NHTSA Complaint #10983174 — 2008 TOYOTA RAV4

OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM. MY TOYOTA RAV 4 HAS 74,000 MILES ON IT AND IS USING A QUART OF OIL EVERY 400 TO 500 MILES. THERE IS CURRENTLY A LAWSUIT AGAINST TOYOTA FOR THIS PROBLEM. THEY DO HAVE A VEHICLE "OIL CONSUMPTION TEST." HOWEVER TOYOTA'S TEST SEEMS BIASED IN THEIR FAVOR, AS THEY FILL THE CRANKCASE AND SEAL THE DIP STICK AND CRANKCASE FILL HOLE. YOU THEN BRING THE VEHICLE BACK AFTER 1,200 MILES. THEY THEN CHECK THE OIL LEVEL AND NOTIFY YOU IF YOUR VEHICLE PASSED THE TEST. BUT, WHOSE TO SAY THAT YOU LOST THE OIL OVER THE ENTIRE 1,200 MILES OR LOST IT BY 400 OR 1000 MILES. WHEN I HAD THE TEST DONE ON MY VEHICLE, IT PASSED. TWO WEEKS AFTER THE TEST I CHECKED THE OIL. THE OIL PROBLEM SEEMED TO DISAPPEAR. THREE WEEKS LATER THE OIL PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN. I FOUND OUT, ACCORDING TO THE INTERNET, THAT SUPPOSEDLY THE TOYOTA DEALERS ARE OVERFILLING THE CRANKCASE AND USING A HEAVIER WEIGHT OIL, SO THE OIL CONSUMPTION WILL BE NORMAL AFTER THE TEST IS RUN. I ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THE OIL WARNING LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON WHEN THE OIL IS LOW, THEREFORE IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO DAMAGE YOUR ENGINE IF YOU ARE NOT AWARE OF THE OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM.