Warranty Repairs. - Corolland: the Toyota Corolla Forums

How many of you have to take your car in for warranty work?

We have a 05 LE 5sp with 2xK miles and I'm a little surprised how many times it has been to the dealer.

The first time was because the driver seat sounded like a loose 15 year old Ford seat that had a lot of play in it and made a popping noise. We got a new seat, but even the new one isn't right, but way better then what came on the car. The dealer told us they all do this.

We have a dash rattle that has never been figured out. It only rattles between 2300rpms and 2500rpms or close to it. It goes away as soon as it starts. It's just annoying. I expected a little more from a Toyota. I took all the CDs out of the 6 disk changer thinking that maybe that was it, but no luck.

The serpentine belt and or pulley was replaced last year. I never really looked at the invoice since I didn't have to pay for it, but the belt or pulley was defective and making a horrible noise.

Now, the passenger clip for the sun shade broke out of the headliner and the driver side is loose. No one hardly ever even rides shotgun!!!!

Overall, I'm happy with the car. The engine and gear box are as smooth as new, the car drives like new, but I'm a little disappointed in some of the stupid things that have broken on the car.

Anyone else having bad luck?

Max

Luck here has been quite good. Bought the car new in March 02, and took it in for a noisy clock spring, something most people wouldn't have noticed. Car has been trouble-free. Sorry to hear yours hasn't been!

Maybe we just got a little unlucky. The car as a whole is great. It's just some of the little things have been annoying. I've had cars with over 200K miles that never had the sun shade break. I even have a 91 5.0 with 86K miles that is pretty flawless. Yikes!

I know that the Corolla is a starter car, but I still expected more. I thought the Corolla was suppose to have higher quality then even the Civic. My folks have a Camery that was built in Kentucky with close to 40K miles on it and it still drives like it's brand new. My sister has a Solara built in Canada with over 80K miles and it still drives great. Overall, the Camery seems to be a better built car.

I'm thinking of trying out a Subie Impreza next. Mainly because I LOVE AWD and we moved from Chicagoland to a smaller city and we don't drive nearly as much as we used to. Fuel economy isn't as important now.

I guess I have ended up with a lemon. Fun fun. At least mechanically it has been solid and has never let me down.

Mine has been to the dealer no less than 10 times for lots of build quality issues. Excessive gap between dash and radio, falling rear passenger door weatherstripping, serpentine belt, numerous creaks and rattles, warped door below the heater controls and leaky axle seal. Some of those required multiple trips to the dealer for either parts ordering or to fix installation issues of the repair.

I have other issues now, but since it's out of warranty I will be working on them myself.

First 30K miles or so for my Corolla - had to take it in about a half dozen times or so. Twice for CELs that they blamed on a bad charcoal canister (I was to pick up the bill due to abuse - I called corporate, dealer changed their story to not the canister, but a purge valve - idiots). The rest for general NVH issues (Noise Vibration Harsness). Still haven't gotten rid of a lot of the little grunts, groans, squeaks, and chirps - not a deal breaker, I bought a Corolla, not a Lexus. So far - this has been the worst Toyota product compared the others purchased (new and used) up to this car.

Even so - doesn't even come close to the trouble we had with Dodge truck and Mazda 6 we bought new. Both of those have spent more time at the dealership during the first two years of ownership than in our own garage. Both have had gone through the arbitration process (Lemon Law) - one we kept (Dodge) one we dumped (Mazda). The Dodge faired the best of the two - but had pretty much its entire driveline, brakes, suspension, and most interior components replaced at least once by the dealership. The engine and drivetrain was the most troublesome - one new long block, two subsequent head replacements, two headgaskets, two waterpumps, entire cooling system, A/C condensor and compressor, THREE rear differentials, several wheel bearings, upgraded axles, special aluminum driveshaft, and a rebuilt tranny. I think we drove it maybe 3000 miles the first two years - the rest of the time it was in the shop. At least it gave us a chance to drive just about every kind of Chysler product they make default_biggrin (all covered under the extended warranty - best $1500 we every spent).

In comparison - my 3rd Gen Camry - I personally drove 150K miles in 9 years that I had it before picking up the Corolla - other than normal maintenance items - only a single thing went wrong - burned out the bulb for the dome lamp. That's it. Had the dealer change all fluids on the Toyota recommended schedule (oil/filter every 7500 miles on dino juice!!!, inspect air filter every 15K - replace at 30K, transmission inspection every 15K - replaced with coolant changed every 30K, plugs replaced at 60K). car still runs like a top and at almost 200K miles - burns not a drop of oil. Older 6th gen Celica I had for a while - pretty much mimic the Camry. So far the Matrix is on track similar to the Camry and Celica. Just the naughty Corolla + dealer goofs.

