Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement - denied!

CharlesBr · Dec 2, 2014

Toney491 said: ↑

Not a recall just an extended warranty. Mine is a 2007. On the warranty letter there are a list of vin numbers of vehicles affected by the combination meter.
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I see, I will write them back to ask about the warranty extension then, thanks!

Also, I found a tech bulletin and a warranty enhancement notice but none of them had the VIN numbers, can you direct me to someplace on the web where I could look it up? Thanks!

G. Brookfield · Nov 1, 2018

dragonrand said: ↑

I first experienced a failure of my combination meter last weekend, after a particularly cold night, parking outside because I was out of town. I was perplexed and worried, but after about 45 minutes of troubleshooting the issue, it finally came back to life when I powered the car back on (for probably the 20th time). Weird, but I was just glad I didn't have to attempt driving 180 miles home without it.

On Wednesday of this week, it happened again, at mid-day when the temps were a bit above freezing. This time, I couldn't resolve it before departing, and when I got to my destination (lunch), I found I couldn't power off the car completely. I ordered my lunch, came back to my car, and when I powered it (the rest of the way) up the meter sprang back to life and worked normally. But I was now even more determined to properly diagnose the problem.

Further searches of these forums finally revealed the two posts which gave me hope: this thread by jdenenberg: Alert: Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement | PriusChat
which also linked to this thread, by Patrick Wong: Alert: Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement | PriusChat.

My problem had been identified! Even better, Toyota acknowledged the problem and was covering it under an extended warranty; Until Sept 30, 2013, or 9 years from date of first use, whichever was longer. I purchased my 2005 Prius used from Toyota in 2007, so I couldn't be sure of the date of first use, but people were still on waiting lists to receive a Prius in those days. Surely the date of delivery must have been in 2005.

I contacted the dealer, explained my situation, and made an appointment for this morning. I dropped the vehicle and drove off in the rental they provided (once I patiently pointed out it was also part of the warranty enhancement program).

I received a call an hour ago informing me that the original owner of the car purchased it in November of 2004. Therefore, I was beyond the scope of the extended warranty and the replacement would not be covered by Toyota. When I asked the dealer if they could advocate for me, they said no - I'd have to call Toyota myself. I did so, spoke to the front lines, and after a few minutes of research, the rep told me that Toyota's position is that they generously extended the warranty to 9 years, and it will not be honored beyond that. I again made my case, and further pointed out that although I had received recall letters about the water pump and the steering shaft, I never received a letter informing me of the Warranty Enhancement Program for the combination meter. If I had, I would have had the opportunity to have the meter replaced under extended warranty. They stood firm, so I requested escalation to a supervisor. A callback from a supervisor is promised within one business day, which probably means Monday.

Clearly, I'm outside the scope of the warranty...by 1 month. 108 months of coverage, and I'm in month 109. Fully 464 weeks of coverage, and I'm in week 469.

Given the facts that:

I didn't (for whatever reason) receive a letter, and therefore didn't know about the issue in advance

Only experienced the problem for the first time last weekend, and

Took quick steps to make an appointment to rectify the situation,

...what are the opinions and advice of the members here? Am I unreasonable to believe it falls under the spirit of the extended warranty and should be replaced? Have others had success in pleading a similar case before Toyota corporate? What's the best way for me to approach this situation? It makes me sick to think that while many perfectly-functioning meters have doubtless been replaced by Toyota under this program - and will continue to be - I actually HAVE a faulty meter, and Toyota will not help me.

Thanks in advance for all replies. I'm so grateful for the existence of this community! It's a veritable treasure-trove of knowledge and sound advice.

BJ
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Ditto. Ditto. Brand new 2007 Prius with less than 35,000 miles in Florida. No requisite warranty letter, no taking of responsibility, no nothing. Is this the Toyota brand we bought into? I think not. And, driving without the dashboard info is dangerous!

CoryAAA · Jun 20, 2019

Hi. I have the same problem and I have an idea. Wondering if anyone else has tried installing a Battery Kill Switch. Since all you need to do to clear the problem is disconnect the battery, what if we just installed a kill switch. Flip it and it will put the lights back on. Thoughts?
Thanks

Patrick Wong · Jun 21, 2019

CoryAAA said: ↑

Hi. I have the same problem and I have an idea. Wondering if anyone else has tried installing a Battery Kill Switch. Since all you need to do to clear the problem is disconnect the battery, what if we just installed a kill switch. Flip it and it will put the lights back on. Thoughts?
Thanks
Click to expand...

That is a temporary fix as the combination meter will eventually get to the point where cutting power does not help.

Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement - denied!

CharlesBr Junior Member

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Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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Combination Meter Warranty Enhancement - denied!

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