NHTSA Complaint #10599057 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

VEHICLE HAS BEEN MAINTAINED AT TWO AREA TOYOTA DEALERS SINCE PURCHASED. MAINTENANCE INTERVALS WERE CLOSELY ADHERED TO, AND NO PROBLEMS WERE EVER REPORTED BY THE SERVICE PEOPLE REGARDING ENGINE PERFORMANCE OR OIL CONSUMPTION. DURING A DECEMBER 2013 VEHICLE SERVICE AT AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP, SERVICE TECHNICIAN REPORTED THAT THE OIL PAN SEAL AND THE VALVE COVER GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO OIL LEAKAGE. I (OWNER) INSPECT VEHICLE FREQUENTLY, AND KNEW THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. BETWEEN VEHICLE SERVICING DATES, I CHECKED THE OIL AND FOUND IT TO BE TOO LOW TO REGISTER ON THE OIL DIPSTICK. I ADDED THE GRADE OF OIL INDICATED ON THE OIL FILL CAP AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT AN INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED AUTO SHOP. I ALSO INSPECTED THE ENGINE FREQUENTLY FOR LEAKAGE AT THE OIL PAN AND VALVE COVER, AND OBSERVED NO OIL LEAKS.THE INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED SHOP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND NO SIGNS OF LEAKAGE. THE INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED SHOP PERFORMED THE ROUTINE SERVICE, INCLUDING OIL CHANGE, AND PROVIDED THE TOYOTA 2011 SERVICE BULLETIN THAT DESCRIBED THE EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION AND TOYOTA'S OWN SUGGESTED REPAIR. THIS LEAD ME TO RESEARCH THE ENGINE, AND I FOUND THAT THIS IS LIKELY A SIGNIFICANT AND WIDESPREAD DEFECT THAT TOYOTA IDENTIFIED AS EARLY AS 2008. AS A COMMUTER, I FEAR THE EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION COULD LEAD TO PREMATURE ENGINE WEAR, RESULTING IN CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. *TR