NHTSA Complaint #10244281 — 2005 TOYOTA AVALON

DROVE TO WORK (17 MILES) 10/2/2008, AS TYPICAL AT 6:30AM STILL DARK. AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 5 MILES KEPT GETTING WHIFS OF BURNING ENGINE OIL BUT KEPT THINKING IT WAS ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE ROAD. THIS WAS INTERMITTENT ENOUGH SO I DID NOT THINK IT WAS MY VEHICLE. ALSO THE NEWNESS OF THE VEHICLE DECEIVED ME. ARRIVED AT WORK AND DID SOME LOOKING. FOUND THE TRAIL OF OIL IN THE PARKING LOT AND RAISED THE HOOD TO SEE OIL SPEWED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE COMPARTMENT. CALLED FOR TOW TO MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID THAT THERE IS A TSB ON THIS. WHY WAS THERE NOT A RECALL? THIS COULD BE CATASTROPHIC! THE OIL LIGHT DID NOT COME ON AND THE TEMP WAS NORMAL THROUGHOUT....MY ONLY INDICATION OF A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WAS SMELL AND TO MY KNOWLEDGE PERSONS WITHOUT THIS SENSE ARE MORE COMMON THAN I SUSPECTED. *TR