During an apparent trip home, the owner of a 2024 GR Corolla said Carscopes He inadvertently moved to third instead of moving to fifth. This should be a case of no harm. Except for the fact that the dealer’s service log states that the car was probably turning at 8,900 rpm. The GR Corolla has a redline of 6,500 rpm. Holy guacamole, Batman.
Whether he was driving the car or just pushing it, forcing the car into the wrong gear was a costly mistake. It looks like the piston melted. Due to the compact nature of this car’s engine, turbocharger, and transfer case, a lot of damage can happen quickly if the car is forced to accelerate beyond its intended limits. The dealer provided a repair quote of $42,180. Um, a new GR Corolla Premium, like the owner, starts at $41,515 (including $1,095 destination). And the news is getting worse. The car had less than 500 miles on it, but Toyota refused to cover the damage under warranty.
In evidence-keeping circles, this is called a money transfer and generally indicates a failed change up. The act of skipping or losing a gear is not the problem. Doing so at the red line (or in this case, beyond it) is what can lead to disastrous results. This is not hyperbole. The reason it is called a money transfer is, as you may have noticed, because of the high cost of repairs. Redlines are at a certain rpm for a reason. Go beyond that limit, and things will break.
It is supposed to be one of the GR Corolla engines that was obliterated as a result of the money transfer but this cannot be confirmed. Toyota offered to cover the repair bill, which was worth more than $32,000. This is a point of contention for this latest money transfer victim. It appears that the accident he was subjected to was unintentional and his car was still during the break-in period.
The owner is in ongoing talks with different representatives, but no solution has been reached yet.
Automakers can deny warranty claims as they see fit. Toyota appears to be dismissing this as driver error, but we’ll be watching to see if the automaker changes its mind. The GR Corolla is supposed to be driven hard, right? Some have voided car warranties altogether and for seemingly innocuous reasons, like getting mud on a Jeep Gladiator or refinancing a Cadillac Escalade-V. Yeah, maybe I should focus on not lazily shifting into third gear anymore.
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