Consumer complaint received 2021-07-02
Product: Vehicle loan or lease — Loan
Issue: Managing the loan or lease — Problem with fees charged
Company: TOYOTA MOTOR CREDIT CORPORATION (NY)

Complaint:
The XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX has been my dealer since the first time I bought my car. All of my service appointments and issues have been addressed by them. However, it got out of hand when suddenly they are charging me XXXX XXXX dollars for something that is not right and just. I have taken my car to this dealer numerous times for service issues that ranged from electrical problems such as the charging port not properly working, to the changing or airbags, etc. The dealership has blamed me for messing up the car and isn't releasing my car until I make the payment of XXXX XXXX dollars. The dealer never charged me for any issues before the most recent visit. I had paid my insurance and paid for the extended warranty that gave me a platinum warranty for my car for XXXX years, or the first XXXX XXXX miles on the car. That should cover any service issue that I face with the car. On about 4 occasions my car broke down because of similar issues that had to do with electrical problems and each time they simply told me that the fuses needed to be changed and the car will be perfectly fine. Each time after the other the same issue arose and I had to bring the car to them again. I brought the car to them in XXXX of XXXX regarding this electrical problem and as shown in the service appointment sheet they stated that " All 12V CHARGER ARE NOT WORKING FRONT AND REAR 3 OF THEM '' after this appointment they told me they fixed the issue however a few months later the same problem arose and I took the car again for the same issue until XXXX of XXXX which is the most recent visit. two whole years later the same issue persisted and even in the XX/XX/XXXX service appointment one of the main concerns was that " CHECK ALL 12V CHARGER TWO NOT WORKING ''. these words are attached in this case as pictures and evidence to show that the dealership hasn't done anything to fix the problem, but rather postponed it until it collapsed and blamed me for it. The best excuse they could come up with was that I had spilled coffee in the electrical system and it's the cause for the electrical failure. Please someone explain to me after two years the same problem persisted and they kept ignoring it and never fully fixed it. All they did was changed the fuses and said it'll be all good. However this time some gases were coming out of the area in-between the driver and passenger seats. The car wasn't turning on properly as it had been for a while. The dealer informed me that the issue will be fixed and it'll take two to three business days to get it fixed like they always have and lied about it. I called them several times within the first week and spoke to the representative that was responsible for my car and getting it fixed. His name is XXXX XXXX and he told me that he will order some electrical parts to get it fixed, never mentioning anything about the coffee being spilled into the system or blaming me at this stage yet. Note that at the time I brought my car to the dealer I asked to remove my belongings, etc since my car is a XXXX car and I had my stuff in there. They told me I can remove them and so I removed the personal things a lot with any trash or anything in front of them. A whole week later they informed me that the car electrical system is messed up because I had spilled coffee on it and that burned the system. First of all, I don't even drink coffee or sugary drinks and even if I ever did how will the coffee be fresh after a whole week. on top of that if they did see the coffee being spilled and causing the problem why didn't they inform me within the first week or earlier. Could they not see the coffee then. What was the whole point of ordering new electrical parts and telling me that they'll be fixed? This whole thing is a setup and they are bailing me for the spilling of the coffee that they are using as the excuse to make me pay for the whole service. I feel helpless and I could do nothing as I tried speaking with the main center of Toyota regarding this issue and they also said that the spilling of the coffee is something not protected by the extended warranty. The only help I can receive is from the consumer protection agency and it's my last hope to receive help. Will the representative responsible for my car told me that this is my fault and the extended warranty wouldn't cover such a thing. I have pictures and videos of going to the spot when they told me that then liquid burned the electrical system. When I went there the coffee was fresh and how could this be possible after a whole week of the coffee is there. The picture that is attached shows that the wires are protected by coverings and even if the coffee had somehow spilled it wouldn't have affected the electrical component. This whole thing has been an accumulation of all the visits I had until that point and the whole system just failed because of it. I humbly request the Consumer protection agency to help me with this case and help me get my car back. I have done nothing wrong and I have provided pictures and shreds of evidence from my side. I haven't been able to even go to work because they have kept my car for almost a month. I drive for XXXX and my income depends on it. I have lost one month of income because of this issue the dealership has caused me. Even though the dealership have provided me with a car in exchange for the other car that they have in the dealership, it's basically useless for me since it's not a XXXX approved car and I ca n't drive it for XXXX.Thanks for reading and helping me.

Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation