Previa Engine Management Warning Light, Urgent.

[Wormell family]

:ffs: :ffs: :ffs: :ffs: hi ya all

Im new to this web site and i did post a long message in the other post room.i have a 53 previa with 33,000 on the clock bought last week. and the main dealer i bought it from assured me it had a full service history.however they could not find it. but they did show me a computer print out of the servicing it had had at the other main toyota dealers in sailsbury and there sure enough was a complete history. however there was an entry which said main oil light came on between the 20 and 30,000 mile service. i knew nothing of this site so thought perhaps the level had dropped or a problem with the bulb or fuse, so i bought it. it the started eating away at me so i phoned sailsbury and i spoke to the servicing dept they told me that the lady bought it in after the oil light came on and that it was making a horrible noise. and under warranty they changed the cylinder head and the short block at a cost of £7,000. i have noticed that when i lifted the bonnet there was water staining. i trused the guys when i test drove so didnt klift up the bonnet (afterall main dealers) cab, trading standards, and toyota.co.uk all say what are u moaning about u have a new engine installed by toyota but i have lost all confidence in this one and am looking at a newer one with only 10,000 on an 06 what do u guys thoink please help.

regards chris

Hi All Toyota Previa owners out there.

We are new to this site having bought our x reg Previa in Oct last year.

When purchased the engine warning light was on... we were told it was a faulty light and no cause

for concern. It went out when we had a new Battery installed, but the veh has just failed its mot.

On emmissions we have been told we need a new sensor possibly a new cat convertor and the money

involved seems to be think of a number and add £1000...

having read thru this entire thread I can see that there is a problem... but I am worried we are going

to spend the money with no guarentee of a fix..... Our car is an LPG conversion and I wondered about

wether this has an impact on the emmissions and sensors ect...? Can anybody out there help...

we bought the car because we are expecting our 3rd child in May and could really do with out the huge

expense.

Regards,

Dawn

[Shane Earing]

From all the previous entries this appears to be quite a common problem with the Previa, I have the new style Previa GS VVTI Auto also, registered November 2000.

I purchased the vehicle from a relative, (so know the full history of the vehicle) in October 2006 a year ago with a genuine low mileage of 33K. When I purchased it I was aware from him, that occasionally this light would show up, but the garage had sorted it out. Anyway sure enough the light did lite up again. I took the vehicle to the Official Dealer for full service and to sort the light out. At this point I was not aware of this forum. The Dealer had about three attempts to sort it out, but still the light kept coming back on each time, after a few miles.

In the end I got so fed up, I left the vehicle with the dealer to sort out and rectify, with instructions to keep as long as they required. Just over a week later I picked the vehicle up – problem sorted. Give the dealer their due they made a valiant effort to sort it out, although they also gave the impression that this was not a common fault also.

Since then all has gone well. until today 29th May 2007 when at 39929 miles the engine warning light has once again come on.

With the next service coming, but given all the histories in this forum of various items which have being replaced on other peoples Previa’s but which appear to only sort out the problem temporarily, I am not looking forward to this at all.

It’s a shame, if it wasn’t for one little light, owning and driving the vehicle would have been a pleasure, but because of one little light I for one will certainly be thinking very hard before purchasing a Toyota in the future, unless Toyota have come up with a permanent solution to this problem, which is so obviously a fault with the vehicle type.

Regards

Shane

[Alan Harrison]

Try not to let this little light ruin your life. Mine's been off and on at random intervals for the past 7 years. I did tha lamda thing but the light stayed off for just a few days the lit up again. The car drive the same it's off or on so there's no need to join the AA. Remember it's a Toyota. If the light really bothers you I find a little square of black electrical tape works a treat.

Happy motoring

Al

[Tardis]

An update on my Previa. We finally got the problem fixed in January 07 when the Cat was replaced. The intention was not to replace the lambda sensors but in the event two were rusted in so had to be replaced at the same time.

It's done about 6,000 since then and the light hasn't come on at all.

Toyota didn't pay any part of the bill which came to about £1,000 in total (1x Cat + 2x lambda sensors at Bath main dealer, good service, less expensive than others after ringing around).

[Shane Earing]

Try not to let this little light ruin your life. Mine's been off and on at random intervals for the past 7 years. I did tha lamda thing but the light stayed off for just a few days the lit up again. The car drive the same it's off or on so there's no need to join the AA. Remember it's a Toyota. If the light really bothers you I find a little square of black electrical tape works a treat.

