Why Toyota is the world's best car maker

Recently our 2001 Toyota "Certified Used" Sienna started smoking at start up. I didn't think much of it at first, but it was very persistent. After a couple of weeks I decided to take it in to have it checked out. At first they said it simply had a leak and the valve seals needed to be replaced.


A day or two later they called back and said we had oil sludge buildup inside the engine which is indicative of insufficient maintenance. They initially said it would cost $1200 to look into it, and possibly as much as $5000-$8000 to repair or replace the engine. Needless to say, we paniced. We still owe a ton on the van, so we couldn't believe we had a $5000 repair bill staring at us!

As we were worrying ourselves sick about what to do (fix it, trade-it-in, do nothing and hope for the best...) my beatiful bride did a little research and discovered a class-action lawsuit against Toyota for an engine design issue that infuriated many customers.

While there is some debate about the cause of the problem (and Toyota has not admitted to a bad design), Toyota has agreed to repair or replace thousands of engines that have oil sludge.

Now, we did have to deal with a bit of a run-around from Thousand Oaks Toyota but in the end, they agreed to repair/replace the engine to remedy the oil sludge problem.

We still may sell the van within a few weeks of the repair, but at least we won't have a big bill to get the engine ready to sell.

This is a classic example of how good customer service can lead to life-long customers...or furiously irritated consumers who tell everyone they know not to buy your product. For example, one of our neighbors recently had the same problem with their 1999 Camry. While the dealership ultimately fixed the engine the family had to argue for days with them. In talking with them today they said basically, "we sold the Camry within a few months of the repair (and bought a Honda Pilot) and will sell our Sienna in a few months (and will buy an Odyssey) and will never buy a Toyota again.

On the other hand, with the customer service and support I've received I am likely to be a Toyota customer for life. My next car...a hybrid Camry.