[TanyaAD138]

So my 06 Rav4 Limited had the rear recall work done where they basically seal the system and prevent alignments from being done.

Back end is now out of alignment and my mechanic said he can't align it at all because the whole system is sealed/set in place.

Bring it to Toyota and toyota tells me "Oh yeah... it's sealed... and you're out of alignment in your rear wheels. To realign the rear end it's gonna cost $295.00 PLUS NY State sales tax! "


WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY ??!? Toyota sealed the system.... Toyota said i needed it or they would put in my file that i refused recall work... They scared me into this damn thing.... and now it's my bill to pay when their recall is causing my wheels to be where they should not be??! I can't wait to junk this damn SUV.... Toyota has been by far the worst company i've ever dealt with!

so livid...

 

[rav4system]

You should not junk it...selling it as is would get you more money...

 

[ravenuer]

So my 06 Rav4 Limited had the rear recall work done where they basically seal the system and prevent alignments from being done.
Back end is now out of alignment and my mechanic said he can't align it at all because the whole system is sealed/set in place.
Bring it to Toyota and toyota tells me "Oh yeah... it's sealed... and you're out of alignment in your rear wheels. To realign the rear end it's gonna cost $295.00 PLUS NY State sales tax! "
WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY ??!? Toyota sealed the system.... Toyota said i needed it or they would put in my file that i refused recall work... They scared me into this damn thing.... and now it's my bill to pay when their recall is causing my wheels to be where they should not be??! I can't wait to junk this damn SUV.... Toyota has been by far the worst company i've ever dealt with!
so livid...

Why not just get new suspension arms installed, tighten them properly, don't let Toyota epoxy them and live happily ever after!>

 

[hero danny]

To realign the rear end it's gonna cost $295.00 PLUS NY State sales tax! "

Wait, what? You're going to junk the car over a $300 repair? Or did you miss type that?

 

[TanyaAD138]

No i plan on driving this thing into its grave....my whole arguement is why should the consumer have to pay for this when its caused by their stupid recall? This isnt the first time Toyota has screwed me....first they sold me suv as "certified" pre owned but the certification inspection was never done and then they thought they were gonna charge me for brakes....then i got screwed on the oil consumption issue...and now this..and this wouldnt be an issue if they didnt glue **** in place like lazy asses ...ive gone through now 2 sets of tires with poor wear because the back cant be aligned.

 

[ronto]

Try going to a different Toyota dealer and file a written complaint with Toyota Corporate H.Q. regarding your treatment by your current dealer.

 

[Blogson]

Does New York have a Department of Consumer Affairs, and/or a state agency which oversees and regulates auto dealers and service departments? If so, it should help your case to file complaints with them. Also it should be possible to file an action with a small claims court: https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/nyc/smallclaims/startingcase.shtml

 

[Cat]

So my 06 Rav4 Limited had the rear recall work done where they basically seal the system and prevent alignments from being done.

Back end is now out of alignment and my mechanic said he can't align it at all because the whole system is sealed/set in place.

Bring it to Toyota and toyota tells me "Oh yeah... it's sealed... and you're out of alignment in your rear wheels. To realign the rear end it's gonna cost $295.00 PLUS NY State sales tax! "


WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY ??!? Toyota sealed the system.... Toyota said i needed it or they would put in my file that i refused recall work... They scared me into this damn thing.... and now it's my bill to pay when their recall is causing my wheels to be where they should not be??! I can't wait to junk this damn SUV.... Toyota has been by far the worst company i've ever dealt with!

so livid...

Yep, sounds like BS to me. Give them a hard time. You are well justified.

 

[focus123]

So my 06 Rav4 Limited had the rear recall work done where they basically seal the system and prevent alignments from being done.

Back end is now out of alignment and my mechanic said he can't align it at all because the whole system is sealed/set in place.

