Toro Lawn Mowers and Snow Blowers

Broken Deck under warranty, not covered - I purchased a Toro lawn mower a little less than 5 years ago for about $500. There is a 5-year warranty that covers everything and also guarantees the mower to start in two pulls for 5 years. I have always maintained the mower at the beginning and end of every season, I store the mower inside, and frequently clean the under side of the deck. I paid a lot of money for the mower and had intentions of it lasting many years. My yard is a very well-kept yard with large flower beds, a veggie garden, deck, patio, and large walk path. It is only 0.24 acres. It also has a house and garage, and garden shed on the property so as you can tell, the actual grass area is fairly small so there shouldn't be an issue of me mowing a large amount of grass.

The deck of the mower is falling apart. Chunks of the deck are actually falling off the mower into the yard. I took the mower to a Toro dealer and they contacted Toro. Toro claims that I must have hit something or dropped the mower and caused the damage myself! It is very obvious this didn't happen, as you can see pieces of the deck actually crumbling away. If there were a collision (there wasn't), you would see a large broken piece or something like that. I don't mow commercially, I have never taken the mower off my property to mow another property etc. I am the only one who has ever used the mower. I know what has happened to it and how it has been handled.

Toro is denying my claim. I cannot believe a company that is supposed to be one of the best, has equipment that falls apart with such little use! I also can't believe that they can legally not honor the warranty. Can I take them to small claims court or something similar? It is very easy to see pieces of the machine falling off, and I have collected a few samples. I grew up in Montana and running equipment on a farm, and I know that this is a failure and not a user-error. For the cost of this mower they should be bending over backwards to set this straight. Why do they warranty an item if it will never be honored?

We have a Toro Zero Turn Mower that we paid $3000 for five years ago. The back right wheel keeps breaking and falling off. We have had it repaired twice now and the wheel is off again. It is not breaking in the weld but in the axle itself. When calling to talk to Toro, they let me know that I can bring it in to a dealer and let them look at it to see what's wrong with it. The wheel is lying on the ground, people! That is what is wrong.

The lady already told me how much the part is ($223), and so I asked her, "So I'm paying for someone to come get it, since it's in the back of my property, then paying for them to look at it (and tell us the axle is broke and the wheel fell off), pay for labor? That should run about all together, $400 roughly." She said that sounds about right. I've already put $300 in it this year alone and haven't used it yet. The wheel keeps falling off! You can't talk to the CEO of the company; he doesn't talk to people. His name is Micheal Hoffman, CEO of Toro. I was then told that their product is good and doesn't have any problems, but yet, I've read on consumer report of other mowers with the same problem. Do not buy this product, Toro. They won't stand behind it.

I bought a Toro Riding Mower in 2007. I Paid $300 for the 4-year extended warranty. After about a year, it started shredding the mower deck belt about 3x per year. I just replaced it myself each time. I finally figured out why. The pulley bracket was broken off the mowing deck, causing the belt to rub on the edge of the pulley. So, I called the warranty hotline and they had Altaquip come pick up the tractor. A few days later, a woman called from Altaquip and said that it just needed a belt and a tune up. I told her to look again because the deck is broken. She called back the next day and said it needed a new deck and that they would order the part.

10 days later, they called and left a message that the mower was ready. I called back and the woman at Altaquip said that there was a balance of $609 for the new deck. When I told her it was supposed to be under warranty, she said "You approved the estimate." I never approved any estimate and was not aware that the warranty claim was denied. I never would approve a bill of $609 for a tractor that costs $800.

I called Home Depot's Warranty Department and they had no record of the claim ever being submitted by Altaquip. Finally, Altaquip submitted the claim and that was after the work was done on the tractor. But it was denied.

It turns out that the extended warranty on this riding mower does not cover the mower deck. That is completely ridiculous as that is the only thing that makes this machine a lawn mower. Without the deck, it's just an engine with wheels.

I am livid that the extended warranty that I was told was comprehensive, does not cover a huge portion of the tractor. I never would have bought the extended warranty if I had known that. This exclusion on "decks" - not mowing decks, just says "decks" - is buried in the fine print of the contract along with nozzles, chains, trimmer heads, augers, and other parts that don't apply to riding mowers.

Also, I'm very upset with Altaquip for doing the work on my tractor without telling me it was not covered. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say they're mistaken in saying I approved the estimate. I know that there was never any mention of the claim being denied or a cost to me until after it was too late.

The manager of the Altaquip branch has since called me, and offered to "come to an agreement". He's supposed to get back to me with a proposed cost. We'll see. I really just want my tractor back with the broken deck so I can have someone else fix it. I'm sure it can be welded for $40 rather than replaced for $600.

I will not be making another large purchase from Home Depot and recommend that others stay away from the extended warranty. Don't believe what the store employee tells you. They probably only know what they've been told to say. Read every little bit of fine print before handing over any money. They have a hundred ways written into the contract for them to get out of paying for anything.

