Pretty upset no strat for one month old 4-Runner

[Dog Tank]

Pretty upset no start for one month old 4-Runner

Man an I upset. Wife called be when she was getting ready to leave work.
"the truck won't start" "what do you mean the truck won't start?" "It will not start" So when I regained my composure I had her feather the gas and it started....very rough. Told she to drive to the dealership and we will figure it out.

So I call ahead to see what can be done. I was told that they would not provide another car and they would not be responsible for any damage to the truck parked in there lot overnight. It took everything I had to not start yelling right there. I then asked for a manager I did not care what department just get me a manager. Got a hold of Ron the Sales Manager and explained things to him. To his credit he was pretty good told me to come down he'd get us another car.

I get there talk to Ron for a few minutes fill out the required paper work and my wife pulls in. She does not look impressed. I have a look at the truck it's running rough. I turn it off and attempt to restart it to no avail. The only way I could start it was to again feather the gas. The SES light remains lit so does traction control.

I think was really pissing me off is that I've had this thing for exactly 1 month and 3 days. There are 1600 kilometres on it as of tonight. I have bought many new cars over the years and have never had one break down with 1600 KM on the clock. My commuter car is a 16 thousand dollar Honda bought new and has never broken down my 40 thousand dollar truck goes a month and is busted.

Sorry for the rant but to say I'm upset tonight is a huge understatement.

 

[Dous]

Sorry to hear that!

I'd be pissed off too!

 

[Dog Tank]

UPDATE I apologize for my grammar and spelling that started this thread. I know spelling and grammar is a weak point of mine but that was just bad.

OK Recap one month old 2011 4Runner no start, dropped off at dealership awaiting call the next day.

Received call was told the truck was fixed. Explication some sort of animal got under the hood and ate some wires? This is strange as the truck is parked in the garage at night with no animals ie mice around to do any damage during the day it’s parked in a big parking lot and I can’t see mice there either, but never the less I was told I could see the wires and being a month old there were going to take care of the repair for us.

So I go to pick up the truck in the afternoon. They direct me to the mechanic that fixed the truck a very young man that looked to be about 100 pounds wet. Chatted for a minute and went out to the truck. He states it was the mass air flow sensor wires where they are exposed just before the air flow sensor in the air intake track. (by the way this young man really seemed to know his stuff I was impressed with his maturity) So I think he could see me thinking “how the hell is an animal ever going to get up there to eat a couple of wires and why eat those ones when there are wires lower and are easer to get at” He pipes up and states he does not feel an animal ate the wire it almost looked like they were cut?……OK truck is now fixed he spliced the wires back together heat rapped and then went over the whole repair with electrical tape. I left the dealership and stopped at my local performance shop picked up some nice wire loom and went over every piece of wire I could find in the truck. I did not buy a truck for 40 grand so it could leave my lovely wife stranded. She had a 95 Accent that started every time for 8 years I figure a 2011 4 Runner has to be good for at least that long .

So quick question anyone else experience anything like this or am I the only one with somehow the mass air flow sensor wires being cut in some way? One more quick question I know in Honda’s it’s possible to pop the hood without using the release in the car could the 4runner be the same and someone just decided to vandalize the truck ?

 

[Screecha]

My non-professional amateur opinion is that I doubt someone would intentionally do that to you, Maybe the wires were damages prior to install or during install and somehow slipped through the cracks at inspection?

 

[Acidmeld]

Id be more willing to believe the mouse theory. Ive fixed alot of cut/chewed wires and almost all of them were kept in a clean garage.

 

[harper7]

Stranger things have happened then mice chewing thru wiring on a vehicle before,that's for sure.Just because you didn't see any mice doesn't mean they were not there as they are usually nocturnal. I'm sure they don't rationalize which wires are closer to the ground to get to. They go by smell and taste.

It's possible somebody could have worked your hood release from underneath if they new what they were doing.But then,why would someone sabotage your truck just enough so it would be hard to start and make it run rough? Heck you can reach the starter wires from underneath.Doesn't make sense unless you have some weird enemies!

Possibly could have been damaged from the factory and the bad wire is just showing up after vibrations from driving a couple of months. That would be a long shot in my book and never heard of it before.You act your blaming Toyota though so you might want to run with that ball!

