The Consumer Complaints Blog

Toyota Canada demonstrates what a terrible company they are.

I have a 2001 first generation Prius. We bought it new, are the first and only owners, and keep it serviced at Toyota Dealers-first Richmond Open Road Toyota and then Granville Toyota, near our home.

Except for the car’s odd over-sensitivity to set off engine warning lights if the gas cap isn’t quite closed, and a tendency to fire off all the alarms during a cold spell, we have been happy.
But not so with Toyota Canada. Our car was re-ended in downtown Vancovuer in August 2009. It sustained quite a bit of damage-suprisingly, and my daughter and her partner were knocked about. The collison repair people removed the bumper to discover that the bumper was simply a hollow shell. The bolts were clean, indicating no rebar had ever been installed, nor had foam to absorb the impact. The insurance company paid for the repair costs and injuries, but would not pay to repair the bumper’s missing parts-rebar and foam -since they weren’t there to begin with. I contacted the dealer, Open Road Toyota, and they told me to bring in the paper work when I picked up the car and they would contact Toyota Canada. I did and then proceded to be jerked around by Toyota Canada for months.

First, two weeks after I contacted the dealer and Toyota Canada, they wanted the bumper (despite the insurance and collison repair photos and my early contact with the dealer, they wanted the old shell of the bumper. the repair shop had recycled it and neither the dealer nor Toyota Canada had indicated that the bumper should be kept. )

Second, they had to run it all by the legal department.
I reasonably asked that they check into the car and examine it for safety/. Was the car properly built-for example, was the front bumper complete with the specified rebar and foam? the door panels? Toyota Canada replied that since my 7 year purchased full warranty had expired, they had absolutely no obligation to look into that. If I was concerned about the car, I would have to pay to have it looked at. Presumably, I was to guess whether it was safe to drive. After a few weeks of pointless conversations with Toyota Canada and “Mike” at 1-888- Toyota 8 local 3361 should anyone wish to call Mike from Toyota Canada-I called Open Road and the service manager offered to take off the door panels and bumper to check that the car was safe. He seemed suprised Toyota Canada hadn’t immediately arranged that, and agreed the concern was valid.

Second, Toyota Canada via Mike informed me they would reimburse me for the costs of the rebar and foam in my new bumper (800 plus dollars) as a good will gesture if i would sign a release absolving Toyota Canada of any future claims by me or by anyother party. In essence, this meant that I would be sued by the Insurance corporation should they decide to pursue the incident because the car itself was unsafe and shouldn’t have been on the road.
Mike agrued that Toyota couldn’t proved (substitute my name here) that the bumper was a Toyota bumper. This despite the photographs taken at the collison repair shop, the insurance appraisers’ reports, the unblemished service record from Toyota dealers who presumably can’t tell a toyota bumper and paint job from a fake bumper in all the year the car, the tires, and even the battery have been subject to their service technicians ministrations.
Even the service technicians, both Prius trained, were stunned by Toyota Canada’s attitude and refusal to check over the car.

So I want to be clear I am not out of pocket-ICBC will not pursue a law suit against me-the Richmond Open Road Toyota Dealer service department was lovely and checked out the car for free.

But I find the treatment by Toyota Canada and their complete lack of concern for whether their cars are safe despite what was an obvious manufacturer’s defect astounds me.
There comment that the warranty had expired in 2008 and so they had absolutely no reason to look at the car was shocking.

My only consolation is that among my family, my adult children’s families, my brothers, sisters, inlaws and cousins we own 23 Toyotas-camrays, priuses, echoes, Rav4s, two vans and even a convertible.

And as a close knit group with a shared sense of outrage, none of us will buy another, despite a fondness for the cars (dating, in my case, back to the early Tercel). We vow to become a Honda family, extended.

I believe Toyota makes good cars, that Mike (at local 3361) is a pleasant human being, but that Toyota Canada doesn’t take any corporate responsibility to make sure their cars and their consumers driving the cars, are safe. They are a bad company.

My advice is, buy another manufacturers’ product. or if you buy a Toyota, realize you are on your own.

Disclaimer
This article was submitted by one of our readers. Penciltrick cannot make any claims as to its authenticity but the article was accepted on a good faith belief that it is an accurate and truthful account of the events listed.