Happy motoring

Al

[Shane Earing]

Try not to let this little light ruin your life. Mine's been off and on at random intervals for the past 7 years. I did tha lamda thing but the light stayed off for just a few days the lit up again. The car drive the same it's off or on so there's no need to join the AA. Remember it's a Toyota. If the light really bothers you I find a little square of black electrical tape works a treat.

Happy motoring

Al

Thanks Al - guess have to live with it for the time being - on the one side its a shame that its quite a common problem and on the other side at least its a minor problem, that seems to have little effect, other than a small light which will be ignored - only draw back with that is of course if anything serious did occur everyone will ignore their lights - so you do have to ask whats the point of warning lights at all. Sometimes perhaps the delicate electrics/computers give us too much information or are just too fussy - either way poor design results in complaints and ultimately potentially lost sales etc. So here's hoping the Toyota will give years of trouble free motoring with or without the light being on.

[littlebillyj]

Try not to let this little light ruin your life. Mine's been off and on at random intervals for the past 7 years. I did tha lamda thing but the light stayed off for just a few days the lit up again. The car drive the same it's off or on so there's no need to join the AA. Remember it's a Toyota. If the light really bothers you I find a little square of black electrical tape works a treat.

Happy motoring

Al

Thanks Al - guess have to live with it for the time being - on the one side its a shame that its quite a common problem and on the other side at least its a minor problem, that seems to have little effect, other than a small light which will be ignored - only draw back with that is of course if anything serious did occur everyone will ignore their lights - so you do have to ask whats the point of warning lights at all. Sometimes perhaps the delicate electrics/computers give us too much information or are just too fussy - either way poor design results in complaints and ultimately potentially lost sales etc. So here's hoping the Toyota will give years of trouble free motoring with or without the light being on.

[littlebillyj]

Hi all,

Just to throw my two penneth in. I have a Previa GLS (2002) petrol auto. After a long trip to southwest france my engine warning light came on. After a nervous drive home I took it to a dealer who said that the cat and possibly all four sensors needed changing. Curiously, the light was off when I left the garage and did not go on again even though they had done nothing. I was quoted £1600 to 'fix' the problem. I took it to a local garage and they ran some gas checks to find that the emissions were slightly over the limit. They ran some cat clean through it and the emissions returned to below the threshold. Cost £50. After another trip to France the same thing happened. I ignored it and the light went off by itself some time later. It's still off at the moment. The local garage reckon it might be due to either some additive in French petrol or perhaps just a very hot cat after a nine hour drive.

To change the subject entirely - and I know this is an already well discussed matter, but I followed a link on this site to some fab bodykits. Problem is I don't read Japanese. Is anyone importing these kits already and if not, does anyone know approximately how much it would cost to import one? Also, although I'd like to add a kit to my car I don't want to lose it all on a speed bump - do you think the kits would clear these if the car wasn't lowered as the pics seem to suggest they have been?

[martin shaw]

Another newcomer to this topic. Help! 17000 mile, 56 plate diesel Previa, still under warranty. Cuts out (scary), immediately re-starts on key, but "malfunction" light comes on and goes off some time later (no consistent period). Can live with the light - any suggestions about cause? Been back to dealer twice, but I suspect they're just wiping the error code. Any suggestions for root cause of cut-out?

[dnicoll]

Just had the same prob land on my 2001 2.4CDX auto. Into garage tomorrow. Fortunately when I bought it last month 2nd hand I added the optional 1 year guarantee. I'll post up with what the garage suggests the issue is.

[jpegbj]

Ho Hum - another holiday - car loaded up with kids and luggage - guess what happened - the light came on 15 miles round the M25. On freflection - every time it has come on its been when the load is heavier than normal - that only happens on holidays.

Still - at least I have a solution now..... a piece of black tape!!

I have given up worrying about it.

[dnicoll]

Quite right. Mine was the usual suspect. I think I'll be getting the black tape out as well. hey ho. Maybe next time I'll just get a Toyota Pickup.

[Glanma]

Hi all,

To change the subject entirely - and I know this is an already well discussed matter, but I followed a link on this site to some fab bodykits. Problem is I don't read Japanese. Is anyone importing these kits already and if not, does anyone know approximately how much it would cost to import one? Also, although I'd like to add a kit to my car I don't want to lose it all on a speed bump - do you think the kits would clear these if the car wasn't lowered as the pics seem to suggest they have been?

