Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
How many folks here have had a new car with issues that the dealership either could not or would not resolve?
Me! 2005 Toyota Tacoma bought brand new. Biggest piece of [censored] I have ever had and worst dealer base and car company overall I have ever seen.
Not only wouldn't the dealer do anything about the myriad of problems that plagued that vehicle( real problems not imagined )but neither would the car mfg! The area rep who was supposed to be involved wouldn't come to the dealer to do his job and he wouldn't return phone calls either. Tried calling Toyota directly and they kept telling me to deal with the dealer or the rep. When I said neither one would do anything they said oh well( basically ).
I had it 7.5 months. Had problems with EVERYTHING!
Tires( Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 )wouldn't balance and made the vehicle shake like an earth quake. They would only replace them with another set of the same and they did it too and then they would not do any more. Said it was fine. yeah right. Hold a bottle of cream as you drove down the higwhay and in about 10 miles you would have butter! Tires were also scary dangerous in any kind of wet/slippery conditions. I ended up replacing them on my dime with good tires.
Brakes. Did not provide adequate stopping power under normal driving never mind towing. I had to really pay attention and start stopping WAY before you should have to. Can't count the times I wound up almost hitting someone because the brakes just wouldn't stop the vehicle. Squealed ALL THE TIME as well.
Engine noises. Rap's and clatters that were not fuel injectors, pulley's, etc... Not normal. Basically top end starved for oil noise. Was there at idle and under load. Being selective with oil filter brands and the oil itself helped some. I was not alone with this complaint but as is typical with Toyota( and most car mfg's )it was deny deny deny. I would not be surprised if that engine failed within a year or two( max )after I got rid of it.
Engine surge. This was made even worse by the poor brakes. You would be sitting there at a stop sign/light with the engine idling, waiting to go, and all of a sudden the RPM's would spike to 2000+ and you would jump forward. I finally had to start shifting into N at all stops if I expected to have to wait more than a second or two before being able to go. Was in the vehicle when a tech saw it happen and he STILL tried to tell me it was normal and not a problem.
Composite bed cracked going over a bump. Sounded like a gun shot going off. I pulled over and looked to see what happened and found the big crack. They said I overloaded the bed so no coverage which was bull. Never hauled anything heavier than a 150lbs snow blower( once )and that was on a heavy rubber bed mat. Other than the big crack the bed was spotless as well so clearly not user inflicted.
More rattles/squeaks/clunks/whistles than a 30 year old car! Body( cab )mounts, leaf spring bushings, windshield seal, door weather stripping, and on and on. EVERYTHING made noise constantly inside and out.
MAJOR paint issues( rust, chipping, and peeling ). This is the biggest gripe I have of any of it. The paint job was HORRENDOUS and was a real problem for 2005 and even 2006 on some colors( mine was one ). Found a paint peel along the bottom of the driver's front door, just THREE DAYS after buying it, while waxing. Dealer made ME buy touch up paint! Over the next few months I found more paint peeling and it began too chip like mad. Also started seeing rust appear. Dealer claimed they couldn't do anything about paint issues without authorization( fair enough ). MULTIPLE calls to the area rep and Toyota directly between Nov and Feb trying to get that miserable rotten rep to the dealer to look at the truck and authorize a paint job. He wouldn't call me back, he wouldn't call the dealer back( so they say ), and Toyota corporate would not make him nor get involved and help me.
That was it. I had enough. I should have gone Lemon Law on them but just wanted out of that turd on wheels ASAP so I visited the new Chevy dealership owned by the same family that owns the Dodge dealership my family has dealt with for decades. They made me a great deal so I traded the Tacoma on a new Silverado( Ext Cab LS 4WD 5.3L )that was 10X's the truck for the same money and even got the same MPG pretty much( within 1.5 MPG average but just as good highway ). What gets me is I paid more for that piece of [censored] Tacoma than I did the Dodge Ram( Quad Cab SLT 4WD 5.7L )I had before it and that Ram was a million times the vehicle in quality, reliability, and performance.
I made the mistake of panicking when gas prices spiked after Katrina and sold the Ram and got the Tacoma. Worst mistake I have ever made. I will NEVER buy a Toyota again. Hands down worst company and dealer base I have ever dealt with. After I sold that turd on wheels I wrote to Toyota corporate and spelled out all the problems and how angry I was. Not one single word in response from them. They just forwarded the letter back to the dealer. Unbelievable.
I know this was long and qualifies as a rant but I wanted people to understand just how bad things were and I got ZERO assistance from the dealer( or the other local dealer - next closest was an hour+ away; one way ). The area rep and the mfg themselves also would do NOTHING! Want a laugh? That dealer to this day still sends me mail and even tries to call and get me to come back and buy another Toyota.
