u/Civil_Experience_582

After 8 visits to Toyota… I’m officially losing it 😂

So far they’ve replaced:

- Fuel injectors

- Catalytic converter

- Air/fuel sensor

- Battery

- Axles

And guess what… the check engine light is BACK ON.

They tried saying it could be contaminated fuel, but the car hasn’t even been fueled since last Friday… so it’s definitely not getting contaminated twice in one year. At this point I feel like I’m just funding a science experiment on my own car. No real explanation, no lasting fix, just more parts getting thrown at it. I’m starting to think something deeper is being completely missed.

Keep in mind, they didn’t even have proof of the contamination the first time I went to the dealership. I truly don’t know what to do 😐😐😐

UPDATE:

First I want to thank everybody that took time out of their day to provide me with very valuable information / advice!

Toyota corporate denied my claim, so I had to go through my insurance just to get my car repaired. After doing a lot of research, I honestly don’t believe this was contaminated fuel. The last time I filled up was 02/10/2026, and the check engine light didn’t come on until 02/13/2026. That delay just doesn’t make sense for “bad gas,” and it feels like an easy way for Toyota to avoid honoring their warranty. What’s really disappointing is that the mechanical issue itself isn’t even the main problem, it’s how this was handled. You spend thousands of dollars expecting reliability, support, and decent customer service, and instead you get denied with little proof and no accountability. Toyota lost a loyal customer over this. This will be my last Toyota.

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I’m looking for advice because this situation has become ridiculous.

I have a 2024 Grand Highlander Platinum AWD with ~32,000 miles and since 02/13 I’ve been stuck in an endless cycle with my local Toyota dealership over a check engine light.

Here’s the timeline:

Visit #1

Check engine light comes on. Dealer says the issue is “contaminated fuel.”

They charge me ~$500 to flush the fuel system and assure me everything is fine.

3 days later: Check engine light comes back.

Visit #2

They now say they need to replace the axles and the battery.

Shortly after… the check engine light comes back again.

Visit #3

They diagnose a bad O2 sensor. They replace it and tell me they drove the car for miles to make sure everything is fine.

I pick the car up around 7:40 PM.

30 minutes later… the check engine light comes back on AGAIN.

Visit #4

Next morning they say the catalytic converter is bad, but Toyota won’t cover it because of the original “contaminated fuel” diagnosis.

At this point I start questioning everything, because:

I always get gas at the same station
I even asked the gas station about it and they said nobody else reported issues
Somehow I’m the only person with “contaminated fuel”?

So I go get a second opinion from another Toyota dealership.

Second dealership diagnosis:

They say not only is the catalytic converter bad, but the fuel injectors are also bad. Their estimate is around $8,000.

For the 6th time, I go back to the original dealership and tell them what the second Toyota dealer found.

Their response?

They say NO it’s only the catalytic converter.

So now I’m stuck with:

One Toyota dealership saying catalytic converter only
Another Toyota dealership saying catalytic converter + fuel injectors
Quotes that are thousands of dollars apart
And Toyota refusing warranty coverage because of the “contaminated fuel” claim

What makes this worse is that the first dealership already misdiagnosed the car multiple times (fuel flush → axles → battery → O2 sensor).

At this point I feel like the original diagnosis may have been wrong, and now they’re using it to deny coverage.

Has anyone dealt with something like this with Toyota?

I feel like I’m getting bounced around and stuck with the bill for someone else’s mistake.

67.87 on calc 1 🫤