Toyota & Lexus Compliance Letters

[ksadams 2]

And we're back to Lexus and Toyota not providing Compliance Letters to customers for their vehicles purchased in Canada! My husband and I moved to Seattle earlier this month, called Lexus of Canada to get Compliance Letters for our TWO Lexus cars. They said as of of earlier this year, they do not provide Compliance Letters (again). I can see from previous posts, they did this back in 2013 and a bunch of people complained, so they started issuing them. Now ten years later, they've stopped doing it again. This is totally unacceptable as the only Lexus manufacturer in Canada! There's no other place for us to get Compliance Letters, and our only recourse is to hire an Importer which is thousands per car when Lexus and Toyota cars are almost always IDENTICAL other than metric vs imperial measurements. Here is the EPA website for importing Canadian vehicles into the US, where they allow letter of Compliance from either the US or Canadian representative (which is why I called Lexus of Canada below): https://www.epa.gov/importing-vehicles-and-engines/importing-canadian-vehicles. I've done the following, and if anyone else is encountering this please keep complaining!

 

- Sent a letter of complaint to the CEO of Toyota in Japan

- Sent a letter of complaint to the CEO of Toyota Canada

- Contacted Go Public and Consumer Matters about this case

- Submitted a formal complaint to Lexus of Canada via phone

- Emailed both toyota_feedback@toyota.ca and compliance@toyota.ca requesting Compliance Letters (these email addresses was mentioned in a 2013 thread: 

 - Contact Lexus US requesting a Compliance Letter for our cars, who keep trying to direct me back to Lexus of Canada. Case created with Lexus US.

 

@VeeNDee what did you do back in 2013 to get your Compliance Letter?

[mam521 2,062]

Unfortunately, a manufacturer doesn't have to issue a compliance letter if they don't want to.  They make different cars to different specification to meet the market they are made for.  It's well known and well documented that Canadian cars don't always meet the requirements and it's often easier for a person to sell the vehicle in the market it was made for and buy one where you live, unless it's a collectable item.  Even then, it falls under a different import category all together.  It's likely perceived as a large administrative burden to the manufacturer when they have other things to worry about.  

 

Good luck, regardless.  

[ksadams 2]

4 hours ago, mam521 said:

Unfortunately, a manufacturer doesn't have to issue a compliance letter if they don't want to.  They make different cars to different specification to meet the market they are made for.  It's well known and well documented that Canadian cars don't always meet the requirements and it's often easier for a person to sell the vehicle in the market it was made for and buy one where you live, unless it's a collectable item.  Even then, it falls under a different import category all together.  It's likely perceived as a large administrative burden to the manufacturer when they have other things to worry about.  

 

Good luck, regardless.  

This decision would have been fair if this information was provided to us upon purchase of the vehicle in Canada. At the time of purchase, Lexus of Canada was providing Compliance Letters so there was no issue. They decided to stop doing this at the beginning of this year. Had we known when purchasing this isn't a service they offer to its customers, we would not have purchased the car from Lexus of Canada. Fairly, they should still supply Compliance Letters for those vehicles made prior to the decision. Any cars made after their decision AND their customers have been informed of this prior to purchase are fair game. 

You're right, the decision is with the manufacturer. But, making the decision post purchase and not informing any of its customers to get a Compliance Letter before they stopped doing it is leaving a bad taste in our mouths with post purchase support.

[mam521 2,062]

20 hours ago, ksadams said:

This decision would have been fair if this information was provided to us upon purchase of the vehicle in Canada. At the time of purchase, Lexus of Canada was providing Compliance Letters so there was no issue. They decided to stop doing this at the beginning of this year. Had we known when purchasing this isn't a service they offer to its customers, we would not have purchased the car from Lexus of Canada. Fairly, they should still supply Compliance Letters for those vehicles made prior to the decision. Any cars made after their decision AND their customers have been informed of this prior to purchase are fair game. 

You're right, the decision is with the manufacturer. But, making the decision post purchase and not informing any of its customers to get a Compliance Letter before they stopped doing it is leaving a bad taste in our mouths with post purchase support.

