I was upsold on a “new” 2021 Toyota Sienna that had been previously purchased that had over 800 miles which voided the $1,000 mobility incentive.
I specifically informed the dealership that the van needed to accommodate a 6 foot long stretcher which requires removing the middle seats. Toyota states that removing the seats may void the warranty.
I’ve repeatedly contacted the dealership and Toyota to resolve this issue. Presently I have a $43,000 minivan that I purchased specifically to do ADA compliant transports that can’t be used to do ADA transports as the seats are “non-removable”.
Neither Toyota or the dealership will allow a refund. I was sold a $43,000 van under the guise that I could take the seats out and do ADA compliant transports.
Toyota has created an issue/dilemma that could simply be resolved with an airbag bypass switch but they would rather hide behind their warranties and policies rather than allow consumers to use the vehicles for ADA compliant handicap transports.
The customer is job number one is a philosophy long gone. It is now our job to distrust the salesperson, the dealership and the manufacturer and to scrutinize every aspect of the purchase, product, manufacturer and get it in writing. Policies and warranties supercede consumer rights.
Toyota is unwilling to authorize their own certified service technicians to remove the seats. Toyota authorizes certain mobility companies to make major modifications but they won’t authorize their own service technicians to remove 4 bolts and securely place a $3 resister.
Toyota has set a policy that does not allow consumers to comply with ADA guidelines. The dealership and the manufacturers policy is “we don’t do refunds” and you can’t modify the vehicle by removing the seats.
Simply stated, I purchased a minivan to do ADA compliant transports and was sold a $43,000 van that can’t do ADA compliant transports that I can’t get a refund on.
