Arbitration - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

mattskav · 07-21-2008, 09:08 PM

I'm well outside the lemon law on my Camry. Toyota has pretty much re-built the whole car at this point. Driving around this week the transmission started to flare again; this weekend we pulled into a parking lot and the whole car shuddered so bad presumably shifting into first gear that my wife thought we hit something.

The car is 13 months old, has 27k on it and is on its second transmission. Which is to say it burns a transmission every 6 months or 15k. I don't see keeping the car as an option.

I called Toyota to complain and tell them the situation, it's not buyers remorse, I love the car but I have been to the shop probably 20 times at this point for transmissions, brakes, steering shafts, rattles, and everything else, and I'm simply tired of it. I wanted to know if they had trade-in assistance for the vehicle.

They told me they would send me the 3rd party arbitration paperwork. From what I have read this is a waste of my time, which is exactly what I need to avoid. Has anyone had a positive experience with this process?

Thanks,
Matt

skyxliner · 07-21-2008, 09:09 PM

so why are you outside the lemon law? and why didn't you go to toyota dealership for the repairs intitially?

thrawnis · 07-21-2008, 10:35 PM

I have been through the arbitration process already with no success, but my situation was nothing like yours. My suggestion is to go ahead with arbitration because you have gone through quite a few large problems. Keep in mind that it takes between 30-60 days to complete the process, but it is completely free (to you). A lemon-law related lawsuit may cost quite a bit with no guarantee of a victory.

skyxliner · 07-21-2008, 10:37 PM

not true. my parents went through the lemon law and there ARE lawyers who only take a cut if your case wins. of course they wouldn't take on your case if they didn't think they had a good chance of winning. you needed documentations of repeated repair attempts from the toyota dealership. I'm not sure if third party repair shops will work.

ylen13 · 07-21-2008, 11:03 PM

I would say get your self a lemon lawyer. Understand that once you do that, toyota will no longer care about you as a customer as they feel they lost you as a customer.