NHTSA Complaint #10629271 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

IN EARLY 2014 OUR 2007 CAMRY 4-CYLINDER WAS GETTING A GENERAL LOOK OVER. IT WAS DISCOVERED THERE WAS BARELY ANY OIL TOUCHING THE TIP OF THE DIP STICK. WE IMMEDIATELY HAD THE OIL CHANGED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC. I THEN STATED TO HIM THAT THE DIP STICK WAS SHOWING A TINY AMOUNT OF OIL ON THE TIP OF THE STICK AND THAT IT SURELY HAD NO OIL. HE THEN TOLD ME THAT WHEN IT WAS DRAINED IT DID HAVE SOME OIL REMAINING. IT ALMOST SEEMS THAT THE DIPSTICK DOES NOT PROPERLY MEASURE THE OIL. I DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE MATTER AND DISCOVERED THAT THERE IS A GROWING ISSUE INVOLVING OIL CONSUMPTION ON THESE ENGINES ACROSS NUMEROUS MODELS. IT ALSO SEEMS BIZARRE THAT THEY STATE IN THE OWNERS MANUAL WHAT TOYOTA CONSIDERS NORMAL ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION: 1 QUART PER 1,200 MILES. IF THE CAR ONLY HOLDS SLIGHTLY OVER 4 LITERS AND THE SERVICE INTERVALS ARE 5,000 MILES IT SEEMS PRETTY OFF THAT THEY WOULD CALL THAT NORMAL. SINCE THE DISCOVERY OF THE OIL USAGE WE'VE KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON IT AND ARE ADDING OIL EVERY 1500 MILES. RECENTLY I HAVE BEEN NOTICING A LIGHT BLUE TINT TO THE EXHAUST WHEN THE CAR STARTS AND WHEN I DRIVE BEHIND IT GOING UP A HILL. ISSUING A RECALL WOULD CERTAINLY NOT HELP TOYOTAS RECENT RECALL HISTORY AND IT WOULD BE A EXPENSIVE THING TO FIX ON SO MANY EFFECTED VEHICLES BUT AT THIS POINT TOYOTA NEEDS TO BE TOLD TO RECALL THEM. THEY NEED TO ACT WITH INTEGRITY. *TR