NHTSA Complaint #10307358 — 2005 TOYOTA AVALON

VVTI HIGH-PRESSURE OIL RUBBER HOSE LEAKAGE PROBLEM ON 2005 AVALON AT 29,500 MILES: HEARD STRANGE ENGINE NOISE; SAW VERY LITTLE OIL ALTHOUGH I HAD CHANGED OIL ONLY 300 MILES AGO AND NO SIGN ON DASHBOARD. PUT 4-5 QUARTS OF OIL AND DROVE 20 MILES AND PARKED. AFTER STARTING THE CAR, SAW A HUGE OIL PUDDLE UNDER THE ENGINE. NEXT MORNING TOWED TO TOYOTA MECHANIC WHO MENTIONED THE ABOVE VVTI RUBBER HOSE LEAKAGE PROBLEM IN BANK 2 (TOP ONE). THE METAL CLIPS CONNECTING THE RUBBER HOSE TO THE OIL METAL TUBE ON BANK 2 ERODE THE RUBBER PORTION WITH TIME, MAKING A SMALL PINHOLE LEAK AT FIRST WHICH CAN LEAD TO A CRACK SUDDENLY UNDER HIGH PRESSURE. GOOGLING IT I FOUND THAT IT IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE V6 ENGINES ON 2005 AVALONS AND OTHER TOYOTA CARS, SUCH AS, RAV4. TOYOTA HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON IT, BUT IT NEVER WARNED OWNERS LIKE ME ABOUT IT.THROUGH A PERSONAL LETTER. SOME PEOPLE HAD THEIR ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO IT, MINE DID NOT. BUT WORSE WAS IN STORE FOR ME. AFTER THE RUBBER HOSE WAS REPLACED BY ANOTHER SIMILAR RUBBER HOSE, I STARTED NOTICING IN THE FOLLOWING DAYS THAT THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A GRINDING NOISE WHEN I STARTED IT COLD - AFTER 10-12 HOURS OF OVERNIGHT PARKING, SAY, 75% OF THE TIME, BUT THE NOISE DIED AWAY AFTER 30 SECONDS OR SO; NO NOISE IF WARM. ALSO, A GROWLING NOISE WAS HEARD WHEN GOING UP SMALL INDOOR GRADIENTS LIKE PARKING LOTS. MECHANIC SAID THAT THE BOLTS ON THE TIMING GEAR IN BOTH BANK 2 AND BANK 1 HAD BECOME LOOSE, TWO BOLTS WERE OUT IN THE GEAR BOX WITH ONE BROKEN - ALL CAUSED DURING THE OIL LEAKAGE. I WAS LUCKY MY ENGINE HAD NEVER SEIZED DUE TO IT. HE HAD TO REPLACE ALL PARTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, NAMELY, TIMING GEARS, CAM-SHAFTS, CAMS, TENSIONER RING, ETC. ALSO, REPLACED THE RUBBER HOSE WITH AN ALL-METAL OIL TUBE, AS THAT WAS WHAT TOYOTA HAD ON ITS LEXUS ES350, BUT THIS ONLY DUE TO MY INSISTENCE. RUBBER HOSE CAN LEAK AGAIN. ALSO, PUT SILICONE ON SOME ENGINE GASKETS (?). TOYOTA NEEDS TO WARN AVALON OWNERS ABOUT GETTING THIS VVTI HOSE REPLACED.