NHTSA Complaint #11375362 — 2008 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY FAMILY NORTH ON INTERSTATE 81 AT 1:00 AM. WE WERE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 75 MPH. IN MY DRIVER-SIDE MIRROR, I NOTICED WHAT LOOKED LIKE A MIST GETTING KICKED UP BEHIND THE CAR AND COVERING THE REAR WINDOW. IN THE DARK, I COULDN'T TELL IF IT WAS WATER OR SOME OTHER LIQUID. THE ROAD WAS DRY SO MY WIFE AND I PLANNED TO GET OFF ON THE NEXT EXIT AND INSPECT THE CAR, WE HAD CHILDREN IN THE CAR, AND STOPPING ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD DID NOT SEEM SAFE. WHILE WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE NEXT EXIT, I KEPT LOOKING FOR INDICATOR LIGHTS TO COME ON AND CHECKING THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE TO SEE IF I COULD DISCERN IF THERE WAS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. NO INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STAYED WITHIN NORMAL LEVELS. THEN AFTER A FEW MINUTES, ABOUT 5-6 MINUTES, THE ENGINE SEIZED. ALL OF THE INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON AND THE DISPLAY SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VSC SYSTEM. THANKFULLY THE CAR CONTINUED TO ROLL AND I WAS ABLE TO PULL THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND TURN ON THE EMERGENCY BLINKERS AND CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE. WHEN FINALLY WE GOT THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WE WERE INFORMED THAT THE OIL COOLANT LINE HAD "BLOWN" AND OUR ENGINE HAD SEIZED FROM A LOSS OF ENGINE OIL. TWO WEEKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT THE CAR ALSO DISPLAYED THE VSC WARNING SO WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO BEAMAN TOYOTA WHERE WE PAID 1818.60 TO HAVE, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE WATER PUMP AND DRIVE BELT REPLACED. KNOWING WE WERE GOING ON THE ABOVE TRIP WE HAD ALL THE RECOMMENDED REPAIRS PERFORMED SO WE COULD BE CONFIDENT IN THE CAR DURING OUR TRIP.