NHTSA Complaint #10052742 — 1997 TOYOTA PREVIA

ON OCT 2002, OIL IN THE ENGINE SLUDGED CAUSING CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. THE MECHANICS WERE ABLE TO REPAIR THE ENGINE TO PARTIAL WORKING ORDER. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE LEAKED EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AND THE POWER OF THE ENGINE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED. ON 8 JAN 2004, THE ENGINE OIL LIGHT INDICATED A LOW OIL PRESSURE. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION BY THE MECHANIC, THE ENGINE OIL APPEARED TO HAVE SLUDGED AGAIN CAUSING DAMAGE TO ENGINE. THE ENGINE WAS CONSIDERED TO BE TOTALED. WE RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM WAS COMMON WITH VARIOUS TOYOTA VEHICLES. HOWEVER, TOYOTA REFUSED TO ADMIT ANY WRONG DOING. WE ALSO DISCUSSED THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM WITH MECHANICS THAT HAVE EXTENSIVE EXPERIENCE WITH TOYOTAS. THESE INDIVIDUALS INDICATED THAT THE ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED IN THE PREVIA VEHICLE. OUR LOCAL TOYOTA DEAL WHO FIRST SERVICED THE CAR, CLAIMED TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS PROBLEM. FORTUNATELY FOR US, THE SLUDGING IN OUR ENGINE DID NOT OCCUR DURING HIGH SPEED HIGHWAY DRIVING. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT AND SERIOUS INJURIES. ON A RELATED TOPIC, WE NOTICED ON YOUR WEB SITE THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A COUPLE OF RECALL NOTIFICATIONS CONCERNING A PREVIA. TO DATE, WE HAVE NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF ANY OF THESE RECALLS, EITHER VIA LETTER OR BY THE DEALER.*AK