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Unhappy Toyota Fortuner 2017 VXR owner


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I have never felt the need to write any negativity about any car, because i am a strong believer of nothing is perfect, however when you end up stuck with no clear responses from concerned entities, i feel compelled of having people aware of what to expect.

first i seriously think that this car is over hyped and over rated, and way over priced, i came to the conclusion after purchasing the 2017 VXR version supposedly top of the range with full option however was duped by the sales team starting with TOYOTA stopped having electric seats in the 2017 models for the fortuners, and the VXR's do not come with Downhill Assist Control (DAC), the interior LED lights are not for the UAE market which at a latter stage i found out to be just sales lines and they do exist on others. in my case i think i have bought a modified version of the GXR at a much higher price of the VXR


now we come to the problems you face after the fact you are driving it and on the road and actually paid for it.
1- door handles front and rear: when you try closing the door on any of the 4 door panels you will have the surprise of getting a piece of the handle out of its place in your hand, issue was solved  by toyota team by gluing (yes Gluing 2017 car model) them back on.
2- steering button for voice command: does not operate and no voice command can be given it just mutes the sound system. Service team response the fortuners are not equipped with this function (so its an extra useless button on the steering wheel because there is another button for mute on the steering).
3- navigation system: in numerous instances it takes the navigation about 5 - 10 seconds until it catches with direction so it tells you to turn right after the fact you have missed the turn. toyota service team response take a video of the instance so we would know what is wrong!! Map freezing is normal while driving, again toyota service response, take a video of it occurring.

the system should also be equipped with a digital compass, and according to the manuals and online data should be in the center console between the speedometer and rpm under information) but unfortunately service reply was fortuners in the UAE does not have this option.
4 - sound system: the radio turns on and if i am lucky i will be able to utilize the functions without it being frozen at least once and or rebooting the whole system, service reply take a video when it happens.
5- the system is supposedly top of the line, but it has the most basic features, i think you are better of buying an aftermarket, it is not worth the extra you pay for it. i tried to find the model number anywhere to understand the basics of it, i couldnt find it anywhere or even on any of toyotas brochures and pictures.
6- back 3rd row seats: the velcro holding the seat on the passenger side is short and misaligned, every bump i go over the seat bounces down.
7- reverse camera: i have had cars with reverse camers to as far as i can remember and if it didnt have one i used to buy one, but the one in this fortuner is the darkest you will ever see, if it is bright outside you cant see what it is supposed to show you and if you are in an enclosed garage (i.e dark ) you will not see properly what you are backing into.
8- Tyre sensors, although they are primitive and like most but not all cars it will not show pressure or position of low tyres, one of the sensors has not worked for the past one month or so and the light has been on since. unfortunately i couldnt take it to the service center yet, (i will probably get another unrelated excuse).
9- Drivetrain or shaft: since day one i have been complaining about a shift shock second to first gears, and a jolt while stopped at the traffic light (not while coming to a stop, i would be literally stopped for more than 30 40 seconds) without any movement, a human reaction is check the rear view mirror to see if someone has bumped into you feeling). Service team reply that is a normal behavior of Fortuners transmission.

10- when in an enclosed garage and the engine ruining the inside of the car and outside would smell like the stench of anti freeze, although nothing is leaking but the smell is there and noticeable.

i dont know and i am not sure if it is just this one unit or many others are on the market being given the same excuses, but definitely it is not worth the money, this fortunerr currently has 4000 Km. only (yes only four thousand), it just seems to be too many issues for a brand new car, i am waiting until next service then planing an official complain to consumer protection.

i would appreciate it if the readers would share their experiences of problems with the same car and or dealer here in the UAE.

Edited by ADlR3
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Take a drive around Al Awir. You’ll see brand new Landcruisers being converted to GXR and VXR spec, RHDs being converted to LHD and all sorts of fuckery going on. 

Maybe worth putting your chassis number into www.vindecoderz.com and checking if your car really is what it’s supposed to be. 

Also to add, it’s not Toyota who are working on your car, it’s Al Futtaim. They are just a product dealer. If you have issues, don’t be afraid to escalate complaints directly to Toyota in Japan. 

Jerking gears on any car is not normal unless you’re running a race box with straight cut gears. Sounds like you’re being fobbed off because they either don’t know what the problem is or are too lazy to fix it. 

There are consumer protection laws and you should be able to return the car for a replacement or refund if you can prove the faults. I am not clued up on them but someone else here will know. 

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Thank you Barry for your reply and link.

Unfortunately all the links for Toyota complaints in this region is taking me back to Alfutaim Toyota, and honestly speaking i lost all confidence in them.

regards;

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Too sad to hear that Toyota quality has gone down so much, as people swear by Toyota reliability and utmost quality.

Maybe it could be the just one-off case so don't give up and lose hope. In my eyes as a first response report a formal written complaint to the dealer, and if the response is not favorable or satisfactory then report to consumer rights.

  • Like (+1) 1

Let's root for each other & watch each other grow.

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fortuners are not prado or land cruisers they are not made in japan or usa or south africa...they are made in thailand so i always used to expect a little less of it as it ages but man you full drown in it...  

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  • 1 month later...

Al Futtaim is adding a lot of local accesories; so called “Toyota approved”. I had a 2015 Land Cruiser, and the navigation unit (local added accesory by Al Futtaim) was replaced twice in the 24 months I owned the car.  After the 2nd replacement, it had again a problem; a message every 2 minutes that no satellites are found. I am sure, this would not happen with a Toyota sourced nav.

My wife has a 2017 Rav4, with the leather option. This leather is also added locally. Via the vin number I found that the car was shipped with cloth interior from Japan. Its not a big deal if the quality is the same, but the local added leather Is definitely not the same quality as original Toyota leather. These local added seats look great but are terrible hot when the sun shines; so hot that you burn on it. I had many cars with leather seats before, but this platic leather is way hotter than other seats I am used too.

 

i think personally that Toyota cars are great; but Al Futtaim is briging the brand down by adding local sourced accesories.

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...and if you dig a little deeper, you will find that all of these so-called Toyota-approved "accessories" are rip-offs of genuine Toyota parts made in China by unskilled laborers.  

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On 10/9/2017 at 6:44 PM, Gaurav said:

Too sad to hear that Toyota quality has gone down so much, as people swear by Toyota reliability and utmost quality.

Maybe it could be the just one-off case so don't give up and lose hope. In my eyes as a first response report a formal written complaint to the dealer, and if the response is not favorable or satisfactory then report to consumer rights.

same opinion...

they might have succeeded in selling you a previously spec'd car from their stock and by your review this really seems to be a one-off case... these cars are mass produced and have been here for a while now and imagine all those who bought have experienced the same!?

like barry said, you should send all these messages to toyota in japan or file a complaint with video/proofs of the faults and misunderstandings they caused to the consumer rights.

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