Engine rattle at startup - Toyota REFUSES to fix

Status
Not open for further replies.
I almost sent a letter before but put it off since it seemed like things were headed in the right direction. I'm going to try to get the facts straight from the corporate rep. tomorrow. When we spoke over the phone he mentioned that his notes indicated that I had in fact spoken with the engineer, which is absolutely not the case for the aforementioned reason that I was told it was impossible for me to do so. I'll write a letter once I have all the facts since I'm very unhappy at the way this was handled.
 
Well I decided I am going to fix our RAV4 as well. If they are willing to do it, then why not. The noise does not sound good or normal, and the service manager's "word" that it will run forever like that does not mean squat. The job isn't all that bad...pull the intake and valve covers, remove timing chain and cams, then change the intake VVT sprocket. At least this way if there is a problem there is documentation I had them address it. If you refuse the repair and it fails, they will say they offered a fix!
 
I looked at buying a Toyota Rav4 this month and I'm glad I did not buy it as it seems Toyota is still having all kinds of quality problems. I bought a Honda CRV and I'm very happy I did over the Toyota.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I looked at buying a Toyota Rav4 this month and I'm glad I did not buy it as it seems Toyota is still having all kinds of quality problems. I bought a Honda CRV and I'm very happy I did over the Toyota.


The RAV4 has been an excellent car...so far better than my Accord. This is just a minor annoyance. I wouldn't look into this as some sort of major problem. Honda hasn't been immune either, i.e. transmission issues. But this is all off-topic--if Toyota will fix the rattle due to the VVT gear, just fix it.
 
It's more than a minor annoyance. If you were selling your RAV4 and a prospective buyer heard that noise, don't you think he'd move on to another car? I certainly would.
 
@VVTinme:

Definitely follow through with that snail mail letter to the CEO of TMUSA, most importantly send it return receipt requested by USPS!!!!!

When TMUSA sees that you are getting impartial documentation of communications between you and them I can almost promise you that the attitude will change..I still think that Toyota Corporate has NO FREAKING IDEA what has been transpiring between you and the Toyota SE district office. Absolutely none!
Like I said before something really stinks about how this is being handled by the SE office, and YOU NEED TO INFORM TMUSA Corp HQ in writing with documentation of the communication being sent to them. The sooner you do this the better don't delay anymore forget what the DSM tells you. Write Corporate !
 
I've started writing a letter, so trust me, this time one will be sent.

I called Toyota earlier to try to get the facts straight and it seemed like an honest mistake on the rep's part, saying that it looked as though the FTS had spoken with me. My rep. is actually away, and the person with whom I spoke was unhelpful to the point of being borderline rude. If nothing else, I need to get my door panel repaired or replaced since nothing new has transpired on that front. I'll try to have something in the mail by Monday, since this week is a busy one.
 
What sort of length is appropriate for a letter like this? I'm already at one page and I feel like I'm only now getting into the meat of it. I can trim it down if necessary, but I'd appreciate some pointers from the more seasoned BITOGers (George et al.)
 
Originally Posted By: JMHC
Originally Posted By: Chris B.
I looked at buying a Toyota Rav4 this month and I'm glad I did not buy it as it seems Toyota is still having all kinds of quality problems. I bought a Honda CRV and I'm very happy I did over the Toyota.


The RAV4 has been an excellent car...so far better than my Accord. This is just a minor annoyance. I wouldn't look into this as some sort of major problem. Honda hasn't been immune either, i.e. transmission issues. But this is all off-topic--if Toyota will fix the rattle due to the VVT gear, just fix it.


Never heard about Honda having transmission problems as of late but the Camery and a couple other Toyotas are well know to have issues in a past few years. Read a ton on those too as we almost bought one. Toyota is not the company it once was and quality is slipping. With that said the Rav4 is probably still the best toyota made today. It was very close to the CRV.
 
Originally Posted By: VVTinme
It's more than a minor annoyance. If you were selling your RAV4 and a prospective buyer heard that noise, don't you think he'd move on to another car? I certainly would.


