Scotty, I have a 2005 Toyota Corolla LE 85,872 miles that I bought from a little old lady for $1000 last December.
I recently tried to get the ECM recall done on my 2005 Corolla at Flow Toyota in Charlottesville VA, only to be told that my particular part ECM w/o VSC has been discontinued, despite them previously telling me they had it and even setting up the appointment to have it done, so I called corporate and they contacted Flow, who told them they would try to go through a 3rd party "if they can find it" I found the OEM part on eBay, and asked if they could reimburse me if I bought it and had it installed either through my mechanic or the dealer and they said no, it has to be done through them.
Is there anything else I can do, short of paying to have it done myself out of pocket?
Thanks.
if the ECM hasn't cracked yet, then just keep on truckin. In meantime, start lining up a plan B car.
I would not gamble on eBay computers. That's a headache waiting to happen.
True, it would be no surprise if the eBay part was an original pre-recall ECM with a cracked circuit board.
Seeing as how that car is 19 years old it's not surprising that the manufacturer has discontinued the part. Also that recall is a dozen years old. Note that while safety recalls do not expire you can be charged for the required repair after 10 years have passed since the recall was issued.
If it was the dealer that declined reimbursing you for buying an ECM online (that was not clear from your narrative) you could try taking it up with Toyota Corporate and see if they'll do anything.
Corporate told me the dealership wouldn't be allowed to.
Corporate told me the dealership wouldn't be allowed to.
Unfortunately you're kind of stuck. A new ECM is not available because the car is too old, and the recall is so old that Toyota is not obligated to perform the work at no cost.
You could try finding a junkyard ECM but you'd have to open it up to examine the circuit board for cracks unless there is an external indication like a different part number to distinguish the replaced units. You could also try a rebuilder like Module Master. (I've not used them myself but have seen them recommended in a few places. Caveat Emptor.)
It goes to show that part of the pre-purchase inspection should include searching for open recalls, especially when looking at older vehicles where factory parts may no longer be available and the window for free repair may have expired.
Update: Flow Toyota did as instructed by corporate (to find it 3rd party) and started calling 20 other dealerships in Virginia and West Virginia to see if they had the part laying in a stockroom, one called back saying that yes, they did happen to have one, so Flow bought it from them, and it should be there tomorrow sometime and I can get my car back tomorrow evening. Corporate lit a fire under their butts. But alas, the recall WILL be completed.