NHTSA Complaint #11002716 — 2009 TOYOTA CAMRY

CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE AT HIGH-SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY. ON JUNE 22, 2017 AT ~ 9:05 AM I WAS TRAVELING SOUTH ON MA RTE 128 IN LEFT PASSING LANE JUST BEYOND THE MANCHESTER EXITS. I WAS IN THE LEFT-HAND LANE IN A CLUSTER OF CARS TRAVELING AT 65-70 MPH. I WAS TRAVELING ~ 70 MPH PASSING THE VEHICLES ON THE RIGHT. THERE WERE CARS BEHIND ME IN THE LEFT-HAND LANE, THE CLOSEST APPROXIMATELY 40-50 FT BEHIND ME. SUDDENLY I HEARD A EXPLOSION UNDER MY CAR. IMMEDIATELY CLOUDS OF A SMOKE-LIKE VAPOR POURED FORTH FROM THE BACK OF MY CAR, FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER AND A RACKET FROM UNDER THE CAR. I IMMEDIATELY THREW ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AND SOMEHOW MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF RT. 128 WITHOUT A COLLISION. LUCKILY NO ONE GOT HURT. FROM ALL THAT I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE FAILURE, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE WAS NO OIL IN MY TRANSMISSION, YET I HAD IT SERVICED, INCLUDING AN OIL CHANGE, AT IRA TOYOTA IN DANVERS MA ~ 6 MONTHS AGO. I HAD NO INDICATION OF LOW OIL PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.