Toyota Motor Sales stands behind one more dishonest dealership KEITH PIERSON TOYOTA Why? To cover up "SLUDGE!" Jacksonville, Florida

We bought a 1994 Toyota Camry with 50,000 miles that had been maintained by Keith Pierson Toyota's dealership. The car had a prepurchase inspection and was given a clean bill of healthby this dealership. I was told by the service department that it was a particularly good buy because it had been maintained by this dealership.

Two days after this inspection I bought the car and within FOUR HOURS it seized and needed a new engine. Stupidly we had it towed back to the same dealership. You see we knew the mechanic at the dealership and trusted him. HAH! We were told that there was no forseeable warning signs of this catisrophic engine damage and that they therefore had no responsibility for our situation.

We were certain that there was something "fishy" about this whole thing but could not prove it. You see we had not heard of engine sludge. Even though we currently owned a 1998 Camry that is also an affected engine and is covered under the engine gel program.

After much negotiations Toyota agreed under a goodwill warranty to pay for half of the engine repair $2700. We were able to convince the dealership to absorb another $1500 which we were grateful for at the time, still not knowing about engine sludge.

I will not go into the details of what followed as it took me 8 pages to document but it has been a NIGHTMARE to say the least.

I went to Bruce Ertmann for help in dealing with Keith Pierson and was refered to the Corporate Reponse Team a fancier name for another bunch of corporate yahoo's that are paid to brush people off as quickly as possible.

After recieving a slanderous letter full of lies that Keith Pierson wrote to the BBB regarding our complaint I was sure that Toyota would at least offer an apologie for the outragously arrogant and slanderous behavior of Mr. Pierson. Instead Mr. Batie told me that Toyota USA stood behind this dealership 100%.There was no engine sludge issue with our engine because this is what Keith Pierson Toyota had told them,therefore he had nothing more to discuss with me.

I haved owned various Toyota's for the past 25 years and am horrified by this entire fiasco. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AGAIN! Twenty five years of believing in Toyota and their products are over. I currently have THREE Toyota's sitting in my driveway. They will be the last.

Some of the quotes from Keith Piersons letter are as follows:

"After repairs , the Skinners notice the engine light came on."
"This was a totally urelated circumstance and again we paid for the parts and labor out of compassion"

Yes, Mr. Pierson two miles from your dealership after picking the car up for the first time since the engine replacement and then having to take the car back for the following three days because the check engine light would not go off!

"She (me) will recieve nothing from my associates nor me. I am still in disbelief at the outragous behavior of the Skinners after all of the charity that they recieved from Toyota and this dealership."

Well, let see since when is standing behind your product and workmanship "CHARITY"? This is the attitude that Toyota has adopted to get themselves out of this mess, be happy with what ever we have to dish out or else we will belittle you and call you a lier.

"However there is a bit of a silver lining. I guess no one has explained to the Skinners that any advertisement, good or BAD, is positive for a business and creates awareness and society does not really care about anyone's personal vendetta with a dealership." We have sold two vehicles that I am aware of personally to people who came to our business out of curiosity, after receiving a flyer made by the Skinners"

Who, does this idiot think that he is dealing with? First of all I asked Mr. Batie of Toyota Corporate if this was Toyota's new philosophy, (GOOD OR BAD advertisement creates curiosity)he had no comment.The "flyer" I have handed out that Mr.Pierson is talking about informed other Toyota owners about his dealerships dishonesty and terrible workmanship as well as the "sludge issue". I am quite sure that this would not make me want to run out and buy a Toyota, how about you?

" I explained the situation to one customer. She made and astute observation and said that if they worked this hard in whatever they do for a living, they would not need charity."

I have only one comment for this statement except SHAME ON YOU TOYOTA MOTOR SALES USA !!!!!!!!!!!

Roxanne
Orange Park, Florida

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Toyota Dealers and Products

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Keith Pierson Toyota