That's really disappointing to hear. We haven't had a single check engine light. The car gets 33-34MPG in the city and our record was 43MPG I think on a road trip. Fit and finish look amazing. I got barely used XRS rims and tires off of some ricer who couldn't look stock for less money then the tires cost. That improved the ride to our satisfaction. Other then that, the car has a TRD drop in air filter. I was going to do some suspension work, but I think we are just going to trade it in when the warranty runs out. I just expected more from Toyota. It seems that a lot of car makers are having trouble with newer cars though. Maybe they are just too complex now days. I can't even figure out how to change the speakers on the Corolla. I know that everything is snapped in place, but I'm afraid of snapping a clip or something. I still have two older cars for myself and the wife usually drives the Corolla and older cars are so much easier to work on and fix. I couldn't even figure out how to change out headlights on my in laws VW. It looked the like battery needed to come out. I didn't even want to touch it.

I've heard great things about the NA Impreza. Maybe I'll hit up some Subie forums and see how they are holding up. I think I have about 10K miles to figure it out before the warranty runs out.

1,424 posts

I guess I have ended up with a lemon. Fun fun. At least mechanically it has been solid and has never let me down.
Mine has been to the dealer no less than 10 times for lots of build quality issues. Excessive gap between dash and radio, falling rear passenger door weatherstripping, serpentine belt, numerous creaks and rattles, warped door below the heater controls and leaky axle seal. Some of those required multiple trips to the dealer for either parts ordering or to fix installation issues of the repair.
I have other issues now, but since it's out of warranty I will be working on them myself.

All but one of those issues affected every Corolla made in 2002 and early 2003. They issued TSBs to solve every problem but the axle seal. TSBs to fix issues are common for 1st model year cars. My advice, if you don't like dealing with such issues, wait until the 2nd year after a new model comes out.

All but one of those issues affected every Corolla made in 2002 and early 2003. They issued TSBs to solve every problem but the axle seal. TSBs to fix issues are common for 1st model year cars. My advice, if you don't like dealing with such issues, wait until the 2nd year after a new model comes out.

That's nice. Doesn't change the fact that the car had to go back to the dealer for numerous warranty repairs. I fell for the "Toyota is quality" marketing campaign, hook...line...and sinker. Ah well, live and learn.

Funny thing is that a friend of mine that has a 2005 Corolla has some of the same and other issues with build quality (creaks,loose seat,front and rear weatherstripping problems, windshield sealing problems). His latest battle is to actually get the car started if the engine already been warmed up. Ouch.

Shame to hear of the faults, most to be fair are just niggles. However my 2006 Corolla has been perfect so far, knock on wood, after 7k miles. No faults at all, very well built, no rattles or squeaks. It is very easy to work on should the need arise and as soon as the warranty is up I shall do my own servicing/maintainance. I have another Toyota, a Kluger/Highlander awd 3.3 V6 and this has been faultless too. I do have issues with the standard of main dealer service, it has been abysmal and with the Kluger I check everything before it goes in for service and again when I get it back. They cannot even fill the engine oil to the correct level, put the incorrect grade oil in the transfer box, the list goes on.

Roger

1,424 posts

That's nice. Doesn't change the fact that the car had to go back to the dealer for numerous warranty repairs. I fell for the "Toyota is quality" marketing campaign, hook...line...and sinker. Ah well, live and learn.
Funny thing is that a friend of mine that has a 2005 Corolla has some of the same and other issues with build quality (creaks,loose seat,front and rear weatherstripping problems, windshield sealing problems). His latest battle is to actually get the car started if the engine already been warmed up. Ouch.

I have a 2005 Corolla built at Nummi. So far it has had 2 warranty repairs. Both were cosmetic issues, I have one sunroof rattle (which I fully expected). Am I dissappointed? No, in fact I'm happy that I bought "Toyota Quality" and didn't settle for a Focus with doors that won't stay closed, wheel bearings that catch on fire, sunroofs that fall off the track and unintended acceleration problems. I'm incredibly picky about cars (to the point where I custom ordered mine and then wouldn't take it when it came in with the wrong wheels) and I can tell you this: My Corolla is a better built, higher quality automobile than almost all of its competition, sans the newest Civic.

BTW, your friend needs to take his car to the dealer. There is a TSB to fix his issue of hard starting and there is no sense living with that when there is a simple documented fix that the dealer can complete.

Max

Fish- Interesting about the Mazda 6. I have a friend who ditched hers after a few awful months of nearly weekly trips to the dealer for cosmetic and powertrain fixes (Paint peeled off the trunk lid, brake assembly nearly fell off the car). She almost qualified for lemon law buy-back. She's in a Scion tC now and loves it after 2 1/2 years and zero problems. Too bad- Mazda used to make some bulletproof cars. And I really like the looks of the 3. Woulda bought one if I hadn't seen my friend go through such a nightmare with her 6. To be fair, my nephew has had zero issues with his 6.

1,424 posts

Fish- Interesting about the Mazda 6. I have a friend who ditched hers after a few awful months of nearly weekly trips to the dealer for cosmetic and powertrain fixes (Paint peeled off the trunk lid, brake assembly nearly fell off the car). She almost qualified for lemon law buy-back. She's in a Scion tC now and loves it after 2 1/2 years and zero problems. Too bad- Mazda used to make some bulletproof cars. And I really like the looks of the 3. Woulda bought one if I hadn't seen my friend go through such a nightmare with her 6. To be fair, my nephew has had zero issues with his 6.

