Toyota has been one of the top car manufacturers for years, recently ranking No. 2 in quality and reliability. But a mechanic sparked debate after criticizing a Toyota for having its check engine light on and other problems but only having 12,000 miles.
TikTok user @menjicar is a California-based car master technician.
“Everybody says Toyotas are so reliable,” he says, sitting in the driver’s seat of a customer’s Toyota in his video.
Then, he zooms in on the dashboard and points at the check engine light. “But look at this one. Check engine light with only 12,000 miles. The car is pretty new, low miles, but the good thing is we have this scan tool right here,” he says, gesturing to the scanner on his lap.
Next, @menjicar reads aloud the codes. “We got a gross leak in the EVAP system. We also got incorrect purge flow,” he says. “Most of the time, this is the gas cap.”
Afterward, he climbs out of the car and reveals the loose gas cap. “Sure enough, this thing is completely loose,” he says.
He then tightens it. After pressing a couple of buttons, he clears all the codes on the dashboard. “C’mon, Toyota,” he criticizes, slapping the steering wheel.
@menjicar Cmon toyota… #automotive #autotech #scantool #fyp ♬ original sound – Menjicar
The Daily Dot reached out to @menjicar via Instagram direct message and TikTok comment as well as to Toyota via media contact form. His video accumulated over 11,000 views, leaving viewers blaming the driver, not the brand.
“So how [is this] toyotas fault,” one viewer asked.
“Yes, Toyota CUSTOMER do better,” a second commented.
“How dare Toyota still use gas caps,” a third remarked.
Toyotas and gas caps
All Toyotas have gas caps. However, the location of them varies in each model. Most models until 2019 have them on the left, and the newer ones are on the right. In addition, newer models have a lock on the caps.
Many issues can happen if one doesn’t properly close a gas cap. If it’s not properly closed, “it [can allow] fuel to evaporate and escape the gas tank and pollute the environment. The efficiency of the fuel can be reduced — sometimes by as much as two percent. It can allow dirt, debris and other contaminants to enter the gas tank. These contaminants can degrade the fuel and cause harm to other parts of the vehicle,” per MotoRad.
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