P1121 and P1116 Under Warranty?

The emissions warranty for CA is 15 years or 150k miles. So you probably are covered for an emissions related failure.

 

Since the car has failed a Smog Check test, it’s the Performance Warranty coverage that applies, subject to its terms and exclusions. As the Owner’s Warranty Information (PDF) booklet states on page 22, that warranty covers “all necessary repairs and adjustments [...] to ensure that your vehicle passes the test.”

I’d suggest confirming the following:

• The car is within the 15-year time limit. Some 2008 model year vehicles might have been built and sold in 2007, so check the date of first use on Toyota’s Vehicle Specification page. You can also check the manufacturing date, listed in MM/YY format on the certification label inside the left front door. If either date is on or after November 2007, the time limit hasn’t yet been reached.

• The car is within the 150,000 mile distance limit. That should be obvious, since you’ve said the mileage is 120,000 or so, but make sure that the odometer is working, the title doesn’t indicate an odometer discrepancy, and there aren’t any labels indicating that the odometer was replaced.

• None of the other exclusions stated under “What Is Not Covered” on pages 12, 13, and 24 applies. Note that the exclusion for salvage or total-loss vehicles “does not apply to the emission control warranties.”

You could then take the car back to the dealer. As described under “If Your Vehicle Fails a Smog-Check Test,” page 26, be sure to give them a copy of the Smog Check report.

That’s the catch-22 of warranty repairs. The booklet states on page 21, “Where a warrantable condition exists, Toyota will repair your vehicle at no cost to you, including diagnosis, parts and labor,” but you might have to agree to be responsible for the dealer’s diagnostic fee, in case the cause turns out to be one that wouldn’t be covered, such as damage from vandalism or rodents eating the wires, or a faulty hybrid battery, for which coverage ends after 10 years. The latter is unlikely; the Repair Manual (more info) procedures for diagnostic trouble codes P1116 and P1121 don’t list the hybrid battery among the potential trouble areas.

If the dealer still insists on a diagnostic fee in advance, you can follow the steps under “If You Need Assistance,” pages 4–5: ask for the dealer’s customer relations manager, call the Toyota Customer Experience Center (1-800-331-4331), and if necessary, make a claim under the California Dispute Settlement Program. Because Toyota was required by California regulations to offer the Performance Warranty, you could also complain to the California Air Resources Board (1-800-242-4450).

 

What happened with this? Did you get it covered? If not how much was it? I had my catalytic converter stolen, then covered, now I am getting those same two codes, among other things that happened after I covered the cat. If the warranty didn't cover it, how much did it cost to fix these?

 

You can answer the "Did you get it covered?" yourself by reading #3 above.

These codes are not at all related to your catalytic converter saga, so you can put that out of your mind.

A competent mechanic with some previous experience should be able to handle this without the need to go to a Toyota dealership. Insist on OEM parts though.

$300- $600 should cover both codes.