Toyota Corolla Paint Problems

orca6 · October 2011

Yes I'm the first owner of my 2006 Toyota Corolla, and no I have not used a clear coat finish.

orca6 · October 2011

Yeah, I went to the Toyota dealer had it inspected and they said they would not cover my paint chipping.

I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla and not only is my paint chipping on my roof, I also have paint fading starting on my doors, the front hood, and the top of my trunk.

This does not add up. I see cars that are 10 + years old and their paint is not pealing or chipping. I truly think that if we get enough Toyota owners that have similar issues, that we can try to start a class action to resolve and put our issues to rest.

orca6 · October 2011

I so agree, count me in! I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla that is chipping on my roof, it looks rusted as well from all the chipping. On my front hood, my car doors, and my back trunk my paint is starting to fade. I also have a neighbor that has the same issue.

Now I see cars that are 10+ years old, and I dont see paint chipping nor fading on their cars. Not as bad as my 2006 Toyota Corolla.

Now we have invested and spent too much money on our Corolla's, for us to have to deal w/ Toyota's cheap paint jobs. I am not willing nor able to have more money come out of my pocket to re-paint my car!

orca6 · October 2011

Sorry I am just now responding 3 years later, I just now learned of this Toyota Forumn. If it not too late, I am interested in signing a petition asking for a recall and or going for a class action suit. We all do have a case. I have a 2006 Corolla and have chipping and also fading on my Indigo blue car. I also took it to a Toyota dealer, and they said they would not cover my paint issue.

That this does not add up! I see cars that are 10+ and they do not have paint defects near as bad as our Toyota issues.

terceltom · October 2011

Perhaps you misunderstood me, clear coat is what the factory applied to the paint on your 2006, I was just wondering if something you used or have been using on your 2006 Corolla could have removed this clearcoat as some waxes, polishes, etc. might do.

orca6 · October 2011

Yes, perhaps I did misunderstand you. No, I did not use anything that would have done as much damage to my car, as of what I am dealing with right now. Through much investigation and research that I have done regarding my car issue, the bottom line is that with my car only 5 years old, I should not have the paint defects that I'm dealing with right now.

As mentioned, that I have seen cars 10 + years old and they do not have paint defects near as bad as my paint defects.

Kirstie_H · October 2011

Sorry, you can't use the forums to organize legal action or get petitions signed.

orca6 · October 2011

There can be people who have the same paint defect issues who have no idea that this forum even exists, I just found out about this forum.

orca6 · October 2011

I have a 2006 dark blue Toyota Corolla and have a paint defect where the roof of my car is chipping off. My hood is starting to peel as well as the trunk of my car, and my side top of my doors are starting to fade.

daryll44 · October 2011

I have been perusing this and wondering exactly what years are affected by the paint problem. We have a 2010 Corolla bot in Sept 2010...a year ago. Should I expect paint problems? Anything I can to now to PREVENT problems?

terceltom · October 2011

It's practically a brand new car, why would you expect paint problems? Wash it regularly, use quality automotive finish application products, avoid stones, don't follow too close to the vehicle in front of you and you could expect to get long life out of your paint job. My opinion being a Corolla owner about five times over, and I stress it's only my opinion, is that much of this "bad paint hype" could be traced back to the owners care they take with their car. Following the above tips I'm sure will prevent most of the problems we read about on this board.

mcdawgg · October 2011

Agree. Even one of the Edmunds hosts said that they get a lot of paint complaints about ALL car brands because of the newer environmentally-friendly paint.

Personally, I have seen that newer cars of all brands do stone chip a bit more than 10 years ago, but it is not a big deal, even to a person like me!

bodeslamm · December 2011

Just found this blog. 2003 Toyota Corolla SE charcoal grey. Same problem everyone else is having. Is anyone making any progress in getting this addressed or are we stuck paying ut of pocket for a new paint job?