Well until I found the TSB and listened to the video I thought nothing of it. And the only time it does it is first thing in the morning, and even then you can really only hear it when the hood is open. This is at 54,000 miles. Unless it gets a lot worse, I would guess no one would ever notice, and selling it would not be a problem at all. Nonetheless, since it could be a liability, I intend to have it fixed.
 
My rattle could be heard both inside and outside the car and would also occur after the car had sat for only an hour or two. In your case I can see how it was not as bothersome.
 
Originally Posted By: VVTinme
What sort of length is appropriate for a letter like this? I'm already at one page and I feel like I'm only now getting into the meat of it. I can trim it down if necessary, but I'd appreciate some pointers from the more seasoned BITOGers (George et al.)


Definitely try to keep it at a page, no more, I would try and use extended "bullet points" and a progression of time. DO NOT BE ANGRY, EMOTIONAL, OR THREATENING. ( NO referencing legal remedy!) Just businesslike, yet firm.

At the end you can make a extended summary (paragraph) of what you require them to do and of course mention that you have acted in good faith with patience and diligence while working with the dealer and Toyota SE DSM yet the reasonable satisfaction has not been achieved and you are very disappointed and dissatisfied at this point. You want the issues to be resolved in a TIMELY manner and hope that TMUSA will live up to it's well known reputation of quality and customer satisfaction.

You need to tell TMUSA what you want them to do and when you expect things to be rectified (but still DO NOT give an ultimatum!)

I would ask someone in a senior management level at corporate contact you by phone (engineering -quality control) to further discuss the issue .

DEFINITELY address the letter to the CEO of TMUSA, and DEFINITELY SEND IT RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED!

I seriously hope the best of luck for you, if what you say is exactly how things have proceeded the SE district office for Toyota has SERIOUS issues. Atrocious handling of your situation.
 
Last edited:
I've been working hard on the letter, changing it a little each day. Since I've added so much detail and background information on what's transpired, it's grown to five pages in length. I will have time on Thursday to mail it out. I'm sending a copy to the CEO of Toyota Motor Sales USA, Yoshimi Inaba, one to the Vice President of Scion, Jack Hollis, and another to the President of Toyota, Akio Toyoda. Of course I don't expect any of them to personally read my letter, but hopefully sending it to all three will bring it the attention it deserves.

Also, the rattle has returned after a week of silence. It's not rattling as often, and startups are noticeably smoother, but it's still not quite right. I still haven't received any paperwork from the dealership for my last visit so I don't know whether they used the updated parts from the TSB or just replacement stock parts.
 
Yikes! I'm disappointed at reading to the 8th page, only to find no resolution...

EVERYTHING need to be in writing. The letters should have been sent out already, registered mail.

My 2010 Corolla sounds just fine on startup. Maybe a little lifter tick when it's cold.
 
On another site a guy has an extended warranty called "The Mechanic". Good for 100k. He's claiming yet again a huge repair. This time his entire engine (2007 Camry) was rebuilt for oil consumption. He said "The Mechanic" used the dealer for the repairs. The dealer just doesn't want to pay, if a third party insurer would foot the bill, they would do it in a heartbeat. May want to look into something like that, bite the bullet for a while, reappear later
 
Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
On another site a guy has an extended warranty called "The Mechanic". Good for 100k. He's claiming yet again a huge repair. This time his entire engine (2007 Camry) was rebuilt for oil consumption. He said "The Mechanic" used the dealer for the repairs. The dealer just doesn't want to pay, if a third party insurer would foot the bill, they would do it in a heartbeat. May want to look into something like that, bite the bullet for a while, reappear later

I'm currently unemployed but that should change in the near future. When it does, I will almost certainly be getting rid of this car. The new 2013 Honda Accord has caught my eye.
 
File for lemon law in your state. You may have to take it back 3 or 4 times total for the specific issue. 3 times in CA. Once you file it will get their butt in gear.
 
I know this is a couple years old, but I was wondering if anyone knew if Toyota did anything about this?

I recently rented a Scion TC and it did this exact same thing, and my mom's brand new Rav4 does this as well.

I have never had an engine rattle on startup so quickly than this 2AR. It can sit only an hour and it will rattle.
 
My current Scion sounds like it but it disappears just as fast.

I wouldn't even bat an eye about it. Just cold start noise.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top