Check Engine Light And New Computer

I should add that my first thought after seeing the check engine light come on was that the fuel cap had a problem. About one month ago, the fuel cap needed to be replaced. This was not because it triggered the check engine light to illuminate, but because the clicking mechanism did not work. It was almost as if you could not get the gas cap to thread in completely.

The dealer replaced the gas cap without a problem! I though I would add this if it's any help. I am not a mechanic by any means. But, I can tell you my wife and I are a little concerned about this issue. We have heard nothing but excellent reviews regarding Toyota's Corolla.

I am not a 2006 Corolla owner, but I know that they do go bad and they are expensive.

It is one of those mysterious computer components that your car cannot run without.

Like anything electronic - they can work fine one moment and then fail on you without warning.

It is a good thing you have the warranty and you should take advantage of that to replace a bad computer.

Well, I just spoke with the dealer again yesterday. They informed me that this part is now on backorder. The earliest that I will see this part is the beginning of August. I just do not understand how a 2006 model Toyota Corolla can be down for such an extended period of time because of a part not being available. If I owned an older model Toyota, that would make sense.

Can anyone give me insight on this....?

Well, I just spoke with the dealer again yesterday. They informed me that this part is now on backorder. The earliest that I will see this part is the beginning of August. I just do not understand how a 2006 model Toyota Corolla can be down for such an extended period of time because of a part not being available. If I owned an older model Toyota, that would make sense.

Can anyone give me insight on this....?

Doesn't make sense to me either - you would think they stocked 2006 parts.

 

What if your car was unusable until the part came in - do they provide a loaner?

Does that mean you have to suffer with a bad part until then? Does not seem right.

Might mean that a large batch of the ECU computers were bad and are failing all over the place.

Your warranty should provide some rental coverage if dealer feels the transmission may be damaged by continuing to drive with malfunctioning shift points.

Well, I just spoke with the dealer again yesterday. They informed me that this part is now on backorder. The earliest that I will see this part is the beginning of August. I just do not understand how a 2006 model Toyota Corolla can be down for such an extended period of time because of a part not being available. If I owned an older model Toyota, that would make sense.

Can anyone give me insight on this....?

Doesn't make sense to me either - you would think they stocked 2006 parts.

 

What if your car was unusable until the part came in - do they provide a loaner?

Does that mean you have to suffer with a bad part until then? Does not seem right.

 

I am not able to drive my Corolla in this condition. It actually shifts horribly and the dealer advised that I do not use it until the part is replaced. They told me that using the vehicle in its current state my cause unnecessary mechanical wear to the transmission. So... it is out of commission until this part is received by the dealer.

I just do not understand. I mean, everyone tells me that Toyota's last and last and this is the first Toyota that my wife and I have ever owned. And, it's not like we didn't buy it new. Who knows?

Check your state lemon laws. I would drop your car off at the dealer and demand a loaner. Any mass produced car can have problems, but when they do come up, they should be taken care of. So far, we've had great luck and we are even getting our stereo replaced under warranty.

I don't know if mileage matters, but I don't think a car under warranty can be down for over a month.

I would really demand a loaner at the dealers cost. Let them keep your car at the dealer too. Don't take no for a answer. Leaving you high and dry like that is beyond wrong.

Well, I just spoke with the dealer again yesterday. They informed me that this part is now on backorder. The earliest that I will see this part is the beginning of August. I just do not understand how a 2006 model Toyota Corolla can be down for such an extended period of time because of a part not being available. If I owned an older model Toyota, that would make sense.

Can anyone give me insight on this....?

Doesn't make sense to me either - you would think they stocked 2006 parts.

 

What if your car was unusable until the part came in - do they provide a loaner?

Does that mean you have to suffer with a bad part until then? Does not seem right.

 

I am not able to drive my Corolla in this condition. It actually shifts horribly and the dealer advised that I do not use it until the part is replaced. They told me that using the vehicle in its current state my cause unnecessary mechanical wear to the transmission. So... it is out of commission until this part is received by the dealer.

I just do not understand. I mean, everyone tells me that Toyota's last and last and this is the first Toyota that my wife and I have ever owned. And, it's not like we didn't buy it new. Who knows?

If the dealer does not want you to drive it, they should provide a loaner.

 

 

"My wife and I purchased the 100,000 mile platinum extended warranty at the time of sale. I am starting to feel like this was not a waste after this incident."

You have rental reimbursement. Contact the warranty administrator. They may be able to get your part expedited to save rental expense.

It is funny how fast parts can be found when someone else is paying for your inconvenience.

It is funny how fast parts can be found when someone else is paying for your inconvenience.

You all make excellent points. As far as the extended warranty is concerned, I am told that does not take effect until after the 36,000 miles warranty expires. Currently, I am still under the original factory warranty. The dealer is giving me a loaner.

I spoke with a Toyota representative three times since I initially called. They have been following up with my concern very well. As far as the part getting expedited, it is probably not going to happen.

It is funny how fast parts can be found when someone else is paying for your inconvenience.

You all make excellent points. As far as the extended warranty is concerned, I am told that does not take effect until after the 36,000 miles warranty expires. Currently, I am still under the original factory warranty. The dealer is giving me a loaner.

I spoke with a Toyota representative three times since I initially called. They have been following up with my concern very well. As far as the part getting expedited, it is probably not going to happen.

Enjoy the loaner.

 

 

I have same issue with check engine light and rough shifting - at 34200 miles on my 06 corolla S check engine light came on and tramsmission started shifting hard - dealer told me they will keep the car while they wait for an new ECM - thie gave me a loaner( 2007 corolla for free) said it would be 2 or 3 weeks at least before ECM was in - they did mention that its actually coverd under the 8year/80000 emission warrantly - not sure why

I have same issue with check engine light and rough shifting - at 34200 miles on my 06 corolla S check engine light came on and tramsmission started shifting hard - dealer told me they will keep the car while they wait for an new ECM - thie gave me a loaner( 2007 corolla for free) said it would be 2 or 3 weeks at least before ECM was in - they did mention that its actually coverd under the 8year/80000 emission warrantly - not sure why

Is that a common problem for the newer Corollas??

