NHTSA Complaint #10071221 — 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY

MY HUSBAND WAS GETTING ON THE ON RAMP TO THE FREEWAY WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE, HE THOUGHT HE BLEW A TIRE. WHEN HE CHECKED, THE SHORT BLOCK WAS CRACKED. THE CYLINDER HAD GONE THROUGH THE BLOCK. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING: NO OIL LIGHT, NO OVERHEATING, NO ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE, OIL WAS FULL WHEN CHECKED TWO WEEKS PRIOR. TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY TOTAL REPAIR COSTS DUE TO THE FACT WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF TWO OIL CHANGES IN 15 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP/24,000 MILES. WE BOUGHT THE CAR AT 21.5K MILES, DEALER CHANGED OIL AT 31K MILES IN DEC 02, ONE OIL RECEIPT I COULD FIND WAS DATED JUNE '03, CAR WAS DUE FOR ANOTHER CHANGE. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE ENGINE TODAY AND RECEIVED A REQUESTED OIL SAMPLE. THE PICTURES SHOW SLUDGE ON THE PISTONS, A CRACKED PISTON AND A SEVERELY CRACKED SHORT BLOCK. MECHANIC SAYS ONE OF THE RODS IS BENT, ALSO. I COULD NOT SEE ANY DEFORMITY IN THE RODS, BUT HAVE A PICTURE OF ALL FOUR RODS.