NHTSA Complaint #11129988 — 2007 TOYOTA CAMRY

IN 2013, I SUSPECTED THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH OIL CONSUMPTION & ASKED THE MB SERVICE CENTER TO BEGIN INVESTIGATING THE ISSUE. AT THAT TIME, THE WARRANTY THAT CAME WITH THE CAR WAS STILL ACTIVE. I RETURNED AFTER DRIVING 1,000-1,200 MILES & WAS TOLD THAT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER THERE WAS A TRUE ISSUE AND THAT IT WOULD COST ME $800 TO OPEN THE ENGINE. I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. IN EARLY 2016, I RECEIVED THE T-SB-0158-14 SERVICE BULLETIN FROM TOYOTA NOTIFYING ME THAT I COULD TAKE THE CAR IN TO HAVE THIS EXACT ISSUE RESOLVED AT NO COST. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE CULVER CITY LOCATION, BUT I RETURNED 3 HOURS LATER TO FIND THAT NO WORK HAD BEEN DONE. A MEMBER OF THE SERVICE TEAM ADVISED THAT THERE WAS AN OIL LEAK THAT NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE THEY COULD BEGIN THE CONSUMPTION TEST. THIS IS MY FIRST ISSUE WITH TOYOTA'S SERVICE. TOYOTA SHIFTED THE RESPONSIBILITY TO HAVE THIS OIL LEAK FIXED ON TO ME EVEN THOUGH I MADE THEM AWARE OF AN OIL RELATED ISSUE MORE THAN 2 YEARS PRIOR. A KNOWLEDGEABLE SERVICE CENTER MEMBER WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT DEFECTIVE PISTONS AND RINGS IS A DIRECTLY RELATED CAUSE OF A LEAK. BEING THAT I WAS NOT A KNOWLEDGEABLE CONSUMER AT THAT TIME, THE SERVICE CENTER WAS ABLE TO SHIFT THIS RESPONSIBILITY ON TO ME. I HAD THE OIL LEAK REPAIRED AND ATTEMPTED TO HAVE THIS ISSUE ADDRESSED A 3RD TIME WHEN I CALLED TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT IN NOVEMBER 2016. THE PERSON WHO ANSWERED THE PHONE ASKED WHAT THE REASON WAS FOR MY VISIT. I EXPLAINED THAT I WANTED TO COME BACK TO INITIATE THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST AND WAS ADVISED THAT I HAD JUST MISSED THE CUT OFF AND THAT THEY WERE NOT REPAIRING ANY MORE VEHICLES AFTER OCTOBER 31, 2016. THIS IS MY SECOND ISSUE WITH CULVER CITY TOYOTA'S SERVICE. THERE WAS SECONDARY COVERAGE AVAILABLE FOR ME AT THAT TIME AND I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THAT OPTION. MY CAR WOULD HAVE BEEN ELIGIBLE FOR REPAIRS ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS