NHTSA Complaint #10274884 — 2003 TOYOTA CAMRY

VEHICLE IS 2003 TOYOTA CAMRY XLE - 1ST INCIDENT OCCURRED 10-27-06 - OIL LIGHT CAME ON, STOPPED AT FULL SERVICE STATION, LESS THAN 1/2 QT LOW, CRANKED CAR & LIGHT WAS OFF, WENT APPROX 25 MILES, PULLED UP TO STOP SIGN, CAR DIED, WOULDN'T CRANK, HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP, THEY RAN QUICK TEST & GOT CODE P0340, FOUND INTAKE CAM BROKEN, ENGINE DIRTY, PICKUP STOPPED UP,INTAKE& EXHAUST CAM STUCK IN CYLINDER HEAD, GAVE ESTIMATE FOR USED ENGINE, CAR HAD 56,738 MILES & WAS UNDER POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, THEY SAID DUE TO OIL SLUDGE, BLAMED ON NOT CHANGING OIL, HAD ALL MAINTENANCE RECORDS, ACCUSED MY MECHANIC OF FALSIFYING DOCS BUT FINALLY AGREED TO REPAIR. THEY DID NOT REPLACE ENGINE, THEY REPLACED CYLINDER HEADS, CAMS, VALVES, TIMING CHAIN & GUIDES, OIL PICKUP, CLEANED ENGINE & REASSEMBLED. 2ND INCIDENT - MID MAY 2009 - DRIVING, NO LIGHTS CAME ON, CAR STARTED LOSING POWER & SMOKING BAD, PULLED OVER, OIL WAS SPLATTERED CAUSING SMOKING, WAS NOT RUNNING HOT, STILL HAD SOME OIL EVEN AFTER SPLATTERING, TOWED TO MECHANIC, HE SAID DUE TO SLUDGE, DAMAGE INCLUDED 3 HOLES IN BLOCK, 1 HOLE IN OIL PAN, #4 CONNECTING ROD DAMAGED BAD, #4 PISTON SHATTERED, #4 CYLINDER HEAD DAMAGED, ENGINE A TOTAL LOSS, STILL HAVE OLD ENGINE, CAR HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. TOYOTA GAVE ME A CASE #, THEN ON 06-24-09 TOYOTA DENIED ANY KIND OF REPAIR STATING THE 2003'S WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT & CAR WAS TOO FAR OUTSIDE WARRANTY. CAR HAS APPROX 96,000 MILES. TOYOTA CLAIMS THEY CORRECTED THE PROBLEM WITH THE NEW ENGINES AFTER 2001, BUT APPARENTLY THE NEW ENGINES HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS THE ONES IN THE LAWSUIT. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE, TOO MANY TOYOTA OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE ALL MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS SHOWING TIMELY OIL CHANGES. I COULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT CAUSING INJURY AND/OR DEATH TO MYSELF OR PERSONS IN INCOMING TRAFFIC WHEN THIS OCCURRED. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS INJURED. *TR