We bought a brand new 2007 Corolla, automatic transmission, power steering, manual locks and windows, in FEB '07. Took out extended warrenty.
Took the car in for 5000 mile first oil change when light for oil change came on as per the dealer's instruction in late Nov or Dec '07.
Told dealer (purchasing dealer) following:
Engine light has come on twice when starting engine; went off quickly.
Motor is hesitant about starting...kind of like a cold weather bad battery type of sound. Repeated attempts to start engine result in success. Motor cranks up and turns over without hesitation whenever car motor is facing downhill.
Dealer gave song and dance about it being some type of vacuum problem that they will fix whenever the light comes on and Stays on --and that the Toyota Corp. headquarters is aware of the problem and that they (the dealership) will be authorized to fix problem whenever the light stays on. The engine light hasn't flickered a bit but the cranking problem is getting worse .
Now just as soon as some other immediate needs are met, and we can handle the down time placing the car 50 miles from home will entail, we'll be taking the car to another dealer to attempt to rectify the problem.
I've been reading the forum and from what I can tell--the problem might be a full pump or injection problem or a vacumn problem. (On a Goldwing a similar starting problem is a related to fuel injection pressure seepage --this occurs while the vehicle is parked, couldn't find a similar analogy for the Corolla and I'm not exactly sure of correct phrasing of same)
We're not willing to Need a starter in addition to whatever is causing the actual problem and would like to be "spot on" when we go to a different dealer.
There's not been a recall for this problem for the '07 Corolla that I can find on the web and I have received no recall notices in the mail.
Quite frankly, my many-miled 1990 Honda Accord trade-in-- cranked better.
Now as you can tell, I don't know correct terms and no way am I inclined or able to fix anything --but "knowledge is power" and "knowing what to look for" is "half the battle".
The next is knowing how to get the problem in writing for (warrenty documentation purposes) when I take the car in for repair Before the Next oil change...[A big "thank you" to the person who posted that tid bit on these forums]
So, Ole Wise and Experience Toyota Corella owners, how do I explain the problem to the dealer when I take the car into the next dealer?
Hello and welcome to the forum. As for starting issues, or cases where the car suddenly dies - most of what you posted is correct. The particular model year of your Corolla could point at another issue. Some of these same problems / behavior can be traced back to faulty engine computers.
There seemed to be an unusual number of them going bad, very quickly - mostly in the newer 9th gen (2006-2008) DBW Corollas (Drive-by-Wire throttle body, instead of typical cable actuated throttle bodies). Some happened within the first few thousand miles, others some 30-40K miles in. Almost all cases had the original ECM replaced with a new one. Not sure what the exact issue was - might hint at the dealership about faulty ECMs and see how they react to the news.
As for the CEL (Check Engine Lamp/Light) - I notice that mine flashes as well right when you are cranking the engine over and it first catches - but once the idle settles - there should be no diagnostic lamps displayed. The intermittent hesitation on a newer DBW Corolla is sort of the first hints that it could be a ECM. If the car dies while in normal use, just out of the blue, but restarts and seems normal - that is the second hint that it could be ECM related.
Having another dealership diagnose the issue might shed some light - the first dealership sounds like they couldn't be bother with.
Good luck
Call the toyota help line. You can find it on toyota.com or in your owners manual. I would make a complaint. Any dealer that says they can't diagnose the problem unless the CEL is currently on is full of crapola. ECUs have been storing codes for a very long time. Even tho your CEL might go off, the error code is still stored so it can be found later.
You shouldn't have to drive father and get away from the dealer you bought the car from, and the extended warranty. Take a stand and claim what's yours. It might be a little harsh, but some dealers need to be put in their place.
Thanks to both of you who responded, I'm going to copy and print both your replies so that we can act upon them. When we get the problem resolved I'll post the resolution. As for that CEL light, we noticed because it stayed on a bit on two separate occasions Before it went off, not just the initial flutter that I've noticed in a lot of our diverse vehicles when cranking the vehicle.
1,424 posts
I'm not dismissing your problem, but hard to start is a common complaint from many first time 2003 model year and later Toyota car owners. Most of the time, the dealer tells the owner to hold the key in start longer and the problem goes away.
