Toyota Dealership Makes It Right for a 2022 RAV4 Hybrid Owner at No Cost

You just took delivery of your 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, and you finished all the paperwork, shook the dealer’s hand, and drove off into the sunset. Suddenly, you hear a weird whining noise, and the ride doesn’t feel right. You are getting all these thoughts of, “what did I do wrong?”

You did nothing, it was simply an error by Toyota which can be fixed easily. The dealer will fix it for you, probably give you some compensation, and make you feel good about yourself. This is exactly what happened to a recent 2022 Toyota RAV4 hybrid owner who had to wait 2 weeks to get her repaired car back.

Chris Leigh wrote a post on Facebook’s Toyota RAV4 Hybrid group saying that she got a 10-year/ 125,000-mile warranty along with $699 off her MSRP and a full tank of gas simply because of a faulty window installation and chipped paint on one of her struts. The post itself is long so I will paraphrase what she said. Basically, after all the hassle and compensation of getting the shocks and windows fixed, the paint was still chipped on the struts and now she is back at the dealer asking for a repair.

Speaking of dealer repairs, check out our latest article on how long it takes to get your 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Now you may think, “Why is she worried about some paint? It’s not like we are going to look under the car.” Remember that paint doesn’t only make a car look good, it protects it too. If those shocks have a chip in the paint, they’ll rust within a year or even less and it will not be good. So, these shocks are made out of metal which obviously rusts. I was not able to find out which type of metal however I know for a fact that it rusts.

So, what should Chris do? She asked this is her post and a lot of the responses were pretty interesting. Let’s take a look at what others said.

Keith Addison said, “I would tell the dealer that vehicle wasn’t delivered in new condition and request that they either refund deposit or repair vehicle to like-new condition and not purchase until requirement had been met.” It’s true. That $1000 deposit is like gold to those dealers. They will do everything in their power to absolutely make sure that you don’t get that deposit back, so they won’t miss allocations to their dealerships.

Michael Damgaard said, “I would want to reject the car and have them order another one. If you already have these problems with a new car, what other problems are there that you don't see? Otherwise, ask for your deposit back. and look elsewhere.”

So, it seems that if Toyota takes too long to repair or the problem keeps happening, again and again, it would be wise to ask for a refund and go get another car or ask that she be delivered another 2022 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid. Toyota is known for its dependability but like every single automaker out there, there are always going to be a few bad apples in the batch.

Also remember that how Toyota makes its cars is not dependent on the dealer so in reality, don’t get too mad at the dealer if your car is delivered with a problem. If indeed you would need some sort of compensation for a factory defect or something, then I would recommend talking to the dealer.

How would you feel? Do you think Toyota’s compensation along with the dealer’s repairs is enough for a mechanical issue that’s not your problem? Let us know in the comments below.

Harutiun Hareyan is reporting Toyota news at Torque News. His automotive interests and vast experience test-riding new cars give his stories a sense of authenticity and unique insights. Follow Harutiun on Twitter at @HareyanHarutiun for daily Toyota news.