1996 Toyota Camry

ENGINE WAS RUNNING FINE BUT WAS TAKING IT IN FOR 60K MILE SERVICE. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME OF A BAD OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM AND ESTIMATED THE REPAIRS TO BE $4500. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE THE ENGINE HAS NOT BEEN DAMAGED, BUT ONLY A CHANCE. I LET HIM PERFORM THE WORK OF CLEANING THE OIL PAN AND RUNNING A COUPLE OF OIL CHANGES TO CLEAN THE SLUDGE. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING FINE, BUT NOW (JANUARY 2003) I AM GETTING A LOT OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST AND THEY TELL ME THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BUT THEY CAN'T TELL WITHOUT TAKING THE ENGINE APART.

I OWN A 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY THAT HAS THE OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM THAT TOYOTA HAS ADMITTED TO FOR THE 1997-2001 CARS. MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP EXAMINED AND ADMITTED MY CAR HAS THE SLUDGE/GEL PROBLEM BUT SAYS THIS YEAR OF MANUFACTURE IS NOT PART OF THE CAMPAIGN TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND THEREFOR WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE AND ITS SUBSEQUENT REPAIRS. TOYOTA WANTS TO CHARGE ME $800 TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE THE "EXTENT OF DAMAGE". IN MY RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE FOUND OTHER OWNERS OF 1996 TOYOTAS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS WITH THEIR ENGINES AND I FEEL TOYOTA IS AGAIN TRYING TO MINIMIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO OWNERS OF VEHICLES WITH THE AFFECTED ENGINES.

MY CAR HAS 135,000 MILES ON IT AND I WAS RECENTLY NOTICING THAT IT WOULD RUN HARD AND NOT SWITCH GEARS AS SMOOTHLY AS IT ONCE HAD. I TOOK IT IN TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO BE EVALUATED AND WAS TOLD IT HAD SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE PROBABLY DUE TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES I WAS THEN INFORMED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND THAT IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $5000-$6000. I INFORMED THE ADVISOR THAT I ALWAYS HAD MY OIL CHANGED AS PER THE OWNER?S MANUAL, AND I REQUESTED A WRITTEN ESTIMATE AS TO THE EXACT DETAILS THAT FORMED THE BASIS FOR THIS PRICE QUOTE. I WAS ULTIMATELY DENIED THAT INFORMATION. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD ME HE WOULD CALL ME BACK AND/OR FAX IT TO ME, AFTER WHICH I RECEIVED NOTHING. I CALLED AGAIN, GOT HIS SUPERVISOR INSTEAD OF THE SERVICE ADVISOR, AND HE EXPLAINED THAT ENGINE SLUDGE WAS THE DIAGNOSIS AND THAT I COULD NOT GET A WRITTEN ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE EXACT PARTS NEEDED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE LOOK FURTHER INTO THE ENGINE'S PROBLEM TO GIVE ME THE ESTIMATE IN WRITING. I ASKED WHY THIS HADN'T BEEN DONE PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF THE DIAGNOSIS THAT I ORDERED, AND HE THEN BEGAN STAMMERING AND INFORMED ME THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE MY FILE IN FRONT OF HIM AND HE COULD CALL ME BACK AFTER LOOKING INTO IT FURTHER. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK ME IF I WAS REALLY WILLING TO PAY THAT MUCH FOR AN ENGINE?. WHEN I ASKED WHAT MY OTHER ALTERNATIVES WERE, HE OFFERED TO TRANSFER ME TO A SALESMAN! I NEVER RECEIVED ANY FURTHER PHONE CALLS. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT IF I AM NOT WILLING TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE I RECEIVE DECREASES DRAMATICALLY. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN MY CAR TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT SHOP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, WHERE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET AN EXPLANATION BOTH IN WRITING AND BY THE ADVISOR IN CONVERSATION AS TO WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG AND WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

PROBLEMS WITH 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY.*MR A FEW YEARS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA WHICH STATED IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TIMING BELT REPLACED BEFORE 60,000 MILES. THE LETTER INDICATED THAT IF THE BELT SHOULD MALFUNCTION, THE VEHICLE COULD STOP RUNNING. SINCE RECEIVING THE LETTER THE CONSUMER HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS ADVERTISEMENTS REGARDING TIMING BELT REPLACEMENTS FROM SEVERAL LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED SINCE TOYOTA SEEMED TO KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *JB *NM

MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE I WAS DRIVING, WITH A PASSENGER, APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, ON A SLIGHT INCLINE ON A BACK COUNTRY ROAD, IN THE MID AFTERNOON. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA SANTA CRUZ, WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAMRY NEW IN 1996, AND THEY ESSENTIALLY DID NOTHING. I NOTIFIED TOYOTA'S REGIONAL OFFICE AND I MET WITH AN AGENT FROM THERE WHO INSPECTED MY CAR AT TOYOTA SANTA CRUZ. HE FOUND EVIDENCE A ROCK HAD HIT A STABILIZING BAR UNDERNEATH. I REPORTED HAVING NOT SEEN OR HIT A ROCK ON THE DAY OF THE INCIDENT. I WAS TOLD TO AWAIT TOYOTA'S DECISION IN THE MAIL WITHIN 10 DAYS. THEY CONCLUDED MY AIR BAGS HAD DEPLOYED APPROPRIATELY. MY WITNESS AND I WROTE BACK TO THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, WHERE WE HAD BEEN REFERRED, DISPUTING THEIR CONCLUSION TWICE, AND BOTH TIMES THE RESPONSE WAS THAT THEIR CONCLUSION WAS FINAL. I AM CONFINED TO ONLY BEING ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT BY MAIL. MEANWHILE, I AM DRIVING WITH NO AIRBAGS NOW FOR CLOSE TO 2 YEARS. TOYOTA HAS PROMPTED ME TO GET MY AIR BAG LIGHT FIXED SINCE THE DEPLOYMENT, BUT THAT IS ALL. AND MY HORN DOESN'T WORK NORMALLY NOW THAT THE VINYL IS RIPPED OPEN IN THE CENTER OF THE STEERING WHEEL. I INTENTIONALLY BOUGHT THE CAMRY FOR IT'S SAFETY RECORD. I AM IN DISBELIEF THAT TOYOTA CARES SO LITTLE FOR SAFETY. PLEASE, PLEASE HELP ME. *LA