White Pearl Paint cracking & peeling on a Prado

[Ja G]

Hi, I have a 2009 Pearl White Prado that over the last 2 years has developed many small cracks and then areas that have peeled. This is only on metal surfaces.WThe car has been looked after meticulously, washed and polished.
Has any one else had problems, particularly with Pearl white (paint code 070)?

[ZZT86]

Has it ever been involved in an accident ? Symptoms you describe are usually result of poor repairs.

[Tony Prodigy]

On 9/17/2020 at 6:22 PM, Ja G said:

Hi, I have a 2009 Pearl White Prado that over the last 2 years has developed many small cracks and then areas that have peeled. This is only on metal surfaces.WThe car has been looked after meticulously, washed and polished.

Looks like you car has developed "crows feet "

Washing and polishing can't protect what's under the clear coat. I seriously doubt factory paint would become like this if it was taken care of as you say you have, but, I will take an educated guess that your car has had some refinishing done, most likely in a workshop, where time is of the essence. They painted it quickly, then it was waxed to make it feel slick and smooth, BEFORE the clear coat has had enough time to gas off. When you wax a freshly painted car, you trap the gases and this will lead to clear coat failure such as Crows Feet over time. By virtue of it being out in the hot sun most days, the UV rays go to work to an already compromised and brittle surface.

I am sad to say this, but the only way to fix it would be to have the affected areas repainted, most likely back to metal if it extends that far down.

[Shane G]

I am currently having exactly the same issue with my 2008 Prado Grande in Pearl White. Started off with a few crack but over the last couple of weeks large areas of the paint are peeling. Drivers door and rear panel on both sides, rear tailgate and front quarter panel.

Known issue with this paint worldwide with Toyota coming to the party with respray in other countries. I'm taking mine to Toyota when I get a chance, not that I'm expecting much as car is now 12 years old.

[ZZT86]

Wow ! Do it, Toyota got plenty !

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, Shane G said:

Known issue with this paint worldwide with Toyota coming to the party with respray in other countries. I'm taking mine to Toyota when I get a chance, not that I'm expecting much as car is now 12 years old.

I'll put money down Toyota will tell him to go jump. No offence to you Shane. Definitely hit them up, but I don't like the chances, not after this long. Too many variables against you.

[Lyn33E]

Hi folks, We have a Prado which has paint peeling Pearl White (code 070). We took it to the local dealer, in Sydney and it was inspected closely and peeling points noted by the warranty manager. Toyota refused to acknowledge that there is a problem so escalated to Toyota Australia and they offered 25% of the cost of the respray which is $10,000. The vehicle must be taken to their designated panel shop at Hornsby. My question is : it is documented that the defective paint has resulted in Toyota extending the pearl paint warranty for vehicles as far back as 2008, so why not Australia ?

[Tony Prodigy]

10 hours ago, Lyn33E said:

escalated to Toyota Australia and they offered 25% of the cost of the respray which is $10,000.

If Toyota are offering 25% that means they are also admitting liability so they should cover the cost to respray the whole car if the whole car has faulty paint. I doubt they will paint areas that aren't cracking, most likely only the parts that are bad.

Can you tell us which parts are bad ? I'm suspecting the top areas.

My sister had a pearl white Kluger Grand for many years and it had no paint issues. A friend of mine has a current gen Camry in the same pearl white and has had it for several years now and it's fine. Admittedly, he has applied a ceramic coating to it.

Not sure if there is an issue with the base preparation or the pigments in the white paint are flawed to the degree they cannot handle our extreme heat. Car companies are the best for being cagey. 

Keep pursuing them. The only way to get results these days is to fight and pester them. Seek advice from fair trading too. 

[horacehorse2003]

rubbish have a look at the usa toyota site they have acknowledged they have a problem with code 40 and 70 paaint and have started a program to fi x it for 14 yrsthats how worried they are

[Lev]

I have the same problem with my 040 super white / glacier white paint. 

[Dahl]

Yes, I have a white Pearl finish 2007 Prado Grande.  All four doors have bubbled, cracked and now peeled at the tops under the window trim. There is no way Toyota will cover this problem. Am going to spray painter to see if we can dado it off and repaint these areas

[Dahl]

On 7/15/2021 at 1:42 PM, Dahl said:

Yes, I have a white Pearl finish 2007 Prado Grande.  All four doors have bubbled, cracked and now peeled at the tops under the window trim. There is no way Toyota will cover this problem. Am going to spray painter to see if we can dado it off and repaint these areas

Update: picked up the Prado from spray painter today. Front side panels, all four doors and rear side panels repainted for $3,500 

[Tony Prodigy]

7 hours ago, Dahl said:

Update: picked up the Prado from spray painter today. Front side panels, all four doors and rear side panels repainted for $3,500 

I'm sure it looks way more beautiful than it did Terri. Aftermarket paint is much better quality if applied correctly too. So you didn't have the roof done, interesting as it cops the harshest treatment from the sun.

I would suggest some paint sealant from here on to not only provide some UV protection but also chemical resistance too. If you're interested shoot me a P.M and I can advise you.

