NHTSA Complaint #10979156 — 2009 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

OIL COOLER HOSE BURST IN CAR. YO HAVE ABOUT 20 SECONDS TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF BEFORE IT SEIZES UP BECAUSE ALL THE OIL IS POURING OUT OF THE CAR. WE HAD IT TOWED TO MIDAS DEALERSHIP AND THEY FIXED IT. I CALLED TOYOTA BECAUSE I NOTICED THEY HAD A CUSTOMER SUPPORT PROGRAM COVERING THIS PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD IF I WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT STRAIGHT TO THE DEALERSHIP, IT WOULD BE COVERED BUT INSTEAD I HAD TO SUBMIT PAPERWORK WHICH I DID. WELL IT IS NOT COVERED. THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT THE PART ON THE INVOICE IS NOT COVERED. HOWEVER, THE OIL COOLER HOSE THAT BURST WHICH IS ORIGINAL TO THE CAR WAS RUBBER AND THE TOYOTA REPLACEMENT PART IS METAL. THEY ARE MERELY NOT COVERING THIS BECAUSE IT IS NOT A RECALL AND THEY ARE NOT GETTING IN TROUBLE FOR IT. IT IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE, AS WHEN THIS BURSTS (WITH NO HEADS UP), YOU HAVE ONLY A FEW SECONDS TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. TOYOTA IS FULLY AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT THE GOV'T HAS NOT REQUIRED THEM TO PUT IN A RECALL.