**2005 4runner Lemon???**

R

RaginCajun013

New member
Hi, I am new to the forum as of today. Its good to know others love their 4Runners as much as me!!. Let me tell you my story, so you can beware of any problems you may encounter yourself.
Bought a 2005 SR5 4wd Black V6 in January. About 2 weeks ago, with a little over 5000 miles on it, black smoke started shooting out the back of the truck, and the transmission started slipping. I pulled over, checked everything out, got back in my car, and everything seemed "normal". No low oil pressure, no leaks, nothing. I drove it for another day, and everytime I would come to a complete stop, The transmission would slip and knock. I took it to the local dealer, and after 5 days, they call me to say that they need to REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND TORQUE CONVERTER!! What in the world!!?? its a brand new $32000 vehicle!! I threw a fit, and then they told me that the torque converter was on back order, and they wouldnt have it for at least 4 days. After bugging them to death, they gave me a Camry to drvie in the mean time. Cont....
 
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4Runner Lemon Continued...

Sorry this is so long.... I need your advice.
So they replace the tranny and TC, and guess what?? Not 20 miles down the road, same problem, but now its idling very rough, something it didnt do before. So I take it back to the dealer, throw another fit, and they give me a Matrix to drive (whoopee:)). After 3 more days, they call me to tell me its ready. The mechaninc that worked on it, (the senior mechanic at the dealership, said he talked with Toyota Corporate about my truck, and there have been 3 reported cases of this throughout the US. They added more Tranny fluid, (which wasnt low), and sent me on my way. Needless to say, I am pissed, and I want a new 4Runner. I dont think this is much to ask, considering the car is still brand new, and has already gone thorough a new transmission. The mechanic also hinted at a possible design flaw with the new 5-speed mated to the V-6, but wouldnt really give me anymore details, of course. What should I do??
 
I suggest you just drive it. You have 55K miles of warranty remaining and if there is any kind of problem (with your 4runners transmission) it will show up before your warranty is up. You are the first one I've seen with a problem. I believe the 05 transmission that is being used with the V6 is the same transmission they have been using in the LC/LX and the V8 4runner since 2003 so if there was a design problem yours would not be the only one reported. I suggest you go back to the dealership and sit down with the service manager and findout what they did to fix your 4runner on both of these visits and what was found to be the problem/cause of these problems. I think once you know problems/causes/cure you will feel better about your vehicle. Good luck

PS- they will never give you a new 4runner for this one problem so you need to give that idea up.
 
I belive your post is in response to my thread.... my reaction as well.. WOW. I thought these things lasted forever.... didnt expect, nor should I have to put up with a new transmission after 5000 miles
 
Thanks for the reply... one of the things that concerns me though is that the mechanic I spoke with told me that Toyota Corporate made him aware of a "fluid line", that may be a little too large, thus robbing the tranny of needed tranny fluid. All they did was add more fluid, which I know from experience can cause other problems (sumping the tranny, and burning it up). I will probably keep driving it until it breaks, but not before calling Toyota and giving them a piece of my mind. What about the hard idling? anybody else had that problem?
 
RaginCajun013 said:
I belive your post is in response to my thread.... my reaction as well.. WOW. I thought these things lasted forever.... didnt expect, nor should I have to put up with a new transmission after 5000 miles
Click to expand...

Yes it was... I must of hit the wrong button. :bash:
 
1st of all make sure that the hard idle is not a mental thing, many times you leave your vehicle and drive somthing different and then suddenly think hey my car is not running right, your 4Runner does not run as smooth as a camry or matrix.

My advise is Toyota is great but they have their problems but they hide it well and they have less problems then others, start the lemon law, keep taking the truck back to have them fix the idle or trans, if the truck has 5k on it and does not run like a new 1 then you have a problem and it should be fixed, get a lawyer and press on.
 
drain half the fluid out of the trans and do some hard driving, especially uphill, it will blow;): just make sure to put the fluid back before they tow it to the dealer;):
 
thanks Edge, no the hard idle is not mental...although I am going insane over this. I am actually not passed trying to blow the tranny!:eek: This is just really pissing me off..... the dealership treats me like I am a moron (just like every other dealer), and that everything is fine....its NOT FINE!! I am calling Toyota Corporate tomorrow and going to see what I have to do to get my 4Runner replaced
 
Read your states guidlines in the lemon law book and contact a lawyer, if they replaced the tranny and can't fix the idle just keep bringing it back

Don't think they are treating you like a moron, they are morons themselves, I don't know how they can say it's normal, test drive another 4Runner and compare.

What happens if you wanna trade or sell it, fat chance, the idle could eventually lead to it failing state inspection when they need to do tail pipe emissions.

Whats your temp gauge on the dash say, is it stuck in the middle like all the truck should be.
 
