NHTSA Complaint #11494722 — 2008 TOYOTA SEQUOIA

A valve spring in the engine failed causing one cylinder to fail as well. The failure fortunately happened at low speed and the engine didn't seize. This a known problem with Toyota V8s of this model year and was the reason for a recall of Lexus vehicles with the same engine. Had this happened at highway speed, the engine, we were told, could have experienced a total failure causing the engine to seize likely leading to a serious accident. The car is available for inspection at the moment, but this failure requires a total engine rebuild or an engine replacement which are both very costly and we may have to purchase a new car. The car has not been inspected by Toyota, police, insurance or anyone other than a car service center. There were no warning lights, messages or any symptoms prior to the failure. It was sudden with no warning at all. The car has been very well maintained over the years with regular maintenance done on a consistent schedule.