2001 Toyota Avalon

I HAVE A 2001 TOYOTA AVALON THAT I PURCHASED USED FROM KINGS TOYOTA IN JULY 2005. THE CAR WAS TOYOTA CERTIFIED. MY CAR'S ENGINE DIED ON 8/14/2010 50 MILES FROM MY MECHANIC. I HAD THE CAR TOWED ON 8/14/2010 AND HE CALLED ME TO SAY HE COULD PUT A JASPER MOTOR IN MY CAR FOR $6700. I CALLED TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND HEARD FROM THEM THE FOLLOWING DAY THAT I WAS TOO LATE TO GET THE ENGINE REPAIRED. I EXPLAINED THAT I NEVER RECEIVED ANY LETTERS FROM TOYOTA ABOUT THE VOLUNTARY RECALL AND I WAS TOLD TOO BAD. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS FROM FAULTY TOYOTA ENGINES. OIL GEL OR SLUDGE CAUSED MY ENGINE TO SEIZE. IT IS SITTING DEAD AT MY MECHANIC'S SHOP WAITING FOR ME TO DECIDE WHERE TO MOVE IT TO NEXT. *TR

ENGINE SLUDGE IS CREATING EXCESSIVE SMOKING AND THE CAR USES 2 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY 2 FILLUPS. THE VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING IN JULY OF 2009 AT 120,000 MILES AND WAS STILL UNDER AN 8 YEAR WARRANTY ON THE ENGINE. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP IN REDDING AND THEY REFUSED TO HONOR THE 8 YEAR WARRANTY BECAUSE I WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH RECEIPTS THAT I HAD CHANGED THE OIL ON A REGULAR BASIS. THEY SAY THE ENGINE IS RUINED. *TR

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY "DIAGNOSED" THE CAR FOR 8 DAYS. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THEY FINALLY INDICATED IT WAS BECAUSE OF BUILD-UP ON THE #1 FUEL INJECTOR AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $600. THEY ALSO INDICATED IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THE CAR HAD 42,000 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME. IT SEEMED ODD TO ME THAT THE POWERTRAIN IS COVERED UNTIL 60,000 MILES BUT THE FUEL INJECTORS ARE NOT CONSIDERED PART OF THE POWERTRAIN. APPROXIMATELY 10 DAYS AFTER GETTING MY CAR BACK THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN AND BEEN ILLUMINATED SINCE.*AK

OIL SLUDGE BUILD UP IN 3.0 LITER IMZ V6 ENGINE. WAS TOLD THE ENGINE WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY REBUILT NEW PISTONS, RINGS, BEARINGS ETC. HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD OF ANY EXTENDED WARRANTY, WAS TOLD I WOULD ONLY HAVE THE REMAINING WARRANTY ON CAR. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED THE SLUDGE BUILD UP. IF THIS IS TRUE HOW CAN THEY REPAIR THE ENGINE? IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUSED IT TO FAIL IN THE FIRST PLACE. THEY CAN REBUILD THE ENGINE BUT IT WILL JUST BUILD UP WITH SLUDGE AGAIN IF THEY DON'T FIX THE PROBLEM....AND WHAT ABOUT RESALE VALUE? NO ONE WILL BUY THIS CAR WITH THIS ENGINE IN IT IF THEY KNOW ABOUT IT. AS FOR ME I WANT SOMETHING ELSE, I WANT BACK WHAT THIS CAR'S ENGINE PROBLEMS HAS COST ME!!

I HAVE AN OIL ENGINE SLUDGE PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA IS TRYING TO PLACE THE CAUSE ON MY SHOULDERS. MY HUSBAND PERFORMED OIL CHANGES AT REGULAR INTERVALS AT ABOUT 4500 MILES BETWEEN EACH CHANGE. TWICE WE HAVE HAD OTHER CHANGE THE OIL. ONCE THE DEALERSHIP AND ONCE A TEXACO EXPRESS LUBE, BOTH WHICH WE WERE ABLE TO OBTAIN RECEIPTS FOR. THE PROBLEM BEGAN WHEN WE DID NOT SAVE THE RECEIPTS FROM OUR OIL AND FILTER PURCHASES. ANY AND ALL WORK DONE ON THE CAR WAS ENTERED INTO OUR MAINTANANCE MANUAL. A FEW YEARS BACK WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA EXPLAINING THE SLUDGE PROBLEM AND WHAT THEY WOULD DO IF IT OCCURRED. EVIDENTLY WHAT THEY SAID ISN'T WORTH THE PAPER IT WAS WRITTEN ON. THEY WANT ME TO PAY $750 TO THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE THEY WILL DO ANY WORK ON THE CAR. $250 IS FOR INCIDENTIAL WORK THAT MIGHT HAVE TO BE DONE IN RELATION TO THE SLUDGE PROBLEM AND THE OTHER $500 IS A DEDUCTABLE. EXCUSE ME BUT NO WHERE IN THE LETTER OR MY WARRANTY AND OWNERSHIP MANUALS DOES IT STATE THAT IF WE PERFORM THE WORK WE ARE REQUIRED TO KEEP OUR RECEIPTS. I SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP, WHO TRIED TO REFUSE TO GIVE ME THE NAME OF THE DISTRICT MANAGER, AND DID REFUSE TO GIVE ME A PHONE NUMBER THAT I COULD REACH HIM AT. HE SAID OUR LOG OF THE WORK WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE TOYOTA CORP., AND THAT PEOPLE HAD BEEN KNOWN TO FALSIFY RECORDS. I HAVE NEVER HAD MY INTEGRITY QUESTIONED BEFORE BUT NOW BECAUSE OF TOYOTA'S BUILDING OF AN ENGINE PRONE TO THIS TYPE OF FAILURE ALL THE SUDDEN I'VE BECOME A LIAR.

ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND VSC AND VSC OFF LIGHT WENT ON WHILE DRIVING!. DEALER INDICATED THAT A VALVE IN THE CHARCOAL CANISTER ASSY. WAS SHORTING OUT. THE COMPONENT IS PART OF THE EMISSIONS SYSTEM AND THE VSC IS PART OF THE SAME CIRCUIT HENCE BOTH SETS OF WARNING LIGHTS WENT ON. DEALER INDICATED THAT IF YOU TOP OFF THE TANK THE EXTRA GAS SPILLS OVER INTO THE CANNISTER AND CAN OVERWHELM THE VALVE CAUSING EXCESSIVE USAGE AND POSSIBLE SHORTING. I INDICATED THAT I HAVE NEVER TOP'D OFF THE TANK IN THIS CAR, DEALER HAD NO OTHER EXPLANATION. PART IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE TOYOTA $1200 EXTRA CARE GOLD EXTENDED WARRANTY, AND COST TO REPLACE UNIT WAS $507.32, INCLUDING $85.00 CHARGE FOR COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. NOTE:53K ON CAR AND HAVE HAD NO UNSCHEDULED WORK DONE ON CAR SINCED IT WAS PURCHASED NEW. *AK