Sorry to hear of your troubles.

Before you react, make sure you have a plan. Be level headed in your decisions. Remember, the lemon law is on your side. In the time being, enjoy the truck. If it truly is not fixed, the problem will manifest itself in time. You have a long warranty. Document all issues you have had up until now and put it in writing. Also, when you work with toyota, don't go in yelling and screaming. They are human just the same and a positive attitude will earn more respect and response from them. It is toyota afterall and they will try to make things right.

Just to ease your pain, understand that a transmission swap will do nothing to compromise your car. A new transimission is just that...new, and bolts right on. A working new transimission will make the car whole again when they finally get it right. When and if the lemon law takes affect, or when you get a working new tranny, just look at it as free mileage and wear and tear.
 
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Thanks Tecksis300 and Edge....you guys are awesome. So where do I start? Id like to keep lawyers out of it if possible. (may not be though). What I would love to happen, although I am probably dreaming, Is that when I call Toyota, they will apologize profusely, and replace the vehicle without too much trouble. Tecsis300- I will take your advice and be civil when talking to Toyota. Has anyone else had any experience with Lemon Laws, or know much about them? What are my chances?
 
Re: wow

silver4x419 said:
This is not good... This is the sames transmission in the new Tacoma also I would think.
Click to expand...

RaginCajun013 said:
I belive your post is in response to my thread.... my reaction as well.. WOW. I thought these things lasted forever.... didnt expect, nor should I have to put up with a new transmission after 5000 miles
Click to expand...

silver4x419 said:
Yes it was... I must of hit the wrong button. :bash:
Click to expand...
Through the magic of being a supermoderator (i.e. too much time on my hands) I was able to merge both threads.;):
 
You might want to try talking with the General Manager 1st, see what they can do for you on a trade, I've seen plenty of Demo 4Runners with 8000 miles on them selling almost for what new 4Runners go for.

Say cool and bring up the point that of course you don't want my truck back you can't resell it cause of the weird issues.

Keep detailed notes of everything
 
I would echo the recommendation of making sure you document everything that has transpired, including names of those who've assissted you at the dealership.

Check your state's lemon law process so you'll know what qualifies and when. Again, documentation will almost always be critical for this process (i.e. if the lemon specifies that the dealership has three chances to remedy the situation, make sure you have written documentation showing each visit with dates, times, and names).
 
Presonally I'm with you. I'd want another vehicle. I would never feel really confident that this vehicle wasn't put together on a Friday afternoon just before knock-off time ;):

I think I would be driving around waiting for the next thing to go wrong. This is not what new vehicle ownership should be like.

Good luck in any case.
 
They aren't going to give you a new vehicle just because you had to bring something in for repair twice. Regardless of whether it happened the first week or the first year. That's why they have warrantees.

However, check your state "lemon laws" and retain all documentation for the services performed. In Florida, it takes 5 repairs of the same item to classify as a lemon and at that point the manufacturer is required by law to permanently remedy the situation (whether a refund or a new vehicle). I had so many problems with my last vehicle (2002 VW Jetta) that I was /--/ <---this close to going in there and going postal. But once I was informed about the laws, I was able to look at things more objectively and bite my tongue. I had that thing in the dealership 3 times for the fuel injector system and I was just hoping that it would act up again just so I could throw that P.O.S back on them. I'm just glad it was all covered under warantee. Imagine having to pay for 3 or 4 services out of pocket before that lemon law kicked in.


The last thing you want to do is go in there bitching about it. Because as soon as you become hostile about it, they totally lose respect for you and won't lift a finger to go out of their way to help you. Whereas if you are understanding (it isn't the service guys fault after all; it's a manufacturing flaw) they will continue to throw you a decent loaner vehicle and make it as easy as possible for you to get thru the inconvienance.


Just grin and bear it for now and hope that it won't become an issue again. Keep those service docs close at hand and once it happens again, you'll be ready to go to court if they don't appease you with a new vehicle.
 
Maybe they wont give me a new truck, but I am still going to try. I think I have a pretty good case, and I called Toyota today to open up a case against them. It should go into arbitration later this month. I will keep you posted as events unfold. Thanks for all the insight
 
Fortyounces said:
They aren't going to give you a new vehicle just because you had to bring something in for repair twice. Regardless of whether it happened the first week or the first year. That's why they have warrantees.
Click to expand...

No they don't just give out new vehicles but if a major problem happens at such a low mileage then sometimes depending on the situation they will give the customer a new vehicle.

Just stay calm and keep pushing the issue, dealers know that customers will not bother and eventually go away.

RaginCajun013
make sure the 4wheel drive works properly, shift into high, in and out;): the auto trans on these 4Runners with fluid have to weigh 800lbs
 
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