NHTSA Complaint #10532468 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

APPROXIMATELY 10K MILES AGO I NOTICED THAT THE OIL LIGHT ON MY 2007 CAMRY CAME ON APPROXIMATELY 1,000 MILES BEFORE THE SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE *(SCHEDULED EVERY 5000 MILES). I REFILLED IT AND IT TOOK OVER THREE QUARTS OF OIL. WHEN I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER FOR ITS OIL CHANGE, I MENTIONED IT. NOTHING WAS SAID AND THE OIL CHANGE PROCEEDED. THE NEXT OIL CHANGE CYCLE, THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I DID SOME INTERNET RESEARCH AND FOUND NUMEROUS THREADS ON REPUTABLE BOARDS (EXAMPLE: HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F1848AA) WHICH SHOWED THAT I DID NOT EXPERIENCE AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THERE IS A TOYOTA TSB COVERING THIS PROBLEM, AND NEWER ENGINES HAVE REDESIGNED PISTONS: T-SB-0094-11. I HAVE USED THE DEALER SINCE DAY 1 TO SERVICE THE TOYOTA, AND THEY CONCEALED THE FACT THAT THIS CAR WAS BURNING OIL THROUGHOUT THE YEARS (JIFFY LUBE REPORTS THE OIL LEVELS REMOVED FROM MY 1996 BRONCO, WHICH MAY USE A 1/2 QUART IN 3K MILES). I STARTED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST 1000 MILES AGO - TOYOTA STATED TODAY THAT THE CAR USED 'APPROXIMATELY 1/2 QUART IN 1105 MILES' WHICH IS 'NORMAL CONSUMPTION PER TOYOTA.' IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE AN ENGINE SEIZES (DUE TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION) ON AN INTERSTATE, IN AN INTERSECTION, CROSSING A TRAIN TRACK, OR PASSING A VEHICLE ON A COUNTRY ROAD RESULTING IN A FATAL ACCIDENT. IS IT NECESSARY FOR A FATAL ACCIDENT TO OCCUR BEFORE TOYOTA IS FORCED TO CORRECT THEIR DESIGN FLAW? *TR