NHTSA Complaint #10383070 — 2006 TOYOTA RAV4

LAST NIGHT WHILE DRIVING WITH MY YOUNG DAUGHTER ON A LONELY HIGHWAY WITH NO CELL SERVICE, MY 2006 TOYOTA RAV 4 V6 LIMITED STARTED MAKING A NOISE. I IMMEDIATELY CHECKED MY DASH AND NO LIGHTS WERE ON, PRESSURES OKAY. THE NOISE STOPPED AND I KEPT DRIVING. ABOUT TWELVE MILES FROM HOME THE NOISE STARTED AGAIN AND MY DAUGHTER NOTICED. I LOOKED DOWN AND MY OIL PRESSURE LIGHT FLASHED ON AND RIGHT BACK OFF. WE BARELY MADE IT TO OUR HOUSE. WHEN I GOT OUT AND LOOKED UNDER THE CAR, OIL WAS EVERYWHERE. IT HAD RAN ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE CAR. WHEN I PULLED THE DIP STICK THERE WAS NO OIL ON THE STICK. MY HUSBAND CHECKED IT TODAY AND FOUND A HOLE IN A RUBBER HOSE. I WENT ON-LINE AND HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR STORIES. SUPPOSEDLY, TOYOTA WAS TO SEND OUT A LETTER IN OCTOBER 2009 TO ALL 2006 RAV OWNERS. WELL, I NEVER RECEIVED A LETTER AND I'VE BEEN THE ONE AND ONLY OWNER AT THE SAME ADDRESS. SO, IT'S NOT LIKE I COULDN'T BE FOUND. NOW MY HUSBAND IS TRYING TO FIND THE REPLACEMENT PART FOR THE VVTI- OIL HOSE, THAT IS NOW CALLED A 'PIPE'. I WANT TO KNOW WHY THIS WASN'T CONSIDERED A RECALL ISSUE INSTEAD OF A LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN? THAT OIL HAD SPEWED ALL OVER AND UNDER THE HOT ENGINE ONTO THE MANIFOLD. THERE WAS NOTHING KEEPING IT FROM CATCHING FIRE WHICH COULD HAVE TAKEN BOTH OUR LIVES. IF I HAD RECEIVED THE LETTER (A YEAR AND A HALF AGO) THE HOSE COULD HAVE BEEN REPLACED. NOW, I'M LOOKING AT REPAIR COSTS THAT COULD INCLUDE A NEW ENGINE. AT THIS POINT, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH DAMAGE WAS DONE. MY CAR IS PAID FOR AND I DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO BUY A NEW CAR OR HAVE THE ENGINE REPLACED. I WANT TO KNOW WITH ALL OF THE OTHER TOYOTA ISSUES IN THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS, WHY THIS WASN'T ADDRESSED? MY HUSBAND JUST CALLED A LOCAL DEALER TO GET THE REPLACEMENT PART. HE SAID THE WAREHOUSE HAS OVER 250 IN STOCK! WHICH TELLS THEM THAT THIS IS NO ISOLATED ISSUE. HE SAID THAT THE PART NUMBER HAS CHANGED ABOUT FOUR TIMES, WHICH MEANS TOYOTA KNOWS THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR