NHTSA Complaint #10587152 — 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY

I PURCHASED MY 2009 CAMRY LE BRAND NEW IN JULY OF 2008 FROM TOYOTA. DURING A RECENT ROUTINE SERVICE APPOINTMENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE, ONE OF THE MECHANICS NOTED IN THE SYSTEM THAT MY CAR WAS EXCESS OIL IN JUNE OF 2013. TOYOTA SUGGESTED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. IN MAY OF 2014 THE CAR WAS BROUGHT BACK TO TOYOTA WITH APPROX. 85,000 MILES. TOYOTA DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH MY OIL CONSUMPTION, AND THE CAR WAS IN FACT BURNING MORE OIL THAN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THEY ASKED MY PERMISSION TO REMOVE THE ENGINE CYLINDER HEAD, DUE TO THEIR BELIEF THAT THEY OIL WAS LEAKING INSIDE OF THE ENGINE. AFTER THEIR REMOVAL OF THE ENGINE HEAD, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT OIL HAD LEAKED INSIDE OF THE PISTONS DUE TO FAILURE OF THE PISTON RINGS. THE SERVICE ADVISER AND SERVICE DIRECTOR TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A "KNOWN PROBLEM". THE ENGINE SHORT BLOCK WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. IN TURN, I ASKED THEM WHETHER THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE AND THEY PHYSICALLY POINTED TO SIX TOYOTA CAMRY''S WHO WERE ALL GETTING ENGINE REPLACEMENTS (SHORT BLOCK ONLY) DUE TO THE SAME RING FAILURES. WHEN I PROBED WHETHER THIS WAS A RECALL, THEY SAID TOYOTA HAS NOT RECALLED THIS BUT HAS ISSUED SEVERAL TECHNICAL MEMOS' ABOUT THE ISSUE. AFTER READING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE IN FAIRLY LOW MILEAGE VEHICLES FOR THE SAME REASONS I WAS COMPELLED TO NOTIFY YOUR AGENCY. IT IS VERY APPARENT THAT TOYOTA HAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THEIR ENGINES AT LEAST IN THE 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY. UNFORTUNATELY, MANY CONSUMERS HAVE LOST MONEY, VEHICLES EVEN TO THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT TOYOTA OWNING UP TO WHAT THEIR SERVICE MANAGERS AND MECHANICS DESCRIBED TO ME AS A 'DESIGN FLAWS IN THEIR ENGINE. I WAS TOLD THEY REDESIGNED THE ENGINE SHORT BLOCK TO FIX THIS PROBLEM WHICH THEY ARE NOW PUTTING INTO THEIR NEW CARS. *TR