Bring it to Toyota and toyota tells me "Oh yeah... it's sealed... and you're out of alignment in your rear wheels. To realign the rear end it's gonna cost $295.00 PLUS NY State sales tax! "


WHY ON EARTH SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY ??!? Toyota sealed the system.... Toyota said i needed it or they would put in my file that i refused recall work... They scared me into this damn thing.... and now it's my bill to pay when their recall is causing my wheels to be where they should not be??! I can't wait to junk this damn SUV.... Toyota has been by far the worst company i've ever dealt with!

so livid...

Had the same problem took it in and found out that there was a (TSB 0042-14) for this issue... adjusted the rear without removing the epoxy..for free.

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/106-...ent-c0j-2.html

Scroll down to my username to get the PDF... take it in with you and be firm.

Do you have a extended warranty?

 

[TanyaAD138]

Had the same problem took it in and found out that there was a (TSB 0042-14) for this issue... adjusted the rear without removing the epoxy..for free.

http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/106-...ent-c0j-2.html

Scroll down to my username to get the PDF... take it in with you and be firm.

Do you have a extended warranty?

When i first bought the suv in 2010 I paid for the almighty platinum warranty ...... and when i really needed toyota there for me... they screwed me over HARD. But i am going to print out that TSB you mention and im done with my current Toyota dealership ... They don't ever seem interested in doing whats right for the customer.

 

[TanyaAD138]

WOW.... i just realized this is now the SECOND time i've had a problem during a warranty period that they did not document into my service notes so now when i go back to complain... they can use the excuse of "Oh well you never said anything because here in your history nothing was documented"


I HATE TOYOTA

 

[focus123]

When i first bought the suv in 2010 I paid for the almighty platinum warranty ...... and when i really needed toyota there for me... they screwed me over HARD. But i am going to print out that TSB you mention and im done with my current Toyota dealership ... They don't ever seem interested in doing whats right for the customer.

OK so you have the extended warranty. If they can't adjust it via the TSB and they say the only way is to replace the 2 arms tell them to do it through your extended warranty. If they refuse call corporate and ask for a meeting with a regional manager.
This fix is a joke and I would bet there was a good number of alignments that were not done right when they sealed the rear. Sounds like a good class action to me.

 

[Kevin40g]

OK so you have the extended warranty. If they can't adjust it via the TSB and they say the only way is to replace the 2 arms tell them to do it through your extended warranty. If they refuse call corporate and ask for a meeting with a regional manager.
This fix is a joke and I would bet there was a good number of alignments that were not done right when they sealed the rear. Sounds like a good class action to me.

Is the epoxy seal to prevent something from coming loose or to prevent corrosion? How could I tell if my 2008 Rav4 has had this done before I bought it? I don't see any record of it on the Toyota owners site.

 

[focus123]

Is the epoxy seal to prevent something from coming loose or to prevent corrosion? How could I tell if my 2008 Rav4 has had this done before I bought it? I don't see any record of it on the Toyota owners site.

Yes, the epoxy is to prevent corrosion which could lead to loosening and failure of the arm. I think there are labels on the 2 arms ,that state they are not adjustable, if the recall was done. It probably was not done if there is no record on that site.

 

[Blogson]

Here's a link to the New York Department of Consumer Affairs - but reading through their conditions they say that they will work to resolve the problem, but cannot compel the company being complained about to do anything, so it appears to be a toothless tiger: https://www.dos.ny.gov/consumerprotection/form/complaintform.asp

However, a court including Small Claims Court generally can compel action. For example in CA, if the company refuses to comply with a small claims court decision the complainant can obtain an order which basically will shut down the company.


Good luck - no one should have to put up with the apparent BS and obfuscation which is causing such a problem for you.

 

[RAVN4RED]

So far, I'm not bent out of shape about this, pun intended, as my RAV still rolls straight and true and tire wear is normal 15k-miles after the 'fix'. The TSB 0042-14 clearly states an alternate method to attempt to align the toe. And if this doesn't do the trick, dealer is supposed to re-do the arms/epoxy. As with a lot of these things, there are always some incompetent dealers, so it may take some extra work to get it done. My take on this is that a safety TSB should be a lifetime warranty, though it is not specified. So I hope the OP and others who face this can win this battle for all of us.

