[gischethans]

My friend Avinash reached out to me regarding the odd, infrequent issue of engine power loss, power steering locking up and console lights turning on in his 2021 Toyota Glanza. Avinash being new to driving, his brother-in-law who has a good amount of driving experience has been driving this car. In his words -

I wanted your opinion regarding the issue I am facing with my Glanza G (2021 model). Last October while driving, my brother in law suddenly felt that the engine was not providing sufficient power and the steering wheel felt very stiff. He somehow safely parked the vehicle and noted that several warning lamps were on, indicating power steering failure, ABS failure and application of Hand brake. So immediately he called Toyota service and explained the situation. During this time he was also trying to power off the car but it was not powering down(our car has a push to start button). However, after several attempts, the system was able to restart and everything went back to normal. Since we didn't want to take any risk, we sent the car to the service station immediately. There the technicians suspected a loose connection in the electric connections and according to them, they checked all the connections and returned the car, that's all!

After that, we didn't face any such issue for a long time. But, the same issue resurfaced again this February 27th which made us worry about safety. I again sent the vehicle to the service centre. They were not able to pinpoint the issue and after several follow-ups, they called their technical head and said there is no issue with the sensors but there was some problem with ABS which they recalibrated. Apparently, they were not able to reproduce the exact issue and they have not received any such complaints from other vehicles. This agitated me because the issue repeated itself after 5 months and they are expecting it to happen in a couple of days! So I told them unless otherwise, they guarantee me in writing that it is 100% safe to run the vehicle I will not treat the matter closed as it is a matter of life and death. They are denying to mail, so I have told them any response from here onwards I want in writing and if I don't receive a mail I will be escalating the issue.

Photos shared by him -

I have suggested he write to Toyota customer care explaining the above details and request them for proper technical support. Parallelly, I am posting here to check if any members have experienced a similar situation and what was done to resolve the issue. The car was bought from United Toyota, Mangaluru.

[pta320]

To me it sounds like ECM is acting up. It could either be faulty or maybe due to a fault in some other component , the car might have been switching back and forth from limp mode.

I'd suggest a complete OBD scan at dealership and if it happens next time, take a video and push for warranty repairs.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by gischethans

- odd, infrequent issue of engine power loss, power steering locking up and console lights turning on in his 2021 Toyota Glanza
- Last October while driving, suddenly engine was not providing sufficient power and the steering wheel felt very stiff
- noted that several warning lamps were on, indicating power steering failure, ABS failure and application of Hand brake.
- trying to power off the car but it was not powering down(our car has a push to start button). However, after several attempts, the system was able to restart and everything went back to normal.
- same issue resurfaced again this February 27th

Thank You for highlighting this, @gischethans. First issue in Oct-2021 and second one five months later. My initial sense is that this is a case of intermittent CAN communication failure since multiple errors came on. Another possibility is the grounding, but then if it is a grounding issue, it would generally never "auto correct".

Please don the Sherlock Holmes hat and ask if there was some event post which this issue cropped up. If yes, it will be easier to pin point.

[gischethans]

I just got this update from Avinash and he has questions regarding the resolution offered by Toyota -

Hi, just wanted to give you a quick update. Got a call today from TASS executive today. He said that he had escalated the issue to Toyota and apparently they have asked to replace the ABS actuator. The executive told me that the issue was due to the actuator malfunction which would have triggered the subsequent malfunctions of power steering and hand brake. At this stage, I am still not convinced of the solution they are trying to provide. One of my good friends here also pointed out a few flaws in the entire narrative of the executive. The major point is, the diagnosis which the executive provided appear to be too obvious and this they could have easily corrected the first time itself. What made them wait from February 27th till date?

If you recall I had mentioned earlier that during this malfunction we can't power down the vehicle. This further leads to another question i.e. how the ABS malfunction can affect the powering down of the vehicle?

Any suggestions from your end?

On trying to get an OBD scan report, he hasn't had much luck as he lives away from the dealership and manages services through pickup and drop facility - the dealership is avoiding sharing the details over WhatsApp. But if nothing works out, he will have to visit in person to sort things out.

[gischethans]

Despite best efforts from Avinash, the only thing United Toyota did was to replace the ABS Actuator under warranty. They have not been forthcoming with the scan report and emails to Toyota have not been answered either. All we need is clear answers regarding the diagnosis performed and a written statement assuring us that the same issue will not occur again.

[CEF_Beasts]

I would say try to somehow take the car to a Maruti-Suzuki service centre, they maybe able to find the root cause.

I remember a BHPian with a Glanza had taken it to a Maruti SC to fix an issue with the car.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I would say try to somehow take the car to a Maruti-Suzuki service centre, they maybe able to find the root cause.

Off topic, but your comment reminds me of this video

https://youtu.be/aqYrGysRdR8

It is a MS made vehicle after all.

[Keneida]

Check if rodents have chewed through wiring harness or near the ECM / Main fuse / Fuse box connectors. Or similar tear or cut in the wiring harness.

[Contrapunto]

As a (unfortunate) long-time owner of an Ertiga ZDI and an equally long-time critic of Maruti products, I can only say that you can not hope to create a thoroughbred champion by partnering with a significantly inferior one. I am stiff stuck with a car with a non-functioning ABS /EBD (long story for the Ertiga thread probably)

I worry this may be the beginning of a trend and once Toyota management realizes how much muck splatters over them, it may be too much to just wipe away, smile and hope nobody notices.