Ocala, Fl

lee1234 · January 2012

I bought a 2012 Highlander a week ago and today I found 3 tiny paint blisters (bubbles) on one of the doors. They are tiny so I did not think I would spot them when I drove out the car. Is it a normal problem? Should I be concerned about rust might bebing to come out?

terceltom · January 2012

Take it back, have them fix it. Blisters can hold water and moisture causing premature rust spots.

zlatina · April 2012

In November 2011 I bought Toyota Corolla 2011 brand new. The car is magnetic grey. Because of the short days in November in IL I was not able to see any paint issues. I wash the car at the dealership. In December after washing the car and attempting to wipe the water under the driver's side door I noticed a wierdly looking spot. I touched it and it was sticky as if a soft paint. I was afraid to wipe it so a few days later I took the car to the dealership and after they attempted to wipe it the paint came off and the white primer showed beneath. They repainted this spot. Almost the same time I found a chip on the hood which the dealership touch paintd. During the winter I was washing the car each month, whenever the weather allowed it. Right now the car is less than 5000 miles, which means I drive even less than the average. After the winter, I noticed scratches on the car. I took it for detailing. A week later new scratches. After the last car wash and again wiping the car from the water under the doors I wiped off a piece of a sand/dust trapped in the paint. The white primer is showing again. I looled over the car and I found sand/dust trapped in the paint under all the doors of the car, as well as on 2 other spots (in front an at the back of the car). Also there a white spots in the paint. I took the car back to the body shop of the dealership but was told that these are just minor imperfections which every new car has. I do not think it is normal to have such imperfections for that amount of money, Corolla is not a cheap car at all. The Customer Relations manager of the dealership was about to schedule a visit of a Toyota Corporate representative but after the explanation of the body shop manager it was abandoned. The same day I was so upset and dissapointed and decided to contact Toyota Corporate myself. They opened a case for me and said they are going to send a field representative to have look at the car but at the same dealership because I bought the car from them. Today I was contacted by the Customer Relations manager of the dealership in relation to the case I had opened with the Corporate.
Is there anybody out there with similar Toyota Corolla 2011 complaints? What shall I do? I am really upset. I will appreciate any advice.

terceltom · April 2012

Very, very few Corolla paint problems - you just happened to be one of the unlucky ones - hold Toyota to repair/repaint

jalt1952 · May 2012

I have a 2003 corolla and bought it new in 2004. I owned a corolla cor 11 years and it never had paint issues. The roof of my car looks like it was not painted as it peeled off and all of the molding has peeled I am upset as I have a ssi income, have you heard anything ?

terceltom · May 2012

Not sure what your source of income has to do with the paint issue but it obviously should have lasted longer then it did, but really, your car is almost ten years old, what is it you think Toyota should do for you?

zlatina · June 2012

I do not think I am the only unlucky one with the paint issue. Toyota just do not admit how serious the problem is. Most of the complaints come from Camry owners. Maybe because it is more expensive car ... I tried to have the problem fixed through another dealership but no results. They assured me I won't get rust soon. And guess what, today after washing the car and wiping it I noticed a rust spot. And guess where, not outside the car but inside. The rust is showing between the rim and the hinge of driver's side door. For now the screws look rust free. I took it to the body shop of the dealership and they took a photo. We wil see what will happen. I am afraid that it may turn out to be the Tundra rust problem. The car is now only 7-8 months old, a little more than 7000 miles on it. I am extremely detailed person and maybe that's why I am catching the issues at the very early stage. That's why I am saying it may turn out to be the Tundra problem.

terceltom · July 2012

The Tacomas and Tundras had frame issues, that company no longer makes frames for Toyota. Not saying your the "ONLY" unlucky one with some paint defects, but I am saying there is no wide spread paint problems with Toyotas right now. Your paint problem could happen in production to any new car manufactured today. Cars are painted by machines and even machines make an error occasionally.

