PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A Phoenix man says he is stuck paying a loan on an SUV he cannot drive after Toyota Financial Services denied his warranty claim and his insurance company denied his claim as well, leaving the cause of his engine failure unresolved.
Jake Weir purchased a 2019 Toyota RAV4 as a certified pre-owned vehicle with approximately 60,000 miles and an active warranty. A few months ago, the engine failed without warning.
“I accelerated a little bit. I heard a loud boom. Looked in my rearview mirror. Smoke everywhere,” Weir said.
Conflicting findings from dealership and insurer
Weir had the vehicle towed to the dealership, where technicians documented what the engine failure. The dealership told Weir the engine failed due to hydro lock, a condition caused by water entering the engine.
Weir disputed that explanation.
“I would have had to have taken on water almost immediately for that to happen. The day that I left, it was 100 degrees outside, middle of September, not a cloud in the sky,” Weir told On Your Side. “They’re claiming to me that they found over a gallon of water in the car, which I don’t know how that’s possible.”
Toyota Financial Services denied his warranty claim. Weir then filed a claim with his insurance company. The insurer also denied the claim, citing “no evidence of water.”
“[The insurance company] is telling me it was due to actual engine failure. In that case insurance wouldn’t cover it. That would be on the warranty,” Weir said.
Costs continue to mount
Weir paid more than $1,000 out of pocket for the dealership to tear down the engine. He said he will not recover that money because the warranty claim was denied. He said he is still making loan payments on a vehicle he cannot drive.
“The cost really adds up,” Weir said. “I definitely just want some sort of a solution. Give me what I am owed and what the warranty was supposed to cover.”
A Toyota spokesperson told On Your Side the company had been in contact with Weir initially and had nothing to add to our reporting.
Weir said his next steps are to file a lawsuit and a consumer complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
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