NHTSA Complaint #10007608 — 1995 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER

WITH NO PRIOR WARNING, CONSUMER'S CAR EMITTED CONTINUOUSLY LARGE AMOUNT OF WHITE SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE. SMOKE SMELLED OF BURNT ANTIFREEZE. CAR IDLED ROUGHLY. IT WAS NOTICED THAT COOLANT LEVEL WAS EXTREMELY LOW. WHEN CONSUMER ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE CAR TO DEALERSHIP TO BE SERVICED, CAR OVERHEATED. IT WAS OBSERVED THAT STEAM WAS ALSO COMING OUT OF ANTERIOR OF RADIATOR NEAR THE CAP. CAR WAS STOPPED IMMEDIATELY AND TOWED TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY. INFORMED BY DEALERSHIP IT WAS BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TALKED TO TOYOTA IN TORRANCE CA, WAS INFORMED THAT CAR WAS NOT PART OF RECALL OR EXTENDED SERVICE WARRANTY, AND THEREFORE WILL NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE IN REPAIR. CONSUMER HAS FRIEND WITH THE SAME YEAR CAR THAT HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN. CONSUMER'S CAR WAS MANUFACTURED NOV 94, THE MONTH FOLLOWING THE END OF SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT THAT COVERED 1990-EARLY1995 4RUNNER. CAR WAS REPAIRED AT INDEPENDANT MECHANIC FOR $2600. MECHANIC WAS THEN WORKING ON ANOTHER 4RUNNER WITH BLOWN HEAD GASKET. CONSUMER LATER FOUND OUT ANOTHER FRIEND WITH 96 4RUNNER ALSO HAD BLOWN HEAD GASKET. SHE WAS LUCKY THAT HER CAR WAS COVERED BY THE 1996 THROUGH EARLY 1997 4RUNNER HEAD GASKET SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN. IT SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE WITH THE 4RUNNER HAS THE SAME THING HAPPEN TO. IN FACT, CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW ANYONE WITH 4RUNNER WHO DOESN'T HAVE SAME PROBLEM. OBVIOUSLY WHATEVER CHANGES INSTITUTED WAS NOT SUFFICIENT SINCE THE GASKETS CONTINUE TO FAIL. TOYOTA SHOULD JUST ADMIT THE PROBLEM AND MAKE IT RIGHT TO SAVE ITS GOOD NAME.