NHTSA Complaint #10573026 — 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY

BEGAN NOTICING GURGLING/WATER SLOSHING NOISES AT APPROXIMATELY 100K MILES. APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH LATER, CAR OVERHEATED. NOTICED COOLANT WAS LOW, SO HAD COOLANT REFILLED. CHECKED OUT BY MECHANIC NEXT DAY AND WAS TOLD THAT A STOP-LEAK WOULD FIX PROBLEM. COMPLETED THIS PROCEDURE AT PERSONAL COST. THREE DAYS LATER, CAR OVERHEATED AGAIN. TOOK TO DIFFERENT MECHANIC, AND WAS ADVISED TO REPLACE RADIATOR. REPLACED RADIATOR AT PERSONAL COST. FEW DAYS LATER, CAR OVERHEATED AGAIN. TOOK TO FOUR DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND NOTICED COOLANT LEAKS. WAS ADVISED BY ALL FOUR MECHANICS THAT IT WAS BLOWN HEAD GASKET, THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE/MODEL, THAT REPLACING THE ENGINE WOULD BE SAFEST SOLUTION. ONE MECHANIC ALSO SAID THAT SIMPLY REPLACING HEAD GASKET MIGHT NOT WORK BECAUSE THE BOLT THREADING IN THIS PARTICULAR MODEL WAS KNOWN TO BE DEFECTIVE. CANNOT AFFORD $4000 TO REPLACE ENGINE, ESPECIALLY IF THIS SAME PROBLEM CAN POSSIBLY RECUR. CURRENTLY REFILLING COOLANT EVERY OTHER DAY. *TR