My FJ was a late bloomer in the fender rip category. I developed a small bulge at 15K, but the rip didn't occur until after 55,000 miles.
I've patiently followed the Toyota reporting protocols by first calling the 800 number, getting a claim number and waiting while my "claim" filtered down through the Toyota system to the dealership. I've posted my trials and tribulations of this buracratic process in the engine bay body rip thread
Engine Bay Body Rips.
Today however, I received some very interesting first hand information from a Toyota Rep who happened to be at my local dealership when I visited this morning.
I went to the dealership to have them give me the "official" reason for denial of my claim. Much to my suprise I learned that the Regional Tech Rep and Regional Manager had NOT had my case number forwarded from Colorado Springs and that they had instead rendered an "informal" decision. I believe this "informal" decision was made to distance themselves from any arbitration proceedings.
After the local service manager shared this information with me, he said a tech rep from Kansas City was at the dealership and that perhaps he'd look at my FJ when he had a break from the problem he was working on.
After a few minutes I met the Tech Rep from the Kansas City Regional Office. His name is Mike Davenport. I found him to be pertentious, arrogant and I'm using mild language here. When the service manager introduced me to the tech rep the tech rep started into a diatribe about the FJ Fender bulges and rips. Since we have all been hearing different messages from Toyota, this may be the "latest official" word. If it is, we need to unite and act!
Anyway, here is what he said...
1. Quote "The Toyota engineers in Japan have been researching and testing the FJ fender bulge and rip issue. They have determined that it takes 7 G's of force to cause the inner fender to fail." Yes, he said 7 G's!
2. Quote "To put that much force on the inner fenders the FJ's have to be greatly abused such as jumping them".
3. Quote "Toyota will not repair any fender tears regardless of when they occur". I asked if this included those within the 3/36 warranty period and he said "yes".
4. You are going to love this one... Quote "I've ridden with many of the Toyota Trail Teams and they have never had a fender fail. Lot's of windshields popped, but no fender tears". When he said this I basically had to call him out and share that I'd seen tears in most every Trail Team vehicle even a relatively new TT edition with 1500 miles on it that the Trail Team had in Tennessee at Dirty Toy School last August. I also told him that I was almost believing him until he said NO Toyota Trail Team vehicles ever had fender tears... I also mentioned to him that many stock FJ's have fender bulges and tears.
5. I asked him why the Toyota Trail Team was instructed to tell folks who asked about the fender rips to say that Toyota was handling it on a case by case basis and that it was not warranty dependent. He said, Quote "That was last year, Toyota has now decided to NOT repair any fender rips".
I also asked about the uneven way the fender issue was being dealt with across the U.S. His response was that the individual distributers may be honoring repairs even though Toyota is no longer honoring them. He went on to say that it is the off-road FJ's with the problems.
I tried to ask reasonable questions to gather more info, but he cut me off and reiterated the Toyota Policy of "no more fender repairs" regardless of warranty status...
Anyone interested in joining in a class action suit, please PM me. I've contacted a class action lawyer with a great track record on automotive claims.
cheers,
dale
The most Pilots I was referring to was not you fast fighter pilot guys. I am sure you hit around 9 g's every now and then. I was just saying that 7'gs hitting the ground in the FJ, "jumping it" or what not was crazy talk and seems to me that it would do some body damage. And I am not talking about on our awesome trucks. I don't think our spines can handle a 7 g compression.
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