Went to the dealership for basic oil change yesterday morning for my 2009 Camry Hybrid. The dealership found that ALL 4 four struts are leaking and need to be replaced. The leaking oil past the spring base. The costs to replace the structs are $550 for the front and $680 for the rear struts. They told me that the car is out of warranty since it has 36013 miles, which is 13 miles over and that I only did the basic oil change. I was very upset. I thought Toyota is reliable and that the struts should last more than 80K. And I thought my car is still under warranty. I argued with them that the leaking must have started before 36K since all 4 struts are leaking now. They told me that Toyota is very strict on their warranty mileage and my car is 13 miles over. I am very upset with the dealership. I really don't believe that i should pay to replace the struts. Please let me know if anyone has the similar experience and how to resolve it.

 

having all service done at the dealer is a good way to get favorable treatment from them. pay thru the nose for oil changes and the 15k, 30k and so on major service inspections will get you some slack. too late now though. take it to the next level. maybe a regional manager. 25k hybrid and you get no help. that bites.

 

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They are probably trying to rip you off. I just called My service tech at Toyota on another matter so I asked her about your situation. She said no way all four would be bad that soon. The soonest she's ever seen them wear out on a Camry is about 120,000 to150,000 miles. Also, the dealer DOES have discretion about extending the warranty the extra 13 miles. You should report them to Toyota's national headquarters.

I did find the following on an 07 Camry with 42,000 with a situation similar to yours. The customer complained and Toyota picked up the tab.

https://www.camryforums.com/forum/suspension-brakes-tires-wheels-16/2007-strut-leak-42k-miles-5003/


jgbHelp
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 2


RE: 2007 Strut Leak at 42k miles
toyomoho - thank you very much for the information, everything was helpful & much appreciated!! I actually went back to Toyota after speaking to a few friends of friends within the car business and raised a little stink about the situation, thenlow and behold - all was approved and totally paid for by Toyota on the replacement of all 4 struts! It took a little bit but it was nice that the sales and service managers, etc. understood and did what they could to help the customer. Thanks again!

 

I called 1800 number Toyota center, explained the situation and filed a case with Toyota. The guy from Toyota center agreed that they will cover the cost for the replacement and told me that the dealership will contact me. The next day, a lady from dealership left me a voice saying that they check my service record and that I only did the baisc oil change with them and I was lucky that they inspected my car. She said that for oil change service they are not responsible for the inspection. She said that they will not cover the cost because I only did basic oil change with them and that Toyota is very strict with the warranty mileage. I was very upset. I called the service manager at the dealership the next morning. I argued with him for 15mins and told him that Toyota already agreed to paid the cost. He finally backed down and they will make a one time exception. I had all 4 struts replaced now. I doubted that they will last for another 36K. For those who has Toyota camry, have the struts inspected before the warranty expires.

 

I have all 4 of my struts leaking as well. I have a 2009 Camry XLE 4 cylinder. At about 40k, Les Schwab noticed that they were leaking when I had my tires replaced and I went to my dealer, and they said they were fine. Now 2+ years later, my dealer found that all 4 struts were still (or now) leaking. I had purchased the extended warranty, when I purchased the car through the dealer. I have 72.5k on the car now. My dealer reported the (problem to the carrier (National Warranty Corp) who sent out an adjuster who siad that the leak was normal seepage, and sent his report to National, who in turn declined the claim. They said "it was not leaking enough". I have just started the fiht, but would appreciate direction in the matter. Has anyone else had bad dealings with National?

 

Toyota has issued a service bulletin to dealers with drawings showing what is and is not acceptable leakage.

It is possible for the struts to be leaking but not enough (per bulletin) for the Toyota to replace them under warranty.

See link below:

http://rav4world.com/tsb/2011/T-SB-0145-11.pdf

 

I have a 2010 Camry - bought new. Have taken it to the dealership regularly for all oil changes and scheduled maintenance. We replaced new Michelin tires (rated for 80,000 miles) at just 35,000 miles that wore out unevenly. Our vans which are heavier and have more roll usually go at least 60,000 before there is noticeable wear and they wear more evenly. Since the dealership was checking everything, it did not occur to us that there was a problem with the struts since the car was so new and the service department never alerted us. Suddenly, at 50,000 mile check up, we were informed all 4 struts are at #2 and must all be replaced. This is a lightly driven car. (We have 2 drivers and 3 vehicles.) This is highway mileage in Southern California and we never had this problem with any other vehicles. We never load it and rarely have more than 1 person in the car. We have never even needed a brake job and have 70% left on our brake pads. After looking on line I noticed that this is a known issue with Camrys after 2007. I contacted Toyota about this problem and after much discussion, they offered $750 discount if we have it serviced at a Toyota dealership. I contend that since Toyota does not recommend anything be done with leaking struts until they are totally shot, we were not informed that anything was wrong while it was still under warranty. Also, why would all 4 struts suddenly fail if these were not poor quality or defective parts. Why would Toyota say that struts that leak at all are normal? I believe, since there is a known issue, Toyota needs to stand behind their products. This is not a standard maintenance issue - it is a defective part. We are looking at purchasing a new vehicle in the near future and this issue is making us question whether Toyota is lowering their quality if this is considered normal.