NHTSA Complaint #10621256 — 2007 TOYOTA SIENNA

WHILE TRAVELING AT 75MPH ON INTERSTATE, I NOTICED HEAVY WHITE SMOKE TRAILING VEHICLE. SLOWED AND PULLED OVER. INSPECTED ENGINE AND FOUND LARGE OIL LEAK. NO CHECK ENGINE OR LOW OIL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO SMOKE. ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE CAR COATED WITH OIL, INCLUDING EXHAUST SYSTEM, FRONT PASSENGER TIRE AND REAR TIRES. NO OIL REGISTERED ON DIPSTICK. TOWED TO TOYOTA DEALER WHERE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED. FAILED PART WAS THE OIL COOLER HOSE. TECHNICIAN SHOWED ME THE FAULTY RUBBER HOSE WHICH HAD A PIN-HOLE LEAK AND THERE WAS BARELY ONE HALF QUART IN THE ENGINE, WHICH HOLDS 6.4 QUARTS. JUDGING BY HOW OFTEN I HAD BEEN LOOKING IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR DUE TO TRAFFIC, I'D ESTIMATE THE LEAK WAS ONLY A FEW MINUTES IN LENGTH AND THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE BEEN WITHOUT OIL AND AT HIGHWAY SPEED VERY SOON IF I HADN'T NOTICED. THIS IS NOT AN EXTRAORDINARY EVENT UNTIL YOU REALIZE THAT THE OIL HOSE THAT FAILED WAS PART OF TOYOTA'S 90K OIL COOLER HOSE LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR 2GR-FE V6 ENGINES IN 2011. I HAD MY CAR UNDERGO THIS FIX, WHICH SIMPLY REPLACED A RUBBER HOSE WITH ANOTHER RUBBER HOSE WHICH WAS SUPPOSEDLY MADE FROM A COMPOUND THAT BETTER RESISTS HOT OIL. THE REPLACEMENT HOSES ARE FAILING, WHICH IS WHAT TOYOTA TSB-0201-11 "OIL COOLER SEEP" (DEC 21, 2011) IS MEANT TO COVER AND IT REPLACES THE RUBBER OIL HOSES WITH AN ALL-STEEL HOSE. HOWEVER, IT ONLY APPLIES TO CUSTOMERS STILL UNDER THE 36,000 MILE WARRANTY AND WITH A "SEEPING" HOSE. MOST 2007 SIENNA OWNERS, LIKE ME, WERE WELL PAST WARRANTY MILEAGE IN 2011, HAD NO INDICATION FROM TOYOTA THAT THE RUBBER OIL HOSES WERE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS AND ARE ONLY GETTING THE STEEL HOSE AFTER CATASTROPHIC ENGINE OIL LOSS. I WAS BILLED $532 FOR THE OIL COOLER HOSE REPLACEMENT AND QUOTED $307 TO REPLACE THE O2 SENSOR WHICH WAS DAMAGED BY THE VOLUME OF HOT OIL THAT SPRAYED ON IT. HUGE OIL LOSS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. TOYOTA KNOWS, BUT MANY OWNERS DO NOT. *TR