NHTSA Complaint #11244674 — 2007 TOYOTA AVALON

IN JULY 2013, MY PERFECTLY WONDERFUL TOYOTA AVALON (2007, 67,700 MILES) RUPTURED A TTVI OIL HOSE AND WITHIN A MATTER OF MINUTES BLEW UP MY ENGINE. UPON CONTACTING TOYOTA, I WAS TOLD THERE HAD BEEN A SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR THE EXACT PROBLEM FOR CAMRYS AND AVALONS INCLUDING MY YEAR AND MODEL, BUT THAT I WAS NOT NOTIFIED NOR COVERED BECAUSE MY VIN #WAS OUTSIDE THE PARAMETERS. I FILED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS AN APPEAL OF THIS PHONE AND LOCAL DEALER DETERMINATION. I RECEIVED ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF MY COMPLAINT (1307241937) BUT NO DETERMINATION. I JUST CALLED TOYOTA NATIONAL TORRANCE, AND WAS TOLD MY STATUS WAS CLOSED BECAUSE THEY HAD DETERMINED MY VIN WAS NOT COVERED-- MY APPEAL WAS TO THE POINT OF WHY MY VIN WAS NOT COVERED. I LIVE IN KY, 20 MILES FROM THE TOYOTA PLANT AND HAVE MANY FRIENDS THAT WORK THERE. MANY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE VIN IS AN UNRELIABLE PARAMETER, BECAUSE OFTEN THEY HAVE OLD PARTS ON THEIR TRAYS THAT ARE INSTALLED ON LATER VEHICLES. EVERY PARTY AGREES THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE CAMPAIGN ON THE EXACT RARE DEFECT-ORIGINATED PROBLEM AND THAT MY DAMAGE WAS THE RESULT OF THE EXACT DEFECT DESCRIBED IN THE CAMPAIGN. EVERY PARTY AGREES THAT I WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE ISSUE IS WHY MY VIN NUMBER (AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS I AM SURE) WAS NOT INCLUDED AND WHY, GIVEN THE EVIDENCE THAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED, TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE REPAIR OF THE CAR---$307 FOR HOSE AND $6500 FOR ENGINE WHICH ENDED UP BEING THE MARK DOWN OF WHAT LOCAL TOYOTA GAVE ME FOR MY CAR TOWARD A NEW CAR. *JS