Are you having problems with your Toyota Aurion? Let our team of motoring experts keep you up to date with all of the latest Toyota Aurion issues & faults. We have gathered all of the most frequently asked questions and problems relating to the Toyota Aurion in one spot to help you decide if it's a smart buy.
TOYOTA threatened to enter the big-six market for many years before it took the plunge with the Aurion. There was the Lexcen-badged Commodore and when that failed they launched the bland Avalon, and when that did nothing to excite the masses they launched the Aurion.The Aurion presented something a little different in the segment that had been dominated by Holden and Ford for many years and enough buyers signed up for Toyota to claim it as a success.MODEL WATCHTHE pitch for the Aurion was good; it had class-leading power and economy, and better value for money. The Aurion shared its mechanical package with the Camry, but Toyota's engineers worked hard to differentiate it from its sibling.It was given a more aggressive look, while the cabin got new seats, a revised dash and dials, and a large centre console. The 3.5-litre V6 boasted 204kW at 6200 revs and 336Nm at 4700 revs, which was more than the Falcon or Commodore could muster at the time. There was a six-speed auto transmission with touch-change manual shifting and intelligent auto operation.The final drive was through the front wheels, something Aussies had spurned in their big cars in the past, but Toyota was confident those fears had long since faded. There were five models in total, split into two groups. On one side were the sporty models, including the Sportivo, while on the other were the luxury variants, including the Presara.ON THE ROADWITH 200kW-plus on tap there was no shortage of zip with the Aurion. It jumped out of the blocks and delivered through the rev range. The comfortable ride was matched by supportive seats and responsive handling. There was a lot to like about the Aurion.IN THE SHOPOVERALL the Aurion lives up to Toyota's reputation for quality and reliability, it is a generally sound car that gives little trouble. There have been some reports of piston slap and complaints of the intermediate steering shaft coming loose have been heard.IN A CRUNCHTHE Aurion had a comprehensive active and passive safety package. It had anti-skid braking, electronic brakeforce distribution, traction and stability control. On the passive side it had front airbags for the driver and passenger, as well as side and head airbags.ANCAP rated the Aurion four stars.AT THE PUMPTOYOTA claimed an impressive 9.9 litres/100km for its new big car, which is being borne out in service. Owners report 8.5-9.9 litres/100km around town. To get the best out of it the Aurion should be run on 95-octane premium unleaded.THE BOTTOM LINEGOOD all-round family car with good performance and economy, comprehensive safety package, and Toyota build quality.80/100LOOK FORBig-car roominessClass-leading performanceGood fuel economyGenerally reliableFor ANCAP vehicle safetyratings, visit howsafeisyourcar.com.au
WE HAVE had a number of complaints as a result of the report we ran in Carsguide. Enough to suggest Toyota should do something about it. We're interested in hearing from other Aurion owners so we can get a more detailed picture of the extent of the problem.
You've raised an interesting point, one I reckon needs addressing by carmakers selling GPS systems. That is should they upgrade the system software free of charge when needed while the warranty is in place? It seems to me to be unreasonable to sell a product, that in your case is faulty in that is has given you some false directions, and not upgrade it when an upgrade becomes available. I could no find any way you might be able to update the system other than going back to the Toyota dealer, who as you say wants an arm and a leg to do it. Based on what you have told me I reckon you could argue that the system is not fit for the purpose for which it has been sold to you, and on that basis you could make a claim against Toyota to upgrade the system for free. Your experience is one that everyone buying a factory-supplied GPS should think about, and they should ask their dealer about the carmaker's policy on upgrades before they hand over their hard-earned cash.
Before you can say it's a warranty issue you need to find out what is causing the problem, and your dealer, if competent, should be able to do that. Once the cause is identified you can determine if it is a result of shoddy build quality or some other reason. But because you have reported the problem previously and the dealers have attempted to fix it you are in a strong position relative to the warranty. With the history you could press Toyota to fix the problem even though the warranty has expired. But first you need to identify the cause of the rattle.
After the second attempt to balance them you should have test driven the car with the guy from the tyre store to see for yourself that they were balanced properly. If that drive showed there was still a problem you could have demanded they be changed for wheels that could be balanced or asked for your money back.
TOYOTA saw the previous complaint in our column and has responded as follows: ``The Aurion 2GR alloy V6 engine is designed with carefully matched piston clearances and offset piston specifications designed to minimise friction for maximum performance and fuel economy. It is not abnormal for this type of engine to exhibit a small amount of noise, particularly when first started cold. The type of noise is not in any way detrimental to the engine performance and will not affect the engine's durability or longevity. Toyota will review any customer's concern on noise of this type in their vehicle.'' From that you should assume that most if not all Aurion V6s have the noise, but that it's not a problem that will affect the durability of the engine in the long term.
THERE'S always a debate about the ability of front-wheel-drive cars to tow as well as a rear-wheel drives, with most people preferring the latter. But it comes down to the sort of towing you are doing. If you're trying to pull a boat out of the water then I would prefer a rear-wheel-drive car, but if most of your towing is on the highway and on relatively flat going where traction isn't a significant problem, then a front-wheel-drive car will handle the job satisfactorily. The Aurion's towing capacity is 1600kg, so it should handle your 1000kg van without a problem.
YOURS is the first to come to my attention, but we'll float the issue with our Carsguide readers and ask for their feedback. I agree with you that piston slap, if that's what it is, is unacceptable and should be addressed by Toyota.
LPG converters say the Aurion takes LPG without a drama, and say they have had cars do over 150,000 km on LPG developing any engine problems. It’s best, however, to install a quality system that’s been well developed to ensure the fuelling is adequate at full throttle. If it’s not adequate and the engine runs lean you can have problems with the sorts of issues you refer to. Go for either a vapour-injection system or a liquid-injection one from a quality brand and you shouldn’t have any trouble. If you are concerned you could purchase a warranty that would cover the system, the installation and the engine in the event you did strike trouble.
YOU would like to think your car would be properly serviced when you take it in, but sadly sometimes shortcuts are taken. I would take it up directly with Toyota. The service you received wasn't good enough.
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