Truck towed- 3rd time

About this time last year my 2017 DCSB Sportwas towed to the dealership- check engine and tac off light on, engine dies on acceleration. They replaced half the fuel injectors and gave me back the truck. Couple months later (April) same thing, this time died on me in traffic, would restart, die on acceleration, same lights on dash again. Managed to limp it off the road by feathering the gas pedal to keep the engine running enough to get into a parking lot. Towed to Toyota- they keep it a week, had the big guns at Toyota involved, ended up replacing the ECU. Jump forward to yesterday. Was shopping, got in truck, started up fine, on my way through parking lot, truck stumbled, engine and tac light come on, engine died. Managed to get it into a parking space before it died. Started it back up, hit the accelerator and engine repeating an up and down surging then died. Called hubby to come get me, called Toyota to let them know it was coming... again... called AAA. Might add I have about 49,000 miles on it now, and Toyota does all the service on it. Have heard nothing today, but we are experiencing epic rains and flooding today, so to be truthful wasn’t expecting to hear anything anyway. Will have hubby drive me there tomorrow and ask for a loaner. Have had many Toyota vehicles over the years, but this is the only one Ive ever had towed.... I am not in the position to trade vehicles right now, but am now leery of this truck. I have to drive 600 miles one way every couple months to my Moms, and scheduled to be there the end of this month. I love this truck, but not very happy with it today......

 

Yeah they whip out the parts canon and fire away when they don’t know how to correctly diagnose the problem.

 

Wow. Do you qualify for a lemon law buyback in your state?

 

I hate that techs do this now. I want them to solve the issue, not throw shit at it till it works again.

It hurts the dealerships reputation, and it costs toyota extra money in warranty work, and it costs the dealer money in repeat repair costs.

 

They seriously replaced half of the injectors?

 

They obviously just threw part at it to try to fix it. Trying for lemon would be a good bet if your state it good with that, but I'm gonna bet it's gonna be hard unless the dealership is on your side. You have a uncommon lemon problem, I hope it doesn't turn you off to Toyota, but dang I would be a bit annoyed. Fortunately you are under power train warranty, but I would be very lery of letting the issue go any longer without getting a finalized solution, personally I wouldn't be comfortable driving a vehicle like that. I would get a different dealer unless yours really is fighting for you.

 

What state are you in?

 

Fuel pump.

There is a recall for certain Tacoma's and other Toyota vehicles.

 

Possible CPS sensor or fuel pump problem?there is a recall on many Toyota vehicles including Taco+Tundra for fuel pump causing engine stalling.

 

I concur. Most likely the fuel pump or CPS sensor.

 

Have you tried a reputable auto diagnostics shop? The good ones do a much more in depth dive into what's going on than a typical dealer tech.

You'd have to pay for it out of pocket obviously, but perhaps Toyota corporate can split the bill or reimburse you for it. Worth a shot IMO. Sometimes its worth paying a little money and knowing you definitively solved the problem, especially if it has been lingering for a long time.

 

I think current recall is for 2018+ trucks?

 

That makes sense fuel pump is a huge issue in those, although I would push for a further warranty since they thought the other things were also wrong with it.

 

Intermittent stalling is hard to diagnosed and they shouldn’t give the truck back until they recreate the problem but I’d be willing to bet it something stupid like a faulty fuel filter.

 

I was at dealer Monday for TSS recall. I was told Toyota has no resolution for fuel pump (recall) as of yet. To quote Gomer Pyle… Surprise, surprise....

 

what state your in is very important

 

Tennessee

 

I would consult a reputable lemon law attorney in TN before I did anything. The consultation should be at no charge.


What Exactly is a Lemon Under Tennessee Law?

A nonconformity that "substantially impairs" a vehicle -- renders a vehicle unsafe, unreliable, or valued lower than its average resale market value -- is considered a lemon. The manufacturer, through the dealership, has a duty to repair any nonconformities. If the same nonconformity has been worked on at least three times without remedy, or if the vehicle is out of service for more than 30 days, it is subject to the terms of Tennessee lemon law.

 

Dealerships have no reputation anyhow. They don't pay their techs enough money, and there is no loyalty to the dealership, and the customer. All of this happened more than a decade ago and it won't come back. It's all about units out the door, and keeping the customer moving. Customers tapping their foot, and their cell phones made that happen. We learned that at Firestone. Throw a part so they can move on to killing the world, one tweet at a time. Lol
Zim

 

I agree. Now it’s all about the bottom line, customer be damned.