zlatina · July 2012

Thanks for the quick response. To some extend you calmed me down explaining to me that not all Toyota frames are manufactured by the same manufacturer and that even the frames for Tundras are no longer manufactured by the one who caused all the rust frame problems. This means that in my case it is not the whole frame that is defective and the rust spot I caught can be easily corrected.
But mine was not painted individually, correct? I am not sure what their process is but the way I explain it to myself is that the cars are manufactured in batches and painted in batches by colors. For example, mine is magnetic gray and shoud be painted together with other Corollas of the same color. I know the painting is computer done. Maybe something went wrong in the computer settings for that batch? Yes, machines also make errors.

sjarea · July 2012

Call Toyota US Corp HQ in Los Angeles and file a complaint and have them assign it to a regional person. You can find the toll free number on the website or in your owners manual.

But, in your case I would not deal w/ dealers right now. I would escalate it to Corp HQ. Get them involved.

And I agree that luck has nothing to do with it. It is a fully automated process. It is also the most time intensive part of the manufacturing process as well. So, if a company were looking to cut corners (aka reduce costs) then this would probably be at the top of the list IMO.

artfemus · August 2012

i bought a 2012 corolla magnetic grey with 5000 miles i found tiny orange spots in the paint around the lower part of the car the field rep is going to look at it next week but the paint an body man at toytota said that shes probably going to say its something i drove over to get on the paint my arguement is how did it actually get through the paint and clear coat i will never buy a toytota again and im speading the word another company that doesnt back there product

terceltom · August 2012

Sounds like you have a good argument. I simple test would be to try to scrape it off with a fingernail, if it comes off it's indeed something you drove over, if not and it's under the clear coat then it's on Toyota.

My question to you is why would you not buy another Toyota? Do you think another car manufacturer would have just automatically given you a new car or repaint yours without even looking at it?

zlatina · August 2012

Mine is getting worse and worse. Now as the wax is washing out (it was waxed in May), I can see such dirt trapped in the paint on other places which I did not see before: beneath one of the mirrors, a bubble in the paint close to the mirror, a bubble on the other side of the trunk, close to the number plate where I got the missing spot of paint, and many other imperfections. And because you mentioned something orange in the paint, mine too has a reddish spot under the door but I was told it is not rust because it is plastic. I had a representative look at mine but have not heard back yet. We will see if Toyota stands behind the warranty.

klaplace · September 2012

I also have a 2004 Toyota Corolla , the pait is comming off on the hood, the trunk, etc.., I wiil not buy another one, will Toyota do anything about this?

jalt1952 · September 2012

I don't know but I DO know this was the last car that I am going to afford to purchase and bought it because my last Toyota was awesome !!!!! If you find out anything please let me know as now the paint is coming off my entire car and it looks like it belongs in the Ghetto !!!

Jan

missysnow2000 · September 2012

Both commiserating and passing along information. I have been driving Toyotas for as long as I have been driving and have always been happy with them. My latest car is a 2004 Corolla. I purchased it used in 2007 with 18,000 miles on it. Since that time it has had no major engine problems outside normal wear and tear.

However, I am having major issues with exterior paint (a deep blue) and the dashboard (a beautiful burled material - probably plastic). Soon after I purchased the car, a door of one of the dashboard's storage bins came loose (it was not loose before I purchased it). I had been keeping CD's in it and it was not overloaded. About a year later, another storage door came off. Then in January (the car had approximately 60,000 miles on it), in quick succession the exterior paint became noticeably faded, rust appeared on the roof, the clock in the dashboard "died," the electric windows in the back seat began working erratically and a third storage door became loose and began popping open when the car hit a bump - all in one month! I have taken excellent care of the car and feel that this is unreasonable.

I inquired about replacing the first broken door and was told that it would cost over $500 to repair as the entire dashboard had to be replaced. Of course fixing the rust and the paint would cost approximately $2000. Frustrated, I never inquired about replacing the clock; maybe it is an easy fix. So, I will be either shelling out $2,500 for a car with 65,000 miles on non-engine repairs or replacing the car. I guess Toyota wins either way. Are these design flaws or planned obsolescence?

