[sridhu]

Next installment of this sorry ownership saga: Got the 85k service done

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat!! In Bangalore!

LHS Crack (Note that it continues across different materials. Not an area that has any impacts, normally)


RHS Crack


Steering Wheel Cracks (Started as one crack. NOw proliferating)



Clutch had to be replaced as it was very hard (₹ 22k - GULP!). As in, my-left-calf-is-2-times-my-right hard! After replacement it is much better. Shift is still very notchy & hard.

A weird issue happened on the drive to Madurai - could hear a constant "whump. Whump." sound correlated with the speed. Clearly something wrong with the wheels but on multiple inspections, I (and a friend) could not detect anything. Tire inflation was just fine.
Later, I finally figured out that it is due to the mushroom plug puncture fix. It was exactly between two sipes on the tire. So it was not getting worn out at the same rate as the surrounding tire. Was an interesting problem to debug

The other issue - steering shake & wobble turned out to be because of HSR Tire Empire not calibrating their wheel balancing machine. I got it balanced 3-4 times with them again & again but the problem persisted. I was very worried if some shaft issue or bearing issue had started. Told Toyota about it and they balanced all wheels as a minimum first step and the everything became fine again!

SO, people who habituate Tire Empire, beware.

Actually, from being a staunch advocate of Toyota Innova/ Crysta, I have started advising people to stay away from the Crysta. The "no worries as long as you maintain it" assurance is simply not there.

Just consider
- The windshield broke for no reason
- Gear shift is very hard & notchy from 10k Km
- Engine & transmission replaced (big story. They screwed me over)
- Driver's seat back collapsed when I went over a bump
- Steering wheel cracked
- Both sides of the dash board cracked

And I have never missed a scheduled maintenance!

I have complained to Toyota 3 times on twitter ; someone calls me and assures that the problem will be taken care of but nothing happens. They dont respond to messages on twitter.

Nandi Toyota, Kudlu gate claims they have raised the complaint (And warranty claim) with Toyota, but when I ask for a copy of the communication, they go absolutely quite. I guess they hope that if they ignore me long enough, I will go away!

So, I cannot, in good conscience, recommend the car to anyone. WIll probably sell and buy a Kia Carnival or something. (If only I got the confidence that the car & the company will be around for sometime!)

Lifetime Stats - Page 1


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82k Service

82k Service page 2



85k Clutch Replacement:
They tried charging for the air freshener. When I objected, they made it free and conveniently forgot to give it to me! This time, they did not give the paper tissues either.

To be fair, since I needed the car to get someone discharged from a hospital, they did ensure that it was available by 9:30 am.

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[vigsom]

Originally Posted by sridhu

- The windshield broke for no reason
- Gear shift is very hard & notchy from 10k Km
- Engine & transmission replaced (big story. They screwed me over)
- Driver's seat back collapsed when I went over a bump
- Steering wheel cracked
- Both sides of the dash board cracked

The dashboard and steering cracks are unacceptable. It is clear proof that they're using material that doesn't go the distance. I've seen this happening in a Nissan Teana but that dashboard material was a different type meant probably for milder climates. I agree with you on the Crysta vs the Innova, and would extrapolate the argument to even include latest Toyotas vs the older ones.

Another point - Toyota dealerships are at the end of the day used to routine service and routine jobs. They're used to fuss free ownerships and not conditioned to handle customer complaints. In this case, Toyota doesn't seem to have done enough to alleviate the pain faced by a disgruntled customer.

EDIT : The cracking parts on the Crysta could be following the pattern reported in this post https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/india...ml#post5016441 (Deteriorating quality of interior parts in Maruti-Suzuki cars!)

[sunikkat]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat!! In Bangalore!

Sorry to hear your ordeal. The reasoning of dealer sounds very lame. Let alone Bangalore, there are many Toyota’s running in Middle East - wondering what should happen to their dashboard.
This is a serious quality issue and they should address. The only USP of Toyota in India (for me) is their indestructible nature and that itself is questionable here.

[Turbanator]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat

Have you got the dash opened multiple times? There used to be cracks on the dash but those were basically on the leather or the soft material they used, usually on LC Prado’s from 2006-2009 period. These cracks appear to be caused by stresses and not by heat to me. I have no clue to the cracks on the steering and these may be for entirely different reasons (heat?) Haven’t seen anything on the ones we have.

I went through your engine ordeal and though I fully understand your situation, I will give full marks to Toyota that they replaced your engine on their own. I suspect, they wanted to study more about that problem so must have got that engine back to the factory for analysis. Gear box assembly has nothing to do with engine, they might have replaced the clutch at the most. Mostly, wherever engine is changed by manufacturer, it’s confined only to the block and related parts but in your case you got the complete new engine. So, your car is practically reset to same condition as new. Transmissions usually outlast the engines, so I won’t worry. But the dealership should have taken you into confidence and not committed otherwise.

Originally Posted by vigsom

I've seen this happening in a Nissan Teana but that dashboard material was a different type meant probably for milder climates

Correct, as mentioned above Toyota had this problem on the Prado’s. Overseas, they had replaced the dash with upgraded stuff but in India and some other markets, we have to get this done locally or as a paid option. Similarly, I have got such cracks on many of the BMW’s, which were replaced by BMW under Warranty. The current material used on the Toyotas or even most CKD models on premium cars is no longer Leather but some sort of synthetic rubber/ leather.

