It’s been a wild ride for us—14+ months since we put down a deposit, and our original salesman was even let go for providing fabricated updates to multiple customers.
We’re now dealing directly with management, and they’ve given us a spec sheet with a temporary VIN and an estimated build date for this week. My question is: when does the Toyota Tracker actually start showing updates? Does it begin during the build, after it’s completed, or only when it’s in transit?
I’m concerned because our previous salesman claimed we had a build date back in May and even provided tracking updates, but it turned out none of it was real. How can I verify the progress myself without relying on the dealership?
Rav4Rider said:
I thought Toyota only allocates vehicles to dealerships and that customers can’t factory order a car that can be tracked?
Dealers receive allocations before the vehicles are built. They get temporary VINs and estimated build details ahead of time, so they can give updates before the car is physically assembled.
Rav4Rider said: @Fielder
So if I’ve had a vehicle on order for over a year, would I know when it’s getting close to delivery?
Your dealer should notify you when a vehicle close to your order is allocated to them. You’ll then have the choice to accept that allocation or keep waiting for another. It can happen in a month or take years depending on availability.
I don’t know about your dealership, but ours notified us when the vehicle was allocated and provided the actual VIN. Once we had that, the car arrived within a month.
If you have a real VIN assigned, you should be close to delivery.
@Jalen
Was your VIN the same from start to finish, or did you first receive a temporary VIN? Just trying to understand what I should expect versus what they’re telling me.
We were originally quoted 4–6 months, but after that passed, our salesman stopped responding. We eventually learned he had made up a delivery date. Now we’re trying to confirm if we actually have a van coming or if we should make backup plans.
Unfortunately, we planned a non-refundable trip in August based on the original (fake) delivery estimate. So we’re really hoping to have it before then.
I ordered a 2023 Platinum last October. Got a notification about pre-production four weeks ago, and my VIN changed from a pre-production one to a final one before delivery. Hope this helps!
Thanks, everyone! We picked up our new Sienna XSE Hybrid AWD yesterday! It has all the options we wanted—entertainment package, XSE Plus package, Ice Cap exterior with grey/black interior. Only downside is we only got one key, so the wait continues for that. But we managed to get it for $2,500 under MSRP, so we’re calling it a win!
For those wondering about timing:
Built: 7/8
Arrived at dealership: 7/19
Picked up: 7/28 (could have been earlier, but we waited for the salesperson who actually helped us)
440 days after placing our deposit, we finally have our van!
For me, the Toyota Tracker never worked. My initial VIN was different from the final one. Took about a month from when I got the build sheet to delivery.
The temporary VIN usually has a letter among the last six digits. The two numbers before that indicate the build week. Once the final VIN is assigned (without letters), it should show up in Toyota Tracker when transportation is arranged from the factory.
Dealers get a temporary VIN when the car is allocated but can’t track it at that stage. The final VIN is assigned after production, and that’s when it can be tracked. Once built, it usually takes about two weeks to reach the dealership (at least in the DC area).
One trick: When your build sheet link stops working, check Toyota’s inventory search for your dealer’s area. You might find a van with your exact specs allocated to your dealer—this will have the real VIN. Enter that VIN into the Toyota Tracker to see its status.
Some dealers will sell to the highest bidder, even if you were waiting first. I had four deposits at different dealerships and still got ghosted, so I started calling dealers within 100 miles and found a match in 15 days.
As long as you have the final VIN, you should be able to track everything yourself—even through a different dealer if necessary. Keep pushing until you get the real VIN.