NHTSA Complaint #10019006 — 1999 TOYOTA COROLLA

WE BOUGHT A 1999 TOYOTA COROLLA WITH 19,509 MILES ON SEPTEMBER 30, 2002 FROM AN INDEPENDENT USED CAR DEALER. THE CHECK-ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON THE SAME DAY WE BOUGHT THE CAR SO WE TOOK THE COROLLA TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, JAY TOYOTA OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA TO HAVE THE ENGINE INSPECTED THE DAY AFTER WE BOUGHT THE CAR. ON OUR WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE NOTICED EXCESSIVE SMOKE FROM THE TAIL PIPE AND "JERKY" ACCELERATION. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT THE ENGINE WAS IN POOR CONDITION DUE TO SLUDGE DAMAGE AND EVEN ADMITTED THAT TOYOTA CO. HAS BEEN HAVING SLUDGE PROBLEMS IN TOYOTA ENGINES. HOWEVER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD US THAT TOYOTA MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY DOES NOT HONOR ENGINE FAILURE DUE TO SLUDGE DAMAGE. THEIR ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR WAS $2500-$5800. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDED THAT WE NOT DRIVE THE COROLLA ANYMORE THAN NECESSARY BEFORE WE HAVE THE ENGINE REPAIRED BECAUSE THEY SAID THE ENGINE MAY FAIL DUE TO THE SLUDGE. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE ENGINE REPAIRED, BUT WE DID SEND AN OIL SAMPLE IN FOR OIL ANALYSIS. ALTHOUGH THE OIL WE SENT IN ONLY HAD 314 MILES ON IT, THE LEVELS OF FUEL AND IRON IN THE OIL WERE CONSIDERED HIGH. ACCORDING TO THE ANALYSIS AN OIL SAMPLE FROM A GASOLINE ENGINE SHOULD CONTAIN LESS THAN 2% FUEL, OUR SAMPLE WITH ONLY 314 MILES ON IT ALREADY HAD FUEL PERCENTAGE OF 2.8. THE UNIVERSAL AVERAGE FOR IRON IS 9 PARTS PER MILLION, OUR OIL HAD 34 PARTS PER MILLION OF IRON. IT SEEMS TO US THAT OUR COROLLA IS HAVING THE SAME TYPE OF PROBLEM AS THE MODELS THAT TOYOTA COMPANY HAS AGREED TO INCLUDE IN ITS PROGRAM IN WHICH CERTAIN ENGINE MODELS WITH SLUDGE DAMAGE CAN BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED BY TOYOTA AT NO COST. AFTER VISITING SOME CAR REVIEW AND CAR SURVEY SITES AND PERFORMING SOME SEARCHES ON THE WEB, WE FOUND THAT WE WERE NOT THE ONLY COROLLA OWNERS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE SLUDGE. WE BELIEVE COROLLA SHOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED FROM TOYOTA'S SLUDGE PROGRAM. *NLM