Toyota SUCKS!

I think that's what a lot of people are trying to point out. If the dealer said to swap the bulbs, then the dealer should be on the hook. Toyota didn't (and still needs to) perform the actual repair that will resolve this issue for any bulb going forward. They still owe him the pin-out fix, and I'm sure they'd be happy to do that. The dealership owes him the bulb cost (or the headache of dealing with it at least).

Edit: though going out and buying the most expensive bulbs is somewhat comical

 

I bought my 2018 used from the dealership so I thinking they probably fixed it already on my truck. Hope this guy gets it figured out. I think this kind of thing is bound to happen with any customer service, regardless of what the product is. But imo as far as toyota goes the vehicles are just built better than many other brands (even if the tundra may lack on towing and other areas) so that's why I will always say toyotas are superior. When you weigh the tundra pound for pound against any other truck it's just more resilient in most areas (but not all). Customer service really has nothing to do with how well these trucks perform so saying toyota sucks is kind of taking the whole thing out of context. Also TOYOTA RULES!!!!

 

How do we know that the LED lumen/output complies with the standard?

If the issue was bulb output diminished due to wiring, that means an LED replacement would also underperform its boxed rating until the wiring was fixed.

 

I replaced my bulbs before the recall with $20something LED’s off of Amazon. That was almost three years ago with zero issues. When the recall came out I had them do the work anyway. Dealer did it and left well enough alone.

I didn’t expect them to reimburse me for the LED’s that I bought - that was my choice.

what burns me is when I go to the auto parts store that has a rebate for wipers - $20 off when you buy two for example. Then you immediately process the rebate on line with all of the information and it takes 10 weeks for them to send you the “rebate” in the form of a debit card.

Could the issue actually be that the OP is pissed at himself for spending $175 on turn signal bulbs and looking for a way to recoup the cost?

 

I honestly don't know, but apparently there was noticable improvement. Also
you know, you bring up a thought I had when this all began. That is, where is QC on the line? How do they not have a standard to guage against before the trucks hit the "ready" lot? Or is the bar set low? Was there a malfunction with the lumen test equipment? Perhaps some other issue. I dunno, just doesn't make sense IMO that they passed a QC check. Unfortunately there are well over 50 shades of grey on almost every subject and this one isn't much different.

 

As always, more questions than answers lol

 

Yep, your $20 is used several times over to make $200 before you get it. Greed, otherwise known as a means of survival in this dog eat dog world.

 

This only affected Factory LED headlight Tundras, Pros and Sports I believe.

They used the same 2 filament halogen turning signal bulbs as Halogen headlight Tundras. The connector was pinned out so the turning signal only used the low filament (parking light), they just had to move the pins to use the high lumen filament.

Most led bulbs didn't matter which pins were used so they were bright either way (pins). By doing the recall didn't make my LEDs any brighter.

Using LED turning signal bulbs on the LED headlights didn't cause hyperflashing so any LED bulb would work. I used $20 lasfit bulbs which were just as high quality.

Don't think Toyota would reimburse as LED bulbs were not an approved solution, some dealers would not perform the recall if the bulbs had been swapped out to LEDS, the owner had to install the halogens back.

 

I think you're right. I have no issues with the brightness of the signal lights on my truck and nothing on that system has been changed from how it came from the factory.

 

Why is a dealer telling a customer to fix something themselves? That alone seems very strange to me. It’s one thing if they said, “maybe we could try different bulbs.” But that’s a far cry from “Go fix it yourself however you see fit, and stick us with the bill.”

 

I can't even see my turn signals when I'm driving so the brightness of them, or lack there of, is the other drivers problem.

 

If that doesn’t happen, hopefully OP will realize what an entitled man child he came across as and carry himself with a little more decorum in the future

 

Look in the mirror and analyze.

 

That's because BMW's are much faster then our lumbering Tundras.......

 

I think we ran him off

 

Agreed!

 

Wonder if he's about to start slapping nipples...

 

Tesla's simply whoosh by........quickly.

 

Gotta try to make up for that lost time to recharge.

 

I identified and fixed the problem in July 2019. The recall didn’t come out until almost a year later. I always check for TSB’s as well. I have access to light meters and performed the DOT test for output on a combination light assembly and it was less then half the required output. I passed this information on to Toyota.

