The Liftgate Issue

In May 2021, I took my 2018 Toyota Sienna to Ourisman Toyota Collision Center to repair after being rear ended. Replacing the bumper and the liftgate took damn near three weeks. The liftgate was still having issues such as a pop noise when it was closing or the gate would slam hard to shut. I ignored the issues simply because I didn’t want to bother bringing them back to the shop.

Gradually the issues got worse. A few weeks ago, I noticed a piece of metal sticking out of the panel every time the gate closed. Almost three years had passed, I didn’t think the Collision Center would warranty it. I took the long shot.

Last Wednesday, I brought my minivan back to them and explained the issues. Of course they denied any wrongdoing on their part. It was so long ago anyway, I was not faulting them. When the rep took the panel off, the metal part that was sticking out had no screw to hold it in place, which caused the popping sound. I suspected when they installed the piece, they forgot to put the screw back on.

The rep told me that he would have the technician take a look. If it was not their fault, they would still fix it and I would pay for the parts. I agreed. I left the car there. Later that Wednesday evening I called them back to check on the progress. The rep told me that they had ordered the parts and they would take care of everything with no further charges. I was so grateful that they would do that. They didn’t have to.

Thursday evening, I called back and the parts didn’t come. Friday evening, I called back and the parts still didn’t come. I needed to pick the car up for the weekend. I dropped the car back again this morning hoping the parts would arrive. Thankfully it did.

I hope this will be permanently fixed. The Ourisman Toyota Collision Center took responsibility for their work, which I really appreciated, but the wait was just so long.