Toyota lawn mower recall. 2018 Toyota C-HR Problems and Top Complaints – Is Your Car A Lemon

Brakes, electrical system and powertrain issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners

CLICK NOW FOR FREE LEGAL HELP CLICK NOW FOR FREE LEGAL HELP Updated on April 12th, 2023 Author: Brian Jones

2018 Toyota C-HR

The 2018 Toyota C-HR is a popular crossover in the company’s lineup. It boasts of a smaller size with a roomy interior. The automaker claims the newer models help drivers “stand out for all the right reasons.” It’s easy to agree with the standing out part, but not for the right reasons. Instead, owners stand out because they constantly battle electrical problems, faulty brakes and a defective powertrain. Click on other model year to view more problems : 2020 2021

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Problems with the Electrical System

Today’s vehicles create a lot of luxury and convenience for owners. Most cabins are filled with high-tech amenities that make life easier – when everything works the way it should. Sadly, in the C-HR, there seem to be a lot of problems with the electrical system.

Just look at this review left on the Edmunds website. “We have around 3500 miles on it so far, the dash lights are come on and off a lot, the car would keep giving me random warnings, there is some electronics problem going on with the car I think. we have went to the dealer two time an each time they would tell us they have fixed it… the key don’t work always and we have to use the key fob. The engine have kinda loud noise. This is the worst Toyota you can buy.”

With three pages of service bulletins related to the electrical system, it’s clear that Toyota has its hands full. None of them seem that minor either. There are bulletins related to electrical malfunctions with the parking brake and others talking about a parasitic drain on the battery. Either way, it’s clear that the nerves and brain of this vehicle aren’t working the way they should. In the H0L_Region Email, Toyota clarifies that this vehicle might momentarily activate the electronic parking brake when the owner attempts to move the shift lever. They consider this to be a “normal” occurrence but install a cover to reduce it from happening. If it is so normal, why is there a documented repair issued? Typically, normal functions aren’t “fixed,” unless of course, it isn’t actually supposed to happen. Anyone else smell a cover-up?

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota C-HR Electrical Problems:

TL THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA C-HR. WHILE DRIVING WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL DEACTIVATED AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MASTER WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND ALL THE OTHER WARNING INDICATORS BEGAN TO FLICKER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO FINDLAY TOYOTA BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED TWICE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBERS: 1904052602 AND 1810091666. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,307

TOYOTA CH R. TWO DAYS AGO THE CAR WOULD NOT START. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ASSISTANCE. I WAS GIVEN A JUMP. 8 HOURS LATER I NEEDED ANOTHER JUMP. THE CAR TURNED ON AND BUT SHORTLY AFTERWARDS THE PARKING BREAK AND LIGHTS BEGAN FLASHING ON THE CONTROL PANEL. THE CAR COULD NOT BE PUSHED. IT WAS NOT ACCELERATE NOR REVERSE. CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATES THE BATTERY WAS NOT JUMPED CORRECTLY AND THE CONTROL PANEL MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I ASKED FOR THE WARRANTY TO COVER THE DIAGNOSIS, BECAUSE THIS CAR SHOULD HAVE CONTROL PANEL PROTECTION TO AVOID MAJOR ISSUES. THIS CAR IS POORLY DESIGNED. IT SHOULD BE STATED ON THE BATTERY NOT JUMP THE CAR AND INFORM ME ALL THE DAMAGE THIS COULD CREATE. HOWEVER THE CAR WAS NOT JUMPED INCORRECTLY. THE DEALER SHOWED ME ACID AROUND THE BATTERY BUT NEVER SHOWED ME THE CONTROL PANEL DAMAGE. WHY IS THERE A BATTERY AND A CONTROL PANEL ISSUE ON A CAR THAT IS NEW. WHY DOES THE DIAGNOSTIC COST 280. HEADQUARTERS WAS CONTACTED. BUT NO RESOLUTION

ELECTRICAL DEFAULT. WHEN RAINING VEHICLE STATES ERROR AND TO CLEAR FRONT SENSORS. FUEL LIGHT DOES NOT COME ON AND DROVE IT DOWN TO 8 MILES TO THE TANK. DOUBLE-BOG WHEN BEGINNING ACCELERATION FROM STOP. SHAKING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS HAD IT FOR 8 MONTHS NOW AND IT’S BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 4 DAYS AND NO ONE HAS A CLUE AS TO WHAT IS GOING ON… VANDERGRIFF TOYOTA OF ARLINGTON DOES NOT PERFORM COURTESY CALLS AND HAVE LEFT ME IN THE DARK UNTIL I HAD TO MARCH UP THERE AND DEMAND ANSWERS. THIS IS MY FIRST TOYOTA AND WILL LIKELY BE MY LAST

Problems with the Brakes

The service brakes are one of the most essential parts of any vehicle. The brakes must work correctly in order to stop the crossover. If they are faulty, everyone is in danger. Again, Toyota seems to have trouble getting this system right.

Just look at this NHTSA review. “When hold function is active in vehicle is progressively slowing down when you are nearing a full halt the car makes a weird screeching and clanking sound and brings car to a sudden abrupt stop. If you get to a full stop by decelerating pretty quickly this will not happen, but if you decelerate slowly it will happen every time.”

Service bulletin #T-SB-0313-17 talks about a brake vibration that occurs because of improper lug nut torque. Aside from the regular brakes, there is a recall due to the parking brake. It is labeled with NHTSA Campaign Number 17V717000 and discusses how the electronic parking brake might not operate properly; allowing the brake to disengage after it has been applied. This increases the chance of the vehicle rolling away. Of course, watching a Toyota crossover roll away with no one in it is a sure way to help it stand out.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota C-HR Brake Problems:

THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START. THE FOLLOWING ERROR MESSAGES APPEAR SIMULTANEOUSLY WHEN TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE “BRAKE OVERRIDE MALFUNCTION. VISIT YOUR DEALER”, DRIVE-START CONTROL MALFUNCTION.VISIT YOUR DEALER”, “ENGINE OIL PRESSURE LOW”, “ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE HIGH. STOP IN A SAFE PLACE. SEE OWNER’S MANUAL”. THE VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 5100 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR MORE THAN 2 HOURS (AFTER A 35 MILES DRIVE) IN MY DRIVEWAY IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. TEMPERATURES WERE IN THE HIGH 40’S/LOW 50’S.

Problems with the Transmission

The powertrain is what helps a vehicle move. It transfers the power and converts it into action. When one component fails in this system, it becomes difficult to get the crossover to run the way it should. As we see with the C-HR, the transmission seems to be the major problem.

This is what one NHTSA complaint documents. “The contact owns a 2018 Toyota C-HR. While driving approximately 70 mph, a humming sound was heard from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to Oxnard Mitsubishi….but the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. The contact was informed to call a Toyota dealer. The vehicle was taken to Ventura Toyota…where it was diagnosed that the humming noise was from the transmission and there was fluid in the transmission. The technician took a sample of the fluid and stated that the fluid had a burnt odor and contained metal shavings. The technician stated that the transmission needed to be replaced; however, the contact was informed that the warranty was expired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and contacted the regional manager of the same dealer. The manager offered to cover fifty percent of the repair cost. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.”

The company has little to say about transmission problems with the C-HR. However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they know there is an issue. Automakers don’t regularly offer to pay for part of a repair they don’t need to. This vehicle was out of warranty and solely the responsibility of the driver, yet they offered to split the costs. That should have been a big red flag, and it appears that it was. The owner chose not to repair it and probably sent it to the junkyard where it belongs. Maybe they were tired of standing out and decided to buy a different brand instead.

Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota C-HR Engine and Transmission Problems:

TL THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA C-HR. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNOCCUPIED AND PARKED, IT ROLLED BACKWARDS, CRASHED INTO A POLE, AND THEN STARTED TO ROLL FORWARD. THE CONTACT HAD TO JUMP INTO THE VEHICLE TO STOP IT FROM ROLLING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT CALLED Galaxy TOYOTA AND WAS INFORMED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,523.

Your Lemon Law Legal Rights

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Share your story

Does this ring a bell? Have you had a bad experience too? Sound off and share your experience with other visitors in the comment box below.

About the Author:

Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.

I have a 2018 C-HR – I have had it maintained regularly at the dealer, following their scheduled maintenance. Two days ago my car would not accelerate, like at all, from a stopped position. I managed to get it to the dealer. They said they could not replicate my problem and no transmission issues were coming up on their diagnostic system. I authorized them to do my front brakes and oil change. A few hours later they called to tell me when they took the car for the final test drive after the brakes were completed, they noticed a terrible dragging sound and found the transmission was bad and told me this would cost me 10,000 to fix. I have no choice as I have to have a car to go to work and I still own on the car. There is no reason why this should happen and based on all the complaints i am not alone. I am fighting with Toyota now on their responsibility for this.

My 2018 CHR has stalled 4 different times as I attempted to drive forward. Diagnostic tests have shown nothing. Has anyone else had that issue??

Toyota send me a letter to go into the dealership today because they want to buy my CHR PREMIUM. i only owe 4000 to finish paying it off. Why are they trying to buyy car back? It’s a 2018 Toyota. Got it brand new when they first came out. It has 53,947 miles in it. What should I do? So far i have not had issues with the car. But I’m afraid once i pass the 60k

Bought my 2018 chr in may of the same year. By October it had about 25,000 miles( we drove a lot, plus two jobs), I heard what sounded like a frog in my engine by passenger side, took it in told em what I heard they said they couldn’t do a diagnostics on it unless I paid upfront 258. And that was just for them to look at it, not fix it. I said. after they did my regular maintenance on it. And over the next few months I kept hearing it, and it started becoming more regular. nd this whole time I had gone to 3 different dealership’s (even the one I bought it from) and they said they wanted me to pay first for them to look at it. Finally, it had gotten so bad, that as soon as I turned the car on it was making a terrible noise. So I drove over to Folsom lake Toyota service and the guy walked out and I told him what was wrong and he immediately said of course we’ll look at it, you have extended warranty so everything will be covered. At this point the car has 62,000 and it’s already April of 2020. An hour later the service guy calls me and tells me they figured it out, I need a new transmission. I couldn’t believe it. He said there were tiny metal shards in my transmission and that’s what was causing all the noise. After two weeks of fighting with the extended warranty people and Toyota I finally got a new transmission. But!! That whole time I kept asking the gentleman to check my O-2 sensor’s because I had noticed that my mpg had gone WAY down, it was at 340/tank, then I was only getting 250/tank. Tf?? They never checked it out. Jesus. What is wrong with all the service places? I mean after everything I spent more than 29,000 on this damn car. But even as shitty as it is, I’ll keep him. He’s a trooper, making it through the rough times we have and not getting the regular upkeep he needs.

But there’s also the fact that the tires are probably the most expensive thing to keep up. My car only takes 225/50R18 95V. Those are expensive as hell.

I bought a new 2019 Toyota C-HR was very happy because it was my first new car. I’m a single mother and I didn’t want the hassle to have any car problems. I even bought the maintenance package with my purchase so I will take it to dealer for maintenance. I heard a sound and notified the dealer about it but was told it would be extra just to check it. I couldn’t afford it. I was told by a friend that it sounded like the wheel bearing that I needed to replace it. The wheel bearing was 290 it took me a while to come up with the money. After I bought it I was told by the person that was replacing it that it wasn’t the wheel bearing that it was the transmission. By then I was out of warranty now I have to pay for a car that doesn’t work and i don’t have the money to fix it. I don’t know what to do now.

Bought a 2018 C-HR dealer certified with 10K in 2018. At 63K the transmission started making a loud whining noise that sounds like a turbine engine under the hood. The transmission has an issue. If you run it with the front wheels off the ground where you can stand beside it, it is extremely loud and the sound changes with the wheel speed, not engine speed. Mfg warranty ends at 60K. Most of the failures I have read about on the internet happen soon after 60K. I know Toyota is aware of this issue and they should be held responsible because it is extremely premature to have a transmission failure @ 60K. The fact that so many are failing at a similar mileage with the same complaint indicates this is either a design or assemble flaw. Either way Toyota should be held responsible since they are failing to stand behind their product voluntarily. It sounds like someone should start a class action suit.

My 2018 CH-R is making a whining/ humming noise when in motion. i have 89000 miles on it. I have had no issues up to this point, hope its not the transmission

2018 Toyota CHR. Transmission replaced at 70,000 miles. Now having battery drain issues where the vehicle won’t start and display screen resetting

I am thinking of buying c-hr am I wasting my money why with all these fault do toyota not do a recall and mend there reputation

2018 CHR, 63k miles and it needs a whole new transmission. Got the same humming noise with accelerating/reduced sound decelerating, almost like a motorcycle or lawn mower. I have found multiple instances of this occurring to others. No indicators or issues shifting except the sound. Had it serviced like clockwork and no accidents. Clearly a faulty transmission.

I have a 2018 CHR. Bought brand new in July 2017. No issues but I’m concerned about all these people talking about the transmission going bad. I think I’m gonna trade it off. The shitty thing is, I paid cash for it and don’t have a car payment but if I trade it off I will have a car payment. If Toyota is getting complaints about transmission going bad why won’t they issue a recall?

I have owned toyota for a while now and its doing fine, the sleek design of CH-R is popular amongst the peers. the only issue i am having after 120000 miles that i do not have any issues. i am so concerned

my 2021 toyota ch-r suddenly surge while i was parking on my work garage.i crashed forward backward rearending another car.until it finally stop and crashed the wall.I didn’t sustain any serious injury but i am so traumatized now everytime i drive to work and park.My car got totalled which had caused a lot of financial stress with my current car loan i have with them i will never trust toyota again.

Has anyone had the leather on the seats flake?

Never had one problem in 60,000 miles it’s a good car

Never had one problem in 60,000 miles

I bought a 2018 Toyota CH-R at the end of June 2020 in Texas and drove it home to Georgia. I took it for service right after the warranty expired, because of mileage, September 16, 2020. I paid for an oil change and right after the service, the car started being very sluggish to start and sometimes wouldn’t start unless I waited a few minutes. The car finally died around Thanksgiving. A mechanic stopped by the house and jumped the car and I was able to get it over to an Auto Zone. One of the techs put in a new battery, but because it wasn’t ‘re-set’, I began having a lot of issues with various warning lights going off and the steering wheel jerking away from me as I was trying to turn the corner. I pulled off the highway and into a gas station at one point and the car completely died. Then about an hour later when someone tried to help me with the car, the car mysteriously started again, but a few minutes into driving it home, all the warning lights went off again. Of course, the warning lights ultimately said to take the car to the dealership. I took it on Dec. 12, 2020 and they said they re-set it. As I was driving away from the dealership, the steering jerked from me again and I turned right around and they ‘re-set’ everything for me again. It started and drove fine until Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020. I went to vote and when I drove back home, the steering wheel jerked from me as I was driving into the driveway. I turned the car off and as I walked to my mailbox, I tried to lock it with the key fob and nothing happened. I went and tried to use the electric lock on the door and nothing happened. I got inside the car and noticed that everything was black. I locked the door manually, finished taking my things in the house and then came out to see about the car. I had to manually open the car door and there were still no lights. Then, I sat for a few minutes and tried it again, this time it started, but every warning light was on advising me to take it to the dealer. I’ve set up an appointment for tomorrow (12/29)and I’ve called and filed a complaint with Toyota. The battery and electrical system should not be dying every few days or weeks. The steering is not safe when it jerks away. Right after it does that a warning message appears saying that the power steering is not working and the electrical is not connected. I do not have a reliable car. I never know if it will leave me stranded.

