Can the Toyota app help track my car's delivery status?

Hey everyone, hopeful future Prime owner here.

I put down a non-refundable deposit, and my dealer gave me the VIN. When I asked about the estimated delivery, he just said it was “off the boat and being processed” and should arrive in a few weeks.

I’m a bit paranoid that he might be stalling or has sold the car to someone else for a higher price.

I saw that the VIN lookup loophole was closed recently, but some RAV4 owners mentioned they could track their car’s progress through the Toyota app. I added my VIN to the app, and at first, it showed “Odometer: N/A” and no charge status. But now it shows “Odometer: 4 miles,” “194 miles to empty,” and “0% Charged.”

Does this mean someone else has already driven the car, or is this just part of the normal shipping process? Could this mean it’s being loaded onto a train?

Sorry for the long post! This forum has been an amazing resource, and I appreciate any insight. Thanks!

They have to drive the cars on and off transport trucks and ships. A few miles on the odometer is totally normal.

Kale said:
They have to drive the cars on and off transport trucks and ships. A few miles on the odometer is totally normal.

That’s a relief! So does that mean the “processing” step is done and it’s on the train now? Shouldn’t the dealer have a more specific delivery estimate at this point?

@Bran
Maybe. Best thing to do is call the dealer and ask for an update.

Kale said:
@Bran
Maybe. Best thing to do is call the dealer and ask for an update.

Just called and got an update! They’re saying it should arrive in about 1.5 to 2.5 weeks from when the app first updated.

It took about two months from when I placed my deposit to when I got my Prius Prime. Since they ship them from Japan, there’s always a bit of a wait. They gave me a VIN right away too and originally told me it would be just a couple of weeks.

I got my car about two or three weeks after the odometer first appeared in the app. I think the car moved twice during that time, and the mileage went up to 9 miles before delivery.

My salesperson actually called me a week after the last move—before the app even updated to show the car had arrived at the dealership. So while the app helped give me a rough idea, it wasn’t super precise when I used it a couple of months ago.

@TundraTitans4
I called my dealer, and they told me 1.5-2.5 weeks from when the app updated. That gives me about a 50% chance of getting the extra $500 rebate that expires on August 1st.

The old Toyota app used to show the car’s location, but I can’t seem to do that with the new version. Are you seeing the location anywhere?

Juno said:
The old Toyota app used to show the car’s location, but I can’t seem to do that with the new version. Are you seeing the location anywhere?

Nope, I’m not seeing any location info, unfortunately. Would have been helpful!