I had made a purchase of a Toro Lawn Mower that stopped working and I cannot get any help from Toro under their warranty. I still have 2 months under the manufacturer warranty and the mower has not been used but 11 times and we have a very small yard. Approx 5 hrs total use. Toro will not repair the mower because they cannot warranty a product that uses Gasoline with ethanol as an additive. Gasoline cannot be purchased in the US that does not have ethanol. All gasoline has the additive.

I bought it brand new in November 2009 and have used it four times. It worked great until 5th time.

The pull cord was seized, and when it finally pulled, gas was pouring from the carburetor. I took it to the dealer where I purchased it, and remarkably, there were four other customers there for the exact same problem. I searched the web for a recall but could not find one. I have heard of similar recalls on other Toro machines for fire hazard with leaking carbs. Very strange indeed!

Subject: Toro Snowthrower, Model #38585, Serial #290001780, with Tecumseh engine model LH195SPO, Spec: 67529D, DOM 08254CE0055. Purchased blower 2 Jan 2009.

Has an inherent safety/design fault, i.e. "Starting Kickback." One pulls the recoil start handle and pull handle is immediately ripped out of your hand. What is happening is the engine is apparently backfiring and making motor spin backwards and pulling string back into unit causing hurtful damage to your hand/fingers along with possible internal engine damage.

Albeit not an every start event, when it occurs, the kickback hurts terribly. Since 27 Sept. 2010 (2 1/2 months ago), unit has been at local Toro dealer. Dealer has personally experienced the kickback twice, latest 5 Dec 10. Unit has been repaired under warranty 1/29/09 (replaced intake valve, flywheel key, ring-chute, screw plate, recoil handle). It has also been repaired 10/11/10 under warranty, replaced camshaft. I have written Toro HQs 4 times since 16 Nov 10. (Case#xxxxx, ref: ******), fully detailing history of fault(s) and repairs to date.

Due to ongoing/considerable cost to me in time and money, along with unit being hazardous, I requested Toro refund me $709.99 (amount I paid for this unsafe unit) and after which unit be immediately returned to Toro HQs for any further analysis desired. Both local dealer and Toro HQs have ignored my pleas for resolution. I refuse to be a part of any further "field testing" of a Toro product. I have been a long time Toro product(s) owner due to their past good reputation for quality. However, I am totally disappointed with Toro's selling such an unsafe Snowthrower and then ignoring my request for refund.

Recall on Snowblower. Having problems with Toro providing parts to the dealer to repair the recall.

I own a $2,500+ Toro Zero turn mower-model #74327 that has a broken rear axle. I believe that there was a design flaw that causes this to happen because of others having the same problem. Toro does not sell the weak original style axle anymore. You must purchase a "conversion kit" that replaces the weak 3/4 inch axle (part #106-8685) with a stronger 1 inch axle (part #115-5039).

The kit alone costs more than $150. I think that Toro is aware of this because of the redesign and should have become a recall. I called Toro and they told me to bring it to a Toro authorized repair center "for diagnostic (for a fee). The problem is easy to diagnose. Iit would take less than a minute to look and see that the wheel fell off and obviously see the broken axle! I do not think that I should have to pay for this. I really think that Toro should do the right thing for the consumers here. Thanks for your help!

I purchased a Toro Model 426 and was very disappointed by the lack of power. I thought it was a twenty horse power but acted much less. I'm stuck with a machine that takes me twice the time to mow my two acres of grass.

In the spring of 2000, I purchased a Toro lawn mower at Home Depot.The second time I mowed with it the engine rmp's went way high. It then quit running.After being told to take it back to Home Depot by several dealers,Ace Hardware agreed to work on it. They discovered that a screw had came out of the carburator.It bent a exhaust valve. It took about a week to get it fixed, which I didn't mind because I had an older Toro mower to fall back on. When I got it back the 1st thing I noticed was it smoked alot.This mower went back 3 more times because of the same problem. They did little things like put Toro oil in it, etc.

The problem was still there, every time I mowed, I had to add oil and on several occasions had to change spark plugs to get it to start (oil fouled)I repeatedly called Toro and they finally told me to take it to Valley Lawn & Sport in Burnsville,Mnn. I took it over there and a week later they told me it was done. Although still in the warranty period they charged me about $50. They said they took the cylinder head off and found nothing wrong with it. I took it home and it still did all the same things. I called Toro repeatedly, and they told me point blank there was nothing they could do for me. They finally told me to call Wisconson Magneto, the builder of Briggs & Straton.They would not do anything either.

I dejectedly put it in the storage shed, very unhappy. The next spring I decided to take another approach before it was out of warranty. I called Ed Veitts at Valley Lawn & Sport. I asked him if he would have a mechanic take it home and mow his yard to determine if it was leaking oil. He called back and said that indeed it did burn oil and would contact Wisconsin Magneto,and they approved putting in a new short block after coming out and looking at it.(the engine minus the carburator and heads).

