Gigrilla

Please can anyone offer any technical advice into this? My brand new GT86 is veering towards the right when it is pointing straight and you're accelerating. My brother-in-law also owns a GT86, and when he drives mine the same thing happens. When you're pulling off or accelerating along the road the car feels as though all the power is going to the back left wheel, and it veers off to the right, so you have to steer left to go forward in a straight line, and when you take your foot off the power it veers back to the left. The tracking has been tested and is perfect, and the tyres have been tested and proved to be faultless. The car is not delivering the power to the road through the wheels in the same way as my previous two GT86 or my brother-in-law's GT86 or the Demo GT86 from the dealer. It accelerates less quickly. On bumpy roads the car feels like something is loose, and has noise and feedback through the steering wheel. I received my car brand new with this issue, and the the Dealer claims this is a normal characteristic of the GT86. Has anyone else experienced this with their GT86? I have never experienced this problem before, with any vehicle I have owned or driven. What can possibly be wrong? I am so confused!

Please help. Toyota are still saying it is normal. I made this little video of it happening - does it happen to you when you're driving yours? Thanks.

I am stuck with Derby Toyota, Toyota Financial Service and Toyota themselves claiming nothing is wrong, so nothing to fix, so I cannot reject the car (although I did this after just 3 weeks of taking delivery). I have now done over 5000 miles... This is my latest complaint letter to them: COMPLAINT LETTER: Dear Sirs, I write to consolidate outstanding complaints and new ones into one overall complaint. I am a loyal Toyota customer, and because of my influence, my partner now owns her 2nd consecutive Toyota Yaris, my in-laws are about to buy their 2nd consecutive Toyota Auris Hybrid, my brother-in-law owns a GT86, my brother owns a Yaris, and others in my family were considering a Toyota for their next car until this happened. Do I really sound like the type of customer to be making this all up, just to create some (unnecessary) drama in my life? This is a series of 15 individual complaints, together constituting my overall complaint about my GT86 Pro, FE17 FHC, and the way I have been treated by Inchcape Toyota Derby, Toyota Financial Services and the Manufacturer, Toyota. (Supporting imagery and a few videos can be found via the link at the bottom of my email.) 1) NO SPOILER – The GT86 Pro was delivered without a Spoiler, despite it being a standard fitted part at point of sale, online and in Toyota Dealers at the time, with the option being to have a GT86 Pro without a spoiler fitted. The model below the Pro is the other way around, where you must order and pay more for a spoiler if you want one. Inchcape Toyota Derby delivered my brand-new GT86 Pro without a spoiler. They argued that the Insurance Company (new-for-old like-for-like insurance replacement after non-fault accident on 4th January) didn’t order one, but it is not necessary to order standard equipment. It took over 3 hours to get the dealer to agree – explicitly in an email – to collect the car at their own cost on a transporter (so no unnecessary miles were added to my car) and put it right, after they finally admitted on the phone that they had removed the spoiler as it wasn’t on the order form, even though it was standard equipment. In calls leading up to the delivery of the car I was assured it had a spoiler on it, as well as satellite navigation and mud-flaps. (This is unresolved, as per Complaint 11.) 2) STEERING FEEL & SUSPENSION NOISES AND LOOSE FEEL – When travelling over bumps in the road, the steering feels strange, and the suspension and steering column make noises, like something is loose on the car somewhere; this happens regardless of braking. This is intermittently experienced, as not all road surfaces are bumpy, but I do live in the middle of the countryside through several unavoidable B-lanes; none of my other cars experienced this, nor did the Demo GT86 from the Dealer. (This is unresolved, as per Complaint 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.) 3) CAR VEERING TO THE RIGHT – When you accelerate, the car pulls off to the right-hand side, towards oncoming traffic. When you’re taking your foot off the accelerator from cruising, the car pulls off to the left. The tracking was tested as perfect, but somehow it feels like the back-left wheel is getting all the power under acceleration; the four tyres were also tested independently and found to be faultless; the tyre tread is the same on 3 of the four wheels (both the front Tyres, and the back-right Tyre) with 6mm treat, while the back-left Tyre has only got 5mm treat, showing that uneven wear is resulting from this issue. (This is unresolved, as per Complaint 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.) 4) REFUSING TO ACCEPT REJECTION LETTER – Dealer – The Derby Dealer claims that I do not have the right to reject this car, as although I am the Registered Keeper, and the car is (until fully-paid by myself) owned by Toyota Financial Services, the car was paid for by my Insurance Policy, as part of a new-for-old like-for-like replacement scheme. 5) IGNORING THE CAR VEERING TO THE RIGHT – Dealer, TFS, TGB – Despite the Colchester Toyota Dealer and the RAC reports showing that the car veers off to the right when accelerating, the Derby Dealer and the Manufacturer claim this is a characteristic of the design of this car and perfectly normal and perfectly safe; this is not true. You cannot drive my car relaxed in any way, as any single second of lost concentration may result in an accident, with the car not travelling in the direction in which it is pointed. 6) NEW COMPLAINT: SELECTING A BIAST PARAGRAPH FOR CONCLUSION – The report from Toyota in Colchester is being ignored altogether. The first paragraph of the RAC Engineer’s Report is being used by the Derby Dealer and the Manufacturer and the Finance Company as their summary conclusion; this is only one paragraph of one part of multiple parts of this RAC Report and in-congruent with the rest of the report, which shows there are defects which may prove costly to repair. 7) MANUFACTURING FAULT – Not Fit for Purpose – This car was not designed to travel to the right when the steering wheel is pointing in a straight line, and the car is accelerating forward. The Wheel Alignment has been proved to be spot-on; it is not a tracking issue. The Tyres have been independently tested by the dealer and they are without fault. 