NHTSA Complaint #11309457 — 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY

BOUGH THE CAR FROM A TOYOTA DEALER 8/2013 WITH 36K MILES. YES, VERY LOW MILEAGE, 36,000 MILES. ON 11/2015 ON MY WAY TO WORK WHILE I WAS IN THE FREE WAY, I'VE NOTICED MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS STARTING TO GO UP, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO EXIT OUT OF THE FREEWAY AND WAS ABLE TO TAKE IT TO ONE OF THE MECHANIC I USUALLY USE AFTER I WAS ABLE TO ADD WATER. THE MECHANIC DID NOT EVEN LOOKED AT THE CAR AFTER I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPEN, HIS RESPONSE WAS YOU NEED A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR HAS 52.5K MILES ON THE ORIGINAL ENGINE. HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET ISSUE FROM STRIP HEAD BOLTS. THE PROBLEMS THAT COULD HAVE CREATED AN UNSAFE CONDITION IS IF I DID NOT NOTICED MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE AND THE CAR SUDDENLY STALL WHILE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY, I COULD HAVE GOTTEN HIT BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. I DID A RESEARCH ABOUT THE 2.4L 2AZFE ENGINES AND FOUND OUT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEMS WITH THIS ENGINES. I'VE CALLED THE DEALER AND EVEN TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICE TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP ME OUT, I AM PRETTY MUCH OUT OF MY LUCK. MY MOM CAR WAS A 06 SCION TC WITH SAME ENGINE, 136K, 1/18, BLOWN HEAD GASKET DUE TO STRIP HEAD BOLTS. I ENDED UP BUYING REBUILT ENGINES FOR BOTH CARS AND I DID NOT BUY IT FROM THE DEALER. I HAD A 92 CAMRY, 2.2L I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO ALMOST 300K WITH ORIGINAL ENGINE.