I purchased my 2018 Toyota CHR in November 2017. Due to commuting about 100 miles/day due to where I lived in comparison to where I worked, I accumulated miles on the car. Out of nowhere, after reaching over 100,000 miles, the car began to make this humming noise…increasing with acceleration and decreasing with deceleration. When I told the Toyota dealership what was happening, they diagnosed it as it being my left front wheel bearing. Of course, I had it replaced and guess what? The noise was still there!! I’m going to take it back to see what story they cook up in comparison to what they’ve told other CHR owners. I think it’s really sad that Toyota knows there’s an issue with these CVT transmissions in this particular crossover and they are refusing to issue a recall. I have another 3 years to pay on this car so if I have the transmission replaced, the question is will it last? Even with trading it in for another vehicle, I’m running the risk of eating negative equity due to the amount of what I owe on this vehicle…it’s time for Toyota to take accountability and do something about this massive issue that is not only impacting loyal customers but is now causing damage to their reputation for making available to those customers safe and reliable vehicles.

I bought my CHR with 9k miles on it. I have brought it with a recording of the engine sounding more like a broken down lawn mower than what my car 1st sounded like. Here’s a shocker! They couldn’t duplicate! Nor could they duplicate the noise I constantly hear that most people hear when their Windows are down- that helicopter type of sound. It’s coming from my tires! They can’t figure it out or have any idea what the noise I’m talking about is. At high speeds it feels as though I’ve lost wheel weights and my tires have become completely unbalanced vibrating ridiculously. I have had the SAME issue with the emergency lights. I have had periods of them all just freakishly coming on at once while I’m very inconveniently ALONE at 3am on the side of the Rx. I’m disabled and didn’t buy a nearly new car to be sitting on the side of the road afraid of what will happen next. I have had the master warning light come on for the 2nd time now. The 1st time although I have rental car coverage I was told I had a almost 4 week wait to get an appointment with a “ Master Technician “. Someone please tell me what the hell the rest of the technicians are. Should they all not be “ Master Technicians? Why do you only get to see a “ Master Technician “ when your master warning light comes on? Perhaps if these “ Master Technicians “ worked on so many of the lengthy list of issues this car continues to rack up we wouldn’t have so many on going problems!! To ad to all of the above my master warning light is on again, this time my emergency brake won’t engage which doesn’t seem to fit the recall where it won’t disengage. Something is SERIOUSLY WRONG with the way this car is put together and I’m tired of wasting my time at the dealer if I can even get an appointment and am not left to just drive a car with a master warning light on when I in fact have rental coverage! This was my first Toyota purchase and to be honest although I NEVER thought I’d say this I’d sooner go back to Ford before another Toyota. As I recall this car is not the 1st car Toyota has had severely dangerous, possibly life threatening braking issues with. Something needs to be done, someone needs to be healed accountable. This all before, I even begin to touch on the fact that my rear brakes and rotors had to be replaced at 34k. That should never be and now my front brakes seem to be a problem! To continue to list the times and issues I have had with this car would just waste more of my time than has already been wasted in this piece of trash!

My 2018 Toyota CHR is having electrical/battery issues – less than 30,000 miles and something within the car is draining the battery overnight.

My car started humming keep get worse now at 125000 miles my transmission went out the electrical parking break malfunction had it tow to dealership cost me 100 to be told nothing was wrong went through 3 headlight on driver said and 2 on passenger said headlight cost 65 each wheel bearing replaced 2 battery

I got my CHR in May 2017 BRAND NEW and it’s been working fine until now I have this loud humming noise that is getting louder, and was informed by Toyota that it is my transmission it would be 10000 to fix and 5000 if I go to a company that they suggest…the car is only 2 1/2 years with 60,000 miles out of warranty and I’m stuck with a problem!

My 2018 Toyota CH-R had battery replaced in 2/2020 due to failing test, but was under warranty. Back for oil change 8/2020 and battery is failing the test again. Has anyone else been having battery issues??

2018 Toyota CHR….have had all maintenance and inspections, etc. as recommended by Toyota. I recently took it to the dealership because the car started sounding strange when accelerating and decelerating. The car has 76,000 miles on it (highway miles- not a lot of starting a stopping….). The dealership said it was my water pump so I forked out over 650 for a new water pump. Got in the car and it sounded the same. Took the car back in the next day and upon further inspection they said I need a new transmission. Quoted me 9500. i told them that is ridiculous….that my car has been maintained by Toyota (I have the Toyota care package) and has had no reported problems and now all of the sudden, without warning my entire transmission is faulty. The dealership agreed it is a bad situation and told me to please give them a couple of days to contact Toyota to see what they can do for me. I am awaiting a call from them.

I leased a 2018 CHR in November of 2018. I have spent more time at the dealership than the employees. I have written letters, I have complained and they sent some “professional technician from Boston and they all think I’m nuts. I wrote corporate and they had their legal team send me a letter saying none of my service records state there was ever a concern with vibration or grinding. I’m assuming that they edited them. I definitely know I mentioned this “minor” issue. I did’t ask for money, or a new car…. I wanted it fixed. I do have medical issues and drive back and forth a ton to the hospital and kept telling the dealership that I did NOT feel safe. Isn’t that enough. NO – – vibration, grinding, they could not find anything wrong with the car. I have until October to decide whether I want to turn it in, get a new different Toyota or go elsewhere – – I will be going to elsewhere.

2018 ch-r sounds like a helicopter 22000 miles has anyone else had this problem

My car radar is not working suddenly

I purchased my 2018 CH-R on July 2017 and by December 2017 my car was in the toyota shop due to the same problem. I paid out of 300 because they told me rats ate the cables of my car. Fine, by January of 2018 I was back in the toyota shop this time they said the samething about the rats but they would fix it since I was there not even a month ago. July 2018 I was driving and all the lights came back on, I went back to the toyota shop and they said it was something with the computer. They told me this problem was fixed. Well a year later and Im still having the same problems on random weeks/months specially when it rains or snow. I would be driving fine and the lights automatically come on which is concerning because I dont know if its something serious but to this point I just keep driving it and hoping these lights would turn off on their own a few days later like it happens all the time. It’s about to be three years and my car only has 6,000 miles because I am afraid of using it.

my 2018 Toyota CHR is having electrical/ battery issues – I have been without a car now 3 times and now I have to pay to replace a battery 450 on a car that is a 2018. I am told that a battery is a consumable item and this is normal. I don’t feel it is. the car has constant error messages and has had them since the beginning. Toyota is not taking responsibility for this. Help please!!

