Toyota customer service HORRIBLE experience 2007 toyota prius dead HV battery experience

i feel you pain

also think thats it is not a good PR response
its only 1000 over warrranty and the battery pack is one of the big things that people wurry about
PR like this is not good for toyota it can do more harm then just still warranty your battery pack for you.
so or toyota is getting more of these and can not offert to pay them al or toyota thinks that the prius is so exepted that there is no reasons to help you out.

 

I'm sorry. You just got really really unlucky.

In 2005, my 1-week new iMac suffered a power supply failure. Though it was under warranty of course, they wouldn't let me simply return it because it had been custom ordered online through their website. So I had to wait 3 weeks for my new computer to be repaired. And I am the MACMASTER! Sheesh.

 

Your warranty did expire. They are not obligated to do anything for you. With that said, walk me through your very first interaction with toyota in regards to this matter. What were your exact words and context?

 

its understanable that your mad
this is just a spur of the moment of anger

of al those toyotas you got or helped people get.. did any fail beside yours.

 

Spoils makes a great point, but behind every rule and policy, is a human being who ultimately enforces that rule and makes the decision to help you or not.

Since they offered you $1000, you know they have some power to bargain. Wreak havoc. Kick and scream. Tell them everything you’re telling us.

I never did tell you this but way back in college, I actually used to work at an Apple Store. One day we had a customer on the phone who was yelling at our manager because their very expensive business computer had been taking weeks to repair, and it was going to take us a little longer. But the customer needed it immediately and demanded a new computer in exchange. Under normal circumstances we had no power to make this happen; there was no policy on this. But the customer kept yelling and nagging. Eventually, our manager caved. We scheduled to ship them a brand new computer, cross-country where they were, free of charge. Our store took a $3000 hit (yeah it's nothing for Apple – but that’s besides the point). I remember after this happened, one of my coworkers commented sarcastically in the break room, “now that’s how you get what you want.”

Extreme kicking and screaming does work in customer service. It’s not the most dignified manner and it certainly won’t earn you any respect, but it seems to have its powers. Good luck.

 

If I were you I would politely ask the person who made the decision if there is an appeals route available to you.

 

A few years ago, I used my 2003 toyota tacoma (which i still have and love) to carry a full load of mulch to a friends house 60 miles away. I had the truck loaded the day before so i could get an early start the next morning. It had rained all night and the mulch had to weigh more than the load capacity of the truck. On my travels to friends house, I traveled over some rough pavement at highway speeds. Long story short, the next day I noticed an oil leak coming from one of the rear shocks. Truck had 43,000 miles and was past the warranty period. I took it to the dealer and said, "I know this is out of warranty but I thought this was a tough little truck, the rear shock blew out". Dealer said, let us take a look at it, we will call you this afternoon. I left the truck there and headed for the beach. That afternoon they called me and said, come get your truck. When I got there they informed me that "it is a tough little truck", they replaced both rear shocks and charged me nothing. I guess the point is, you can get different responses from different people and Had they not done that, I would have gladly paid for the new shock. I've had excellent service and an excellent experience with the product for years. One shock blowing out or one HV battery going bad after 101,000 miles would not change my feelings about the company or vehicle.

 

in 1985, i had a ford extended van. it blew a circuit board just over the one year 12,000 mile warranty. asked the dealer if they would cover it, they said no way, not one mile/day over the warranty. something like $500. repair at the time. i never bought another ford until 2001. kept that until i got my first prius in late 03. still burns me, but i will probably look at a fusion hybrid down the road.

 

Sorry to hear about your unpleasant experience with the Customer Experience Center. Considering that Toyota US sales have declined recently, TMS USA is probably under severe pressure to maintain profit by being less generous with post-warranty financial assistance compared to the past.

If you think that you will get better treatment from Chevrolet or Honda, perhaps you should frequent those forums to see what kind of post-warranty help owners of those vehicles receive. You may find that those manufacturers are not particularly helpful. Honda hybrids especially have a long repair and service history, and you can inquire into how many owners received help with a failed traction battery post-warranty. Good luck.

 

Does seem strange that the HV battery went out that suddenly and fast. 101k miles is abnormal. I would suggest you try and find out exactly how that diagnosis was made.

As for never buying another Prius, seems a little overkill. Few cars are as reliable. All cars have problems, but they just seem to pop up less frequently here. Brings us back to the how do you know it is dead thing...

 

Take a picture of your new fleet of ford or honda hybrids and send it to the toyota rep you talked to. "Tickle me shall I not laugh, Prick me shall I not bleed, wrong me shall I not revenge".

 

Well I would ask for the actual DTC thrown. False alarms can be had all the time if the 12v is weak. There is an issue, but it could be anything from a failed 12v battery, a failed ECU, or the original diagnosis of the HV battery. I am just suspicious that it failed so early in life as that is very rare.

Keep in mind most dealer techs and "mechaincs" today know nothing about the car. They plug in a diagnostic cable to a computer (Toyota Techstream) and the car tells them what is wrong. If the car cannot properly diagnose it then the tech rarely figures it out. He gets paid the same, and probably doesn't care especially now that it is out of warranty.

Also, you can get a salvaged battery pack on ebay for a couple hundred dollars shipped to your door. You and a muscled friend can install it in an hour with no previous skills.

 

sounds like toyota usa is no different than toyota canada. sure looks like the gen2's are turning into lemons. i can't wait to get rid of mine. i even got heckled by a guy with a checy cruze as he is now doubling my mileage and he didnt have to buck up for a hybrid.