used on my truck (81570-04051, $161.72 list price FYI) supersedes the revised part number on the TSB, not sure if they actually changed it again or if its just a SKU change in their parts inventory system.

I was originally going to buy the part and replace it myself, but once I realized how much of a PITA it was to get to the bolts that hold the light onto the body, I decided to try and get the dealer to do it first.