 

@Dr Doobie
@SnowyTundra

 

For all the expert Monday morning quarterbacks out there. I identified the problem almost a year before Toyota issued a recall. I used light meters to verify the output and checked it against the DOT output standard for a combination front light assembly. The output was less than half of the DOT requirement. I passed the information on to Toyota. It was a legitimate safety concern for me. Not as bad a a headlight issue, but could be a factor in a crash if someone can’t see your turn signal. The dealer doesn’t owe me for Toyota’s screw up. One of the technicians that tried to figure out the problem has over 30 years of experience working on Toyota’s exclusively.
The reason why is bothers me is because Toyota used to be great. My dad even had one of the old Corollas and they fixed the engine even though it was out of warranty. My first 4Runner had a transfer case issue and they sent a Regional rep to look at it. They replaced it because it was failing long before it should have. It’s sad to see current customer service practices destroying customers experiences and losing faith in a long trusted brand.

 

So you put $175 aftermarket LEDs in your truck over two and a half years ago because your turn signals were dim. Over two years later, you submit a claim to be compensated for the LEDs because Toyota finally acknowledged there is a problem with the turn signal wiring in your truck. Even though Toyota's fix is very simple, cheap, and has nothing to do with installing new LEDs, let alone expensive aftermarket ones, you feel that you should be compensated?

Seems kind of overboard to be disappointed in Toyota for not paying you for this. I wouldn't expect a dime from them. I'd probably take advantage of the wiring fix that they're offering, though.

 

Hey OP, I get your frustration with customer service among other things. Sucky situation for sure.
I understand that having a blinker with sub-standard output is a safety concern. And not saying you would do this, but I wouldn't put it past someone to read this and intentionally: get into an accident, try to blame Toyota, use the weak turn signal as an excuse, and provide the recall info to an ambulance chaser. I just want to make sure that it is understood that failure to negotiate a turn is almost always the responsibility of the turning vehicle.

If you're changing lanes on the highway and get into a crash; it's pretty much almost always your fault. Doesn't matter the speed of the other vehicle, if they're passing on the right etc etc; it's on you. Same with turning on side streets. Unless the other vehicle blows a red light; it's on you.

I know this because I fought this in court. I was taking a left hand turn and some schmuck flew around (to the right) the oncoming vehicle I was turning in front of, into a right hand turn only lane, and continued to go straight. They hit me in the front passenger quarter panel/door, but it was still my fault since I failed to yield to them. Just an FYI for everyone..

 

Whenever I start to question the impact/importance my life has, I think of the poor guy in Germany who installs blinkers on BMWs. Cheers my right up.

 

It's the lifeguard at the Olympics for me..

 

I’m going to try to make a comparison, close to home, that will demonstrate why I disagree with bensky.

(For the record- I had the dim turn signals, too. I purchased $30 LEDs that are still working perfectly and they are very bright. At one of my last oil changes, they did the small rewiring job and the signals are really bright.)

In 2019, Toyota unceremoniously ceased installing a dedicated transmission cooler on all Tundras.

Once enthusiasts realized this, there was a wave of panic; on this very forum, vitriolic owners and sympathetic forum members had a collective bloody freakout about the news. People started posting high trans temps and counting down the days until the transmissions turned into molten runny goo under their trucks. 2-3 years later, I have seen no activity that suggests anyones transmissions have failed. Maybe they will. Maybe they won’t.

Some 19+ owners installed a dedicated trans cooler- not cheap!

Now… IF the transmissions had started to fail because of high temps, bensky is suggesting on this thread that an owner who chose to install a cooler, thus potentially avoiding the temp-related failure, should go to Toyota and ask for a reimbursement for the installation cost.

The issue I have with this is:

An owner might have paid WAY more on the equipment or installation than Toyota would have paid on a recall/TSB remedy.

The current TSB fix for the signals is the minor rewiring of the sockets that the bulbs fit into. Basically brief shop labor.

Bensky corrected the brightness by purchasing and installing VLEDS, which are a premium LED product. Mine were $30, for comparison.

I would argue that you threw a $175 band aid on a (maybe/estimating) $50 problem.

 

I identified it a year before you did. I purchased LED turn signals, installed them, and called it good!

 

perfect comparison and couldn’t be more spot on………