Why would a manufacturer who has manufactured a car for the Canadian market make a declaration like that when the vast majority of their vehicles would ever be exported from Canada?  They built a vehicle that meets CMVSS standards and that's all they are obligated to do - meet the requirements for the market the vehicle is being sold in.  Anything outside of that isn't their concern.  In the big business picture, it's a large cost to them for no return benefit.  They aren't going to see you bring that vehicle to their Canadian dealerships for service.  They aren't likely to see you as a repeat customer in their Canadian market if you've relocated.  So, why spend the resources pulling compliance letters? 

 

I'm sorry you have had a bad experience but the intent for the manufacturer was compliance in the country being sold.  They have US divisions that meet FMVSS requirements.  If you were in Europe, you'd never think about importing the car to the US.  It just happens that you're in Canada and it appeared easier to you to bring your vehicle.  You knew you'd be moving to the US - the fact that you were moving should probably have factored into a choice on whether or not to purchase a new vehicle when such a big move was on the horizon.  

 

It is a lesson to others who have a cross border move on the horizon to factor in whether or not a large vehicle purchase is a good idea and to do research on what it takes to import PRIOR to potential purchase.  That old car might suddenly look more appealing than the new car.  

[ksadams 2]

54 minutes ago, mam521 said:

Why would a manufacturer who has manufactured a car for the Canadian market make a declaration like that when the vast majority of their vehicles would ever be exported from Canada?  They built a vehicle that meets CMVSS standards and that's all they are obligated to do - meet the requirements for the market the vehicle is being sold in.  Anything outside of that isn't their concern.  In the big business picture, it's a large cost to them for no return benefit.  They aren't going to see you bring that vehicle to their Canadian dealerships for service.  They aren't likely to see you as a repeat customer in their Canadian market if you've relocated.  So, why spend the resources pulling compliance letters? 

 

I'm sorry you have had a bad experience but the intent for the manufacturer was compliance in the country being sold.  They have US divisions that meet FMVSS requirements.  If you were in Europe, you'd never think about importing the car to the US.  It just happens that you're in Canada and it appeared easier to you to bring your vehicle.  You knew you'd be moving to the US - the fact that you were moving should probably have factored into a choice on whether or not to purchase a new vehicle when such a big move was on the horizon.  

 

It is a lesson to others who have a cross border move on the horizon to factor in whether or not a large vehicle purchase is a good idea and to do research on what it takes to import PRIOR to potential purchase.  That old car might suddenly look more appealing than the new car.  

Ok Lexus of Canada 🙄

[farzady 42]

On 10/31/2023 at 12:14 PM, ksadams said:

Ok Lexus of Canada 🙄

Hi,

I have the same issue with MB, they dont issue a compliance letter. They said I can only use my car in the US for 6 months. I am moving from Toronto to Seattle. Do you know what is the best way to transfer my car?

[ksadams 2]

1 hour ago, farzady said:

Hi,

I have the same issue with MB, they dont issue a compliance letter. They said I can only use my car in the US for 6 months. I am moving from Toronto to Seattle. Do you know what is the best way to transfer my car?

Right now the best way to import without a compliance letter is to hire a private importer, which is a couple thousand dollars. Which is a lot of cost on an individual. We're going to go chat with US Customs in Seattle next week at the airport and I can let you know what they say. Sometimes the EPA stickers in the car door and hood are enough, so we will see. 

[farzady 42]

On 11/6/2023 at 6:22 PM, ksadams said:

Right now the best way to import without a compliance letter is to hire a private importer, which is a couple thousand dollars. Which is a lot of cost on an individual. We're going to go chat with US Customs in Seattle next week at the airport and I can let you know what they say. Sometimes the EPA stickers in the car door and hood are enough, so we will see. 

Hello ksadams, is there any updates?

[djmac4u 0]

On 11/6/2023 at 6:22 PM, ksadams said:

Right now the best way to import without a compliance letter is to hire a private importer, which is a couple thousand dollars. Which is a lot of cost on an individual. We're going to go chat with US Customs in Seattle next week at the airport and I can let you know what they say. Sometimes the EPA stickers in the car door and hood are enough, so we will see. 

Hi, How did it go? Please update