Toyotas take more time to start than other makes I've driven. For what reason I'm not sure.
You have a problem with your car though, because what you are describing can not simply be fixed by holding the key in the start position longer.
The fact that your CEL came on indicates either faulty wiring for the light (unlikely) or a issue with some system in your car.
My guess is that it has to do with your ECU program not getting correct readings or sending out incorrect parameters to the fuel delivery or air metering systems.
The good news is that since the light did come on, it should be stored in the ECUs computer and the dealer should be able to pull the fault code. The fault code may give them a helpful hint.
There may also be a TSB for this condition for your car. TSBs are not recalls and so they won't show up on a recall check. If a TSB exists for this problem and your car exhibits symptoms matching a TSB, the dealer should be able to preform the TSB on your car and fix the problem.
If no TSB exists, they'll need to check the basics. If those don't check out and the mechanical systems and sensors are within spec, it will be new ECU time. It is possible that your ECU program has been corrupted and a reflash or replacement may be necessary.
The good news for you is that your car is still under warranty. Hopefully your next dealer trip is more productive, if it isn't escalate the problem to the corporate level.
Good luck,
the99contour
I havent read the posts so I dont know if anyone has already mentioned this but you can leave the gas cap slightly lose and the cel will come on that way they will scan it.
Took car to dealer April 17, with letter detailing problem...asked that service dept person sign that he received it... said he wanted to read it first....he takes it with him and was gone for a while....will be taking car in Monday morning 7:30 PM...
According to him this is the First time that he's heard that there was a problem with my vehicle. Yeh, right! [Either prior service person didn't document complaint or they don't want me talking to the Toyota line.] He didn't like my letter..expecially the part of "Frankly, my 1990 200,000 plus mile trade-in Honda Accord cranked better!" Refused to sign that he got the letter and gave it back. (I'll bet that the letter got copied though.) I did state, in writing, that I'm not willing to wait until the light Stays on for resolution of problem as per the suggestion of the 5000 mile service prior service person. Oh yes, evidently wanting documentation that they are being given a letter stating the problem is "confrontational."
The car now has random, intermediate hesitation when giving it the gas to accelerate entering traffic in addition to the cranking problem. Not often, but Not good! Still haven't reached 10,000 miles.
We'll see what happens Monday...at least the dealership is on notice that I'm serious about getting the problem fixed.
Talking to friend in the service department in different field. Says that when I get the car back if it still isn't fixed that I take it immediately to different dealer service depart and that I need to make Sure that my service order papers retained from and dealer service department states problem needing attention.
Bikeman982
Keep us informed as to what happens.
Sounds like the first dealer is "brushing you off" and sending you on your way, without actually fixing the problem.
Keep us informed as to what happens.Sounds like the first dealer is "brushing you off" and sending you on your way, without actually fixing the problem.
Got the car back (took to orginal purchase dealer). Their paperwork indicates that they checked error codes and replaced engine computer unit. Oddly enough, Can't tell that the car cranks any better though. Will check the car out over this next week and see if the acceleration hesitation reoccurs. Plan to vist another dealer and try out their new cars (cranking) and compair to our car cranking.
Bikeman982
Keep us informed as to what happens.Sounds like the first dealer is "brushing you off" and sending you on your way, without actually fixing the problem.
Got the car back (took to orginal purchase dealer). Their paperwork indicates that they checked error codes and replaced engine computer unit. Oddly enough, Can't tell that the car cranks any better though. Will check the car out over this next week and see if the acceleration hesitation reoccurs. Plan to vist another dealer and try out their new cars (cranking) and compair to our car cranking.
I would think the dealer would take it for a test drive afterwards to confirm that they had indeed fixed the starting and hesitation problems.
Let us know how it runs now.
15,000+ miles Down the road, hesitation when driving is stopped now , holding gas pedal down slightly when starting car seems to have gotten rid of starting snafu. No engine light flicks except for oil change.
a sticky idle speed control motor can cause hard starting, but not sure if your engine even has one of those if its drive by wire.
Bikeman982
15,000+ miles Down the road, hesitation when driving is stopped now , holding gas pedal down slightly when starting car seems to have gotten rid of starting snafu. No engine light flicks except for oil change.
