Car was broken in to. Thieves tried to start it by sticking a pair of scissors into the ignition. Ignition was damaged, so car wouldn’t start. I had it towed to nearest dealership. Went to pick it up a couple of days later only to find out that dealership had lost the keys (door and new ignition key). They had a locksmith come out and make new keys. I picked up the car a couple of days later and drove out off the lot. Drove half a block, and all the warning lights on the dash came on, so I turned around and went back. They insisted it was nothing they had done, so I left again. A couple of miles down the road the car died. Do you think the problem is with the replacement ignition unit, something the locksmith did… or…
I can’t help but first ask why you are bringing a nearly 25 yr old car to a dealership? To each his/her own, but - well, it’s odd.
There are two different parts to worry about. One is the lock cylinder that the key goes into. The other is the ignition switch itself. The dealership probably only replaced the cylinder, but mangling that was done with the scissors may have damaged the ignition switch itself.
What does the invoice give you for parts? Does it specifically say that the ignition switch itself was replaced?
Assuming you’ve left nothing out of your report, yes, the warning lights and engine conking out problem is probably related to the theft incident. Whether it is the lock cylinder, the ignition switch, or something unrelated to the ignition switch will likely require further testing. The scissors may have been used to cut other wires for example, in frustration that the scissors in lock didn’t work. I’m sort of surprise the thieves thought it would, but that’s another matter. Since all the lights came on, it should be fairly easy for an inde shop (choose one that specializes in Toyotas) to determine what all is wrong.