22 Tundra TRD Pro nightmare

Hey Yall,

I would love some advice. I am at a loss at what to do regarding this situation.

I have had my 22 TRD Pro for 6 months and it has 8,000 miles on it. I purchased it new.

I am driving when all of a sudden I get a "Parking Brake Malfunction" and "Trailer Warning Type or Connection Fault" warning.

The truck was driving normally aside from the warning messages.

I take it to the dealer and they tell me it needs a new brake actuator.

They replace the brake actuator and that doesn't fix the problem.

They say I need a new Skid Control ECU and that it is "Galactically Backordered".

They give me a loaner car and I settle in for what could be a while.

A week later, they call me and let me know my truck should be ready the next day and it was actually something besides the Skid Control Ecu.

The next day they call me and let me know that I no longer qualify for a loner because the issue is my fault. They are claiming that a soda spilled into the fusebox under the rear seat and corroded the connector. They say a new fusebox will be $388 installed and if that doesn't fix it, I will need a new harness that will run $3k. None of it covered under warranty. The fusebox should arrive 4/23.

I do not have kids, I do not drink sodas, I do not allow food and drink in my vehicles, and maybe two people have ever ridden in the back seat. I wash the inside and outside of my truck myself every weekend. This is definitely something that would not go unnoticed.

At this point, things are sounding very fishy. If the skid control ecu was "galactically back ordered", why were they messing with my truck in the first place. I couldn't get a straight answer.

I went to pick up my truck because I need a vehicle in the meantime and I no longer have a loaner car.

When I pickup my truck, the service manager and the mechanic bring it around together and they tell me the brakes are extra sensitive.

When I get in the truck to leave the dealership, there are a whole host of warning lights on the dash, and the brakes are basically unusable.

In addition to the Parking Brake Malfunction and Trailer Warning Type or Connection Fault warnings, I now have:

Check Engine Light
Braking Power Low
Parking Support Brake Malfunction
Secondary Collision Brake Malfunction
Pre Collision Malfunction

The brakes engage very quickly at the top of the pedal, and then they turn to mush and the pedal goes to the floor. The truck has probably 1/4 of the braking power it had before.

I know the mush feeling from bleeding the brakes on previous trucks, but having the brakes engage firmly and then turn to mush is a new one for me. I assume it is due to some new electronically controlled gizmo.

I don't even know how to proceed. My first instinct was to just get my truck the hell out of there. Any advice would be very helpful. I just don't know how to argue with insanity. This dealership clearly has no idea what it is doing.

Do you think I should bleed my brakes and see if that helps? I really need this truck to be drivable until I can get it fixed. It is pretty much impossible to drive. The few miles from the dealership to my house were quite sketchy.

I will attach a photo of the corroded connector in the fusebox they sent me.

 

Take it to a different dealer

 

I don’t see evidence of spelled sod. Just a shitty part

 

On top of trying a different dealer, I would complain to BBB. I would also contact Toyota corporate (I know easier said than done). This sounds like absolute BS and I am pissed just hearing this story.

 

Wow! Sounds like this dealer needs a complete new management! Like it happened in my local dealer.

 

If something was spilt there would be evidence on TOP of the connection and box, this is very strange and I agree go to a different dealer

So sorry you’re going through this what an ordeal

 

This is ridiculous.
The dealership is clearly incompetent and has no clue what is actually happening. As suggested, try a different dealership, call corporate, and BBB.

 

Thank you very much for your advice everyone!

I am working on getting it towed to a competent dealer about 45 minutes away. There's absolutely no way I'm taking it on the interstate with these brakes haha.

The dealer that I have had these problems with is Lakeside Toyota in Metairie, Louisiana. Just outside of New Orleans.

They did my 5,000 mile maintenance and everything was great. Just wanted to add that for transparency and give credit where credit is due.

I will update everyone when this gets resolved.

Thanks again, Will

 

Welcome from NC! As others have mentioned take it to a different dealer. Still under factory warranty….

 

Next stop General Manager.

