This is gonna be a long message!

It starts off with me purchasing my 09 TCH in May 08. About 2 weeks later I decide to have a remote start installed in my brand new car with aprox. 800 miles on it. The shop was not able to do it and they set off a ton of codes and my car wouldn't drive right, I drove to the dealership and they reset the lights for me.

Fast forward 4 1/2 months and 5000 miles or so later... I install the VAIS Tech I-Pod adapter and turn the car on to test it. Works great everything is o.k. Turn the car off to clean up and then I turned the car back on and the car wouldn't do anything! I had the car towed to the dealership Monday, on Thursday eveing they finally figured out that a module that is back behind the radio is "fried."

They told me it was a $3500 repair and warranty won't cover it because they don't know what we did. They state that they need to replace the whole wiring harness inside the car because Toyota doesn't sell the part by itself. They state that they can NOT determine what cause the module to fail.

I understand that the wiring harness has been cut and tapped due to a prior remote start install that was never completed but the car does NOT have anything connected to that harnesses.

I called Toyota NA Customer Care on Thursday evening and was told I'd get a call back in 1 business day. I did receive a call as promised but all they could tell me is they will try to call me on Monday but depending on the work load they have it might be Tuesday.

I'd like to add that the Service writer and the tech have been helpful and great thus far.

So it looks like I'm won't have my car for at least another week if not longer!

I'd like to hear everyones opinion on this.

Toyota dont have to cover the repair as the problem started by the shop that did not finish the remote start and probably shorted the wires...

The price of some of these repairs on the TCH worry me (thinking more about the power steering failure, although I do have the extended warranty). I certainly understand your feelings about this. And somehow I don't want to side with the dealer but when they found that the wires were cut it's understandable that they have major concerns about what was done and who did it.

I agree that this may point back to the other installers and worse it's going to be very difficult to know much less prove if they were responsible for this damage when they tried to install the remote.

2008 TCH
Non-Nav (all other options)
Georgetown Build
Michelin Tires

Sounds like the shop that tried to install the remote start is the one at fault here, and it's not a warranty issue, but you may be able to get Toyota to cover it anyway... good luck.

I don't know how you guys could say a remote starter install from 4 months prior and 5,000 miles ago that could cause this part to fail. Two wires were cut and soldered back together? What would have caused the failure if nothing is connected to it? Nothing was shorted. Everything was checked five times!


Magnuson-Moss Act states that thy must prove that the
a. ipod adapter caused the problem
b. Wires that were cut 4 months prior and soldered back together cause the problem.

It's impossible that B was the cause.

Fast forward 4 1/2 months and 5000 miles or so later... I install the VAIS Tech I-Pod adapter and turn the car on to test it. Works great everything is o.k. Turn the car off to clean up and then I turned the car back on and the car wouldn't do anything! I had the car towed to the dealership Monday, on Thursday eveing they finally figured out that a module that is back behind the radio is "fried."

There you go, your installation fried it now pay like a big boy and stop whining, learn to leave you hands off if don't understand the system. Take responsibility for your actions!

09 Camry Hybrid-42
09 Ford F150 Platinum SCREW-18
08 LS 600 HL-20
08 LX 470-16

runutzzzzz,

I answered you over on Toyota Nation but I still agree with Skywagon. You or your other shop's work probably caused the problem. You might win in court but it would take years. Like I said on the other forum, life lessons are sometimes expensive.

The good thing about those expensive lessons is that you will not forget them....

If you don't know the cause of the failure, then you can't state that the scenario is "impossible". Electronic systems are funny things. The shop may have done something back then that just now surfaced when you put in the ipod adapter.

I work for a vehicle manufacturer (not cars), and having dealt with a few warranty issues, I agree that the Toyota dealer is right to deny the claim if the problem is not clearly caused by manufacturing issues and there is evidence that someone else worked on the car. If there was a consistent pattern of this problem with other TCH's experiencing the same type of failure, then the manufacturer would most likely handle the fix. But this appears to be a one-off, unique to your vehicle, and thus it's your responsibility.

(It's actually an '09!)

how did an installation that was done 4 months ago have anything to do with the failure? Dealership even states the cannot tell me what happened and it might have been a freak accident. Read: They don't know what cause it. They said connections were good and soldered.

I'm confused here.

They say some "module" (electronics) is "fried". Yet they are talking about replacing the wiring harness (a bundle of wires).

Which is it?