 

 

Might mean that a large batch of the ECU computers were bad and are failing all over the place.

Your warranty should provide some rental coverage if dealer feels the transmission may be damaged by continuing to drive with malfunctioning shift points.

You are absolutely correct. My 2006 Corolla "died" on Monday. At first it would not start, but when it did, it sounded like a lawnmower. It had an intermittent idle and seemed like it had no gas. The check engine light was on and the gas pedal had no or little effect. The engine eventually stopped turning over all together. The radio and all the inside lights would come on, but no engine. When I drove to work that morning, the car was absolutely fine. It was serviced less than one month before for an oil change.

So my car, that only has 16,000 miles on it, was towed to my dealership on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was told that the ECU computer was malfunctioning and that the ETA was September 16 for the new computer. He said it was something that was happening all over the country and the computers were on backorder.

I was given a loaner--free of charge. I just asked how I was going to be compensated for them having my car for three weeks. Everyone was extremely polite about it and I am looking forward to getting my car back.

I realize this is a older post, but someone refreshed it to the top.

I you find it unacceptable for your car to be down that long, check your state lemon laws. Most, if not all states have a clause that if your car is at the dealer for over a month, you can get a full buy back. Just a FYI if anyone is interested.

Toyota seems to be having the problems that VW did with ECUs. It sucks that it's a distributer problem, but that ECU problem is one of the main reasons VWs have a reputation for being crap now days. They had random starting problems. Drivers had to prey to the car gods that your they could start that day. I really hope Toyota can get this problem under control, work out the problems with their ECU suppliers and not let things get out of hand.

Anyone know what the failure rates are? Toyota really seems to be changing overnight. Not in a good way either.

I have same issue with check engine light and rough shifting - at 34200 miles on my 06 corolla S check engine light came on and tramsmission started shifting hard - dealer told me they will keep the car while they wait for an new ECM - thie gave me a loaner( 2007 corolla for free) said it would be 2 or 3 weeks at least before ECM was in - they did mention that its actually coverd under the 8year/80000 emission warrantly - not sure why

Sounds like it is more common than just your car. Maybe the original computer has an inherent defect and should be replaced in all 2006?

 

It is probably cheaper for Toyota to only take care of the ones that go bad. Good thing it is covered under your warranty.

Might be one of the bugs that still has to be worked out - doesn't mean that Corolla is still not extremely reliable.

Don't get dissillusioned, just because of one component failure. On the whole Corollas are far better in terms of reliability and dependability.

Enjoy the loaner and keep posting when you have a problem or question with your car.

My wife currently owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla LE. This past week we were on our way to the shopping mall and suddenly the check engine light came on while driving down a hill. My first instinct was to take it to the dealer immediately...so that's what I did!

After leaving my vehicle at the dealer for a day, they determined that the computer is bad. The car has nearly 33,000 miles on it. They informed me that Toyota has an updated computer. Obviously, this is still a warranty issue.

I noticed in one of the previous forums that someone else experienced a similar issue. I am not really sure of the technical term for this computer, but I am told that the cost is approximately $600.00. The funny thing is that we just took this car on a long trip and it was fine. In fact, it gave us 38 mpg the entire trip!

I'm surprised I didn't read this message earlier. I guess I just didn't think I needed to read the "recall" section. My computer (and car) died a couple of weeks ago when starting it. It turned out to be the computer as well and the mileage was similar...equal to about 36,000 miles. I had it towed and an hour later was out of the local dealer with a new one and at no charge. They actually had one in stock, which makes me think they need to keep some on hand for some reason.

 

 

My wife currently owns a 2006 Toyota Corolla LE. This past week we were on our way to the shopping mall and suddenly the check engine light came on while driving down a hill. My first instinct was to take it to the dealer immediately...so that's what I did!

After leaving my vehicle at the dealer for a day, they determined that the computer is bad. The car has nearly 33,000 miles on it. They informed me that Toyota has an updated computer. Obviously, this is still a warranty issue.

I noticed in one of the previous forums that someone else experienced a similar issue. I am not really sure of the technical term for this computer, but I am told that the cost is approximately $600.00. The funny thing is that we just took this car on a long trip and it was fine. In fact, it gave us 38 mpg the entire trip!

I'm surprised I didn't read this message earlier. I guess I just didn't think I needed to read the "recall" section. My computer (and car) died a couple of weeks ago when starting it. It turned out to be the computer as well and the mileage was similar...equal to about 36,000 miles. I had it towed and an hour later was out of the local dealer with a new one and at no charge. They actually had one in stock, which makes me think they need to keep some on hand for some reason.

 

Good thing they had one in stock.

 

They should keep at least one on hand all the time, especially if this is a common problem.

My ECU just died... 2005 Corrola CE manual tranny

64000 kms, 3 1/2 years old. So no longer guranteed.

Fortunatelly.... it died at the dearler, it was in for regular maintenance. I get one voicemail that my car is ready and 5 minutes later a call saying it won't start and the engine computer died.

Dealer will change, no questions asked, got a loaner and they asked, "Do you mind if we lend you a 1999, it's an older car"

Where is the ECU located? When I went to pick-up the loaner, I noticed the glovebox off.

Thanks for the quick response Fish!

Is there anyway that the ECU can be damaged by changing the cabin filter myself? I did change the filter not too long ago and removed the glove box to do so

I'm feeling a bid paranoid!!