NHTSA Complaint #10786665 — 1998 TOYOTA COROLLA

THE ENGINE CONSUMES OIL AT AN ALARMING RATE SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR 15 YEARS AGO. TOLD A TOYOTA SHOP FOREMAN ME ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HE TOLD ME THAT TOYOTA DOESN'T WANT TO ADMIT ANY FAULT. HE SAID THEY MADE THE PISTONS TOO SMALL AND THE RINGS TOO BIG. HE IS A CLOSE FRIEND WHO KNOWS I TAKE CARE OF MY CARS EXTREMELY WELL. HE SAID TO JUST KEEP NURSING THE CAR LIKE I DO. AND FOR 15 YEARS I HAVE BEEN NURSING MY CAR EVERY WEEK I CHECK THE OIL. IF IT IS A SLIGHT BIT LOW I WILL ADD OIL TO THE FULL LINE. THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THE CAR LAST, IF I LET IT GO AND DIDN'T CHECK THE OIL, THERE WOULD BE NOTHING LEFT IN THE CRANKCASE, THE ENGINE WOULD PROBABLY SEIZE UP BECAUSE OF LACK OF OIL. I NOTICED THIS CONDITION WITH THE ENGINE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR 15 YEARS AGO USED. THE CAR WAS A YEAR AND HALF OLD. I CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT IT BACK THEN IN THE YEAR OF 2000 AND THEY DENIED ANY PROBLEM OR RECALL LIKE THEY STILL DO TODAY. SINCE THEN, I HAVE CONFRONTED OTHER TOYOTA COROLLA OWNERS WITH THE SAME YEAR AS MINE GIVE A TAKE A YEAR OR TWO AND THEY HAVE ALL STATED THAT YES THERE OIL WAS EXTREMELY LOW ALSO. ONE STRANGER I WALKED UP TO IN THE PARKING LOT SAID TO ME "YES, I ADD OIL TO IT EVERY WEEK." SO TO SUM THINGS UP. I FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD COMPENSATE OWNERS LIKE ME WHO HAVE FAITHFULLY ADDED OIL TO THE ENGINE EVERY WEEK FOR THE PAST 15 YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED THAT CAR. TOYOTA SHOULD BE SUED FOR NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT THEIR OIL BURNING ENGINES FOR THE 1998 TO 2002 COROLLA MODEL YEAR. THERE IS NO OIL LEAKING UNDER THE CAR AT ALL AND ALL OF THE GASKETS ON THE ENGINE ARE DRY WITH NO LEAKS. THE INTERIOR OF THE TAILPIPE HAS ALOT OF BLACK SOOT INDICATING OIL CONSUMPTION WITHIN THE ENGINE.