‘Toyota won’t honour my extended warranty’
Which? helps a Toyota RAV4 owner settle a warranty dispute
In June, Richard Hurn from Devon found his car was literally keeping him awake at night after his 2021 Toyota RAV4 developed a fault where the alarm would go off at all hours.
Having owned the car from new, he kept the car serviced at his local Toyota dealership, and so it was also covered by the company’s ‘Relax’ warranty scheme. But after inspecting the vehicle, the dealership said the warranty underwriter wouldn’t pay for the repair and Richard faced the bill of around £1,000.
The dealership suggested he could get the repair done, pay for it upfront and await a second opinion from the warranty provider. ‘I’m certainly not prepared to pay £1,000 on a gamble that I might get it back,’ Richard said.
Read on to find out more, including how Toyota reacted when we contacted them.
Just 384 miles over the warranty limit
Richard contacted Which? to explore his rights. While Toyota and Lexus Relax warranties run for up to 10 years, owners must get their car serviced by a Toyota main dealer to keep the warranty going, and the car is covered for a year or 10,000 miles, whichever comes first.
When Richard called Toyota to report the fault, he hadn’t yet driven 10,000 miles since his last service. However, the mileage wasn’t requested by the dealership so Richard was none the wiser and kept using the RAV4 as normal, driving a further 400 miles in the week leading up to his appointment. This tipped the RAV4’s odometer over the 10,000-mile limit by 384 miles and invalidated the car's warranty.
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Was Toyota in the right?
Strictly speaking, Toyota was within its right to reject the warranty claim as the terms state that the car must be within the mileage limit when presented for the repair. It also says it’s the owner’s responsibility to report the mileage when arranging a repair.
This seems to be at odds with the Motor Ombudsman, though, of which Toyota is a member. It states that as long as the car is within its warranty at the time of booking the appointment, the warranty should be honoured. Plus, these terms put the onus on the customer to ensure they report the mileage at the time of booking, which we don't think many customers would even think of unless they were asked by the garage at the time of booking the appointment.
When we pointed this out to Toyota, it said that the Motor Ombudsman’s guidance only applies to new car warranties, rather than service-activated warranties like Relax. It did, however, agree to pay Richard’s bill as a ‘goodwill gesture’ and Richard is delighted with the resolution.
A Toyota spokesperson said the company 'is committed to maintaining the highest standards of product quality and customer service. While the case in question falls outside of the terms of the service activated warranty, we always aim to act in a fair and balanced way for our customers and have chosen to offer a goodwill gesture to the customer in this case.'
Check your warranty terms
If you have a fault with your car, check the terms of your warranty. Those who have a Relax warranty should be aware that it’s not quite a year-long or 10,000-mile warranty – it’s a year minus the time it takes to get an appointment, and 10,000 miles minus the distance you drive while awaiting repair. With a faulty car, you may find that your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act offer more than the terms of your warranty.
For more information, read our guide to your rights regarding faulty goods.