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Symptoms of a Bad Charcoal Canister (and Replacement Cost)

You’ve probably never considered what happens when the charcoal canister in your car goes bad. That’s because it’s possibly one of the most reliable parts of your vehicle.

The charcoal canister (aka: EVAP canister) is an essential part of the Evaporative Emission Control System (often shortened to “EVAP”). This system helps ensure that dangerous fumes from your gas tank aren’t released into the environment and instead puts them to work powering the engine.

There are times when this part is damaged or becomes faulty after years of use. Because charcoal canisters rarely degrade, it’s helpful to be familiar with the symptoms, so you know what to do next, and how much this repair will set you back.

How a Charcoal Canister Works

To put it simply, the charcoal canister in your car absorbs excess gasoline fumes and vapors that accumulate in your gas tank.

The charcoal in this part is activated carbon, which is manufactured to be very porous. These pores help maximize the amount of gas and toxins that the canister can absorb.

Here’s a video showing the inside of a typical charcoal canister:

Periodically, the charcoal canister empties by pushing this excess vapor into the engine through the fuel vapor vent line and purge valve.

Without the charcoal canister, these vapors would either collect in the gas tank or be vented from the car into the atmosphere. These vapors are often toxic and dangerous for the environment.

Because the canister collects this vapor and then uses it to power the engine, the EVAP system helps cars be safer for the environment and more efficient.

The relatively simple construction of the charcoal canister means that it’s generally self-sustaining. However, there are some situations where it gets damaged or wears out. One of the most common charcoal canister problems is caused by “topping off” your gas tank, which can cause an overflow of fuel to flood the canister.

Bad Charcoal Canister Symptoms

#1 – Check Engine Light

The computer in your car will often recognize that there’s a problem with your car’s charcoal canister before you do. Because this is a relatively autonomous car part, it’s generally not the first thing mechanics look for when diagnosing a check engine light.

Keep in mind the additional symptoms of a faulty charcoal canister so you can properly identify the cause of your engine woes.

#2 – Increased Emissions (or Failed Emissions Test)

If you’ve noticed that your car’s emissions have significantly increased, your charcoal canister might be at fault. The primary job of the EVAP system is to prevent excess gasoline vapor from being released into the environment.

You might notice that your car’s engine is running richer, or a more pungent fuel smell from your exhaust. Between the check engine light and increased emissions, a faulty charcoal canister can cause your car to fail your mandatory state emissions inspection.

#3 – Reduced Vehicle Performance

Because the EVAP system connects directly to the engine through the purge valve, trouble with your charcoal canister can impact your car’s performance. If this system is faulty, the purge valve can be stuck open, affecting your engine’s air-fuel mixture.

As a result, you might see a decrease in your vehicle’s performance. You might find you get fewer miles to the gallon, trouble starting your car, or a rough idle if your charcoal canister is defective.

#4 – Issues Filling Up Gas Tank

If your charcoal canister is saturated or the fuel vapor vent line is clogged, one of the first things you might notice is trouble at the gas pump.

You might be unable to fill your tank, or that the gas pump nozzle shuts off before your tank is full. If your canister cannot remove vapor from the gas tank, those fumes take up volume, minimizing the space you can fill.

#5 – Fuel Smell In or Around Your Car

A faulty charcoal canister will fail to collect fuel vapors before they escape your powertrain, which will cause a strong fuel smell around your car.

Sometimes, these noxious fumes may accumulate inside the cabin, which will be problematic for most drivers. These vapors can be dangerous after prolonged exposure and can cause headaches, confusion, or even loss of consciousness.

Can a Charcoal Canister Be Cleaned?

Some owners may be able to clean their charcoal canister using an air compressor. This process can help troubleshoot whether your canister is genuinely faulty, or if some of the lines are just blocked.

Generally, the process involves removing the canister from your vehicle and using the compressor to blow air through the canister at a specific PSI to clean it without damaging internal components effectively.

Make sure to check your vehicle’s emissions manual (if one is available) for more information on how to clean your charcoal canister. Also, never pour any liquids into the canister, as they can permanently damage this piece.

In most cases, cleaning the canister is not advisable and replacement should be done instead.

Charcoal Canister Replacement Cost

Best places to order parts? See: 19 Best Online Auto Parts Stores

The total cost for a charcoal canister replacement can range from 150-630. Depending on your vehicle’s make and model, a new part usually costs between 100 and 500. If you hire a mechanic for the replacement, you can expect to pay an additional 50 to 130 in labor.

Charcoal canisters are generally easy to access. However, working on the EVAP system can be a bit tricky, so make sure to check your car’s manual for more information on how to do this repair.

Is it Safe to Drive With a Faulty EVAP Canister?

In most circumstances, it is safe to drive with a bad charcoal canister. The biggest concern most owners will face regarding a damaged EVAP system will be that your vehicle will release more fumes into the environment.

If you’re a driver that is concerned about your carbon footprint, this may motivate you to fix your charcoal canister as soon as possible. But even if you sit on the other side of the climate change debate, replacing the canister should be a put on your to-do list.

However, if your defective charcoal canister causes a strong fuel smell inside your vehicle, you’ll want to expedite this repair. As already mentioned, being exposed to fuel vapors can be extremely dangerous. If you must drive, roll down a couple Windows to let fresh air into the vehicle.

Mark is a veteran auto technician who has honed his skills with over 19 years of service working at various independent shops. While Fords and Mazdas are his specialty, he enjoys working on practically any vehicle (except a Nissan 300ZX).

He’s known for his attention to detail and problem-solving skills and enjoys coming up with out-of-the box solutions when the situation requires it.

When he’s not troubleshooting customers’ cars, you’ll most likely find him working on his current project (’96 Bronco) or cooking Italian food for his family.

I actually bought a cheap electric pickup truck from Alibaba. Here’s what showed up

Some readers may recall that a few months ago I bought a cheap electric mini-truck on Alibaba. I know this because I’ve gotten emails almost daily ever since, asking if my Chinese electric pickup truck has arrived (with some humorously calling it my F-50). Well, now I can finally answer, “Yes!” and share with you exactly what I received.

But first, a tiny bit of background.

How did I buy a mini truck?

I originally found the truck while perusing Alibaba in search of a weekly nugget of gold for my Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week column.

I found a 2,000 electric truck that looked perfect, except that it was about 2:3 scale. And it only went 25 mph. And only had a 3 kW motor. And you had to pay extra for batteries, shipping, etc.

But glossing over all those hiccups, the truck looked as silly as it did awesome. It was a bit small, but had a lot of charm. So I started talking with the trading company (a little outfit known as ChangLi that also supplies a few importers in the US).

I was able to spec the truck with a hydraulic dumping bed, air conditioning, and a giant (for this small truck) 6 kWh lithium-ion battery.

Those upgrades cost me around 1,500 on top of the base price, plus I had to pay an outrageous 2,200 sea shipping rate, but at least my truck was on its way to me now.

Shipping an electric truck from China

The shipping process seemed to take forever. At first all went well, and a couple weeks after paying, my truck was headed to the port. It sat around for another couple weeks until it made it into a container and onto a boat, then six weeks later, the boat arrived in Miami. The only problem was that my truck was no longer on it. No one knew where it went and I spent several days calling the forwarding company, the logistics company, my customs broker, and the Chinese trading company. No one could explain it.

Finally, the Chinese trading company heard back from the shipper on their end that my container had been offloaded in South Korea and put on a second container ship – something about the water in port not being deep enough.