A lot of these corporate strategies are set up in ivory towers, with minimal to no interaction to ground realities, I am afraid.

<mods- I know this is a rant. please remove if off-topic>

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by gischethans

My friend Avinash reached out to me regarding the odd, infrequent issue of engine power loss, power steering locking up and console lights turning on in his 2021 Toyota Glanza. Avinash being new to driving, his brother-in-law who has a good amount of driving experience has been driving this car. In his words -

This exact same event had happened in my Glanza. It was just after slowing down to cross a huge speedbreaker in the night. After crossing, as I revved up to move forward the engine check light, ABS light and steering lock light came one. The estimated Range and Average FE readings on the speedometer got reset on it's own. The first thought was the car stalled, but the RPM was steady at around 900 RPM. I tried to switch of the engine, but it didn't switch off. Switched to neutral gear, and depressed the clutch again and tried to switch off the engine. This time it shut down. Started the engine and this time there were no warning lights. This was 6-7 months ago and it hasn't happened again.

Something similar had happened in our Grand i10 Asta too in similar circumstances.

It probably was a case of the ECM acting up temporarily.

However, I will say this- I do not find United Toyota fellows to be enthusiastic or serious enough when it comes to troubleshooting. I also came to know later that one guy pretended and met me as the Works Manager when I insisted on meeting the Works Manager in Padil, the truth was that he was a Senior Service Advisor!!!!

[gischethans]

Originally Posted by skanchan95

This exact same event had happened in my Glanza. Something similar had happened in our Grand i10 Asta too in similar circumstances. This was 6-7 months ago and it hasn't happened again. It probably was a case of the ECM acting up temporarily.

This is indeed good to know and gives us some relief.

Originally Posted by skanchan95

However, I will say this- I do not find United Toyota fellows to be enthusiastic or serious enough when it comes to troubleshooting.

You are absolutely correct. There has been no progress on the matter when it comes to the identification of a root cause even after roping in Toyota support. The car is back with the family and they are driving it around with some fear in mind. Avinash has decided to keep following up and not agree to complaint closure until something is given in writing.

Originally Posted by CEF_Beasts

I would say try to somehow take the car to a Maruti-Suzuki service centre, they maybe able to find the root cause. I remember a BHPian with a Glanza had taken it to a Maruti SC to fix an issue with the car.

We are also considering this if nothing good comes from Toyota.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by gischethans

You are absolutely correct. There has been no progress on the matter when it comes to the identification of a root cause even after roping in Toyota support. The car is back with the family and they are driving it around with some fear in mind. Avinash has decided to keep following up and not agree to complaint closure until something is given in writing.

Tell your friend not to worry and drive on. I understand it can be unnerving when one faces such an issue.

It may have been a random event and chances are it might not happen again. It might also be difficult to replicate the event or find out the exact cause of the issue if it did not show any error codes in the scanner.

Let me write about another issue which I had noticed which the United Toyota boys could not suggest how to fix. At times the 'check engine' light used to come on , which at that point in time I thought was random. The ASS guys could not explain or find out why it was happening as the light would switch off on it's own.

Later, a friend who owned a Baleno asked me if this light came on after refuelling the car. It indeed was coming on after refuelling. He asked me to check if the fuel cap was loose as at times,he attendant might not have tightened it enough. The next time it happened, I checked the fuel tank cap, tightened it and the engine check light went off almost immediately. I had written about these incidents in my Glanza ownership thread.

The point I want to make is at times, the issue might be too easy to fix or may just be a random event that might not ever recur. In such cases, no one will be willing to give written undertaking.

[gischethans]

Thank you once again, @skanchan95 for sharing your exact experiences which have given us much needed confidence. While I have been encouraging him, after reading this and many other threads, Avinash has also decided to seek a Team-BHP membership!

In his words -

Please thank the BHPian on my behalf. His words have now given me the confidence to drive. The participation of the community has motivated me enough to join the forum. I will try to join soon to explain my ownership experience.

I am also not very optimistic about receiving a reply from TASS. But I will pursue it until I get some sort of a reply. Unless otherwise we consumers ask questions they would remain incompetent, ignorant and irresponsible.

[skanchan95]

Originally Posted by gischethans

Thank you once again, @skanchan95 for sharing your exact experiences which have given us much needed confidence. While I have been encouraging him, after reading this and many other threads, Avinash has also decided to seek a Team-BHP membership!

In his words -

Glad I could be of help.

I would love to hear about his experiences with United Toyota. So far, my experience with them has bene a mixed bag - more bad than good. From alloy rim damage to stealing things from my car(2nd year, 20000 kms service - Patch stolen)!!! They promised to look into those complaints and get back to me, but never did!!!

When I chose the Glanza over the Baleno(and the Altroz), one of the things that influenced that decision was the service reputation of Toyota and a couple of friends /relatives having good service experience with United Toyota. But after two year of ownership, if someone asks me about United Toyota's service, I would only say - Stay Away!!!! Now I get the impression that those guys seem more qualified and more interested in looking after "true blue" Toyota vehicles like Innova, Fortuner and those old Etioses. Looking at their attitude, they either seem disinterested in servicing Glanzas or are simply not technically qualified/knowledgeable/experienced enough on that car.