NHTSA Complaint #10678247 — 2007 TOYOTA RAV4

I HAVE BEEN BRINGING MY CAR TO A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. DURING THIS PERIOD MY CAR WAS COVERED UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. I'VE HAD MY BRAKES REPAIRED, SEVERAL RECALLS TENDED TO, AND MANY OIL CHANGES PERFORMED. THERE WAS ONE OCCASION WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A CHAIN AUTO SERVICE STORE TO HAVE AN OIL CHANGE PERFORMED. IT WAS AT THIS CHAIN THAT I WAS INFORMED THAT THE OIL LEVEL IN MY CAR WAS DANGEROUSLY LOW. I CALLED THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP THAT I USUALLY BRING MY CAR TO FOR MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY NEEDED TO PERFORM AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST ON MY CAR. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS SO THAT THEY COULD PERFORM THE TEST. ON THE FINAL TEST DAY I WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR WAS INDEED LOSING ABNORMALLY EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF OIL AND THAT THE FIRST STEP TO REMEDYING THE MATTER WOULD REQUIRE TAKING THE ENGINE APART. AT THIS POINT MY MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND I AM NOW RELYING ON MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. AFTER RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT THE EXCESSIVE LOSS OF OIL IN CARS LIKE MINE IS A ISSUE THAT TOYOTA IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH. IN 2011, TOYOTA ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ACKNOWLEDGING THE PROBLEM. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHICH SERVICED MY CAR NEVER TOLD ME THIS EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE DEALERSHIP HAS TOLD ME THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY MAY DECIDE NOT TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIR AFTER THE ENGINE HAS BEEN REMOVED AND TAKEN APART AT WHICH POINT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING FOR THE REPAIRS. HOWEVER, IF THE REPAIR NEEDED TO BE DONE WHEN MY CAR WAS UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY, THEN WHY DIDN'T THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REPAIR IT? THE TSB WAS ISSUED IN 2011 AND I BEGAN BRINGING MY CAR TO THEM IN 2012. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE MY CAR REPAIRED. *TR