This one I can talk about with some authority!!!! I have been running my Estima for well over two years now with a full Altemiss bodykit, which is pretty deep spoilered (see my pics). Generally, I can clear most speed humps by being sensible, but the occasional one will always catch me out, and I cringe at the sound of fibreglass scraping on tarmac! With a full load of kids/other stuff, it becomes more of a concern. I have spent a good few hours this year repairing cracks, particularly to the front spoiler - so much so that I have now almost given up and am on the verge of ordering a new bodykit. Mine is running with standard springs at the mo and stock ride height, but I have a set of uprated dampers on. I have had some Kenstyle lower and stiffer springs sitting in my garage waiting for me to decide if I should try them out, which I might do shortly. I know it may sound daft lowering a car that is already scraping, but the Estima/Previa is fairly softly sprung in standard form so I'm hoping the stiffer springs will help somewhat. I'll post something on that when I get round to it. So in short, yes you should be ok with a kit that is not too deep or upgrade your suspension to cope with it if it is.

As for importing a kit and costs, I use a company called Isicar.com for most of my bits. They have quoted me approximately 20,000 Yen for a bodykit to be shipped by container (8-10 weeks average) or 100,000 yen by air freight (2-3 wks average). The other alternative is to find someone who is importing a larger car/van and do a deal with them to ship your kit inside their vehicle! Prices for the kits vary wildly - a full kit can cost anywhere between £350 - £1500+ so you would need to find one that suits your pocket, but as with most things you get what you pay for!

Whatever you decide to do, the occasional scrape is well worth suffering as these cars can look fab with a bit of careful modification and really turn heads! If you need any help let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

[littlebillyj]

Hi all,

To change the subject entirely - and I know this is an already well discussed matter, but I followed a link on this site to some fab bodykits. Problem is I don't read Japanese. Is anyone importing these kits already and if not, does anyone know approximately how much it would cost to import one? Also, although I'd like to add a kit to my car I don't want to lose it all on a speed bump - do you think the kits would clear these if the car wasn't lowered as the pics seem to suggest they have been?

This one I can talk about with some authority!!!! I have been running my Estima for well over two years now with a full Altemiss bodykit, which is pretty deep spoilered (see my pics). Generally, I can clear most speed humps by being sensible, but the occasional one will always catch me out, and I cringe at the sound of fibreglass scraping on tarmac! With a full load of kids/other stuff, it becomes more of a concern. I have spent a good few hours this year repairing cracks, particularly to the front spoiler - so much so that I have now almost given up and am on the verge of ordering a new bodykit. Mine is running with standard springs at the mo and stock ride height, but I have a set of uprated dampers on. I have had some Kenstyle lower and stiffer springs sitting in my garage waiting for me to decide if I should try them out, which I might do shortly. I know it may sound daft lowering a car that is already scraping, but the Estima/Previa is fairly softly sprung in standard form so I'm hoping the stiffer springs will help somewhat. I'll post something on that when I get round to it. So in short, yes you should be ok with a kit that is not too deep or upgrade your suspension to cope with it if it is.

As for importing a kit and costs, I use a company called Isicar.com for most of my bits. They have quoted me approximately 20,000 Yen for a bodykit to be shipped by container (8-10 weeks average) or 100,000 yen by air freight (2-3 wks average). The other alternative is to find someone who is importing a larger car/van and do a deal with them to ship your kit inside their vehicle! Prices for the kits vary wildly - a full kit can cost anywhere between £350 - £1500+ so you would need to find one that suits your pocket, but as with most things you get what you pay for!

Whatever you decide to do, the occasional scrape is well worth suffering as these cars can look fab with a bit of careful modification and really turn heads! If you need any help let me know and I'll point you in the right direction.

Many thanks for the advice. It's a pity no english supplier seems to be importing these kits - I'm sure it'd be worth their while. I might even consider moulding my own - I built a kayak many moons ago and from what I remember it's not too difficult a material to use and not too expensive either - do you think a more easily available kit could be altered? Cheers.

Bill

[Glanma]

Many thanks for the advice. It's a pity no english supplier seems to be importing these kits - I'm sure it'd be worth their while. I might even consider moulding my own - I built a kayak many moons ago and from what I remember it's not too difficult a material to use and not too expensive either - do you think a more easily available kit could be altered? Cheers.

