NHTSA Complaint #11076071 — 2010 TOYOTA PRIUS

MY 2010 PRIUS HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE - APPROXIMATELY 44,000 MILES. IT HAS BEEN ROUTINELY MAINTAINED AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED NEW. I JUST REPLACED THE TIRES A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND THE ONLY ISSUES HAVE BEEN THE TAKATA AIRBAG RECALL & THE NEED TO REPLACE AIR FILTERS MORE FREQUENTLY THAN MAY BE NORMAL BECAUSE I DO NOT HAVE A GARAGE SO IT IS PARKED OUTSIDE IN A DRIVEWAY WHERE EXPOSURE TO POLLEN & DEBRIS FROM TREES IS EXCESSIVE. AFTER A SIGNIFICANT WIND & RAIN STORM WEDNESDAY NIGHT, THE ENGINE RATTLED & MADE UNUSUAL NOISES FOR SEVERAL SECONDS WHEN I STARTED THE CAR. THEN, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. I CHECKED THE MANUAL, WHICH SAID NOT TO DRIVE & TO CALL A DEALERSHIP IMMEDIATELY, WHICH I DID. I WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE & IT SHOULD BE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WAITED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING MORNING & STARTED IT AGAIN TO VERIFY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BEFORE HAVING IT TOWED. AFTER I WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 3 HOURS, THE SERVICE GUY TOLD ME THAT WHEN HE STARTED IT, THE CAR RUN FINE, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS OFF, & THEY WERE NOT SURE WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM, BUT THEIR DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATION SHOWED A PROBLEM WITH AN OIL LEAK IN THE HEAD GASKET. I WAS QUOTED A COST OF APPROX. $1500 TO OPEN IT UP, FIX THE LEAK, & CHECK FOR ANY OTHER PROBLEMS. I GAVE THE GO-AHEAD, BUT AM WONDERING IF THIS IS SYMPTOMATIC OF A GREATER PROBLEM THAT WILL BE REPEATED. I AM WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP AFTER THE REPAIR TODAY. MY GOAL IS TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL IT HAS 100,000 MILES OR SO & THEN TRADE IN FOR THE NEWER MODEL. DID I MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION? DO I HAVE A LEMON? IS THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 2010 MODEL? IS IT REPARABLE, OR COULD THE ENGINE NOW BE WARPED AND IRREPARABLE?