I did not buy a truck for 40 grand so it could leave my lovely wife stranded.She had a 95 Accent that started every time for 8 years I figure a 2011 4 Runner has to be good for at least that long .

I'd get some mouse traps.

 

[Dog Tank]

I hear you Harper. Ya I guess I am blaming Toyota for this one. I can assure you there are no mice in my house.(live in a raised bungalow, truck is parked under the dining room) As for where the truck is parked in the daytime I'm guessing there's no mice in the middle of a paved parking lot but I've been wrong before in life but I just cant see it this time.

I don’t really believe someone would get under the hood just to cut the mass air flow wires as that makes zero sense. So when you remove all other possibilities I'm only left with one.

My thinking is there was an issue from the factory it was missed in the inspection and it took a month for the problem to manifest itself. I guess the good news it's never going to happen again I have a ton of protection on every exposed wire in the car and I’ll also monitor all of it on a regular basis.

 

[TC4Rnr]

let me ask you this, if you unplug the MAF now, would it start? if it does start, then.............

 

[Dog Tank]

Well it's been 10 days since the service engine soon and traction control light has been on......well that streak came to an end this afternoon on the drive home.

Same problem only the truck starts now without any help. As I’m sure you can guess I’m really starting to get pissed. I looked for any wiring issues and could not find any but based on the way I was treated last time I’m sure the issue will somehow be mine. I guess it’s back to the dealership when it opens Saturday morning.


I'm also not sure what the last post means if I unplug the MAF???

Also of note the truck is now less than 2 months old with 1900 KM on it.

I think half the reason I'm upset is that I really like it. It's a great truck when it's working correctly.

 

[Canadian144]

Sorry to hear about your troubles man.

By unplugging the MAF, he means the mass air flow sensor. It's part of the air intake. You can see it on this thread:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/85960-how-guide-trd-cai-installation.html

What I believe TC4Rnr is implying is that if you unplug the MAF, and it starts up fine, then the mechanics at the dealer were wrong (that blamed the MAF wires for the truck not starting easily/running smoothly) and you are dealing with some other issue here. If you are sure that all of the other wires are fine, and the truck starts fine without the MAF wired up, then it has to be some other issue.

Keep us updated with what happens man....

edit: just read your 2nd post more in more depth, you clearly know what the MAF so sorry for sounding like I'm a teacher talking to a grade 1 student haha...

 

[Dog Tank]

No problems 144 it's all good. quick update dealership is now taking responsibility for this issue. I was told yesterday that they have been having a problem with rodents at the dealership storage yard. The manager of service advised me that it looks like there going to replace the wiring harness under warranty. He feels that they may have missed some damage done the first time when truck was in for repair or the repair did not solve the problem. When the truck was hooked up to the scanner it was throwing a bunch of codes, which lead them back to the wiring harness.

I’m hoping this gets straightened out this week I’m tired of having a new truck that’s always at the dealership for repairs. If I was interested in that I would have bought a Range Rover.

 

[Canadian144]

Good to hear they are replacing it!

Rodents did seem to sound like the logical cause. They are very crafty.... many pictures out there of them crawling into airboxes haha.

 

[ChoochCharlie]

I once was in a parking lot, and for some reason noticed several kids coming out of the shop I was just in, can't remember why I noticed. Watched them get in their truck and it was then that I spotted a squirrels tail hanging down from the undercarriage. I got out to tell the driver but he was off before I got his attention.
So I jumped back in my car and chased him down across the parking lot, honking and waving.
I tell him about the tail and all of his friends start smacking him and laughing. Huge joke on him. Turns out he hit the squirrel several days ago, with all the same friends in the truck, and it must have gotten kicked up and was stuck underneath. By now it was really a horrible smell. Poke with a stick and it was dislodged.

My dad, driving his dad's car (realize I am 20 by then, so imagine their ages). Something falls off a truck and my dad swerves to miss it and straddles it. It jumps up and puts a HUGE hole in the oil pan and they lose all oil pressure instantly, stranded on the side of the road.

I had something pop up and put a hole in a metal fuel line once, quickly lost 1/2 a tank of gas rushing to the mechanic a mile away. He fixed it in 10 minutes.

Just saying, stuff happens. Glad to hear they found a way to get you a new harness under warranty.