Bill

I have thought about testing the water myself on one or two occasions and importing a couple of kits to sell over here but have not done anything about it so far. Mine gets an awful lot of positive comments so I would think there could be some demand for them. If its of any interest to you or anyone else, once my new bodykit arrives in a couple of months time I would be happy to donate my current bodykit for free if it could be repaired and moulds taken from it (with some modifications of course - wouldn't want anyone to get into trouble with licensing issues!!)

And going back to the warning light topic, mine is now into the 30k + bracket with no hint of a problem, but I am watching the dash carefully now just in case! Does the general concensus now seem to be that if it happens its not that big a deal and best left alone?

[sacha63]

is the warning light problem set to become a toyota recall?

is this why toyota has stopped producing the previa - i can't find any mention of the previa on the toyotaGB website

and yes, my EMS warning light has also been permanently on for the last year without any real solution being offered by local toyota dealer

[FLYINGJETMAN321]

Found this thread very interesting as my Prev 2.4 started having this problem just after doing 40K last year. So far the local dealer has replaced a sensor and sent me away with a tin of red-ex and told me not to use Tesco petrol! He has also suggested I pay him £1500 to replace the Cat and sensors. I have contacted Trading Standards and Consumer Protection, both said the same thing. Under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002, it is reasonable to expect this component (the cat) to last more than 40K. If the vehicle has been serviced iaw the schedule and there is evidence that this is a common fault then the retailer can be held responsible for rectifying the matter. Well worth Googling and contacting your local Consumer Protection Office. I’ll let you know how I get on, but if any of you are interested in pursuing this further as a collective with Toyota and flexing the muscle of the internet please get in touch.

[irahim]

How likely is it that these problems are caused by the increased use of supermarket petrol which (everyone I speak to seems to think) is inferior to BP/Esso.Shell et al?

[FLYINGJETMAN321]

I think it is unlikely that the problem with the cat is caused by ‘cheap’ petrol. However, I know someone who worked for Shell and he always maintained that over time supermarket petrol would damage cars. The big companies all mix fuel for the supermarkets but unlike their own brand petrol the supermarkets save money by using ‘inferior’ additives.

[Tardis]

I also don't believe this is caused by Supermarket petrol since every other car I've ever driven has done well on Supermarket petrol. I still think it's a fundamental problem on the Previa, whether caused by poor design or manufacture.

The good news is that it hasn't reoccurred in the last 12,000 miles since the Cat and Sensors were replaced (for more information on this read back a couple of pages when I was really cross with Toyota).

[irahim]

so are you guys saying its only a matter of time i.e. EVERY Previa will inevitably suffer from this problem?

[Tardis]

so are you guys saying its only a matter of time i.e. EVERY Previa will inevitably suffer from this problem?

Someone told me that Toyota changed the design of the Catalyst on the Previa but don't know when. The failure always seems to come 40 - 50k miles, I guess these Previas are a certain age. Mine is an 02 model, it would be interesting to find out if all the other failures are on a similar age car.

[FLYINGJETMAN321]

Apr 02, light came on at just over 41K

[Tardis]

OK I'm going to turn this into a Poll to track the results more easily.

[Starlikesbones]

I Seem to have the same problem as above that has just started on my Previa.

after 100-200 miles on the motorway the engine light comes on

Fault code is LC1 and LC2 Bank 1 Bank 2 Cat efficiency below threshold

twice it has happended. Car has done 40,500 miles and is a Dec 2000 CDX - not had it go off yet without Dealer resetting - so can it be turned off by battery removeal or will it go off on its own ?

Dealer claims that the CAT and SENSORS need changing cost of £650 + £90 labour

Claims Sensors are not possible to remove without damaging manifold as "welded" in (not sure about that personally) - this is waht they do under warranty and it fixes it they calim...

I read above that EC firmwar / Sensors or CAT could be problem has anyone had the same faults and found a Permanent fix ? temptred to try changing both Sensors firest but if they cost £150 a piece.......expensve experiement for a llight. I also have no difference in MPG or drivability -emissions test shows no difference between this year and last year on gases out the back os do not beleive anything is wrong with the CAT - i am slightly courious if i got a bad tank of fuel from supermarket (which i noramlly do not use...)