In what one automotive expert calls an “unprecedented” response, Toyota has announced details of a plan to fix vehicles with peeling white paint, a problem that has plagued the automaker for years.
Toyota … said its “warranty enhancement program” will cover several models of vehicles with blizzard pearl or super white paint manufactured as far back as 2008.
The move comes in response to complaints from Toyota owners like Prospect, N.S., resident Rachael Mosley, who said the peeling-paint problem on her 2011 RAV4 has only worsened since she first told CBC her story in September 2018 …
The program covers the following years and models of vehicles with the original blizzard pearl and super white paint:
- 2010-2015 4Runner
- 2008-2017 Camry HV
- 2008-2017 Camry
- 2009-2018 Corolla
- 2008-2017 Avalon
- 2008-2017 RAV4
- 2012-2015 Scion IQ
- 2011-2015 Scion XB
- 2008-2009 Lexus GX470
The paint job on Jay Willyard’s 2009 RAV4 has also deterioriated in the past year and a half. (Submitted by Jay Willyard)
The letter to affected customers said: “The covered condition may occur when sunlight over time degrades the adhesion between the factory-applied paint primer coat layer and the base metal electrodeposition layer causing the paint to peel from the metal body part.” …
The program is broken into two parts. The primary coverage is in effect until Feb. 9, 2022, with no year or mileage limits. The secondary coverage kicks in after the primary coverage expires and is good for 10 years from the date the vehicle was first licensed, regardless of mileage …
The letter said people who have already paid for repainting should contact their dealer for “reimbursement consideration.”
“Unprecedented” program
George Iny, with the Automobile Protection Association, said his organization is pleased with the automaker’s plan.
“Under this program, paint delamination on a vehicle as old as 2008 is covered until 2022 — that’s 14 years,” he said. “Toyota’s coverage is unprecedented for a warranty extension on defective paint, where the limit is usually about eight years.”
He noted while Toyota was late to acknowledge the paint issue publicly, it “has been correspondingly generous with the time limit.”