- Report: #57857
Complaint Review: Toyota - Torrance California
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Toyota
19001 S. Western Ave. Dept. WC 11 Torrance, 90509-2991 California, U.S.A.
Web:
N/A
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Toyota engine failing after 19,000 miles, not covered by warranty ripoff deceptive company Torrance California
We bought a 1999 toyota corolla on September 30, 2002 from an independent used car dealer. The car only had 19,509 miles on it when we bought it. The check-engine light came on the same day we bought the car and the corolla was still under the 5 year/60,000 mile warranty so we took it to the nearest Toyota dealership, Jay Toyota of Columbus, Georgia to have the engine inspected the day after we bought the car.
On our way to the dealership, we noticed excessive smoke from the tailpipe and "jerky" acceleration as if we were pumping the gas pedal. The service department told us that the engine was in poor condition due to sludge damage and even admitted that Toyota Company has been having problems with sludge buildup in toyota engines. However, the service department told us that Toyota manufacturer's warranty does not honor engine failure due to sludge damage. Their estimate for repair was $2500 to $5800 for repair.
The employees of the service department recommended that we not drive the corolla anymore than necessary before we have the engine repaired because they said the engine may fail due to the sludge. We did not have the engine repaired, but we did send an oil sample in for oil analysis. Although the oil we sent in only had 314 miles on it, the levels of fuel and iron in the oil were considered high. According to the analysis an oil sample from a gasoline engine should contain less than 2% fuel, our sample with only 314 miles on it already had fuel perecentage of 2.8. The universal average for iron is 9 parts per million, our oil had 34 parts per million of iron.
Other levels may have come up higher had we been able to put more miles on the oil without the possibility of the engine locking up. No engine with less than 20,000 miles should be in this poor of condition.Toyota Company has agreed to include in a Customer Assistance Program certain engine models with sludge damage which Toyota will repair/replace at no cost but it has excluded the corolla model from this program
Dana
fort benning, Georgia
U.S.A.
On our way to the dealership, we noticed excessive smoke from the tailpipe and "jerky" acceleration as if we were pumping the gas pedal. The service department told us that the engine was in poor condition due to sludge damage and even admitted that Toyota Company has been having problems with sludge buildup in toyota engines. However, the service department told us that Toyota manufacturer's warranty does not honor engine failure due to sludge damage. Their estimate for repair was $2500 to $5800 for repair.
The employees of the service department recommended that we not drive the corolla anymore than necessary before we have the engine repaired because they said the engine may fail due to the sludge. We did not have the engine repaired, but we did send an oil sample in for oil analysis. Although the oil we sent in only had 314 miles on it, the levels of fuel and iron in the oil were considered high. According to the analysis an oil sample from a gasoline engine should contain less than 2% fuel, our sample with only 314 miles on it already had fuel perecentage of 2.8. The universal average for iron is 9 parts per million, our oil had 34 parts per million of iron.
Other levels may have come up higher had we been able to put more miles on the oil without the possibility of the engine locking up. No engine with less than 20,000 miles should be in this poor of condition.Toyota Company has agreed to include in a Customer Assistance Program certain engine models with sludge damage which Toyota will repair/replace at no cost but it has excluded the corolla model from this program
Dana
fort benning, Georgia
U.S.A.
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Charlene
Vienna,Virginia,
U.S.A.
Your Case is NOT Uncommon....
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, May 21, 2003
Dana, thank you very much for sharing your details. I have to say that I was not surprised because more and more Corolla owners are coming forward with tales of sludged engines. Actually, there have been Corolla complaints prior to the "Customer Support Program" for engine oil sludge, too, but Toyota did NOT include this model. The information about the FUEL CONTAMINATED engine oil is very helpful. You are FAR FROM ALONE with this finding. It seems that Toyota, its affiliates, and/or supporters do NOT want to hear anything about FUEL DILUTION of the engine oil. They maintain that there is NO PROBLEM with the fuel injection system and that there is nothing that will cause this except USED OIL. Funny, you and I have seen this in our vehicles with extremely low mileage on the oil, though. What do they have to say about this? We have heard that we should just "not worry and change our oil every 3,000 miles." A Toyota technician on another board keeps saying this over and over again. Odd....apparently changing your oil BETTER than every 3,000 miles will not prevent FUEL DILUTION of the engine oil. Why would we believe that doing so would prevent sludge? Afterall, sludge can be CAUSED by excessive fuel in the oil if the condition is chronic and the engine doesn't BLOW first (as it has in many owners' cases....throws a rod!). High wear metals in the engine oil? You are FAR FROM ALONE there either. This is why I am suggesting that owners get an oil analysis done with the oil change. Owners need to gather this data, compare it, and provide it to the appropriate government agencies. Lead and iron content of the engine oil seems to increase with each analysis and at some point goes up very rapidly. There is also very high SILICON content. What was your level, do you know? What is happening in these engines? We are lead to believe that we just change the oil more often then the problem will just disappear. REALLY? It has NOT! I ask, WHY are we being lead astray....having the wool pulled over our eyes intentionally? Why is Toyota playing IGNORANT and INNOCENT in all this? HOW LONG are we supposed to accept this sort of treatment? Actually, the situation seems to be getting WORSE, not better. Toyota has come out with this program, Dana, and while your vehicle is not included, Toyota has DISQUALIFIED many owners even though their vehicle IS INCLUDED. One reason or another is given OR there is a game of semantics. You know, "You don't have sludge, but your engine suffered OIL STARVATION. Your new engine will cost you $6,000 with labor." Or how about, "You drove your vehicle too long without oil. This LACK OF LUBRICATION will disqualify you for the CSP program." Toyota dealerships seem to be making up things as they go along. One dealership told the owner vehemently that he had "NO SLUDGE." The owner took pictures....he HAD SLUDGE!! Dana, make sure you send a CERTIFIED letter with RETURN RECEIPT requested to Toyota to FORMALLY notify it about the condition. File reports with the NHTSA, CAS, EPA, FTC, local/state consumer agencies, and send your lawmakers letters asking them to get involved in this matter on your behalf. Lately, I see that the NHTSA says this is a FTC issue while the FTC says this is a NHTSA issue. GUESS WHAT?!?!?! It is an issue for BOTH. It is also an issue for the EPA as well as the STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL. Ask these officials to ACT on your behalf and do not accept a FORM LETTER in response. Join the owners who are linking to compare notes and take action. Toyota supporters are stalking many of the most vocal owners online in an effort to SILENCE them. These Toyota supporters are writing to sites to get the most vocal owners KICKED OFF so that they cannot ORGANIZE the owners in a unified way. Apparently, these same individuals are using DISHONEST means (are we surprised???) to do so and have been caught doing so. We, the owners have our FREEDOM OF SPEECH until these dishonest sorts RIP IT AWAY from us in order to PROTECT THE COMPANY that is ripping off many of its customers! What is happening is unconscionable! Dirty and underhanded are far too nice adjectives to use at this point. The owners are FED UP and sick of the tricks being played. I hope more and more owners will become VOCAL to let others know what the REAL STORY is at Toyota. It is DISGUSTING! Together, the owners can do more...