After a couple weeks they called and said it was ready. I asked Ed the owner if I now would get back my $50. He replied " only if you have the original repair slip". I went out to my truck and got it. He grudgingly gave me back the money. On my way out he said " my mechanic said you ran the hell out of that mower". I replied, no Ed I put it in my storage shed and didn't use it the rest of the season. Ed replied, "that's not what my mechanic said" I asked Ed if he was calling me a liar. He replied, "I guess so". I replied that I wasn't going to do business with Ed again. He said, I'd appreciate that. I took it home and used the mower that was just fixed. It quit running and I was releived to see that that the spark plug had just fallen out.

I didn't have a lot of confidence in that mower anymore and continued to use my old Toro.It was used spareingly by my wife because the steel deck was lighter than the aluminum decked, older Toro. She doesn't mow the lawn much so it seen very little use, and stayed in the storage shed most of the time. In the middle of the summer in 2008, my old Toro finally broke down. I didn't have the time to look at it, so I started using the newer,troublesome mower.In the fall, it would not suck up yard leaves, like my older one. I was using it this summer, when the Personal Pace quit working. I took it apart and seen that the gear designed gearbox had stripped gears and very little grease in it. The gears were running dry. I took it apart and was told a new gear box would cost $115. In about 2 years of mowing that part had also failed. I rebuilt the gearbox myself, but the time and money I had in it didn't really make it worth it. This has been a lousy mower.

In August 2007 I purchased a brand new mower model 20070 electric start with a Tsumech engine. I followed all the instructions on oil changes and care. This spring it started up and ran well, however after a few uses it refused to start. (so much for their guaranteed to start claim)

The local sales office claimed that the cause was lack of engine oil though the dip stick showed about three quarters full. I was told Toro would not honor the warranty because of their finding and also because I had purchased the mower from Ebey. I am positive the engine was never low on oil. I found out after wards that this engine was discontinued and replaced by a brigs & stratton engine. To me something stinks about this whole transaction.

I saw a Toro Push Lawn Mower on sale at the Home Depot in Broussard, LA. On the mower, there was a sticker that stated something like "Guarenteed to Start within 2 Cranks for 2 years". There were no markings on the sticker. I bought this mower on July 10, 2008 for about $280.00. I used the mower at least once a week, for about 9 weeks. Each time I used the mower, it was for about 40 minutes. I keep the mower stored in my shed.

I brought the lawn mower to a certified TORO service dealer in Youngsville, LA. The repair shop fixed the lawn mower, but they told me it would cost about $40 to fix it. The problems was that the throttle cable needed to be oiled and a new air filter was needed. I questioned why this was not covered under warranty, especially when I only had the lawn mower for about 2 1/2 months. I was told that this was considered by the TORO Company as regular maintenance, and thus not covered by the company warranty.

Rest assured that I will not ever buy one of their products again

On September 30, 2006 we shelled out $1678.00 for a Toro lawn tractor. Immediately we began having problems.

1. Immediate problems with belt jumping off the blade drive.

2. October/November 2006 Drive bolt sheered so mower no longer worked on the tractor. Take in for service. 2-3 hours of our time to take the tractor in for service, 1-week wait time.

3. Continuous problems with drive belt coming off blade pulleys.

4. May 2007 Left front wheel disconnects from steering column. Tractor cannot be steered. 2-3 hours to take the tractor into the service station. 2 1/2 weeks wait for repairs.

5. July 11, 2007 Drive belt will not stay on and mower deck in inoperable. Taking into have service done after Toro refused to refund our money or replace the unit. We are told the next wait will be 1-2 weeks.

Total hours of operation according to their time meter is 11.2 hours. Lawn has been cut less than two dozen times since unit was purchased.

Toro will not even consider a refund. The area service manager John Retzer told me if I take any legal action they will not help with the problem at all. Retzer told me not to worry about the grass its been dry?.

Time off work for me and my wife every time we need to haul the tractor into the service center. prodcut not living up to the implied warranty. Can't get our money back. Toro is the worst compnay I have ever delt with, donlt trust the name!

I purshased this mower from home depot in 11253. I didn't set the mower up until 0214 and used it twice to mow my lawns. Attempting to mow them again in 04204 the mower would not start. After much fiddling and changing the gas, plug etc it still would not start.

i called Toro who suggested I take it to a authorized dealer they recomended. I did so and was informed the gas had gone bad and I would have to pay to have the carburretor cleaned ($50.00) I wasn't very happy about this as the mower comes with a 2 year, full coverage warrenty and has, stamped clearly on its engine GTS Guaranteed to Start but Toro claimed it was my fault for leaving gas in the tank. The authorized dealer said I shouldn't leave the mower in the sun, which I didn't. Nevertheless I paid the $50.00 and then built a new shed so this delicate machine would have some place nice to stay.

I've used the machine once since then, its LA and the grass doesn't grow too fast, and now 07124 it will nto start again. Again i contacted Toro and again they have come up with the same excuse, bad gas. I've had gas mowers before and never had this problem but Toro insists the warrenty and the GTS statement to not apply. Am i the only one having a problem with this mower? It certainly wasn't cheap to buy. Am I justified in expecting Toro to honor their warrenty?