Cheers 

[Wayne52]

The reason for this type of paint failure is due to the UV attacking the primer on the car. Most car manufacturers use Epoxy based primers on their cars particularly back in late 2000's. The reason was very good adhesion to the electrophoretic coating and good resistance water blistering. The downside is very poor UV resistance leading to chalking of the surface. If the colour base coat is applied at too low a film thickness or has poor UV opaqueness then some of the UV can penetrate through to the primer causing chalking and delamination of the colour coat and clear topcoats. Mostly the failures are on the horizontal surfaces ie bonnet, roof and boot they get the most UV. This can take years to fully show up. There several reasons for the failure; the application at the factory of the white colour coat may be too low and this could have happened to a large number of cars over a period of time hence the world wide spread of the problem. A batch of the colour coat may have been manufactured out of specification by Toyota's paint supplier also.

You are really in the hands of Toyota Australia and perhaps the ACCC. The paint work on the car may be considered not fit for purpose and the ACCC may have a number of complaints already. Best bet is firstly speak to a senior manager at Toyota Australia and then ACCC. Do not be fooled into getting only the failing sections done as it is very likely that the vertical panels will fail also. The best solution would be to completely strip the car to bare metal and repaint with a 2 pack paint primer and topcoat system. For the Prado it is likely that the cost will be around $10,000.

[Sofia]

I too have the pealing paint defect issue and have raised it with Toyota and they will only cover 25% of the repairs costs... dont know what I can do to get them to cover 100% of the repairs... The dealer blames Toyora Australia saying that is their policy and decision... where as Toyota Australia is saying that it is a dealership decision and that I need to take it up with them... extreamly disappointed and beyond frustrating! 

[Tony Prodigy]

6 hours ago, Sofia said:

I too have the pealing paint defect issue and have raised it with Toyota and they will only cover 25% of the repairs costs... dont know what I can do to get them to cover 100% of the repairs... The dealer blames Toyora Australia saying that is their policy and decision... where as Toyota Australia is saying that it is a dealership decision and that I need to take it up with them... extreamly disappointed and beyond frustrating! 

I wonder if Fair Trading will be able to intervene. I wouldn't be too sure if the ACCC would be bothered either. They do have a reputation for being a toothless tiger and companies are aware of this and skirt around the issues with weasel words just as you have described. Toyota, head office, should be ultimately responsible as they were the ones who manufactured the vehicle, the ones who chose that particular paint system. It's not the dealers fault to a large degree, BUT, the dealer should be facilitating the warranty through head office and not be lazy and shirk their responsibility to the customer, who in essence, puts food on the table for them all. Talk about crapping where you eat. Disgraceful stuff. Then again, why am I  not surprised. That's been the mantra for the car industry for decades.

I must say though, BMW are probably the only car company I know of that actually treats their customers with a higher degree of respect.

[JohnCW]

I have a 2004 Prado VX in White Pearl.  Paint started to peel some years ago, worst area being the roof, but basically every panel that gets sun exposure.

I repaired it myself, and the result is as good as any professional job.  It CAN be done.  I had zero spray painting experience prior to this exercise.  However I do recommend learning on some old two coat system car first if possible, before tackling the more technical White Pearl which is a 3 coat system (base, pearl, clear coat).  

Between a bit of trial and error (being prepared to redo areas that weren't right), a very helpful guy at the auto paints seller, and the internet I was able to get all the necessary knowledge to do a professional job in the driveway at home.

Edited February 5, 2022 by JohnCW

[CRH]

I also have the same issue with paint peeling off my 2006 Prado with Pearl white paint. I noticed a small amount on the roof at the start of 2021.

I have currently dealt with the dealer I purchased it from, along with Toyota Australia. Both have said a big fat no.

My local vehicle repair informed me it is a common issue with this colour and time period. They also mentioned that as I am the original owner my claim should have been accepted.

I am in the process of again contacting the dealer along with Toyota Australia and asking them for my vehicle to repaired with a complete respray on the panels where the paint is peeling. If not successful then I will be using the Office of Fair Trading and let them deal with it and then thorough local magistrates court.

I have talked to ACCC along with OFT and they both have agreed that a vehicle should not have any issues of paint peeling  at 15 years of age.

Consumer Guarantee for durability has not been met.

[Karan1]

On 3/5/2022 at 10:23 AM, CRH said:

I also have the same issue with paint peeling off my 2006 Prado with Pearl white paint. I noticed a small amount on the roof at the start of 2021.

I have currently dealt with the dealer I purchased it from, along with Toyota Australia. Both have said a big fat no.

My local vehicle repair informed me it is a common issue with this colour and time period. They also mentioned that as I am the original owner my claim should have been accepted.

I am in the process of again contacting the dealer along with Toyota Australia and asking them for my vehicle to repaired with a complete respray on the panels where the paint is peeling. If not successful then I will be using the Office of Fair Trading and let them deal with it and then thorough local magistrates court.

I have talked to ACCC along with OFT and they both have agreed that a vehicle should not have any issues of paint peeling  at 15 years of age.

Consumer Guarantee for durability has not been met.

