What is Toyota Certified Vehicle ?

[bp2012]

I bought a Toyota Rav4 2006 Limited Edition with V6 and 4WD (Certified Vehicle) 6 months back along with Toyota Care.

Following are the problems I had in the last 6 months:

Problem #1 : Check engine light on, VSC Light on and 4WD light on
Solution #1: Had a visit to the dealer to replace one of the engine coils

Problem #2 : Check engine light on, VSC Light on and 4WD light on
Solution #2: Had a visit to the dealer to replace one of the engine coils

Problem #3 : Battery dead completely
Solution #3: Had a visit to the dealer to replace the battery

Problem #2 and #3 happened together and stranded on the freeway with my family inside. First worst experience buying Toyota product, even my old Dodge Caravan never gave up on me this way!

Folks, please advise what other general problems can i expect in future ?

Also, Whats is Toyota Certification ? Not sure if the above problems would occur if certification was done properly. What should I expect to see in the toyota web site for this vehicle like 160 point inspection done or any other info to prove the certification is done in an appropriate manner. What if the
information of certification is not updated on the Toyota owners web site?

[djb383]

If I understand correct, a 'yota certified pre-owned warranted vehicle has 12 mos/12K miles bumper-2-bumper coverage (except wear/tear items) and 7 year/100K power train warranty that started when the vehicle was 1st placed in service with a $50 deductible each visit/repair. Sounds like u have 1 year and X miles (current mileage subtracted from 100K) remaining on the power train warranty. A 160 point inspection is not a crystal ball.

[JTRAV]

In Canada
"A Toyota Certified Used Vehicle is, first and foremost, a Toyota. From a meticulous 127-point inspection to a free tank of gas, a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle will provide you with unrivaled peace of mind and years of satisfaction. Here are just some of the program highlights:

Minimum 12-months / 20,000 kms Powertrain and Roadside Assistance coverage
Warranty honoured at over 1,500 Toyota Dealers in Canada and the U.S
Zero deductible
Extensive mechanical and appearance reconditioning process
7 days / 1,500 kms exchange privilege*
First oil / filter change at no charge**
Membership in Club Toyota
CarProof® vehicle history reports"

In the US:
"The Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Advantage
12-month/12,000-mile Comprehensive Warranty1
7-year/100,000-mile Limited Powertrain Warranty2
1-year of Roadside Assistance3
160-Point Quality Assurance Inspection
CARFAX® Vehicle History Report™4
Certified customers are eligible for standard new car financing rates"


Failures are generally not predictable.
Coil failures are known on the early 4.3 Ravs.
Was that the original battery? If so, the failure is not surprising. People generally say 5 years, then replace the battery out of preventative maintenance.

Definitely an inconvenience, but at least you have Certified Used Warranty, right?

All "Certified Used" really means is that the used vehicle is in tip top shape at time of sale + a few extra perks like the warranty.

[RTexasF]

Toyota batteries are rubbish. Plan on buying one from somewhere else in a couple of years. We're on our 3rd batteries in four years but went with AutoZone for the last ones.

[Scout706]

Batteries wear out, should have checked out how old the battery was in your 6 year old used car.


From the Wikipedia article on Gresham's Law:
"In the market for used cars, lemon automobiles (analogous to bad currency) will drive out the good cars.[15] The problem is one of asymmetry of information. Sellers have a strong financial incentive to pass all used cars off as "good" cars, especially lemons. This makes it difficult to buy a good car at a fair price, as the buyer risks overpaying for a lemon. The result is that buyers will only pay the fair price of a lemon, so at least they reduce the risk of overpaying. High-quality cars tend to be pushed out of the market, because there is no good way to establish that they really are worth more. Certified pre-owned programs are an attempt to mitigate this problem by providing a warranty and other guarantees of quality. "The Market for Lemons" is a work that examines this problem in more detail. "

You can only get "certified" used Toyota from Toyota dealers. It will add about $US 1,000 to the selling price.

[AWDios]

Certified Used Toyota Cars, Trucks & SUVS

Sometimes when buying a car, bad stuff happens, it just seems to happen less with Toyota products, but that's what the warranty is there for.

[JohnMcKlane]

they suppose to check the car in kinda 128 point ..
They did not ! the brakes and disk were long gone ! so i ask to see the 128 point sheet to see what they did ... they write off that the brakes were ok ... so they change everything under certified warranty ...

[nhcycle]

The CPO is as good as the dealership is thorough......and that varies substantially from dealership to dealership.....honestly it's hit or miss and is mostly a sales gimmick...... I've looked at a lot of CPO Toyotas and most were nothing more than a spit shine and a fluff up..... One particular car the fresh paint touch up was already peeling away..... Most are off-lease returns where you will never find out the true history of the vehicle because fleet lease repairs never show up on any CarFax report..... Bottom line, CPO doesn't mean much....except you get extended power train coverage up to 100k miles.

[RTexasF]

Coils either work or they don't. They did work when you got the car. There is no way to predict when or if they will go bad. Same goes for the battery. Although it was a bad experience they did do the repairs under warranty. You would have been out a considerable chunk of money had the car been as is with no warranty at all. The extra amount that you paid for a certified car has already paid for itself.