Does a lift invalidate a maufacturer warranty?

[t4rjc]

I have been calling around the Seattle area trying to find a dealer who will install a spacer lift on a 2011 4Runner Limited (with XREAS). I finally ran into a rep from a local company who tried to sell me only on getting it done through his partnership with a local dealer, indicating that that was the only way that powertrain/etc could maintain warranty protection.

Is that right? Will a full lift or spacer lift invalidate my vehicle's warranty? Thanks for any thoughts or help.

 

[SeattleMike]

Magnuson

 

[sandwich]

I wonder this too, and how well would that magnuson-moss act protect you? Dealer may call your bluff and say go ahead and file a complaint.

They can also say you didn't HAVE to replace a perfectly good suspension with an aftermarket one, which caused this problem blah blah blah.

Maybe I'm just a worry wort but this is also something I consider every time I think about modifying my truck.

 

[Gstick]

I wonder this too, and how well would that magnuson-moss act protect you? Dealer may call your bluff and say go ahead and file a complaint.

They can also say you didn't HAVE to replace a perfectly good suspension with an aftermarket one, which caused this problem blah blah blah.

Maybe I'm just a worry wort but this is also something I consider every time I think about modifying my truck.

You bring up a great point, and to be truthfull, I'd bet most dealers would probably do exactly what you said.

 

[SeattleMike]

I wonder this too, and how well would that magnuson-moss act protect you? Dealer may call your bluff and say go ahead and file a complaint.

They can also say you didn't HAVE to replace a perfectly good suspension with an aftermarket one, which caused this problem blah blah blah.

Maybe I'm just a worry wort but this is also something I consider every time I think about modifying my truck.

You bring up a great point, and to be truthfull, I'd bet most dealers would probably do exactly what you said.

Dealers are not going to invite a lawsuit by refusing a claim unless they can prove that Mod A caused the failure. That was the point of passing that law, the onus is not on the consumer to prove that a modification was not responsible, the onus is on the warrantor to prove that it did.

The federal minimum standards for full warranties are waived if the warrantor can show that the problem associated with a warranted consumer product was caused by damage while in the possession of the consumer, or by unreasonable use, including a failure to provide reasonable and necessary maintenance.

In other words, they aren't going to refuse to honor the warranty unless they know they can win, because losing such a case means they are out the cost of the repair AND the cost of their lawyers AND the cost of your lawyers AND probably a stiff fine to boot.

 

[t4rjc]

Thanks for the info all... I am curious if anyone has any experience where a dealer tried to deny a claim against the manufacturer warranty due to a lift or modification?

 

[4RBob]

Thanks for the info all... I am curious if anyone has any experience where a dealer tried to deny a claim against the manufacturer warranty due to a lift or modification?

yes, several times by a number of Jeep dealerships. if the Toyota service departments are anything like the Jeep dealerships, it will depend on the service manager and often times it depends on the regional tech representative (or whatever fancy title they may have). Magnuson is supposed to protect you, but a dealership will almost always call your bluff.

 

[Dispense]

When I worked on my TransAm, the dealers would immediately jump to the "invalid warranty" excuse once they saw any modifications done to the car; even with education of the Magnuson-Moss Act. It was easier to just bring the car somewhere else...

They could always cite some ridiculous reason or catastrophic cascade of events that would lead to a modification being even remotely related...

Some honored the Act for what it was intended, most didn't without a fight.

 

[Foques]

Thanks for the info all... I am curious if anyone has any experience where a dealer tried to deny a claim against the manufacturer warranty due to a lift or modification?

right here.. to an extent..
for me, it was due to a drop, not lift.. same thing, essentially.
Went to court, got my issue fixed, got free services, my lawyer fees were paid for, and I got 3K "bonus".

 

[Falls]

Good luck with that law. It really does not protect you from anything unless you are an expert and can prove the dealer or mfg rep wrong . The dealer and mfg has way deeper pockets than you do .

Anything other than stock can void your warranty if they want to be ***** about it. then it's your job to prove them wrong.

 

[wanderer33y]

Mine was installed by the dealer, no issues, fully covered.

 

[ct221933]

When I decided to install the Bilstein shocks, and lift the vehicle, I considered 2 choices: a local 4-wheel store or a national vehicle maintenance store . I chose the national store precisely because they stand behind (written in the sale invoice) the product they sell and install. So if anything screws up (knock on wood), I feel good either Toyota will pay for it or the national store will pay for it.