How to get dealer to fix intermittent problems

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hi,



We have a 2007 RAV4 Limited which has a few intermittent problems such as the display going wacky when ejecting/inserting a CD and a noise in the cabin when at a stop. The service department can not duplicate these problems (of course) but we did our research and know that there are TSBs to fix them.



How do we get the dealer to fix them? They said they need to actually see or experience the problem before they will do anything. We mentioned that we could take a picture of the display when it acts up and they said that was not good enough.



This is the dealer that we bought the RAV4 from. If we bring the RAV4 to another Toyota dealer, will we have better luck?



Thanks.

2

All you have to do is to get the Toyota Zone Representative involved. Contact information should be in your Owner’s Manual.

3

I second calling the Zone rep and raising a little heck. In my case, the radio/cd changer display started intermittently failing a few weeks after I bought a 2006 Sienna. The dealer immediately ordered a replacement unit for the van, no questions asked.

Ed B.

4

Since the vehicle would still be under warranty, and since you should have paperwork with your complaint on it (if not, you’d better make sure you do) the dealer is required to make the warranty repair regardless of when the warranty ends. Keep hassling the dealer until the problems get fixed.

5

My wife said there is no zone rep listed in the owner?s manual or the warranty manuals. The warranty manual says to contact Toyota Customer Service, which she did. Toyota Customer Service opened a case number and referred us to a customer relations manager, who is actually somebody from the same dealership we purchased the RAV4 from (in Connecticut)! She is still waiting for a call back which should happen today.

We have the paperwork from the work order - is that enough? I mentioned to the service rep who took our list of problems that since we mentioned the problem before the warranty was up that we should be covered after it is over. He said not as far as he knew.

Thanks for your help.

6

The work order copy should be enough to substantiate a pre-existing problem, if needed. While I think the customer service rep should know that and confirm it for you, the law is on your side if this situation gets ugly. check your Toyota warranty booklet; I also think you have the right to have any Toyota dealership fix the problem, and you don’t have to use the one you purchased from. You don’t have to be “out of area” to decide to do this, if you don’t obtain satisfaction from this dealer.

7

I tend to side with the customer on these kind of complaints because its easy for the dealer to just say they cannot duplicate so tough noogies. But, I can also see a way people could play this to their advantage. All I have to do is complain about my transmission not shifting properly during the warranty period, have them look it over and say, no problem found. When it fails down the road, I pull out my work order and claim it’s pre-existing. There has to be some middle ground…

8

I worked for a company providing OEM warranty radio service for GM,Ford,Chrysler,all the customer had to do was describe the problem we did not need to see it.We realized these things can be intermittent.Unit replaced
About your cabin noise does your TSB explain this?Does the TSB state the concern could be intermittent?Will the Advisor go on a drive with you,you are the one who can best demonstrate the correct conditions.

9

I agree with you that the situation can be abused. However, it is not clear they have even tried on the CD player issue. I would agree cabin noise can be extremely difficult to track down. The CD player issue should duplicate itself over time and they need to keep the car long enough, and test it enough. If they don’t want to do that, replacement now could be done.