Long story short, the truck finally arrived in Miami, but then got held up in customs for a few more weeks. Once it finally popped out the other end of customs, I paid an additional 500 to some dude I found on Craigslist and he hauled the crated-up truck on a bigger flatbed truck to my parents’ property in Florida that would become the truck’s new home.

The cage it was shipped in was beaten to hell and back, but the truck was miraculously fine. There I unboxed the truck, a process for which I was glad to have charged up my angle grinder in advance. Ultimately the un-crating went decently well with only a few hiccups that I caught on video along with my first test rides (of course my dad and wife who were both on hand to watch the show unfold were quick to volunteer to test it out).

I was actually surprised by the fact that the truck was in such good condition after the long journey around the world. I guess preparing myself for a banged up truck helped keep my expectations low, and so I was shocked when the truck arrived nearly dent-free.

What showed up?

Believe it or not, the truck is actually even better than I had hoped.

It’s not particularly powerful, though the 3 kW motor and 5.4 kW peak controller give it plenty of low-speed oomph for hauling around on my parents’ property. The top speed is just 25 mph (40 km/h) but I rarely hit that speed on uneven ground around the fields anyways – more on that shortly.

The dump bed is awesome and I’ve already put it to good use collecting yard waste around the land and hauling it back to the dump pile.

The truck itself is surprisingly well-made in some regards. It features full metal body panels, electric Windows and doors with key fob for locking, and a full light package with blinkers, head lights, spot lights, tail lights, reverse lights, etc. There’s a backup camera, steel cargo rack and bed rack, high power charger, windshield wiper with washer fluid, and the air conditioning is even quite powerful (as tested in hot, humid Florida).

I can even connect my phone to the Bluetooth and play music or movies on the infotainment system.

The whole thing could use some better rustproofing as in a couple spots I can already notice a bit of rust after the months-long sea voyage.

This definitely isn’t a golf cart – it’s a fully enclosed vehicle, albeit a slow one. I was mostly driving off-road where I rarely got close to the top speed of 25 mph (40 km/h) due to the rough suspension, though I did a small amount of on-road driving to verify the speed, which was nearly exactly the promised 25 mph.

I didn’t do much road riding, though, mostly due to the next issue.

Are ChangLi cars and trucks street legal?

Unfortunately, these ChangLi cars and trucks are not street legal, nor are pretty much any Chinese-made neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs) or low speed vehicles (LSVs).

The issue is that these 25 mph EVs are in a federally approved class of motor vehicle (LSV) and there are actual Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that apply, believe it or not.

I used to think that NEVs and LSVs could be street legal as long as they went 25 mph and had equipment like blinkers, seat belts, etc. Unfortunately, that’s not correct. It’s waaaay more complicated than that.

The cars would actually need to fulfill a long list of requirements including having DOT parts throughout in order to be street legal. The glass has to come from DOT-registered glass factories, the backup camera has to come from DOT-registered backup camera factories, etc. It’s not enough to simply go 25 mph and have seat belts and blinkers.

Even if the cars had all the necessary DOT parts, the factory that produces them in China also has to be registered with the NHTSA to allow the cars to be street legal in the US. So while there are already a few US companies importing these into the US, some of which erroneously claim that the cars are street legal because they go 25 mph, the sad fact is that no we can’t actually register these cars or take them on the road. It would take a massive undertaking to either produce these in the US or build a factory in China that was DOT-compliant and could be registered with the NHTSA. Perhaps that explains why a 25 mph 4-seater Polaris GEM costs a head-scratching 15,000 with lead acid batteries and no doors or Windows!

How much did it cost, all in?

You often see these things listed at 2,000 or so on Alibaba and other Chinese shopping sites. The true cost is actually much higher. As I mentioned, right off the bat I had to add 1,000 for the big battery, 500 for the upgrades I chose, and 2,200 for sea shipping.

On the US side, I had to add in another 1,000 or so in duties and broker fees, plus some arrival charges. Ultimately I wound up north of 7,000 for the whole kit and caboodle. That’s definitely more than I was anticipating spending. Back when I made the order I had hoped to get away with 6,000 in damage.

While some people might call the final price a rip-off, consider the alternative. A crappy golf cart with flooded lead acid batteries starts at around 6,000 today. A halfway decent one is 8k. The really nice ones land in the 10-12k range. And even then, all you have is a golf cart. It’s not enclosed, meaning you get rained on. There’s no air conditioning. No wipers. No locking doors. No Windows (electric or otherwise). No adjustable bucket seats. No infotainment system. No sun roof. No truck bed with hydraulic dump, etc.

So while some people might consider this a glorified golf cart (and I must concede that they have something of a point), it is both cheaper than a golf cart and also much more capable with utility that you don’t get with a golf cart.

What now?

Even though the truck isn’t street legal, that’s fine with me. I didn’t get it for that purpose, and it certainly doesn’t have the safety equipment that would make me comfortable using it in traffic anyway.

Instead, it’s a work truck. I’ll use it (or more likely my parents will use it more than me) as a farm truck on their property. It’s already proven great for that task in the first couple of days I’ve had it. We’ve used it around the land for collecting fallen limbs and debris, for lugging moving boxes and gear around the property, and just for having fun riding around to visit the neighbors!

It sure beats a gas-powered UTV since I never have to fill it up or choke on exhaust. And the same goes for just getting some old beater gas truck – I prefer my fun little EV that can do everything I need around this place.

At this point I’m excited to start modifying the truck. It’s already a great base, though it could use some work. The suspension isn’t great and I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to do there. Some softer springs could be a decent start.

But I’ll also be working on some other additions. The truck could use some good rustproofing, so that’s another area to start.

I’m also thinking of putting a small solar panel on the top of the cab. Even a relatively low-power one, such as a 50W panel, could be fairly effective. Assuming 100 wh/Mi efficiency for the truck, even just a few miles of use around the property per day could be completely offset by passive solar charging.

I did a test with a Jackery 1500 solar electric generator and found that I could get a solid charge from the sun with 400W of solar panels, though it would require lugging around the unit and panels, or creating a semi-permanent installation somewhere around here.

I also want to add some mounts on the hydraulic lifting bed so my parents can pickup their trash cans and drive them down their country road-like driveway all the way to the public road for trash pickup.

I guess I should probably paint a racing stripe on it, too, so I can squeeze an extra few mphs out of it.

There are some other fun mods on my list as well. A bike ramp, a ham radio, maybe an AC inverter so I can charge devices like power tools directly from the truck’s 6 kWh battery. I’m open to suggestions too, if you have any ideas. Meet me in the Комментарии и мнения владельцев section!

And I’ll be sure to update further down the road to let you know how my mini-truck is holding up over time. Until then, catch you on the (dirt) road!

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Murray Lawnmowers

Home ownership is a central component of the American Dream. Almost everyone has visions of waking up in their own home in the suburbs on a Saturday and running out to play catch with the kids or hosting a neighborhood barbeque. Instead, we find ourselves waking-up on Saturday morning to a foot-high forest of grass in the backyard, and we spend our day caring for the lawn instead of enjoying it.

Murray Lawnmowers are designed to help you care for your lawn quickly and get on with life…they allow you to spend more time enjoying your yard, rather than caring for it.

Speed and Maneuverability

One of the most important considerations for many lawn owners is speed. Many low-cost mowers sacrifice power in order to lower the price, but this often leads to missed patches of grass that have to be re-mowed. Murray lawnmowers are equipped with powerful motors and designed with large wheels for easy maneuverability. Each aspect of a Murray is intended to get you done with maintenance quickly so you can enjoy your yard.