8) SAFETY FAULT – Not Safe To Drive – This car is not my weekend car, it is my everyday car, so I am used to many more great miles behind the wheel in GT86 cars (x2 GT86 before FE17FHC, and x2 since this car) and enjoyed every single mile in them; this particular car is not built to the same standard and does not perform with the same precision or predictability; this car is difficult to maintain a straight line, difficult to guide around corners and stressful to drive – it is unsafe to veer off towards opposing traffic, and tiring to maintain a normal line of driving. 9) NEW COMPLAINT: FUTURE FAULTS – It is unclear what else could be affected by this problem, but I worry that undue pushing and/or pulling of the driveshaft to the rear-driven wheels from the front-mounted engine and gearbox will cause future problems with the drive-train, gearbox and engine itself; it is unclear what the current damage is or what future damage could result from non-repair and continued use. Toyota GB, Toyota Financial Services and the Dealer all claim nothing is wrong, despite the RAC report showing “Defects” that “should be considered” and “may cost lots of money”. 10) NEW COMPLAINT: CAR RETURNED UNFIXED – The car was sent to back to Toyota Derby after TFS suggested I took it to a more local Toyota Dealer to see if they could replicate the problem; Toyota Colchester were able to replicate the problem, but were unable to offer an explanation or diagnosis of the problem; they claimed it would need to be looked at over a long period of time with a trial-and-error approach, removing parts and replacing them until they found the problem; they were not happy taking the job on themselves, suggesting I took it back to the supplying Dealer, in Derby, to have them go through that process; they claimed that Toyota would be able to support the supplying Dealer financially, but that Toyota would probably not pay out on all the ramp time or for all of the parts that were replaced but found to be okay as part of the trial-and-error diagnosis process, and they may be left with parts that they cannot re-use, and they won’t be recompensed for. The original reasons for sending the car back to Toyota Derby were as follows: i. The spoiler had to be fitted after turning up without one. The Spoiler not being fitted at the factory worried me; I was concerned that the job of fitting one wasn’t easy, and concerned about the quality of fitting compared to a factory environment, worried it wasn’t going to be to the same standard, and raised my concerns with TFS, but was told this would be to the same exacting standard, performed by Toyota Trained Technicians to the same standard exactly as it would be in the factory, and not to worry. I was right to worry, as per Complaint Number 11. (This has NOT been fitted satisfactorily.) ii. The steering wheel doesn’t seem central to the seating position. (This still has NOT been repaired.) iii. The steering column makes noises going over bumps, as if something is loose. (This still has NOT been repaired.) iv. The car veers off to the right under acceleration, as if all the power is going to the back-left wheel instead of being spread across both rear wheels. When you take your foot off the accelerator the car then veers back to the left. This fault is present to varying degrees all the time; it is most noticeable when driving in a straight line from a steady speed as you press the accelerator pedal; it is also very noticeable in a straight line when you have cruise-control active and the car goes up and down a hill; it is forgivable not to notice this when driving around the town/city gently, but impossible to ignore when using main roads. (This still has NOT been repaired.) v. The central armrest hinge was broken when the car was delivered to me. (This has now been repaired.) The Derby Dealer has dealt with only one of the reasons the car was sent to them (armrest hinge), and despite the Colchester Dealer and the RAC Report confirming that the car is veering off to the right, I am being told by Toyota, TFS and the Derby Dealer that there is nothing wrong with my car and that it is a normal characteristic of the GT86 – something I know is not true, having driven several other GT86 cars covering more than 40,000 miles. The Dealer and Toyota are claiming there is no fault and therefore nothing to fix, despite the list of Defects listed by the RAC Report. The RAC report is not perfect but it clearly states the same problem that I originally reported, where they write “veering slightly to the right under acceleration”. It is also worth noting this report wrongfully ticks certain boxes that would claim certain parts are okay, where some boxes are ticked instead of having a ‘C’ denoting unchecked; the report makes it clear that the car was not tested on a ramp, nor was it lifted in any way, and no covers or parts were removed during the examination, making it clear in writing that this was a visual inspection and driving experience report; an example of this incongruent reporting is where there are ticks for the subframe checks, which cannot have been checked under these conditions, therefore the engineers report is not perfect when it comes to summarising the overall condition of the car - although it does state specific defects; the car has clear symptoms of undiagnosed issues. The car still makes noises over bumps and veers to the right under acceleration. The car was also sent back to me in a worse condition than it was sent to them for the repairs that have not happened. 