 

This makes me sick and its not even my truck. Hopefully the new dealer will have some talented mechanics

 

shouldve left it there if it had more issues than it came in with

 

So ...
1) The part definitely looks corroded. Is this the root cause of the problem is still to be confirmed.
2) These type of connectors are pretty reliable and durable. They don't corrode with just ambient humidity. Some corrosive fluid must have gotten inside. I doubt soda would cause that much damage. Now, you live in Louisiana. Any chance some salt water was spilled on the seat? Like as if you went fishing and than left some soaked clothes on the rear seat? (Lake Ponchantrain is pretty brackish, so it would count as salt water. I lived in Slidell for 3.5 years.)
3) You could try cleaning the connector. Disconnect the battery. Then used a hard nylon brush (even a hard toothbrush could work) to remove the green stuff. Make sure to clean thoroughly both the plug and the socket. If the problem goes away (or becomes intermittent) after cleaning, at least you will know that this is really the cause. You will still need to replace the damaged parts (you don't want to risk a failure while driving 80 mph on the highway), but you will know what needs to be replaced rather that exposing yourself to a "parts canon".
4) Are you 100% sure that the photo is from your car? Or did the dealer sent you some random photo from another car to wash their hands?

 

I might also lawyer up

 

Trade it

 

That’s insane I just got piss off while reading that. Good move on towing it to a different dealer. Seems like your local dealership made everything worse and I feel like something is a-little fishy going on there.

 

I recently bought an older Acura TL as a first car for my son.

It was thoroughly neglected, and has 20 years of soda and Starbucks spilled everywhere inside the car. Seat heater switches were clogged, wiring harness connectors going through the inside of the center console caked in syrupy goo.

So, I consider myself an expert at identifying this kind of situation.

There's absolutely zero signs of a beverage being spilled into the connector. However, it does have signs of "clean" water intrusion. Which, ideally, should never occur in a modern vehicle. Connectors that are not sealed are supposed to be in areas where moisture typically can't enter the connector.
So, in this picture, I'm wondering how that connector became damaged....

 

Wow! I'd call Toyota Corporate and complain for sure. The dealer is as sketchy as your brakes. Get another dealer's professional opinion on the matter and share everything you were told and received from the sussy dealer including invoices/estimates/secret conversations had with the manager written on a napkin...

 

I'd open a case with Toyota Corporate and call a lawyer.

 

Not sure what the lawyer is for

 

Worst advice ever.

 

Calling a lawyer will be great for the lawyer but you will have to pay those legal fees.
As for the connector, cant the part just be cleaned up (both side of the connector) and put back in?
I'd put some dielectric grease in there and put it back together.

 

can def be cleaned up. Some electrical parts cleaner, a toothbrush and some compressed air will make quick work of that.

 

Sounds about as competent as my Toyota dealer. Hopefully the next dealer has a clue, for your sake.

 

Make 1-800 Toyo take you seriously. Otherwise they will blow you off

 

They cleaned up the connector when they had it and it came back to me with more warning messages than before unfortunately.

I can definitely see how saltwater would cause this type of corrosion, but I put all wet stuff in the bed or in my bed mounted tool box if it would blow out of the bed untill I get home.

 

just curious to why? I would not want a 70k brick sitting in my driveway.

Even if fixed who knows what will pop up next. I would definitely get rid of it.

 

This definitely sounds like some BS. I do not have a Pro or hybrid so I do not know what it looks like under the seat. A fuse box with a lid on it shouldn't be able to "get" any liquid spilled on it. As for soda corroding, I'm pretty sure when I was a little kid, soda is what you poured on a car battery to clean the corrosion. Can you get to the supposed cleaned connector for inspection? See if there is evidence of it being corroded or cleaned. And they tell you your truck is ready yet it has more lights? Did you bring it to their attention before you left the lot? It always pisses me off when I hear a dealer try to place blame on something that most likely is not your fault. Hope it gets sorted out.

 

What state are you in, do yours have any lemon laws, has truck been on n dealership possession for more then 30 days trying to fix the same issue, if so this qualifies for Cali lemon law

 

Why oh why did Toyota have to complicate things with these trucks.
Wish they'd make one with just be enough computers to keep the motor running.... well and the tailgate camera.
Now we have many ecu's linked via CAN.... One trips and many others follow.