Variety: the Spice of Murray Lawnmowers

Murray produces many different models of lawnmowers. There are five lighter push models for those with smaller lawns such as might be found around a typical suburban home. Murray also make ten models of self-propelled walk behind mowers to make it easier to maintain larger lawns. Additionally, they produce eight models of riding or tractor style mowers for commercial properties or homeowners with large acreages. Murray even produces several electric models, which can be powered by either a battery or an extension cord. These models are designed primarily for very small patches of lawn located close to houses or apartments in urban areas.

Reliability: Where Murray Mowers Can Truly Shine!

Murray tends to spend less on advertising than many other brands such as John Deere or Toro, so they don’t have as much name recognition as those brands. They also tend to be sold at large discount stores like Walmart or Target, so they have a reputation as a discount lawnmower. Yet customers generally report satisfaction with all Murray models, and the riding models are particularly well regarded.

Murray mowers are usually priced much lower than their competitors, and most consumers are pleasantly surprised at the reliability of the equipment compared to the purchase price. All Murray lawnmowers have a two year warranty, but many owners report using their Murray for ten years or more without difficulty. Because their competitors are usually two or three times as expensive, it is possible to purchase a Murray every fours years and it would still cost less.

Common Complaints About Murray Lawnmowers

Of course, not all reviews of Murray are favorable. One of the major complaints regarding Murray lawnmowers has been their customer support. Their website seems geared primarily at the European market, and many Northern American consumers find it difficult to find either parts or authorized dealers by using the site.

They also do not have a list of products on the North American version of the site, so a United States owner or interested consumer has to navigate the European site to find available models. Additionally, it is usually difficult to find replacement parts for Murray lawnmowers at local supply stores, though they have made significant strides in making parts more available through online retailers, and their own site features a parts selection.

Murray has also suffered some unflattering press in the last couple years due to a large recall. A consumer safety group reported that the plastic covering used to shield the operator from debris was not strong enough and could crack under heavy use.

In other words, as the mower was cutting larger items like twigs the small pieces could pierce the shield and fly off in any direction and injure bystanders, whereas other manufacturers use metal or fiberglass shielding that is more resistant to damage. Though there were no reported injuries, Murray voluntarily recalled over eight thousand mowers and replaced the shields as a precautionary measure. Despite the commendable preemptive recall, Murray still is dealing with the negative public perception of product safety.

However, many of the complaints regarding Murray motors are common to any mowers. Repair shops have reported that people come in complaining about their “cheap Murray lawnmower” breaking down, but the repair person realizes that the owner was not using the machine properly.

For example, many complaints deal with a stuck blade, but oftentimes this is due to mowing the grass shortly after a rain. Almost any mower has difficulty with wet grass. Another common complaint is an oil leak, but Murray representatives have shown that this is typically due to either overfilling the oil reservoir or improper maintenance.

When Murray mowers are properly cared for, they tend to last for well beyond their published life expectancy.

Quality Under the Hood

Though they seem to prize their European market more than the United States, Murray mowers use American-made Briggs and Stratton engines. Briggs and Stratton is a Wisconsin-based manufacturer that has been producing high-quality engines direct to equipment manufacturers for over a hundred years.

Since the 1990s they have also reduced the carbon footprint of their engines by almost seventy-five percent, meaning that Murray motors benefit the environment beyond the borders of your lawn. Sometimes Murray lawnmowers are even sold under the Briggs and Stratton brand name in the United States.

Conclusion: Value, Variety and Power

Whether you have a small patch of grass in the city or a large homestead in the country, Murray makes a lawnmower to fit the size of your lawn. Because Murray distributes its mowers through discount stores, they also fit the size of almost any budget. When they are properly maintained, Murray lawnmowers can last as long or longer than more expensive brands, meaning that you can spend less money caring for your lawn and more on discovering new ways of enjoying it.

21 Комментарии и мнения владельцев

Reply Renee May 25, 2012 at 7:26 pm I purchased my Murray lawn mower around the Fall of 2001. After about two or three years I had to have something replaced because the gas was leaking into the well just below the motor. A friend advised that it probably wasn’t worth having it repaired but I did so anyway as the quote, including general maintance, was far less that it would have cost to purchase a new mower. That is when I began to take it in each Spring for general service/blade cleaning, etc. (may have missed a year or two). Anyway, I just took it in (missed 2012 Spring cleaning) because I could no longer get the cord to pull to start the motor. I was informed that the motor is gone. Apparently ten years is a good long life for a mower. My only complaints are 1) the size of the mower. I live in a row home with a front lawn that has a wall. If it were not for my neighbor having a lawn that slopes to the pavement I may not be able to get my mower up the steps to get to my lawn. 2) Emptying the bag is a bit of work. There are also two areas in the back to be mowed so that altogether these just about fill the bag. In light of all of the above I want to be certain to obtain a mower that will perform at least as well as and for as long as my Murray has. My query/delimma these days is can I obtain such for well under 300?

Reply James Taylor September 6, 2021 at 10:40 pm I definitely think you can get a new mower for under 300dollars ! I have a murry lawnmower and I would not trade it for any other mower!

Reply marshall June 29, 2012 at 4:49 am when i bought my first home i learned quick a lawnmower was a quickly needed item cause i was under a association so money was tight i went to sears and charged a craftsmen ez mulch mower. I cut the lawn twice it broke down, carb probs. They replaced it summer ended after four more mows and was garaged till following summer. Tried to start it. Was carb again now no longer warranted. What junk. growing up i mowed lawns in the neighborhood and ive used toro. john deere, mclain and you name it. no Honda ill admit that. Anyway after the house sold was at my fathers and him and the neighbor across the street were just crushed that murray was no longer and any way i ended up buying a used one from another neighbor and i tell you it looked to be on the last lap. That was five years ago and just two days ago i was cutting down a lawn in front of a abandoned house. Four feet tall this brush, bottles and sticks and bricks buried in it and that murray plowed it down like a damn tractor and ive seen new ones at wal mart under two hundred bucks. I agree with dad and neighbor murray is the best lawn mower ever sold and they dont need a big support staff cause the damn things dont ever break down. EVER! When it comes to lawn mowing buy a murray and you wont go wrong all ive done to this mower is change the back wheels and im convinced itll still mow down a mountain.

Reply Tahni Nichols July 7, 2012 at 3:15 pm I purchased a 22″ Murray push mower to mow a clean front back yard. After assembled adding recommended amount of oil at home I couldn’t pull start it. It was locked up. I took it back to the store and a young man lifted it up moved the blades around and it was then able to be started. He informed me that I would need to lift the mower to move the blades to “unlock” it. I returned it for another one. (I should’ve just got a refund!) I was able to pull start this one but it would sligghtly shake. I took it back to the store they checked to see if blades were loose but they were tight. I took it back home (stupid me). After I mowed my yard 3 times over a 6 week period the motor casing completely broke loose from the mower body. I am a home owner, a single mom and public school teacher and I can tell you that I will never purchase another Murray lawnmower.

Reply jimmy adams April 27, 2015 at 11:01 pm To the man that could mow down a moutain with a murry. Iv never seen any mover cut bottles bricks and glass.and 4 ft tall grass jungles with push mower sorry but there seems to be a little bit of stretching the truth there.

