NHTSA Complaint #10655139 — 2006 TOYOTA TACOMA

I PURCHASED A FRAM PH7317 FILTER & 5W-30 CASTROL OIL ON 5/9/14 FROM AUTOZONE TO DO AN OIL CHANGE FOR MY '06 TOYOTA TACOMA REGULAR CAB PRERUNNER. MY TRUCK WAS FINE UNTIL 6 MONTHS & 3K MILES LATER, ON 11/7/14, WHEN I EXPERIENCED A FAILURE SUCH THAT THE FILTER CAME OFF MY TRUCK GOING 30MPH & OIL SPEWED ONTO THE ROAD.I PULLED OVER ABOUT 200 YARDS AFTER THE FILTER CAME OFF JUST AS THE OIL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I FOUND THE OIL FILTER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.THE GASKET WAS ATTACHED IN FINE CONDITION, & NEITHER FACE NOR BODY LOOKED DEFORMED. THE FILTER HAD MINOR SCRATCHES.MY FATHER CAME WITH TOOLS & OIL.THE CAR'S MALE THREADS WERE GOOD. ASSUMING I ERRED & FORGOT TO FULLY TIGHTEN THE FILTER, IT LOOSENED OVER TIME, & ITS CONDITION, I CLEANED THEN THREADED THE SAME FILTER ON & SNUGGED IT DOWN WITH A WRENCH. I FILLED THE ENGINE WITH OIL.MY FATHER WAS WATCHING THE FILTER AREA UNDER THE CAR FOR DRIPPING OIL WHILE I FILLED, BUT THERE WAS NONE. I IDLED THE CAR WHILE MY FATHER & I CHECKED FOR DRIPPING OIL BUT THERE WAS NONE.AT THIS POINT, IT SEEMED REASONABLE THAT THE FILTER WOULD NOT COME OFF & OIL WOULD NOT LEAK. AS A PRECAUTION, MY FATHER DROVE BEHIND ME.I STARTED THE CAR & MADE A U-TURN IN THE ROAD. AT SOME POINT IN THE TURN, THE FILTER CAME OFF SO I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE OIL FILTER WAS CRUMPLED. IT IS OF MY FATHER'S THEORY (HE IS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER BY TRADE) & I THAT THE FILTER FAILED CAUSING PRESSURE TO BUILD-UP.THIS PRESSURE BUILD-UP CAUSED THE FILTER TO UNSCREW ITSELF.THE MALE THREADS ON THE ENGINE SIDE WERE GOOD. I HAVE SINCE INSTALLED A BOSCH FILTER WITH CASTROL OIL & THE TRUCK DRIVES FINE.THE FILTER WAS NOT DOUBLE GASKETED.EVEN IF IT WERE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN OIL LEAKING WHEN I IDLED THE TRUCK.IT WAS NOT FOULED OIL, BECAUSE THE OIL WAS REPLACED.IT WAS NOT AN IMPROPERLY TIGHTENED FILTER, BECAUSE THE OIL FILTER FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRIVING OFF & THERE WAS NO OIL DRIPPING DURING REPLACEMENT OR IDLE. *TR