Toyota RAV 4

I posted a review of our 2019 Toyota RAV 4 on Google maps on the site of the dealer, Malloy Toyota in Winchester VA. It reads:

"what good is a service department that can't/won't diagnose a problem with the liftgate on a NEW Rav 4, that was reported NUMEROUS times, that has to be forced manually to open and shut? What good is a sales department that doesn't return phone calls? what good is a car with too many gadgets, a dashboard with print so small that you can't read it and a useless, poorly written owners manual the size of a phone book? ... Mr. Lewis, you have my contact info. what do you have in mind? please respond in kind (email)." 

 

 Malloy responded:

"We are not pleased to hear of the incident you've described in this review. We want nothing more than to work with you to correct this situation as soon as possible. Please feel free to contact me at your earliest convenience. Thank you, Frank Lewis, Service Director"

 I received an email from Malloy:

"Good afternoon Mr. & Mrs. Koenig,

I'm writing in regards to the review you left in reference to your 2019 RAV4. My service director, Frank, and myself have tried to reach out via the phone number provided and haven't heard back, so I'd like to extend this email to assist you further.

It appears that the last time you were in for service was in 2021, and you still have ongoing concerns with your liftgate. We are more than willing to have a Master level Toyota-trained technician look at your liftgate again, as well as our service director, to ensure your concerns are addressed.

It also looks like there may be some questions regarding the features of your vehicle, and I've got members of my team ready to go over the features and functions with you whenever you are available to bring the vehicle back in. Please give me a call at 540-678-1791, or reply to this email with the best days and time for you, and I'll make sure you're taken care of!

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you soon." 

I responded:

"Good afternoon Kala, 

I can understand why you and Frank are concerned with my review.

 The facts are:

1. Shortly after we purchased the car, the liftgate didn't always lift and close properly.

2. We reported this problem each time that we brought the car in during the warranty period.

3. Each time we were told that the liftgate was working properly.

 4. Since the warranty expired, the problem has only gotten worse.

In writing my review, it wasn't my intention to bring my car to Malloy to have a master level toyota-trained technician diagnose and fix the liftgate problem. Why didn't your mechanics diagnose and fix the problem when we reported it multiple times during the warranty period? Did they think that I was lying? The fact is that I've had to force the liftgate open and shut for some time now. It's my intention to continue doing so until it breaks. At that time I'll take it to a mechanic of my choice to fix the problem.

After Mr. Lewis responded to my review, I felt compelled to reply. I emailed our contact information to Malloy. I did not lie in my review.

I'm familiar with Malloy's practice of doing business over the phone. I wouldn't entertain the thought of bringing my car back to Malloy unless we were assured, in writing, that we would not be held responsible for any costs associated with diagnosing or fixing the liftgate problem. It should have been fixed during the warranty period.

Sincerely,
Ray Koenig"

I received another email from Malloy:

"Mr. Koenig,

I appreciate you following back up with us. Kala and I have carefully reviewed your service history. We found a concern on 1/21/21 stating "Liftgate will not open or close correctly at times." The technician opened and closed the liftgate 12 times and found no issues. It was working properly at that time. The next time you had a concern with the liftgate was on 5/27/21 stating "Tailgate hatch will not open all of the way." The technician adjusted the liftgate height for you as it is adjustable. So we see a total of 1 visit stating the rear liftgate is inoperable.This does not mean that we thought you were “lying”, we take the safety of our guests and integrity of their vehicles very seriously. If we cannot duplicate or find a failed part it is impossible to fix something that is intermittently failing.

Your review was posted on 6/2/2023 and the last time we have seen the vehicle in question was 5/27/2021. I am always willing to help a loyal Toyota customer out with after-warranty assistance, but I think it's obvious I need to be aware of the issue other than receiving a review more than 2 years later.

I'm not sure what you meant by "Malloy's practice of doing business over the phone" and ask that you please elaborate if you care to.

While we do apologize about the small font on the dashboard and density of the owner's manual, these things are out of our control. As far as the liftgate concern goes, we are more than happy to look at this free-of-charge as well as offer assistance should any repair be needed.

Please let me know if you would allow us to assist you further with your concerns, and we will do all that we can to help."

Thank you, and we hope to assist you soon!"

I responded:

"Mr. Lewis, 

I recall another time when someone from Malloy went with us to the parking lot and opened and shut the liftgate once and declared that it was working properly and sent us on our way. That's not what I call diagnosing the problem. I wouldn't even call opening and shutting the lift gate 12 times as diagnosing the problem. I'm not a mechanic. Our car has 10,883 miles on it--in 4 years. Most of that mileage is for short trips. Driving to Winchester is a relatively long trip when compared to going to the grocery store, doctor, etc. in Strasburg. The other observation that I've made, for what it's worth, is that the liftgate problem is greater in cold weather than in warm weather.

As far as my comment about doing business over the phone is concerned, I said that "I wouldn't entertain the thought of bringing my car back to Malloy unless we were assured, in writing, that we would not be held responsible for any costs associated with diagnosing or fixing the liftgate problem." I am unsure that this is the case ("... other assistance ..."). Even with your assurance, I don't know if I will bring the car into Malloy for another go at diagnosing and fixing the problem. As you know by my review, this whole experience with the liftgate has left a very bad taste in my mouth. 

Sincerely,

Ray Koenig"

That's the last I heard from Malloy.

A brief search of the internet yielded problems associated with the liftgate, including those similar to what we've been experiencing.

"According to experts, it could be that your battery is not dispensing enough voltage to the liftgate. When the voltage to this part of the vehicle is low, it will not function or it will function below expectation."

"One thing you should know about liftgates is that they run on a pump/motor system. So when they malfunction, it is likely that the motor or pumps are having issues. It is also possible that the hydraulic reservoir oil is low. In this case, the liftgate will struggle, depending on the level of oil available."

"There are times when your liftgate malfunctions because of leaks. Check all these parts for damages. If you notice any leaks, first try to tighten the connections at those points."

autoshub.net/toyota-rav4-liftgate-not-working/

Diagnosing liftgate problems involves more than just opening and shutting the liftgate. Complete diagnosis requires checking of both electrical and hydraulic systems that operate the liftgate. Was this done? Based on copies of the service orders that we received and our discussions with Malloy personnel, our answer is no.

Now I know what RAV stands for: Really Awful Vehicle.