Reply Donald McCaughey September 1, 2012 at 10:31 pm The push mower ran good for 2 months, then started slow speed and would not run long. The air filter contained some sticky stuff hence bought a nother briggs Stratton filter and used oil in the filter. Changed the oil on the motor and the gas. Still will not run for long without stopping after a short time. I bought the mower at Walmart product model 961140025 01 and catalog M22450 cut width 22″ serial 032312M056201 hence still under warrantee so how do I fex the problem

Reply david November 14, 2012 at 1:14 am WHat model riding mower made had the rear wheels turn with the front? What year/years was it produced?

Reply Ron March 27, 2013 at 2:51 am I have a Murray Select 46″. 18.5 HP Twin BS mower, dark green in color, and trying to find replacement parts. The problem is the model # has wore off and can not read any of it. Not sure of year built. Any suggestions ? Thank you.

Reply Charles Sparks July 31, 2013 at 11:08 pm I have had a Murray zero turn for 7 weeks. It has been in the shop 3 of those. Wal Mart does not stand behind this item. Was directed by Wal Mart to contact Murray. They put me in touch with their service center. They could not fix it. Was told to take it to another service center which was 30 miles away. Asked if their people could help the center it was at. We informed it was not their problem and take it to another repair center. I tell everyone to stay away from any MTD product now. Have gone back to my 13 year old craftsman.

Reply barbara mills August 24, 2017 at 8:52 pm we bought a murray select riding lawn mower at wal mart april 2016 first thing to happen belt fell off then the right front tire fell off and the center of the right front wheel broke the right steering arm broke into and now up to this date the right front tire has fallen off 29 times this mower is JUNK JUNK JUNK. we will never buy a murray product again. my husband contacted wal mart and murray in may 2016 and 2017. they will not stand behind their mowers. paid 13hundred dollars for this piece of JUNK.

Reply barbara mills August 24, 2017 at 8:54 pm and the handle to make mower go at a faster speed broke 3 times!! etc

Reply Joe Thomas May 7, 2014 at 8:24 pm We bought a Murray weed eater and I tried to go online to get information about it. I went to the Murray website and all I got was a runaround when I entered my model number it would say “0 matches found for that model number” which shouldn”t have surprised me considering what a huge piece of crap the weed eater is I should have known their website would be worthless too. I am telling everyone who asks me about how Murray lawn products are that they aren’t worth CRAP ! We also have a 20 inch Murray mower that is apiece of shit also!

Reply terrence moore July 13, 2014 at 8:01 pm I bought a Murray 12 1/2 HP 40″ rider with 5 speed transmision in July of 1995. Model# 40702×92c. That makes it 19 years old and it is still doing its job as well as when new. I live on a 1/4 acre lot in Illinois so I only have to now about 7 months a year. The only problem I had was that about 5 years ago when I was getting it ready for the mowing season I noticed that it had some gasoline in the crankcase. In the winter weather the float valve was leaking and letting the carb flood into the cylinder and thus the krankcase. I changed the oil and installed a 4 shut off valve in the gas line and have had no problem since. The Briggs and Stratton engine still runs strong and uses no oil. I would buy another Murray in a heartbeat.

Reply Jim Wang August 10, 2014 at 2:43 am Buy Murray 22″ Gas-Powered High-Wheel Lawn Mower from Walmart is a lemon I bought this Murray 22″ Gas-Powered High-Wheel lawn mower on July/2013 with three years’ WalMart product care plan. First it works well for a few grass cuts, after a whole winter sleep in my garage, in April/2014 when I want re-use it to cut my yard grass again, it can not starting. I tried all the methods as the manual said, as change the new gas, wash the filter, etc., but still can not starting. I filed the claim online and called the 877-968-6391, and asked them for the repair service, but the stuff told me since my lawn mower still under the manufacture warranty, and I must go to Briggs Stratton’s service partner for repair. After several calls, I bring my lawn mover to the service man, but been told that this problem probably caused by the “gas stale”. and not under the Briggs’ warranty since it is not the defects of the manufacturer, and I must first pay 25 for inspection, after find the problem, I should pay 65/per hr service charge, therefore I had to bring back the lawn mover to home. I called the Walmart Care again, the stuff told me should contact the Murray, since this lawn mover was produced by Murray, after several calls, I brought the lawn mower to Murray’s service partner, again, almost completely like the Briggs, the Murray also do not warranty for the “Gas Stale” problem, and must charge me like Briggs, and I had to bring back my machine. I re-called the Care again, the staff told me to bring my machine to another Walmart product care plans partner service (24 Miles away from my home!), and I had to bring my machine to there. You guess, what will happening? The service man told me, this problem is also not under Walmart’s warranty, Walmart just mimic the Briggs and Murray’s warranty, even after the two years’ manufacture warranty end, Walmart won’t pay them to repair this problem, and they must charge me 85, that is half the new machine price! I had to bring my machine go back 24 miles to home again. The service man also show me the display sample machine parts, after only 30 days of gas use, there are a lot of deposits on the lawn mower parts, and caused the engine not working, but Briggs denial this is a design defects, neither the manufacturer’s warranty! That is why many lawn mower professional sells company do not sell Briggs and Murray’s lawn mower any more now! Now four months past, I like a foot ball played by Walmart’s product care plan, my lawn mower still sleep in my garage for no use. The Walmart Product Care Plans write very good: “Protect your purchase above and beyond the manufacturer’s limited warranty…If your product fails, simply file a claim online or calling. We are here to help 24hr a day, 365 days a year…For items 150 and above, our team of experts will either fix your item and ship it back to you, or repair it in your home!”. I submitted twice of this review in Walmart Murray 22″ Gas-Powered High-Wheel Lawn Mower web page, but they do not want publish it, neither give me a inform or answer! If you want spend money to buy the endless trouble like my experience, just try it!

Reply Ron September 4, 2016 at 4:35 pm Just have to say NO ONE, not murray, not john deere, not FORD, or toyota, and anyone else that makes gasoline engines warranties against you leaving gas in the carb and tank all winter, that is a failure of owner maintenance. Tank should have been drained and carb run dry, especially ethanol blended fuel. I have no love of murray, but you can not throw your stupid on them.

Reply mistermax May 24, 2015 at 9:55 pm Sorry to hear all the negative Комментарии и мнения владельцев re: Murray. I bought a 11hp 38″ cut Murray Riding Mower in 1981. Never maintained it properly and in 2012 it stalled while I was cutting my lawn. My repair guy said something is going on in the engine. I told him the Murray did me well for over 30 years. Keep it. I’m sure he fixed and sold it for a nice profit. I had a backup John Deere after that, nothing bit trouble. Now I need another Tractor and am afraid to buy another Murray because of all the negative Комментарии и мнения владельцев.

Reply Ken Tennis September 1, 2016 at 6:22 pm I bought a Murray 22″ mower in May 2015 and used it once. It has never started again except when I took it to a repair shop and had it ‘repaired’ at my expense since I couldn’t find my receipt and they won’t do anything without the receipt. when it failed to start the 2nd time I tried to use it i found the receipt and took it to the same shop. Thay are an authorized Briggs and Stratton repair facility. They called today and told me the carburetor is bad and Briggs and Stratton and Murray will not repair it under the 2 year warranty. WTF. No more Murray or Briggs and Strattons will ever come into my home again. I have found hundreds and hundreds of complaints of the same thing with the Murray/Briggs Stratton partnership. Guess I’ll buy electric everything from now on since B S is making the carburetors out of LASTIC and probably in China.

Reply Ken Tennis September 1, 2016 at 6:23 pm Oh yeah. This mower has been used ONCE for about 20 minutes. A piece of JUNK.