Toyota's advertising is aimed at reliability and running over 100,000 miles. That is true, it is a very reliable car and may very well run 200,000 miles, but the sad condition of the paint and interior are quite embarrassing. So, I guess it is good bye to Toyota. We had a good run but it is no longer worth my money.

terceltom · September 2012

You really don't think Toyota planned for your car to only last eight years do you? There are many older Toyotas then your 2004 on the road. Perhaps the previous owner didn't take care of the car when they had it as you did. They might have even abused the paint with one of the harsh paint applications out on the market. Some of them could take the clear coat right off if not used as they should.

jalt1952 · September 2012

Missy actually I have a 2003 Corrolla and YES I do expect it to last as well or better than my 1991 which I had for 12 years that NEVER had a problem !!!!!

ivat1987 · October 2012

I am having the same issue. I have a 2006 Toyota Corolla; its bairly 6 years old and looks about over 12. Its rediculous. Its a dark Blue pain job. and the roof looks likes its bubbling up with rust and cracks on the passenger sie back seat. And that isnt really the only place there are cracks in the pain all over the car. the bumper's color is fading in spots. It just looks emberasing. Ive been trying to figure out if there is some sort of pain recall on this brand can you please let me know

jalt1952 · October 2012

Anyone ever think of a Class Action Suit against Toyota ? I will research it and post my findings

Kirstie_H · October 2012

We don't permit using the forums to organize legal action, so please don't post info like that here. Thanks.

jalt1952 · October 2012

Sorry I did not realize that... thank you

zlatina · October 2012

My experience with my Toyota Corolla 2011, which is still less than an year old, taught me that probably they made these cars to last you no more than 5-6 years. Just when you pay it off, you have to buy another new one. And they expect it be Toyota again? No way, never ever again for me! I cannot cause myself another nightmare, where you spend so much time and efforts and your car stays more with the dealerships than with you! This was a good lesson for me to read more and listen more to the complaints about the different makes before making my next choice! And what I think of is to trade it in for another make much earlier before I have lost much more money on this poor quality one!

terceltom · October 2012

Okay so your having a paint problem, if you have a 2011 it's understandable that you would be upset. But I believe something like that should still be covered under your warranty. But on the other hand apparently your not a previous Toyota owner. If you had been you'd understand that a Toyota is one of the most reliable, most cost efficient, built to last many years and hundreds of thousands of miles and hold it's resale value more than any other vehicles (like Honda) around.

crystalpistol · October 2012

In case you haven't noticed, Tom.. Over the several years you've been commenting on this thread, no one finds your responses helpful. Of course, I'm sure you intend to keep commenting over and over about how wonderful Toyotas are, while ignoring the fact that people have already tried your limited suggestions.

We're glad you've had a great experience and that you love Toyota sooooo much, but it's not constructive to the problem we have. YAY for you, you haven't had to deal with this frustrating experience.

Rest assured, we are taking our cars to the dealer, but as you may have been reading, many of them don't consider this covered under warranty OR in my case, I'm getting repetitive "touch-ups" that only repair the current damage and temporarily at that. So, I keep having to bring it back. Now to the point where they're tired of hearing from me and don't want to help any longer.

Since you keep rinse and repeating your responses for years now, please tell us how you're affiliated with Toyota.

mcdawgg · October 2012

Strange - our 2010 Corolla has been flawless, and Consumer Reports, True Delta, JD Powers all say Corolla is extremely reliable, fuel efficient, little or no issues.

Complaints - the interior scratches easily, & clock should be higher.

zlatina · October 2012

Why then did you get rid of your Toyota Corolla since it was perfect?

