While Driving our family home from the cementary with a month old baby and a two year old in the car. We hit traffic and I downshifted in order to regain speed in the car. This car has a delay in reaction when the gas pedal is pushed and in order to pass or regain speed you have to rev up the car. So downshifting is a must. While downshifting I hit every gear, and released the clutch, however, this was done very quickly. When I hit second gear the tires barked and I could tell I was going a little to fast for that gear. I then quickly put the car in third and could not accerlate. Every time I braked that was the new speed the car could go. I noticed the engine light was on and blinking and I knew something horrible was happening but with the kids in car I was afraid to pull over and stop. I made it home a 5 MPH. Towed the car to the first shop and was told that I would need a new engine. The #3 cylinder has no pressure and the 4th is at 30%. 11 out of 16 rocker arms were gone. They would not diagnosis the car any further. New engine $3800. I thought this cannot be. Is this car that crappy. I have had this car six months.I wanted a second opinion because we know that not all mechanics are honest. So I towed the car to Toyota. Toyota tells me that the computer on the car tells them that I mis shifted and not only did I mis shift but I redlined the car at 8500RMPs. I do not believe this happened. I have researched the heck out of this and found 19 other cases of this exact problem. One lady had this problem twice. I went back to Toyota and showed them what I had found so they have opened a claim I believe to just shut me up. They will look into it. My powertrain warranty does not cover human error I am told.
Toyota has a deny til-we-die splendor and I don't believe they will do the right thing here. I paid 12,990 for a car to have it for 6 months and still owe $7000. I find it terrible that if I did in fact mis shift which could be possible, that the first thing to give is the engine.
After two days of reading I think the VVT-I system could be the problem here., I have learned the computer-generated commands in the motor move the add-shaft’s internal plunger, initiating the appropriate degree of helical gear rotation, which changes the fulcrum point of the oscillating arm. The resulting pivot compels the various parts of the arm’s ramp-profile to contact the rocker arms. Motion of the intake camshaft powers the oscillating arm, causing the rocker arm to open the valve and change the lift without needing oil pressure to operate.with that being said what if the actions of the driver are faster then the computers reaction time. I read over and over how this system increases horsepower, I don't think that this VVT-I system can handle the 1.8L engine. I am no mechanic but I did not mis use my car. I have driven a manual transmission my entire life. I feel that Toyota should have put in safety features to prevent this money shift as they call it. After talking to a Toyota Advisor they tell me that this problem is their main money maker. He tells me that if they were to start using the warranty to repair these vehicles then an investigation would be open and a recall would be next, but if the car is just checked in for service and the new engine installed then there is no problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
While Driving our family home from the cementary with a month old baby and a two year old in the car. We hit traffic and I downshifted in order to regain speed in the car. This car has a delay in reaction when the gas pedal is pushed and in order to pass or regain speed you have to rev up the car. So downshifting is a must. While downshifting I hit every gear, and released the clutch, however, this was done very quickly. When I hit second gear the tires barked and I could tell I was going a little to fast for that gear. I then quickly put the car in third and could not accerlate. Every time I braked that was the new speed the car could go. I noticed the engine light was on and blinking and I knew something horrible was happening but with the kids in car I was afraid to pull over and stop. I made it home a 5 MPH. Towed the car to the first shop and was told that I would need a new engine. The #3 cylinder has no pressure and the 4th is at 30%. 11 out of 16 rocker arms were gone. They would not diagnosis the car any further. New engine $3800. I thought this cannot be. Is this car that crappy. I have had this car six months.I wanted a second opinion because we know that not all mechanics are honest. So I towed the car to Toyota. Toyota tells me that the computer on the car tells them that I mis shifted and not only did I mis shift but I redlined the car at 8500RMPs. I do not believe this happened. I have researched the heck out of this and found 19 other cases of this exact problem. One lady had this problem twice. I went back to Toyota and showed them what I had found so they have opened a claim I believe to just shut me up. They will look into it. My powertrain warranty does not cover human error I am told.
Toyota has a deny til-we-die splendor and I don't believe they will do the right thing here. I paid 12,990 for a car to have it for 6 months and still owe $7000. I find it terrible that if I did in fact mis shift which could be possible, that the first thing to give is the engine.
After two days of reading I think the VVT-I system could be the problem here., I have learned the computer-generated commands in the motor move the add-shaft’s internal plunger, initiating the appropriate degree of helical gear rotation, which changes the fulcrum point of the oscillating arm. The resulting pivot compels the various parts of the arm’s ramp-profile to contact the rocker arms. Motion of the intake camshaft powers the oscillating arm, causing the rocker arm to open the valve and change the lift without needing oil pressure to operate.with that being said what if the actions of the driver are faster then the computers reaction time. I read over and over how this system increases horsepower, I don't think that this VVT-I system can handle the 1.8L engine. I am no mechanic but I did not mis use my car. I have driven a manual transmission my entire life. I feel that Toyota should have put in safety features to prevent this money shift as they call it. After talking to a Toyota Advisor they tell me that this problem is their main money maker. He tells me that if they were to start using the warranty to repair these vehicles then an investigation would be open and a recall would be next, but if the car is just checked in for service and the new engine installed then there is no problem.
- Jeannie M., Fair Oaks, US