Figured I would write a CSB for you all in the hopes that you will get a chuckle out of my misfortune. It's also a 1 year update for my GTI, so I am rolling it all into this thread.
Yes, its's possible to buy an unreliable Toyota
2 weeks ago, my wife jumps in our brand new 2012 Prius (with less than 10K on the odometer). It's pretty cold out, temp in the mid 20s. The car has been sitting in our heated garage all night. Wife jumps in the car, punch the POWER button, and the car powers on. 10 seconds later, the engine fires up. (All normal behavior up to this point). As the engine starts up, the entire car shakes like a wet dog, and there is an absolutely ATROCIOUS banging sound coming from under the hood, something you can hear from a block away. (Evidenced by my neighbor walking over and asking what wall we were tearing down). We shut the car down, give the entire thing a once over, find no Rubbermaid rotating assemblies in the engine bay, and power the car up again. Engine starts, and all is well. What. The. ****.
Okay, call the dealer. "Bring it in immediately." I do as I am told. Jump in the car, drive it down to the local dealer, and drop it off....and it is running fine the entire time. They are extremely apologetic, tell me they need the car for a few days to reproduce, and hand me the key to a brand new (2,000 miles on the clock) 2012 Sienna Limited. The monroney is in the glove box: $45,7XX. It is by far the nicest loaner I have ever gotten - HIDs, heated seats, 2 moonroofs, center buckets with recline and footrests!!! Half the car is still wrapped in plastic. I feel like I am in a Lear Jet.
The next day, while waiting in line for some lunch from a local fast food joint, the Sienna's shift lever and transmission decide to have a falling out and stop talking to each other. No amount of rowing the offending selector will move the trans readout on the dash from "P". After 2 hours of clogging the drive through, the dealer having exhausted all troubleshooting with me over the phone (including manually forcing the shifter with the release mechanism next to the lever), they finally call Uncle (and a tow truck). When the flatbed shows up, I knew what was about to happen. They chain the control arms to the winch, and drag the van (wheels locked and all) up onto the bed. We get to the dealer, and I watch in utter shock while the tow truck operator tilts the bed down, unchains this $45,000 Sienna, and then "shakes" the van off the bed (remember, it's locked in Park) onto the lot.
Quick Tip: if you are thinking of buying a demo or slightly used gray 2012 Sienna Limited in the next few months...um....don't.
So they hand me the keys to Loaner #2, an equally new Toyota Highlander SE. And exactly 1 week after this event, we get our Prius back with a brand new intake manifold and a reflash.
To say I am unimpressed with Toyota quality at this point is a GROSS understatement. I am willing to chalk up one failure to a fluke, but two separate cars under 10K miles?
Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?
And this is on top of the minor product complaints we have - the cheapish interior, relatively poor dynamics (admittedly fixed with TRD accessories, but a Chevy Volt is a sport sedan in comparison), tinny build, and the interior lighting designed by committee. The dash readout is a different color than the secondary controls, the window switches are not lit at all, and the footwell illumination is a dull orange compared to the blue LED door sills, the blue green dash, and the green secondary controls. The various switchgear is not special, and has been in varius Toyotas since the 1980s, including the **** "chicken wing" cruise stalk at 5 o clock on the steering wheel.