Depends on what you find so perfect about Toyota. Because of my not so positive experience with Toyota Corolla, I started looking at all Toyota cars that pass by me or at parking lots. What I notice is that only 2-3 year old Toyota cars have so many scratches and chips that no other make has! Why then Europeans do not buy Toyota cars? Europeans are very sensitive about the out-appearance of the car, they won't buy a car that scratches and chips from the wind!

And it is not only the paint that is problematic, mine had already so many parts replaced. And you are trying to persuade me that mine is the exception. Is it possible that mine was individually manufactured? Is it possible that they assembled all the defective parts in mine? No, it is ridiculous. I do not want to list here all the problems I had with the car so far because the topic is paint.
And one more thing: since you claim Toyota is so perfect, what about all the recalls then?

I thought Toyota has learnt the lesson after all the recalls but obviosly I was mislead and made the error to trust them and buy Toyota car. I am posting all this for the future buyers to read and make their right choice. It is up to them! I made mine for my next car make!

mcdawgg · October 2012

We did not get rid of it - still have it, and will for at least another 8-10 years. Where did I say I got rid of it????

Recalls - that was mostly the accelerator thing, which the Toyota hate groups and the media wanted to be worse, but the fact is that if you did not use multiple floor mats and you used the clips as designed, you would have no problems. They had to make it more idiot-proof, which, yes, was a design fault. But the fact remains, even without the recall, if you used only one floor mat and used the clips, you would have NO problems. So this was not a huge problem, in my opinion. I am very concerned about safety, and watched this very carefully, but I was never concerned about my family's safety, because I used the clips and used only one mat.

We have zero paint problems. No scratches, a few stone chips in the bumper. I just waxed this car a week ago, so I know for sure. Take a look around the net - all makes' paint jobs have complaints. Understand that all manufacturers are using different paint due to EPA requirements. I have NOT noticed Toyotas having more scratches and chips than others. Your observation vs. mine.

European cars - much more reliablity problems than most cars, including Toyota, Honda, Ford, etc. Check Consumer Reports, True Delta, JD Power. Why do Europeans not buy Toyotas? They don't buy any? I will say that as a whole, they have different priorities (not reliability), and they also may purchase more cars built by their "home" countries.

I am not saying Toyota is perfect - no machine is. However, it is hard to debate Consumer Reports, JD Power, True Delta, etc. etc. If you have any real data sources to show that Toyota is not one of the most reliable brands, I'd love to see them.

Sorry about your luck, but one data point is not that meaningful. I listed my sources for my data that show Toyota as very reliable.

I am not interested in an attack, just stating some facts. And I am not employed in the auto industry, but I did buy Toyota stock at the height of the media blitz about the acceleration recalls. That was a real good move on my part!

I truly hope you get things resolved. Try a different dealer if yours is not helping you enough.

terceltom · October 2012

Whoa, holster your "pistol" there "Crystal", of course I noticed that I'm posting, what kind of question is that :confuse: ? Look we are all here are trying to help each other. Some of us have had great experiences

with Toyota and a small minority of owners have had very bad experiences

, but that shouldn't make you envious or jealous of other Toyota owners that are very happy with their cars. Accusations of them being a Toyota plant are just childish and paranoid. I love my Toyotas and have had great experiences with them, what's wrong with that? When you buy a lemon :lemon: we just want to help you deal with that, but don't assume all Toyotas are bad :sick:. I certainly understand that all manufactureres, (even Toyota) will experience some kind of manufacturing error and will produce a few lemons :lemon: now and then. Please don't feel obligated to read any of my posts, but others might want to.

nwng · October 2012

I have a 01 and the paint looks like a 11 yr old car but no peeling anywhere. I am in the northeast so I get sun, rain, snow, salt..... and I never waxed my car, just go through auto car wash during winter to get the salt and crud off. I also have a 05 ody and the paint look just fine, with the regular dings from the highway, but again no peel.

here's one simple thing you can do: collect some rain water from where you live and throw a litmus paper in it to check the acidity level.

