NHTSA Complaint #11524742 — 2012 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

Around 112,500 miles our vehicle's oil pressure light came on. My husband drove it home, and our mechanic told us to tow it to his shop for inspection. The next day I drove it to the shop, which was only a few miles away, and my mechanic informed us that there was "no oil left" inside the engine and that it was a miracle the engine didn't seize on the way. We left it at the shop, a certified Toyota mechanic, overnight for inspection. The next day our mechanic informed us that the piston rings in the engine have failed and oil was burning internally. Every service had been done on this vehicle by a Toyota dealership or a certified mechanic. We were shocked considering the mileage on the vehicle. We have since discovered that the V4 engine in this vehicle was also problematic with Camrys and other Toyotas, but that the recalls were only repaired prior to 60k miles and our vehicle was not apart of that service bulletin, even though it was the same problem and same engine. We could have been on the interstate with our 4 and 6 year old children in the vehicle if the engine seized. This is a tremendous engine issue and we understand that soon the engine will produce smoke that could blow into the vehicle. We have calculated that a quart of oil is being burned every 600 or so miles.