Toyota owner calls for chipped paint repair
Owners of a white Toyota model with delaminating paint say they were left to pay the bill for repairs, even though the automaker acknowledged the flaw.
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A group of Toyota owners calls on Japanese automakers to improve known peeling paint problem in some models.
Disgruntled motorists have taken to Facebook to share their stories, with a group called ‘Toyota Australia Peeling Paint’ growing from 150 members to over 850 at the time of writing, following the stories aired on Channel 9 Current Affair earlier this week.
Some people said that the “envelope-sized” paint strip had peeled off while driving down the highway or while washing their Toyota vehicles, while others posted pictures of metal exposed to corrosion.
“Toyota Australia has received reports of paint peeling,” the company wrote in a statement issued to Drive.
“This condition involves a special factory-applied white paint color (color code 040) and can occur when exposure to sunlight//ultraviolet over time reduces the adhesion between the factory-applied primer coat and the base metal electrodeposition layer, causing the paint to peel. . peel off the metal body panels.”
Toyota Australia has acknowledged select Corolla and Rukus variants manufactured between 2007 and 2015 may have been affected by this issue – with an ‘Extended Warranty Program’ for those models.
“Toyota has an Extended Warranty Program for the vehicles involved above, which includes free repairs to the vehicle for 10-12 years from the date of first registration, regardless of mileage,” the company said.
But a number of people have also reported the same problem with the RAV4 SUV and LandCruiser Prado.
It is understood that Toyota Australia has offered to partially cover repair costs for some owners, but due to the age of the vehicle and being used, full replacement or repair is not yet available at this stage.
Under the Australian Consumer Act, any vehicle purchased from 2011 onwards must be of “acceptable quality” – including appearance – with respect to the expectation of how long the product will last.
“These warranties apply to new cars and used vehicles sold by businesses but not private sales, and include that the products supplied are of acceptable quality. That is, they are safe, durable, and flawless, and do everything you want them to do. normally expect them to do so,” an ACCC spokesperson said Drive.
“If a consumer has purchased a product that has a fault, the Australian Consumer Act entitles them to redress either in the form of a repair, replacement or refund, depending on the nature of the error.”
Owners in Canada experiencing the same paint delamination problem were told that Toyota will repair their vehicles as part of a “warranty upgrade program” for vehicles since 2008, according to a report from the national broadcaster. CBC.
“I think it’s great that Toyota actually stepped up their bugs and repainted the problematic vehicle,” said Canadian RAV4 owner Rachael Mosley at the time.
Australian owners have expressed their frustration that overseas cars have defects fixed by Toyota, while the same courtesy has, so far, not extended to all models here.
In late 2019, Toyota extended the warranty program to six models painted in Blizzard Pearl and Super White in the United States, with free repairs available for more than 1.7 million vehicles.
Members of the Facebook group have called for a class action lawsuit against Toyota Australia to have the paint peeling defect taken to court.
“Consumers who have concerns regarding paint peeling from their vehicles should contact the dealer and/or manufacturer to resolve the issue,” an ACCC spokesperson said.
“If the dispute cannot be resolved with the dealer or manufacturer, [the] consumers can file a complaint with their local state or territory consumer protection agency, which may be able to help resolve the dispute.”
While the paint peeling issue appears to only affect white cars, some have taken to Facebook to complain about the failure of the clear coating on red, blue, and yellow vehicles – a transparent coating designed to seal and protect the paint – however, this issue is not related to the primer coat issue. .
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