11) NEW COMPLAINT: CAR SENT BACK WITH POORLY FITTED SPOILER, A MISSING PART & MY CAR DAMAGED – Dealer – Inchcape Toyota Derby returned my car to me with a poorly fitted spoiler and damage to my car; (a) it has gaps where it should appear flush with the body, and you can see the foam inside the mounting as well as the lines which should sit flush with the bodywork; (b) there is a missing part between the bodywork on the boot lid and the central spoiler support which should be there to protect the paintwork and is present on all other series 2 GT86 cars with a spoiler; (c) the boot lid now makes noises which it didn’t before, from within the boot lid when you lift or close it, I assume due to the metal shavings inside the boot lid from drilling during the installation; (d) there are scratches through the paint to the metal on the inside of my boot lid, surrounding the poorly fitted plastic plugs inserted to cover the mounting of the spoiler; (e) the plastic plugs used to fill the gaps where they have drilled through the metal are not the same as the ones fitted to other GT86 cars with a spoiler; (f) there are metal shavings all over the opening mechanism of the boot lid and inside the boot on the boot carpet; (g) Inchcape Toyota Derby refused to accept that the spoiler has been poorly fitted, with their General Manager, Chris Witham, stating that he personally checked the vehicle and the new spoiler before it left his dealership to come to me; he also stated that he expected me to have a problem with the installation as he thought I was disingenuous and he thought I was lying about it. After several phone-calls he agreed to look at the photos I had taken if I sent them to him, but that even if they showed I was not making it up he still wasn’t going to do anything about it, as he had already spent over £1500 fitting the spoiler in the first place; he also claimed that the spoiler was a good will gesture in the first place and he didn’t have to fit it, which is untrue. It is worth noting that I sourced a quote of £800 for the same work to be done by a more local Toyota Dealer, in-case the Derby Dealer wanted to pay them for the work to avoid collection and drop off issues. I did predict that this was the standard of work I should expect if I the Dealer fitted the spoiler instead of it being factory fitted, which was part of the rejection of my car, which was not accepted by the other parties as a reason to reject (although they accepted that if my other reasons were found to be true they would replace the car or repair it, and instead they are all now pretending noting is wrong). 12) NEW COMPLAINT: CAR RETURNED WITH BALL-POINT PEN INK ON STEERING WHEEL – Before the Delivery Driver returned the car to my possession I noticed some ink on the steering wheel which were not present when they took the car away to Derby. 13) NEW COMPLAINT: CAR RETURNED WITH REAR LEFT WIND DEFLECTOR, AT FRONT OF ARCH, BROKEN – Before the Delivery Driver returned the car to my possession I noticed that the back-left wheel arch’s front wind deflector was not in position, but floppy and hanging out of its position, also unable to be put back into position without it coming back out again, and again this was not an issue when they took the car away to Derby. 14) NEW COMPLAINT: TFS CHANGED MY DIRECT DEBIT TO COME OUT BEFORE I GET PAID AFTER I CHANGED IT TO BE AFTER I GET PAID WITHOUT NOTICE – Toyota Financial Services have changed the date of the Direct Debit coming out of my account. I changed the date of payment after it was set-up to be taken after I receive my monthly wages, to be taken after the 1st of the month, as my pay-dates vary at the end of each month; it has been taken before the end of the month by TFS for the past two payments; the first of these was taken on 30th May after the last correctly dated payment coming out on 2nd May – two payments in one month, but only one payday! I did not request this change of payment date, nor was I notified of the change. 15) NEW COMPLAINT: LESS QUICK THAN OTHER GT86s – My GT86, FE17 FHC, is not able to deliver as much power to the road and accelerate as quickly as other GT86 cars; I experience sluggish performance, and a higher consumption of petrol compared to my previous GT86’s, the Demo GT86 and my brother-in-law’s GT86, all of which accelerate quicker, respond quicker to the throttle throughout the rev range in all gears, and reach higher speeds in any given distance compared to FE17 FHC. I have attached a video of my brother-in-law’s experience in my car, comparing mine to his own GT86; initially he thought “it wasn’t that bad” and asked if I could “learn to live with it”, but he soon changed his tune, agreeing that something is seriously wrong with my car, after driving mine and his back-to-back. The spoiler, whilst avoidable, should have been the only issue I am left with now. From start to finish this has been an emotional roller-coaster and never-ending nightmare; I have suffered with stress, sleepless nights, and periods of unpaid work trying to sort this out during office hours when TFS, TGB and Toyota Dealer Management are available. This has been affecting my health so much that it has taken me several days to be able to find the mental strength necessary to write this email. I really have had enough. I am a human, who bought a GT86 in good faith, had it written off in a horrible accident, and is having nothing but problems with this brand-new replacement car, while being railroaded by the Dealer, Manufacturer and TFS. Please can you apply some common sense to this situation and replace this car for one that works properly, as it was designed to, with no defects, and a factory fitted spoiler. I am paying for one after all. Please do what is right for your customer, and provide me with a car commensurate with my investment, instead of leaving me in one that is only going to get worse; only wine gets better with age, not mechanical problems or manufacturing defects. Again, I am a loyal Toyota customer, and because of my influence, my partner now owns her 2nd consecutive Toyota Yaris, my in-laws are about to buy their 2nd consecutive Toyota Auris Hybrid, my brother-in-law owns a GT86, my brother owns a Yaris, and others in my family were considering a Toyota for their next car until this happened. Do I really sound like the type of customer to be making this all up, just to create some (unnecessary) drama in my life? Yours, NXXXX XXXXXX gXXXXXXX@hotmail.co.uk 079XXXXXXXX PHOTOS AND VIDEOS - Here is a link to photos of the Demo GT86 spoiler and hole-plugs inside its boot-lid, my GT86 spoiler, inside boot-lid scratches and different hole-plugs, steering wheel with ink on, back-left wheel arch wind deflector floppy, and three videos: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B_s5QZrTMCLCSUFGNjJtWjRocEk?usp=sharing These videos contain my brother-in-law, James, who bought his GT86 on my advice, as I had one as a company car for over 30,000 miles; I was in a Yaris Hybrid when he bought his, but after a year I joined him in buying my 66 plate GT86 last September. These videos were taken this weekend in my insurance-replacement GT86 Pro, FE17 FHC. James has given me his permission to use this footage and happy to open dialogue with you to discuss his own experiences without having me around with a camera.