Toyota dealerships are at the end of the day used to routine service and routine jobs. They're used to fuss free ownerships and not conditioned to handle customer complaints.In this case, Toyota doesn't seem to have done enough to alleviate the pain faced by a disgruntled customer.

Absolutely, they have been trained not to even touch assemblies or the adjacent parts in case of an issue. They spend a lot of time on finding the problem rather than opening everything and replacing as unlike Tata or Mahindra, no claims are passed without any validations from manufacturer.

Where Toyota as a company fails in India at least is complete lack of participation from their end. I have complained for the spiral cable on my old Innova but they will simply call and tell to look but never offered any support.

Hope, Toyota offers replacement and a better reason for the cracks.

[anandavinash]

The cracks on hard plastic parts usually come from stress. This may well be during manufacturing where a process called Ultrasonic Welding of plastic parts is used to join two pieces. If not done correctly, they cause internal stresses which may have played out after some time.

Rather sad to see such cracks as I have never seen them in any of the multiple cars we have owned. Coming from Toyota, this is even more concerning. I hope they address this and your problems are rectified.

[ka51resident]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Next installment of this sorry ownership saga: Got the 85k service done

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat!! In Bangalore!

LHS Crack (Note that it continues across different materials. Not an area that has any impacts, normally)


RHS Crack

The cracks are so infuriating. We have clocked close to 250k on our Crysta. The cracks showed up when we crossed around 80k. Our Crysta clocked 80k in the second year of ownership and their response was that they cannot do anything about it as it is not covered under warranty. When we brought up the fact of it being a Quality issue in a car costing >20 lakhs, they said that it's not upto them.

Since dad uses the car a lot, we didn't have the time to fight them over it and keep it in the showroom for >2 days for "investigation".

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat!! In Bangalore!

What is surprising is that different panels which are totally unrelated are cracking in a similar fashion. The panel on the dashboard is something that would experience flexing due to heat but the wooden trim on the steering is a rigid piece pasted on the steering. There seems to be some common material used and hence the same problem. Any idea if this panel is manufactured locally or imported? The steering I think is imported. If it was manufactured in a tropical country like Thailand then there is no reason weather should be an excuse. Whereas if it was a German car with parts manufactured in Europe for their colder climate it is somewhat explainable.

On the other hand, off topic but I have this issue in my Kawasaki Ninja. The plastic body of the instrument cluster has cracked twice and I have to replace this out of my pocket since the dealer has no solution nor is willing to escalate to Kawasaki.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Have you got the dash opened multiple times? ...
.

No Turbanator, I have never had to open the dash.

Dont know if the dealer opened for either the windshield or the engine replacement

[jkrishnakj]

Mine is about to touch 70K and due for the 70k service. Ever since I read your engine problem and now, seeing the plastics and the steering cracks, I am worried. Thr place I park in the open is subject to more heat than what a typical Bangalore experiences. I don’t think heat is an issue.

[superchamp]

Originally Posted by sridhu

Next installment of this sorry ownership saga: Got the 85k service done

Now the dashboard & steering wheel have developed cracks. Dealer says it is due to heat!! In Bangalore!

LHS Crack (Note that it continues across different materials. Not an area that has any impacts, normally)
Attachment 2240691

RHS Crack
Attachment 2240692

Steering Wheel Cracks (Started as one crack. NOw proliferating)
Attachment 2240693

This is totally unacceptable from a brand known for reliability. I haven't seen this issue in my Ertiga which has run around 95K. I am now worried about the Crysta that I have after going through your experience.

[kkunal.shah]

Mod Note : Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by sridhu

Next installment of this sorry ownership saga: Got the 85k service done


Just consider
- The windshield broke for no reason
- Gear shift is very hard & notchy from 10k Km
- Engine & transmission replaced (big story. They screwed me over)
- Driver's seat back collapsed when I went over a bump
- Steering wheel cracked
- Both sides of the dash board cracked

Sorry to hear about your experience just goes on to show that Toyota too has quality issues.

BTW which app are you using for tracking fuel / other expenses.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by kkunal.shah

...
BTW which app are you using for tracking fuel / other expenses.

My Cars (Android)

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mycar.activity

[landcruiser123]

Wow, certainly some poor quality plastics. The Innova is sold in SE Asia, Africa, Middle East etc - regions which experience hot weather similar (if not worse) to India.

[Dry Ice]

To my eye, that surely looks like someone tried to pry open the dashboard and in the process damaged it. But the cracks on the steering are quite puzzling. I have never seen something like this to be frank.

What sucks though is Toyota's response. Have you sent them an email yet, or tried registering a complaint via the customer care? I know you mentioned about Twitter, but maybe email them as well with a link to this thread.

[sridhu]

Originally Posted by Dry Ice

. Have you sent them an email yet, or tried registering a complaint via the customer care? I know you mentioned about Twitter, but maybe email them as well with a link to this thread.

At this point, no. They have given me a complaint number the last time they spoke to me: PCM 1121253658

So hopefully someone is tracking it. I dont seem to have any way to track the status of the complaint or correspond with a human.