NHTSA Complaint #10025555 — 2000 TOYOTA VAN COROLLA SPACIO

TOLD BY WINDWARD TOYOTA HAWAII THAT SLUDGE BUILDUP NECESSITATED ENGINE REPLACEMENT OF 2000 TOYOTA SIENNA VAN W/ 55,000 MILES. TOYOTA REFUSES TO COVER REPAIR WORK UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY W/O YEARLY OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. FROM AUTOMOTIVE NEWS - CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN REPAIR SHOP OWNER WHO SEES A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF THE ENGINES COMING THROUGH HIS REPAIR SHOP ON THE 1999-20000 SIENNAS:LARRY PERRY, AN A.S.E.-CERTIFIED MASTER TECHNICIAN,REPAIR-SHOP OWNER AND HOST OF A RADIO TALK SHOW IN ORLANDO, FLA., SAYS HE HAS DISCOVERED AN APPARENT DESIGN FLAW IN 3.0-LITER V-6S PRODUCED BETWEEN 1999 AND 2001. HE SAYS HE SEES A DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF THE ENGINES COMING THROUGH HIS SHOP ON 1999 AND 2000 SIENNAS. WE BELIEVE TOYOTA REDUCED THE SIZE OF COOLING PASSAGES TO THE CYLINDER HEADS IN THOSE ENGINES IN ORDER TO INCREASE COMBUSTION TEMPERATURES FOR MORE OF A COMPLETE BURN TO REDUCE EXHAUST EMISSIONS, PERRY SAID. EXCESSIVE HEAT MAKES OIL MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SLUDGE. PERRY SAYS HE HAS MEASURED CYLINDER-HEAD TEMPERATURES AS HIGH AS 260 DEGREES IN THOSE ENGINES - 30 DEGREES HIGHER THAN IN EARLIER MODELS. PERRY ALSO POINTS OUT THAT THIS ENGINE SERIES USES A LIFTER BUCKET INSTEAD OF A ROCKER ARM TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE VALVES. THE LIFTER SITS IN THE HEAD AND GETS SLUDGE AND DEBRIS COMPACTED UP UNDERNEATH IT. SO WHEN IT GETS COMPACTED BY THE CAMSHAFT, IT'S SQUEEZING OIL INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS, HE SAID. IN THIS CASE, HE SAID, THE SOLUTION IS TO USE ONLY 100 PERCENT SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL. FROM A CONSUMER AFFAIRS WEBSITE: ACTION ALERTS TOYOTA OIL SLUDGE FACED WITH A CONSUMER REVOLT OVER LOW MILEAGE ENGINE FAILURES CAUSED BY OIL SLUDGE BUILDUP, TOYOTA HAS BEGUN TO NOTIFY 3.3 MILLION OWNERS OF 1997-2002 TOYOTA AND LEXUS VEHICLES WITH 3.0-LITER IMZ V-6 ENGINES AND ALL 1997-2001 TOYOTA VEHICLES WITH 5SFE 2.2-LITER 4-CYLINDER ENGINES THAT IT WILL COVER THE COST OF SLUDGE-RELATED REPAIRS FOR EIGHT YEARS FROM DATE OF INITIAL SALE.*AK