It brakes in a pretty straight line, although if you brake from accelerating position, you must correct steering wheel as it needs to be held to the left slightly to keep it going straight when accelerating, so it certainly keeps you on your toes! You can never relax in this car; how can the Derby Dealer say this is normal?? This is a video of my brother-in-law driving my car: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_s5QZrTMCLCdTQ1VEs4cEdEVUU - it is also slower to drive than his, and my previous ones, which he discusses in this different video: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_s5QZrTMCLCYlFFRUJHUGtoMWM :-(

No-one wants to take the parts off to actually test the subframe; even the RAC report states it wasn't even lifted on a ramp, nothing was removed, and only things in plain sight were assessed. Toyota Colchester had it on their ramp, and everything seemed okay, but at the time we didn't think subframe! :-\ Colchester did however confirm the fault, even though it couldn't be diagnosed. Toyota Derby (supplying Dealer) are claiming nothing is wrong, and that it is normal and there is nothing to fix, even though I have the Colchester Toyota Report and the RAC Report stating the car veers to the right slightly under acceleration.

The car was brand new when they delivered it, and had the problem when it arrived. The Dealer in Derby doesn't want to accept that this is not normal. All tyres have been independently tested, and the tracking is perfect. I have been putting up with this for over 5000 miles now!

When Colchester Toyota had it on their ramp, we had a look and it seemed as though everything was okay, and everything was attached to the car properly; what none of us considered standing around the car puzzled, was that the suspension and wheels are attached to the subframe; I wonder if it is the subframe moving under acceleration? That was not tested then, or subsequently by Derby Toyota or the RAC report. Difficult to test perhaps, but my best deduction.

When cruising you can take your hands off the wheel - it maintains its line, except when applying the throttle, or taking your foot off it. It is where it is correcting itself; when you accelerate, it veers, and you must keep the steering wheel turned slightly left to travel straight; when you remove your foot it then veers to the left, as you are holding the steering wheel to the left so you must then correct it to the right/straight again - this happens with each and every speeding up and reducing speed on the journey, to varying degrees. In city/town traffic, not so noticeable, but on the main roads it is soooo frustrating. The Inchcape Derby Dealership say it is normal to do this, but my previous two didn't do it, nor did their Demo GT86!

Tracking has been tested and confirmed okay when stationary (see attached); the car goes straight when cruising, but not accelerating. I have attached a few other documents proving that I am not making it up either, which the Derby Toyota Dealer won't accept as a real fault.

Thanks Rob. It feels more mechanical failure than electrical gremlins. Here's a video of my brother-in-law driving my car: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_s5QZrTMCLCdTQ1VEs4cEdEVUU