@CRH if you could let me know how you go that would be great. I'm also thinking of going to the ACCC too as Toyota Australia knocked back my claim for the paint fix (I have a 2007 pearl white Prado), which is frustrating as in America they have owned up to that paint code being problematic, and I would've thought our consumer protection laws would be better. putting a case in together may be stronger so let me know if that is possible too (I have another mate who has the same issue and I'm sure there are many other like us in a similar position out there)

[CRH]

On 3/25/2022 at 5:57 PM, Karan1 said:

@CRH if you could let me know how you go that would be great. I'm also thinking of going to the ACCC too as Toyota Australia knocked back my claim for the paint fix (I have a 2007 pearl white Prado), which is frustrating as in America they have owned up to that paint code being problematic, and I would've thought our consumer protection laws would be better. putting a case in together may be stronger so let me know if that is possible too (I have another mate who has the same issue and I'm sure there are many other like us in a similar position out there)

Hi Karan1,

At this point in time I have lodged a compliant with QLD consumer affairs. It is early days but I will defiantly keep you in the loop. If I have no success, the I am off to the local magistrates court. 

I agree that if there are enough people who would be willing to come together for a class action that would be great.

The ACCC along with QLD consumer affairs did both mention that it would not meet the consumer durability laws. 

Toyota Australia is blaming the Toyota dealer I purchased it from and vice versa. It is comical.

[Karan1]

2 hours ago, CRH said:

Hi Karan1,

At this point in time I have lodged a compliant with QLD consumer affairs. It is early days but I will defiantly keep you in the loop. If I have no success, the I am off to the local magistrates court. 

I agree that if there are enough people who would be willing to come together for a class action that would be great.

The ACCC along with QLD consumer affairs did both mention that it would not meet the consumer durability laws. 

Toyota Australia is blaming the Toyota dealer I purchased it from and vice versa. It is comical.

Yeah that's ridiculous that they keep blaming each other, either way it is a manufacturing defect so we shouldn't have to bear the cost of it. I had attached a section of the Consumer law with my warranty claim to Toyota "If a customer uses a vehicle normally and its condition deteriorates faster or to a greater extent than would usually be expected, then the vehicle may have failed to meet the guarantee of acceptable quality and the consumer may be entitled to remedy.” in my interpretation I would say our paint shouldn't be flaking like that esp. since you have older Prados with that grey pain that are relatively fine but Toyota didn't seem to care and denied it anyway. Much appreciate being kept in the loop with this, they love to weasel out of any expenditure but if a similar battle has been won in America, we have hope

[CRH]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:11 PM, Karan1 said:

Yeah that's ridiculous that they keep blaming each other, either way it is a manufacturing defect so we shouldn't have to bear the cost of it. I had attached a section of the Consumer law with my warranty claim to Toyota "If a customer uses a vehicle normally and its condition deteriorates faster or to a greater extent than would usually be expected, then the vehicle may have failed to meet the guarantee of acceptable quality and the consumer may be entitled to remedy.” in my interpretation I would say our paint shouldn't be flaking like that esp. since you have older Prados with that grey pain that are relatively fine but Toyota didn't seem to care and denied it anyway. Much appreciate being kept in the loop with this, they love to weasel out of any expenditure but if a similar battle has been won in America, we have hope

The local trader has washed their hands of the issue of paint peeling from my vehicle. Office of Fair Trading has informed the next step is to the local court.

I am off to the QLD Civil & Administrative Tribunal. Currently bringing together my data and information for my application to QCAT. 

I am looking forward to having my day in court. Not sure if anyone else on this thread has instigated legal proceedings on this issue.

PM me if you like to talk more.

[WilsonW]

Glacier white paint defects are well known to Toyota.

Not fit for purpose paint defect effects many models. In the US a paint warranty extension has been provided for.

In Australia some new car Toyota dealers are still playing with legitmate owners with this problem.

Makes one wonder if it is worth buying a new or a 2nd hand Toyota in the future.

https://mobile.guideautoweb.com/en/articles/54215/toyota-extends-paint-warranty-up-to-14-years-to-fix-peeling-issue/

[Chelle]

On 3/25/2022 at 5:57 PM, Karan1 said:

@CRH if you could let me know how you go that would be great. I'm also thinking of going to the ACCC too as Toyota Australia knocked back my claim for the paint fix (I have a 2007 pearl white Prado), which is frustrating as in America they have owned up to that paint code being problematic, and I would've thought our consumer protection laws would be better. putting a case in together may be stronger so let me know if that is possible too (I have another mate who has the same issue and I'm sure there are many other like us in a similar position out there)

Hi guys my prado is 2009 and a friends 2010 is spiderwebbing in paint in a month my paint has gone real bad maybe if we all get onto fair trading we will have a case against Toyota we even took out lifetime warranty on paint protection payed extra and toyota won’t come to the party.

[Tony Prodigy]

On 4/3/2022 at 7:59 AM, CRH said:

I am off to the QLD Civil & Administrative Tribunal. Currently bringing together my data and information for my application to QCAT. 

I am looking forward to having my day in court. Not sure if anyone else on this thread has instigated legal proceedings on this issue.

Please update us on the outcome of this. if you are successful, it may set a precedent for others to follow.