Caffeine

I do have a new front end with the exception of the pitman arms and the tie rods ... I'm getting sick of sinking money into the front end (especially since I kept it stock). Luckly the dealer turned me away when I brought my truck down for the recall (they forgot to order the parts).

Paul H.

I called the dealer and made an appointment to get this done. have to wait till next week. he did tell me that they have been having problems with frozen tie rod ends and that they have had to hacksaw some off. this has happened about 40% of the time. He said that Toyota will not cover the ends if this happens and if it does happen with mine that is all I will have to pay for. Will wait and see.

UKMyers

UPDATE #2 Got the rig dropped off today...had to get a buddies help to get there.. we both missed lunch. I was told by the service manager if I got it there before noon they would have it out today no problem. 5pm rolls around I call and they say it will be ready right at 630pm at closing....crap...oh and BTW the courtesy shuttle stops running at 530! She says oh while I got you here let me let me tell you the parts cost. $248! After I cussed for a minute off the phone I ask how on earth did you get that from two tie rod ends. Turns out they are telling me that everything was seized solid so they put on tie rod ends, tie rods, and the adjusters. So ya right about now I'm fuming. I just had an alignment done 14 months ago with no problems. My truck was in Oklahoma all summer where it was nice and dry. I have a hard time believing that all that stuff rusted solid in a little over a year. I think they were pissed that they had to do the job for no labor so they shafted me for a couple more parts I didnt need. I called the service manager directly again totally pissed and she said they would show me the parts and even give them to me. I then ask her how she expects me to get down there to get it... I just moved here and don't really know anybody yet... they guy that I made miss his lunch hour was just somebody I work with..... well I guess she is making the shuttle guy stay longer or something because she said they would be there to get me......uh.... okay rant off... As soon as the runner get's home safe time for some brewha for sure... 50N service campaign=$1681 :pat:

tc

Hate to say I told ya so....

File that complaint with Toyota ASAP - apparently the review process takes forever. (see update in other thread)

UKMyers

Ya but what do I really have to dispute? They did this last job for no labor...just sucks not knowing how much of all this I really needed...without having tearing into it myself.

jimstoy

Several guys here in Wenatchee have gotten this done I haven't heard any complaints out of them, except Toyota telling them about all the things they would be happy to fix.

94-RUNNER

Follow tc's advice ! File a claim with Toyota. I wound up having to take my Runner to another Stealership and having them do an alignment. I didn't trust the first one to try and do it right a third time. Toyota is going to reimburse me for the alignment all though it is going to take almost 2 months. By the way the first Stealership said that they did a complete alignment and the second said that only the toe had been set !
You have nothing to lose by following it up with Toyota but MONEY !

tc

At least the tie rod assemblies - not to put too fine a point on it, but would they have even had to be touched if Toyota had a sufficient design? No. You said yourself they were good enough to be aligned not long ago.

Toyota screwed up, it took them 10+ years to figure it out, and now ancillary parts have to be replaced because they can not be effectively removed.

Sorry for the rant, but the whole deal has me pissed as hell! TOYOTA AND THEIR DEALERS ARE HANDLING THIS HORRIBLY AND IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON MY FUTURE CAR BUYING DECISIONS!

Marc P

I am suprised this recall even went through. Why should Toyota need to fix a 10+ year old vehicle for free?

They did mine no problem, and set the toe. That is the only adjustment needed when replacing that steering bar.

Sounds like this is a pretty isolated issue. I hope you get it resolved easily.

UKMyers

Well the final bill was $231 and some change. They swapped out the entire tie rod assemblies. I'm sure they were stubborn to get it apart but had it been me working on it I'm sure I could have gotten them apart with a little finese. My Dad is a 40+ year now retired mechanic and I think he hit the nail right on when he said "These guys anymore are just parts changers...they don't even know how to actually fix something" Had I not had this recall done they would have not had to touch my tie rods and I would have not had to spend the $230 bucks..these are the facts.. guess it's time to get ahold of Toyota.

94-RUNNER

A lot of the times with some dealers it is sad but true, that is the way they operate. I also was a tech for many years myself and over the years as I am sure that your father saw the transition from diagnostic repair procedures to determine the problem to just plain part swapping till the think they solved the problem, but the problem with that is it is at the consumers expense with no regard to doing the job right the first time and to retain an honest reputation. The good ole days like when your father and I were techs are no longer there in most cases.

Paul H.

Well, dropped mine off today. A little worried, but hopefully I'll have good news tomorrow.

cootees

I see you are irritated with them and I understand why. But when you look at the facts they probably would have charged about $200 plus to install those spindle bushings and your brakes alone. So if anything you probably came out a good bit ahead just think of it as all those parts you got were freebies and you were paying for your original labor.

Paul, Good luck with yours. I took mine in and told them straight up when I dropped it off that I did not want anything but the recall done. So they did just that, had it done by the time they said they would and didn't even come at me with a list of things that needed fixed.

UKMyers

I'm not sure I get what your saying. I spent $1433 dollars to get them brakes and spindle bushings installed.. that's sure as heck not free!! The $231 was an additional charge I had to pay after taking it back to them because they sent me out the door without aligning it the first time.

cootees

oh, wow. I thought you meant they gave you free labor all together and left you with a bill of only $231. I misunderstood you. I would definately try to get some of that back then if I were you.

snap-on

a quick recap of my horor story, Took mine in, they said they aligned it, mmmm no... took it back the next day "we really aligned it this time"... left for a 1000mile road trip, ends up scrubbing off the entire tread on the inside half of my front tires because they are 1.5 deg OUT on toe!... I take it back, ask for a real alignment, and replacement tires. Dealership says no, I take it to my mechanic he aligns it and digs up to used 31's. I write the dealership an ugly letter, i get a check in the mail some 2 weeks later.

For the hassle the recal wasnt even close the headach it caused me.

UKMyers

What a bunch of crap... Here's my reply from Toyota

We apologize for the service concerns you experienced at Fairfield Toyota.

We are committed to providing quality service at Toyota dealerships to meet our customers’ various needs. Toyota dealership technicians receive extensive training, and use state-of-the-art equipment in order to obtain timely and accurate diagnoses. Our goal is to serve our customers in the most professional and efficient manner.

It is very difficult for us to hear stories such as yours. As a manufacturer since we are not present, we are unable to intervene in the service department operations. When you take your vehicle to a Toyota dealership, you are working with an independent business of Toyota. Of course we expect the dealerships to conduct business in a professional and courteous manner. It is also up dealership management to resolve all issues, and we cannot force them into any action.

Please accept our apologies for this situation and for any inconvenience you have experienced. If you wish to discuss the matter in more detail, we encourage you to contact the Customer Relations Manager at your Toyota dealership; we feel confident that he or she will address your concerns in a courteous and professional manner.

It is through correspondence such as yours that we are able to continue to improve Toyota dealership services, and we sincerely appreciate the time you have taken to bring this matter to our attention.

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Your email is documented at our National Headquarters under file #

cootees

Wow, I bet they have never reused that e-mail.

I say skip the e-mail and write a letter... keep writing a letter until they do something. Do the same to the dealership as well.

bike4miles

I'm not taking mine in. I figure a lot of toys have gone 300k without this part ever braking and I only have 175k. I don't have enough cash to deal with it. My alignment is PERFECT and I want it to say that way..

Boaz

I agree with you there Bike4miles. If it ain't broke don't fix it. It seems like this recall is the proverbial "Can o Worms" for some people.