Complaint Review: Lexus Division Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

As someone who has been following this Toyota sludge matter for TWO YEARS now, I have seen it evolve over time. Faced with relentless owner complaints on-line and in the media, Toyota did come out with a "Oil Gelation Policy" in February of this year. This policy was extremely weak and did not satisfy the Toyota owners.



Subsequently, there was a policy revision in April of this year. This policy was lauded by the creators themselves and heralded as an "unprecendented action" on the part of an automaker in response to a problem that was, according to it, the owner's fault exclusively.



The policy as it stands is still words on a piece of paper to many owners. While plenty of time has elapsed for Toyota to do the right thing once and for all, it seems it has not done so. There are still plenty of owners like the one above who cannot get satisfaction under the current policy.



Mr. Bruce Ertmann is the individual who has promised to refer owners to the "Executive Response Team" for case handling. Vu Hoang and Jim Fewell have intervened in some cases, but some owners have complained about their treatment in the hands of these individuals. Cases are dragging out longer than is necessary, it seems. I have been told that customers are satisifed; I am not seeing 100% satisfaction at all.



While I have been invited to refer owners to Mr. Ertmann, I have also had my computer security violated (yes, I have received viruses sent from a Toyota facility with acknowledgement from this Milwaukee dealership)and have been unable to refer the owners to Mr. Ertmann. It would appear that someone, somewhere would very much like the communication among Toyota owners to cease and desist.



What might have been a private matter between referred owners and Toyota personnel will now out of necessity become a public one. Toyota can check here for the status reports. The Executive Response Team can gather names and e-mail addresses from this site as well.



I suggest the following to the above owner of the Lexus:



1) IMMEDIATELY send a certified letter with return receipt requested to Toyota informing it of the sludge experience. Send copies of this letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Center for Auto Safety (CAS), your local consumer agencies, and your state and federal lawmakers. Ask for intervention by these agencies on your behalf. (Do a google.com search for the web sites and addresses).



2) Contact the "Oil Gelation Problem" hotline and ask what the status is on your case. Document your phone calls including name of person and full title and date/time. Be as detailed as possible.



3) Link with the owners in the "Toyota Owners Network" who have been sharing stories for over two years now. Get flier information from them and/or create one of your own in order to notify other Toyota owners. Share the information you receive on-line and refer other owners here to file a report.



4) Consider having your oil analyzed by an oil analysis company. With such oil analyses over time, you can see critical changes. Some owners have had excessive fuel in their oil and/or glycol-contaminated oil. Monitor the oil characteristics and level frequently and keep a record of it. Don't take anything for granted.



Remember, Toyota has maintained all along that this problem is the OWNER'S fault. It claims that the problem is TINY and that in 100% of the cases, the owners are not changing their oil enough.



IF this problem is so small, why doesn't Toyota just buy back the affected vehicles? Wouldn't that make things simpler? Afterall, with billions of dollars made, how costly could 3,200 buybacks be? This is the number of cases, according to Toyota.....well, the number of formal complaints it has received anyway. Has it erroneously been using this as the incidence rate, too?



With that low mileage, you should ask for a buyback. It seems that most of the 1998 vehicles (according to TON members) make it to roughly 40,000 miles before sludge hits. The 1999 vehicle owners see the sludge by 36,000 miles or so on average (TON members). The 2000 vehicle owners (part of the TON group), however, see sludge with as little as 25,000 miles, with some with less than 20,000 miles! The 2001 vehicle owner data is still coming in but suffice it to say the TON members are seeing it at low mileage as well.



For a non-issue, there are certainly plenty of posts about this problem. For those following the matter closely, the "counter strategists" are in full force denying the existence of any problem. Denial is thick at Toyota, it seems. If you just deny the problem, it can't exist, right?!?



I think the owners have been fair in waiting for an extended time period in this matter. The letters to the affected owners are still not readily available. We ask, why the delay? You can't overwhelm a customer support line if there isn't any problem, can you? So why haven't the owners gotten their letters yet? There are far too many inconsistencies in this matter.



BEWARE: Toyota in some cases is telling owners that there is no sludge, but it is then telling the owners that the piston rings and valve seals need to be replaced. Coincidentally, these are the SAME PARTS being replaced under the current sludge policy repairs. Is MUM the word on SLUDGE now while the repairs are being made anyway??? Do your research with google.com under "Toyota Sludge" and arm yourself with as much information as possible. My gut feeling is not a good one based on recent events.

Betty,



There is a new contact at Toyota Corporate that is in charge of "Gel" issues his name is Joshua Batie (310) 468-6891. I didn't have much luck maybe you will.



You can also try Bruce Ertmann's email Bruce_ertmann @toyota.com



Good luck. :)