The 6 had major reliability issues. The first ones suffered from major rust, paint peel, brake problems, etc. That's what you get when you half-###### engineer a car. The 3 was not a unreliable car, not even the first year. My Dad has a 2004 built in 2003 and it has not required 1 repair in 30k. It is a nicer car than the Corolla, but it costs a lot more. If you can afford it, it's a good deal.

Bought my 06 in July, only complaint is the rapping noise the engine makes on really cold mornings for about the first 5 seconds at around 1800 rpm. Other than that the car is a champ. I am impressed with this car very day I drive it. Not a single squeak or rattle in 8k miles. Fuel mileage is a steady 33 mpg, no oil or water leaks, no air leaks, performance and handling are way above what I expexted in an economy car, definitely buying Toyota again.

Bought my 06 in July, only complaint is the rapping noise the engine makes on really cold mornings for about the first 5 seconds at around 1800 rpm. Other than that the car is a champ. I am impressed with this car very day I drive it. Not a single squeak or rattle in 8k miles. Fuel mileage is a steady 33 mpg, no oil or water leaks, no air leaks, performance and handling are way above what I expexted in an economy car, definitely buying Toyota again.

I hope you continue to be happy with your car for a long time. I was pretty happy with our car the first 8K miles too. We had the driver seat replaced. One trip to the dealer on a mass produced car is no big deal, just a annoyance. It was the serpentine belt going out at 18K miles I think, interior clips breaking off and a dash rattle that kind of tick me off. I would suspect something like that from a low end Kia or something, not a Toyota. While it's a dream car compared to our last lemon that we had, I went with Toyota to avoid build quality problems. I'm only about 75% satisfied with our car because Toyota's are suppose to be top notch when it comes to build quality. I wouldn't say I'm upset, but I will look at other cars besides Toyota when it comes to buy a next car. I bought the car hoping it would last about 8 years (without too much trouble), but if stupid things still continue to go wrong with it, I'll dump it at the end of the bumper to bumper warranty.

The drive train noise is normal. It's a rather noisy engine, but all the VVTi engines do that.

Actually, I did have two oil leaks. Turned out to be two bad Purolator oil filters. I see on other sites that they're having issues. Mine would leak in colder weather. Replaced with a Toyota filter, now everything's dry as a bone.

My early NUMMI 03 had a decent number of cosmetic fixes. Only mechanical ones were both front window crank assemblies and the electronic clock. First serpentine belt replaced for noise. Door gaskets failed 3 times - later replaced with improved 2005 parts.

Son's later 2003 LE had just the infamous sulphur farts (mine had that TSB too).

Much better than previous Saturns.

Bikeman982

My Corollas have been at least 10 years old, and used.

By then most of the bugs have already been worked out.

I just try to keep them maintained and running forever.

friendly_jacek

You shouldn't complain if it's covered by warranty. In my 03, I have a slew of problems right AFTER the warranty expired. Just to name a few:

Keyless refused to work, belt tensioner makes rattling noise, AC freezes over when humidity is high, rear brakes are very noisy. I also had several minor things covered by warranty. This is my first Toyota, only 38000 miles and relatively more problems that I had in my previous Japanese cars. Now, these are minor things but Toyota is not what it used to be.

Bikeman982

You shouldn't complain if it's covered by warranty. In my 03, I have a slew of problems right AFTER the warranty expired. Just to name a few:Keyless refused to work, belt tensioner makes rattling noise, AC freezes over when humidity is high, rear brakes are very noisy. I also had several minor things covered by warranty. This is my first Toyota, only 38000 miles and relatively more problems that I had in my previous Japanese cars. Now, these are minor things but Toyota is not what it used to be.

It is amazing how that works - everything breaks after the warranty is up.

Is it planned that way??

Maybe it's programmed like the oil change reminder.

When car hits 36,001, time to tell components to fail.

Bikeman982

Maybe it's programmed like the oil change reminder.
When car hits 36,001, time to tell components to fail.

It is job security for some people - they will always have work.

I had the water pump replaced at 21,000 miles. Thankfully it was under warranty, but it was still annoying.

Bikeman982

I had the water pump replaced at 21,000 miles. Thankfully it was under warranty, but it was still annoying.

and probably inconvenient as well.

I have had a 2007 Corolla for 6 weeks. It's been back 4 times due to a crooked steering wheel, and a rattle in the back window that still hasn't been solved. Now I also have a rattle in the front dash, rear right window, and headliner above the driver's window.

Bikeman982

I have had a 2007 Corolla for 6 weeks. It's been back 4 times due to a crooked steering wheel, and a rattle in the back window that still hasn't been solved. Now I also have a rattle in the front dash, rear right window, and headliner above the driver's window.

How can the steering wheel be crooked?

Maybe things are loosening up.

Check the cupholder - I have heard rattles that turned out to be a can in the cupholder.