Toyota of Orlando — Local services in Orlando

I made a purchase on a 2012 Toyota Corolla L on August 6th 2024. The car drove smoothly until the 9th three days later. I noticed an increased amount of creaking, squeaking and increasing popping noises coming from beneath the hood when turning the steering wheel. On the 10th I inspected the area where the noise was coming from and found the problem. The drivers side strut has an aged and deteriorated boot and rusted interior which means the lubricant leaked out and now the components are grinding metal which is causing the noise.

I called the dealership and asked what the inspection process for used cars includes and the first call, I was put on hold for over 7 minutes until I hung up and called again… The second time I called I asked the same question and was transferred 7 times between reception, sales, and service. The sixth person with a Spanish accent in service told me that everything on the car gets inspected. I asked the seventh guy I was transferred to when the sixth guy passed me on why a deteriorated strut would not be considered something of safety. I kept asking why the strut was not considered a safety concern when its the front passenger wheel. All I got in response is, only things of safety are addressed with the car.

The front passenger wheel works in conjunction with the drivers side wheel in alignment to control the direction of the car. So my thought is if the integrity of the alignment is all of a sudden compromised especially on the Florida Turnpike at high speeds, would I still be able to retain control of the car if the wheel connected to both suspension and steering is compromised? My only response I kept getting was only the safety concerns are addressed. They said I could bring it in and they could look at it but, I asked about having them replace it and correct the issue and they were not willing to provide that. They would not acknowledge the issue was a safety concern, but rather indirectly eluded to it when saying all the safety concerns where addressed and correct when the strut is still in a deteriorated condition by the time I purchased the car.

I would not have written this review if they are willing to correct the issue at their cost, but because of the mediocre way I was handled on the phone both the first and second time and only to get the response I got being a very disappointing one I feel this response is justified. Because the strut looks like it is deteriorated by age, I wonder why the car got sold with a bad strut and why they would only respond with the response of it’s not a safety concern for Toyota of Orlando to correct… especially when its regarding a wheel both tied to steering and suspension of the vehicle which effects the control of the car on the road. As a used vehicle, I purchased this car from Toyota of Orlando in good faith they looked over everything and properly inspected the vehicle for integrity and safety and I was sold a car with a deteriorated and rusted strut.

I know the state of the world and society is deteriorating with everything mentioned in the news, but the reliability and integrity of business does not have to follow. If Toyota of Orlando is willing to correct this problem at their cost and not mine with the additional service of towing my car to the dealership and replacing the strut with a brand new one. It will renew my faith in them and I will rewrite or followup this review with a new post. Otherwise my faith with them is as deteriorated as the strut I have to replace at my expense on top of the price I payed for the car which I still am not exactly happy with.

Should they decide to replace my passenger side strut at their cost, not mine, including getting my car to the dealership via flatbed tow as I don’t know how much integrity the strut has left, I will rewrite this review to reflect the corrective action and concern for the integrity of their service to their customers. As of now I am going to leave this review with pictures of the aged and...

On 11/23/2024 I purchased a red Toyota Corolla from Toyota of Orlando. When I was purchasing the car I was told that the car had some small damage on the front bumper due to an accident in 2021 and I was told not to worry it's just some small superficial damage to the bumper and it doesn't affect the car at all. I was also told that the car was inspected and there was no issues found. On January 10th 2025, I received an alert from the car that "engine cooling temperature was high" and to return the car to dealer. I called the service department and made an appointment. On 01/13/2025 I brought the car to Toyota service department to be checked. I was told "don't worry the car is covered by warranty it should be fine" after they checked the car they told me that there was nothing wrong with the car the coolant level was just low and was not picked up by the fan. I was told by the service person that they were not going to charge me anything because "the sales department should have checked the car before selling it" I took the car home. The last time I drove the car was in February 2025 because I started working from home. Last week when I started the car I received the same alert plus a check engine light. When I brought the car to Toyota again I was told that the car had a leak and the radiator was bent from the previous accident. I was told by the service person that the car looks fine on the outside but the inside was a mess. He also told me that because of the accident that happened in 2021 the car is not eligible for warranty my question dumb why I was not told that the car was not eligible for warranty when I was buying it why I was told that the car had warranty the first time I brought it to them. I was told that they didn't notice the first time and they didn't know about the accident at the time. I have no experience buying a car at a dealership they knew that and used it to scam me. While at the service center I encountered several customers who shared the same experience, one guy even started screaming in the middle of the place stating that he was scammed and they destroyed his engine. The sales department will do and say anything to make a sale, they have no integrity and will minimize and hide issues with the car just so that you can buy it and then you'll be stuck. Do you self a favor and avoid. UPDATE 11/10/2025 I have not driven this car for almost 6 months because of the issues that the car has. When I called Toyota of Orlando for help they basically told me that it was not their problem since the bank has already paid them, I didn't want to do the repossession because I didn't want to ruin my credit. I have spent almost $3000 in this car trying to fix it with no avail. I was just told by a mechanic that the head gasket was blown. He told me that the issues are not new and the dealership did a temporary fix in the engine in order to sell me this car. I am paying for a car that I cannot drive, and have no money to fix....

I originally posted a review on 8/23/25 but deleted it a short time later. Why do you ask? Because the finance department makes you post 5 star reviews on Google and their Facebook page before you take possession of the car. They also had me "rewrite" it because it was not wordy enough. The young lady who greeted us was very nice and friendly, but she was a new hire and due to her lack of training (which she kind of admitted at the time), she did not explain how the car operates or the features, warranty, free car washes, etc. The negotiator was ok. His first "offer" was MSRP. I had gone through their website and obtained a special internet price and only after pointing that out, did they agree to honor it. Once you agree to buy the car, they only want you to use Toyota Credit. In my case, my bank offered a rate 1.5% less than Toyota. After the whole process, the finance guy said someone from the sales department would come out to answer any questions, but after 20-30 minutes of waiting, we left the dealership and headed home. After 2 weeks of having my car and reading the owners manual and watching Youtube videos, I realized the particular trim (SE with XP package) was not for me. It lacked a lot of features I wanted. I came back to the dealership 2 weeks later and wanted to upgrade to the XSE and pay the difference. They wanted me to take a $9K hit to trade in the SE (that was 2 weeks old and only had 200 miles) on top of paying the difference between my SE model and the XSE. Monthly payments would go up from $320 to $520 a month for the same length of time (60 months). Again, financing was with Toyota, not any local banks. We walked away without making a deal which was disappointing. This experience made me realize a large part of vehicle satisfaction comes from customer service at point of sale. I am in the process of refinancing the Toyota Credit loan with my bank so at least I will be paying less for the car.

9/11/25: Toyota of Orlando's asked for my contact information, which I provided, but as of today, they have not...