Link to TSB provided by Jakub4:
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/99-4-3-mechanical/186130-tsb.html

per the TSB:
5. If the rear toe alignment is out of specification on either side, inspect the rear
suspension for damage or bent parts. Replace any damaged components.
6. Loosen the nuts and bolts on the Rear Suspension Arm No. 1 on both sides and jounce
the vehicle.
A. If the rear toe alignment is within specification, tighten the nuts and bolts on
the Rear Suspension Arm No. 1.
Torque: Bolt: 90 N*m (918 kgf*cm, 66 ft*lbf)
Torque: Nut: 100 N*m (1,020 kgf*cm, 74 ft*lbf)
NOTE: Turn the bolt to tighten the
nut on the rear suspension member
side. Do NOT turn the nut.
B. If the rear toe alignment is still out of specification on either side, replace the
Rear Suspension Arm No. 1 and complete campaign CSJ again for any
replaced rear suspension arm.

 

[RAVN4RED]

Is the epoxy seal to prevent something from coming loose or to prevent corrosion? How could I tell if my 2008 Rav4 has had this done before I bought it? I don't see any record of it on the Toyota owners site.

Yes, apparently there were cases of shops not tightening something properly and corrosion could develop in the internal threads of the adjuster.

My experience with the Toyota Owners site is that open Safety Recalls on the vehicle are always top front and center on page one, and they can also be found under the tab "Resources" then "Safety Recalls and Service Campaigns."

Once Recalls are completed they are moved and can be seen as finished by the dealer under the "Parts and Service" tab, then "Service History." Scroll down the list of services performed, find the dealer who did the work, click on the date of the service to get more explanation. For this one, you should see "Recall CSJ."

If you've already done all that, maybe yours wasn't in the recall. You could call Toyota Customer Service or a dealer with you VIN to double check.

 

[drstrip]

I've read the linked bulletin and if I've got it right, the repair for the rear alignment issue is warrantied for 12 months or 20,000 miles after the service date. But the CSJ repair wasn't even issued until way past that date for my '07 Rav4, so it seems like it was never warrantied. Am I reading this right? Also, a TSB isn't like a recall, Toyota has no legal obligation to provide this service for free. Is that right? I've been quote about $450 to redo the arms just so I can get the car aligned, but this leaves me concerned it will just happen again in another year.

 

[RAVN4RED]

I've read the linked bulletin and if I've got it right, the repair for the rear alignment issue is warrantied for 12 months or 20,000 miles after the service date. But the CSJ repair wasn't even issued until way past that date for my '07 Rav4, so it seems like it was never warrantied. Am I reading this right? Also, a TSB isn't like a recall, Toyota has no legal obligation to provide this service for free. Is that right? I've been quote about $450 to redo the arms just so I can get the car aligned, but this leaves me concerned it will just happen again in another year.

The TSB is the instruction to the mechanics of how to recognize and fix it. A Recall is Toyota saying there is a safety issue and they will fix it for free.

To me, if the Recall "fix" is done improperly, it should be re-done by the Toyota dealer for free. I'm sure there will be great variance in how individual dealers intrepret this. If they balk on it, report it to the Toyota Corporate office, and if THEY balk on it, report it to the NHTSA.

 

[drstrip]

The TSB is the instruction to the mechanics of how to recognize and fix it. A Recall is Toyota saying there is a safety issue and they will fix it for free.

To me, if the Recall "fix" is done improperly, it should be re-done by the Toyota dealer for free. I'm sure there will be great variance in how individual dealers intrepret this. If they balk on it, report it to the Toyota Corporate office, and if THEY balk on it, report it to the NHTSA.

I checked the paperwork from when the recall was performed and the car was in alignment when it left the shop. In that sense, it's probably safe to day the recall work was performed correctly. The bigger problem is Toyota's design for the fix. The car design calls for an adjustable suspension, but for whatever reason, Toyota decided to epoxy over the adjustment, making it impossible to tweak once it had been set. I'll be calling Toyota Corporate.