1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Dealership wouldn't honor 12v warranty because it was replaced under 336 basic coverage?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by Halcykon, May 26, 2024.

  1. Halcykon

    Halcykon Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2020
    29
    13
    0
    Location:
    Sugarland
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    TLDR: Toyota won't honor the Truestart 84-month warranty if it wasn't explicitly purchased? Did anyone else have this issue?

    Timeline of events:

    08/2018: Purchased new car (2018 Prius, Trim 2)

    10/2019:     12v battery started having issues (low voltage)

    04/2020: Dealership replaced battery for free under the 3 year basic coverage warranty. I was told that the Truestart 84 month battery warranty would still work.

    05/2024    : 12v died. I called the dealership and they said they would honor the warranty at the prorated amount. I went in the next day and after 2 hours of tests, they came back and said that while the battery is definitely defective, they couldn't honor the warranty because it was replaced under the 336 warranty, not purchased.

    This exception is not stated anywhere on any official Toyota material (TOYOTA WARRANTY POLICY & PROCEDURES, Toyota Warranty Information). However, the dealership would not budge, and the representative I called from the national Toyota hotline also had no idea).

    I'm curious if anyone else has had this experience.
     
    #1 Halcykon, May 26, 2024
    Last edited: May 26, 2024
  2. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2009
    5,608
    3,788
    0
    Location:
    So. Texas
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Typically OEM replacement parts carry a 12 month warranty.

    4 years on a lead-acid battery in Sugarland, Tx is not abnormal.

    [​IMG]
     
    #2 fotomoto, May 26, 2024
    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller likes this.
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 26, 2009
    17,557
    10,324
    90
    Location:
    Western Washington
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It would seem abnormal for a free warranty replacement to extend the life of the original warranty. So I would ask:

    1) did the person who stated that they'd honor the replacement's longer warranty, properly understand the question or the context?
    2) did above person have sufficient business authority to say that?
    3) if none of the above works, will Johnson Control / Interstate Battery, the apparent maker of Truestart batteries, separately honor the 84 month warranty?

    If none of the above work, well, it isn't like you lost anything that you actually paid for. A free gift just didn't turn out to be as good as expected, but still performed its primary job well beyond the original factory warranty. There is no real injury here.
     
    #3 fuzzy1, May 26, 2024
  4. Mr.Vanvandenburg

    Mr.Vanvandenburg Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2007
    1,222
    456
    0
    Vehicle:
    2020 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Limited
    It’s easy to get wrong information on the phone, half the time they aren’t even listening. It seems like that’s how it works, as you have no receipt for the second battery, and the warranty on it was for three years.
     
    #4 Mr.Vanvandenburg, May 31, 2024
  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2008
    8,487
    5,054
    7
    Location:
    Texas Hill Country
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    it would seem a prorated 84 month/7 year warranty would still apply even if it was calculated back to the vehicle purchase date. At least through 2025. It might be a $30 credit for 14 months remaining unless installation or other fees like disposal cancels it out.

    I might try another dealer. Toyota does not require using the same dealer.
     
    #5 rjparker, May 31, 2024
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)