do people power wash their cars?

terceltom · October 2012

One of my Corollas is a "01" black mica LE. I just waxed it yesterday and I must say it looks very, very good for an eleven year old car. It actually has that showroom gloss yet. All I do is apply "Nu-Finish" once per year and they actually bead up for most of the year. I must admit this "01" has been garage kept for nine of those eleven years;this means a lot when trying to keep a car looking like new.

mcdawgg · October 2012

Any rust on your 01 Corolla?

zlatina · October 2012

It is my experience and observations that I trust most. Recently I stop at different dealerships because I am really thinking of trading in my Toyota for another make. What I can see is many 2010 and 2011 Toyota Corollas that have already been traded in for other makes. Out of curiosity, I look at these cars and what I notice is tons of more chips and scratches than on mine! Today as I washed mine and while vacuum cleaning it next to me there was another Corolla 2011, but white. I was scared how the white looks like with all the scratches and chips that leave black marks. Mine looks much better but this does not make me happy with Toyota. At the detail shop which I use for waxing the car they say mine looks as if just purchased but I still know of all the imperfections on the car (bubbles, dust trapped in the paint, etc.)!

Obviously, it depends on what your idea of quality is. You admit that your has chips, correct? Why will you get chips since the quality is so high? I am not jealous of your cars. I am happy about you. Just I know for myself that Toyota does not meet my quality expectations. My idea of quality is different. For me 1-2-3 year old car should not have chips.

About the European market, which you can verify yourself, Ford is second in sales. Since Ford can please the picky Europeans with the "out-appearance" and reliability of their cars, obviously will be able to please my taste as well and will be my next choice!

terceltom · October 2012

Hope you have better luck with your Ford's paint.

mcdawgg · October 2012

Yes, you got that one right - there are a few stone chips, but no more than any other car I have had. We also live close to a quarry - lots of stones flying up from tires. EVERY car is going to get some stone chips from this. They all have to use the newer, water-based paint that is more environmentally friendly.

I try to by the highest quality car possible - that's why I use MANY sources of data, not just my own observations, which of course are much more limited than using CR, True Delta, JD Power, etc. etc.

Good luck with Ford - they have some positives, but also some negatives. I won't discuss the brand new (400 miles) Ford Focus I had recently on a business trip. Looked nice, but.... At first I thought the transmission may have been an anomaly, since my own experience is too limited. Except I looked at some other sources of data about the same car - my complaints were pretty common. But they are good, and getting better, hope yours is good.

What I don't like about European brands is the lower reliability. They are lower than most brands, per many sources. But they have their advantages.

I'll just leave it at that. Ford in Europe #2 in sales. Great. Toyota worldwide I think is #2, GM #1 in sales. Sales is a good indicator, but not the only one I look at.

tunawitch40 · November 2012

Well, we need somewhere to discuss our feelings, however, i do not think anybody is trying to do anything but get some help, and that is why I am here. I have a 2003 bought new (one owner). and I have that dark blue, and same thing as all you others are having paint fading , rusting, cracking, and I take EXCELLENT CARE of my vehicle, in my family we have owned 12 NEW TOYOTAS, AND NEVER EVER did this ever happen, this is totally wrong, and I waxed it approx. 4 times a year cause I live in Florida and it gets hot. I have had 3 new toyotas myself, and this has never happened. And I understand the embarrassment of driving somewhere and people look at you like you are trailer trash, so I do get it, this should NEVER HAPPEN. So if anybody hears anything about a recall , please e-mail me at tunawitch40@aol.com, thank you very much, and good luck to u all.

terceltom · November 2012

Don't really think it's appropriate to label someone as trash because of where they choose to reside.

Anyway, waxing a clear coated car four times a year sounds like overkill to me. Perhaps your using something too harsh that might be removing the clear coat. There are cheaper polishing compounds out there that if they over used they will damage the paint.

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