Toyota CPO - Issues identified immediately after delivery
TLDR: Bought a 2016 Tacoma with around 113k miles that was Toyota Certified Silver. On the drive home from the dealer the TPMS sensors came on full time so I drove straight to Discount Tire to have them checked and replaced (they were faulty). Two days later I had an independent inspection done for my own peace of mind and they found a leaking rack and pinion and a broken motor mount, with several thousand dollars in estimated repairs. I then took it to a different Toyota dealer to independently inspect the truck and confirm the findings. I’m not expecting a 10 year old truck to be perfect or asking the selling dealer to fix normal wear and maintenance. My concern is that some of these issues appear to involve items that were specifically inspected and signed off on as part of the Toyota certification. I’m mainly looking for someone with used car sales experience to tell me how they would view this from the dealer side and what they think would be a reasonable outcome.
I recently bought a 2016 Toyota Tacoma SR with around 113k miles from a Toyota dealership. It was sold as a Toyota Certified Used Vehicle, Silver level. One owner, clean Carfax and overall it looked like it was in really good condition.
I paid around $19k out the door. I knew going into this that I was buying a 10 year old truck with over 100k miles, so I wasn’t expecting it to be perfect. I also don’t expect the dealer to fix every little thing that might come up on a vehicle this old. One of the things that gave me more confidence buying it though was that it was Toyota Certified and had gone through their inspection process.
Two days after I bought it I took it to a reputable independent shop for an inspection just to make sure there wasn’t anything I had missed. They found a leaking power steering rack and a broken motor mount. Their estimate to address everything they found was several thousand dollars.
That obviously concerned me, especially since these weren’t cosmetic things or normal maintenance items. They also appeared to be things that were specifically checked and signed off on as part of the Toyota Certified inspection.
I contacted Toyota Certified directly to find out how the warranty worked. They told me the selling dealer has to initiate the warranty process. I contacted the selling dealer, sent them the inspection and estimate and asked them to help get the process started.
I also didn’t want to just rely on one independent mechanic’s opinion, so I took the truck to a completely different Toyota dealership and paid them to do a full inspection of the truck. I specifically asked them to look at the rack and pinion and motor mount, but also to inspect the whole vehicle.
At this point I’m really just trying to figure out what is reasonable. I’m not expecting the selling dealer to make a 10 year old truck with 113k miles brand new. I understand there are going to be wear items and maintenance that comes with buying an older vehicle.
Where I have an issue is if their Certified inspection specifically says something was inspected and was good, had no leaks, was safe, or met the certification requirements, and then two days after buying it I have another shop finding a significant problem with that exact same component. Especially if another Toyota dealership confirms it.
I’m curious how someone who has worked in used car sales would look at this from the dealer’s side.
Could these things realistically have been missed during a legitimate Certified inspection?
If another Toyota dealership confirms the same problems within days of the sale, how would you expect the selling dealer to handle it? Do you think it’s reasonable for me to separate normal maintenance and wear from things they specifically inspected and signed off on?
And if you were on the dealer side of this, what would you consider a fair resolution?
I’m genuinely looking for another perspective here. If I’m expecting too much or looking at any part of this the wrong way, I’d rather someone tell me that too.