Dilemma: 07 Corolla,99kmi., under ECM recall, but no problems yet…do I wait and take chance it might shut off going around mountain road/cliff, or I also hear it can ruin tranny if not replaced. On other hand what if replacement is faulty? And what is this about it shaking after until it adjusts??? Lastly what about Delco vs. Denso part???
just do the recall. i don’t want you to run into me or off a cliff. be safe and just do it. if the part causes problems, it will be replaced for free. you have nothing to lose by changing it.
Do the recall. You don’t know when the current one will go bad, or when. Bite the bullet and go for it.
Recall=free repair
Why not take advantage of a free repair–while it is available and when it is convenient for you–rather than wait for a real problem to show up?
For reasons that I will never be able to fathom, many people seem to envision mechanical/electronic breakdown taking place…in their own driveway…or on the main street of their town, in broad daylight…or, perhaps, right next to a mechanic’s shop.
In reality, a breakdown is more likely to happen…when you are on a highway–possibly while passing 18 wheelers…in a bad part of town, at night…while crossing RR tracks…when you are rushing to a job interview, or the hospital’s ER, or some other vital errand.
I know how I would proceed with this issue, but perhaps I am more risk-averse than the OP.
Thank you, I will schedule the repair and watch them while they do it–it’s all under the glove compartment so they shouldn’t be monkeying around under the hood, right?
Do the recall; we had ours done a few years back. They need the car for only one day, and ours was washed as well when we got it back. There is no time limit on the recall.
Thanks, what about Delco part vs Denso?
“There is no time limit on the recall.”
That is true, but, at some point, the parts may no longer exist.
“I will schedule the repair and watch them while they do it”
Sure…If they allow you in the shop.
Insurance regulations may well prevent you from being, “the fly on the wall”, in the shop area.
they shouldn’t be monkeying around under the hood, right?
A “Free inspection” is rather routine, you should tell them you don’t want the free inspection.
BTW not all ECMs get replaced, the part number and lot number must be inspected and checked with a chart in the recall bulletin.
Toyota does not use Delco parts to my knowledge. Denso is a Japanese supplier who have made parts for Toyota for a very long time. Japanese companies usually have disdain for US products, and avoid them.
You do not get to chose what parts go in; the dealer is told by Toyota which parts get replaced.
Thanks, I have checked the number on the part under glove box against the list – it is to be replaced. And I will watch from where ever – there has to be a window in the shop somewhere! Thanks to all.
Speak with your service advisor about watching the repair. Many shops don’t allow customers in the shop. This is to protect everyone from possible trouble. If they let you in the shop without warning you about possible dangers, you might slip and fall, sue them, and wind up owning the shop!
Not to mention, many of us mechanics tend to get nervous when the customer’s literally looking over our shoulder.
@db4690, the part about a customer getting money over a slip and fall actually happened to a dealer I worked for and it was casual friends of his who did it to him.
Their car was going to be down for several days while waiting on a special order part and the owner walked the husband and wife out in the shop so they could get something out of the glove box. They left without incident and I was present the entire time.
On Friday they were called about their car being ready; they came in, paid the bill, and happily left.
A month or so later my boss gets a letter from an attorney stating that the wife had “tripped over an air hose that was negligently on the shop floor” and was now suffering headaches, etc.
It cost my boss several grand (considerably more than the bill) to make this issue go away and he never saw his casual friend buddies again.
I’m not saying that the OP would do this; only pointing out one good reason why customers should not be allowed in the shop. This could have turned out much worse for the dealer than it did but he was pretty hot about it anyway and I don’t blame him.
Wow. Some “friends.”
With friends like that, who needs enemies?
Speaking of letting customers into the shop, I have 2 funny stories
The first involves me. I was replacing a wiring harness, and it basically entailed gutting the interior, minus the dash. My service advisor decided it was a good idea to show the customer their car in this intermediate condition. When the customer walked in, pretty much the entire interior of the car was next to the car, in several sky-high neat piles. FWIW, the repair went off perfectly, and the problem was resolved.
The second story involves a former colleague. He also had much of the interior out of a car. He may have been doing an evaporator. Anyways, the service advisor brought the customer into the shop, because they wanted to get something out of the glovebox. The mechanic handed the glovebox to the customer.
FlamingoCooper, Was your mother scared by a car dealer before you were born? They don’t really have an agenda to wreck your car. They want to make money from you and most will recommend services and products you don’t need, but there is no profit in messing up a recall.
I have had recalls on various cars that I have owned and at no time did the dealer try to sell me on additional work. The recalls were free and apparently the problem was solved.
The recalls that I remember were
1985 Ford Tempo–possible machining problems of cylinders with certain engines. The check indicated that my engine didn’t have the problem.
1990 Ford Aerostar–ignition switch could cause a fire even when car was parked with the key off. Switch replaced.
2000 Ford Windstar–rear suspension problem. My son had purchased the vehicle from me and was selling it. I advised him to follow through on the recall before the sale.
2011 Toyota Sienna–check for accelerator sticking issue
I believe that I had a recall on the 1993 Oldsmobile 88 I owned, but I don’t remember what the problem was.
At any rate, do the recall.
Thanks for all the advice. As I said, I’ll watch from where I’m safe and legally allowed to stand…I think it is a better idea to get if fixed before a problem and they may “run out” of ECMs…and yes from experience, from family and friends, and from thousands of reviews online which you, too, can look up, that dealership service people work on commissions which has personally lead to “oh, why don’t my brights work and it doesn’t start on the first try the day I after I had the A/C charged…Oh, I brought it in for an oil change and now the idle is revving so high as I drive away…” I don’t think they’ll “mess up” the recall, but it can be a rebuilt piece and how will I know?
You don’t have to watch them. It’s no insurance against random automotive failures. Train your mind to live in peace. If there’s a monkey in the shop, it only changes spark plugs and installs drain plugs during oil changes.