Reply Cam May 28, 2017 at 2:19 pm People NEED TO STOP USING GASOLINE WITH METHANOL (the most common gasoline). It is not good for carburated engines……wrecks havoc inside the carb and elsewhere. Find non methanol gasoline…it is just a little more (usually high test).

Reply Austin Idol October 31, 2017 at 7:06 pm My Murray had a Tecumseh engine. I had that mower for 16 yrs. And even the 16th year it wouldstart on the first pull. EVERY time.The only reason I gave it away is because I couldn’t find a used mower that the engine would fit without some fabrication. Too much for me,I absolutely HATE Briggs Stratton. When I buy something with a BS, I winder how many pulls is it going to take to start this one? My mower now, a yardman (couldn’t find any Murrays) has a BS, I shut it down to empty the bag thr fker won’t start 90% of the time until it cools for 5 or so. It’s bullshit.

Reply Douglas Johnson May 26, 2019 at 7:14 pm I have a walk behind Murray mower that is one year old and won’t run. I tried fresh gas cleaned the plug and still no start. I am sorry i ever bought it.

What to Know About Over-the-Air Updates for Cars

Cory Gunther

@xguntherc

Car over-the-air updates can fix problems on the fly and improve your vehicle over time. However, OTA updates come with pros and cons.

Depending on the car you drive, you take it to the dealership for a repair when something breaks or if you get a recall notice. But on a newer car or an EV, you’ll get an OTA update, and the vehicle will update itself.

These updates happen automatically, right from your home, allowing automakers to quickly and conveniently make changes to a vehicle. I don’t know about you, but that’s much better than dealing with the “stealership.”

Now that more automotive manufacturers are taking advantage of this technology, car buyers have many questions. So, here’s what you need to know about car over-the-air updates, how they work, and what to expect on your next vehicle.

How Automotive OTA Updates Work

These days, cars are basically a computer full of hardware and software similar to a smartphone. And just like your iPhone gets iOS updates or your PC receives the latest Windows software, cars are now starting to get the same over-the-air (OTA) updates.

Car OTA updates fix problems, add or change features, and make changes to your vehicle without going to the dealership or a service center. These updates arrive wirelessly, over-the-air, with a wireless connection like 4G/5G or Wi-Fi. Updates on cars usually download and install themselves automatically.

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There are two main types of updates in two different categories. Your vehicle will get software over-the-air (SOTA) or firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) updates. New software is more common than upgraded firmware.

Car SOTA vs. FOTA Updates

With a software OTA, you’ll get updates and improvements to the car’s user interface, display, maps, companion apps, and things of that nature. Similar to how your phone has quick app updates or entire device upgrades that arrive as major releases and make significant changes.

Automotive SOTA updates typically change the experience and are non-safety related, while FOTA updates address critical drive systems.

Think of it like this; software is more for the user experience, while firmware is for the computer system’s ability to operate the car safely, correctly, and within legal limits. For example, Tesla recently released a massive holiday software update (SOTA) with upgrades to the infotainment system, climate controls, the software interface, and added Steam so owners can play PC games while a car charges.

While software updates can change a vehicle’s ability to drive, brake, and operate, they’re typically not critical updates. A critical system update will come through a firmware upgrade. Companies like Tesla and Rivian can easily release firmware upgrades, while most car manufacturers mainly release SOTA updates.

To send an OTA update to a vehicle, it needs connectivity (Like Wi-Fi or 5G) and onboard computer hardware, also known as a (TCU) telematics control unit. These computers talk to the manufacturer, like Tesla, and accept software and firmware updates. Most car makers are automotive manufacturers, not software companies, which is why they’re behind in this regard. That’s also what currently gives Tesla an advantage in the market.

Car Over-the-Air Updates and Recalls

As more vehicles rely on software for everything, we’re starting to see a bit of confusion regarding recalls. On an older model, when an owner gets a recall letter, they typically take the vehicle to the dealership for a repair or update.

Whenever there’s a safety-related issue, the NHTSA issues a “safety recall,” even if the automaker doesn’t have to fix anything physically. This is confusing, and that legal gray area will only grow as more people turn to electric vehicles.

On newer cars, especially electric vehicles, many “recalls” are easily fixable via a software update. For example, Tesla issued 17 recalls in 2022, which sounds like a lot. However, all of those were quick software updates, and only one required a physical hardware fix.

Manufacturers can make changes remotely thanks to embedded devices and computers on modern vehicles. Tesla receives a lot of negative press in the media over its recalls, but as noted by Electrek, they’re typically just quick software updates.

For example, Toyota recalled my Tacoma due to the blinker bulbs being too hot and melting the headlight plastic. That’s a physical fix. On the other hand, Tesla issues many recalls, but when the NHTSA safety recall notice goes out, a software OTA update is already hitting vehicles.

While OTA updates won’t completely eliminate the need to go to a dealership, sitting in line, dropping off your car, and waiting days for a fix will start happening less and less.

Pros and Cons of Car OTA Updates

Like everything, there are both pros and cons to getting automotive OTA updates. Owners can save time and money by avoiding the dealership, and dealerships can save money on maintenance and labor costs. By fixing stuff remotely, everyone wins.

Another benefit is getting new features on your vehicle. Rivian recently added a bunch of helpful software controls to its electric truck and SUV, but that update also increased driving range. With car OTA technology, your vehicle can and will improve over time. OTAs allow for Rapid technological advancement, including self-driving and other autonomous modes.

However, there are plenty of cons related to connected cars. The first one is privacy, as manufacturers know everything about what you do, where you go, and how you drive. We don’t know how our data gets used or collected. Security risks are a concern, too, and one teenager recently hacked over two dozen Tesla cars and was able to make them drive off autonomously. Yikes.

Another con is that manufacturers can make changes in a matter of minutes with a quick OTA update, for better or worse. We’re seeing brands like Mercedes-Benz lock EV performance behind a paywall and make owners pay a yearly subscription fee for increased performance.

During the California wildfires a few years ago, Tesla unlocked the battery in cars and temporarily gave owners more range from a fully charged battery. Why doesn’t the car always have that range? Imagine a gas-powered car getting 30 MPG but a company limiting that to 20 MPG unless you sign up and pay for a “MPG subscription.” Ew!

Another potential drawback is that technology doesn’t always work as expected, especially software updates. How often does a new iOS update mess up your phone, change features, or cause problems? Is that where cars are headed?

Will Your Next Car Have OTA Updates?

Enabling car OTA updates is a complex process. Automakers must work with new software teams, cybersecurity specialists, the government, wireless providers, app developers, and vehicle owners. Software-defined vehicles (SDVs) are quickly becoming mainstream, and your next new car will likely be capable of at least some form of OTA updates.

Dozens of car manufacturers have started employing OTA software and firmware updates over the last 5-10 years, and that number is only going to climb. As vehicles become more advanced, connected, and Smart, the need for automatic OTA updates will continue to grow. Our cars will improve over time, but they are one more gadget in our daily lives that will eventually need the latest software release.

In closing, automotive OTA updates are here to stay and benefit both car owners and automakers. Aside from some obvious downsides, it’s a win-win for just about everyone involved.

Cory Gunther Cory Gunther has been writing about phones, Android, cars, and technology in general for over a decade. He’s a staff writer for Review Geek covering roundups, EVs, and news. He’s previously written for GottaBeMobile, SlashGear, AndroidCentral, and InputMag, and he’s written over 9,000 articles. Read Full Bio »