1999 Toyota Camry

AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, AT 7:30 AM ON THURSDAY APRIL 22, 2004, I NOTICED A CLICKING SOUND COMING FROM UNDER MY AUTO'S HOOD. THE AUTO WAS A 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY, WITH ABOUT 90,100 MILES ON IT. THE CLICKING NOISE REMINDED ME OF A SPINNING ROULETTE WHEEL. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, THE NOISE INCREASED IN INTENSITY. AT THAT POINT, I DECIDED THAT I NEEDED TO GO TO A REPAIR FACILITY TO HAVE IT EXAMINED. AS I WAS DOING THAT, THERE WAS A LOUD, EXPLOSION-LIKE NOISE AND THE ENGINE STARTED SMOKING VERY HEAVILY. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD, AT WHICH POINT, I GATHERED UP SOME IMPORTANT ITEMS FROM MY CAR, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. BY THIS TIME, THERE WERE FLAMES COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I CALLED 911 AND ADVISED THE DISPATCHER OF MY CIRCUMSTANCES AND LOCATION. THE CONNECTICUT STATE POLICE ARRIVED WITHIN THREE MINUTES OF MY CALL. THEY TRIED TO PUT OUT THE FIRE WITH AN EXTINGUISHER, BUT WERE UNABLE TO DO SO. BY THE TIME THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED, 10 MINUTES LATER, THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WAS COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES AND SMOKE. THEY WERE ABLE TO QUICKLY EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, BUT BY THAT TIME, THE CAR WAS RUINED. A FEW MINUTES LATER, A TOW TRUK REMOVED THE VEHICLE TO A NEARBY GARAGE. I CALLED MY INSURANCE COMPANY AND FILED A CLAIM. THEY HAVE SINCE DECLARED THE VEHICLE A TOTAL LOSS AND ARE IN THE PROCESS OF REMITTING MY SETTLEMENT.*AK

EXHAUST FUMES ENTER THE PASSENGER CABIN WHEN DRIVING UPHILL AT 30 TO 40 MPH. DRIVER EXPERIENCES DIZZINESS, HEADACHES AND SHORTNESS OF BREATH. DEALER HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. *AK CONSUMER SAID THAT IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR TOYOTA CAMRY VEHICLES. DEALER SAID THAT IT'S THE TYPE OF FUEL USED ON THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, DEALERSHIP REFUSED TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. ALSO, CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT IF THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIDN'T CAME ON, DEALERSHIP WON'T BE ABLE TO LOCATE PROBLEM. *LA

STARTING IN DEC. '03, I HEARD FLUID CIRCULATING THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE IN MY "99 TOY. CAMRY (V6), ESP. FROM A STOP. THE TOY. DEALER TOLD ME MY COOLANT LEVEL WAS LOW, BUT FOUND NO LEAKS, AND ADDED MORE COOLANT. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, THE SOUND CAME BACK AND BECAME WORSE. THE CAR BEGAN TO IDLE ROUGH AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE RAN HIGH. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO ANOTHER TOY. DEALER, WHO INFORMED ME THAT I HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET, WHICH IN TURN CAUSED SEVERE ENGINE DAMAGE. I HAD TO HAVE A NEW SHORT BLOCK INSTALLED, ALONG WITH A NEW OIL PUMP AND WATER PUMP. *JB

MY ENGINE SEIZED. I'VE RECEIVED 2 LETTERS FROM TOYOTA DATED 2/2002 AND 6/2002 REGARDING OIL GEL. CAR WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP- DEALERSHIP HAD CAR "INSPECTED BY A NO NAME TOYOTA DISTRICT REP" DEALERSHIP SAID NOT OIL GEL REP AGREES CONTACTED CORPORATE THEY AGREED WITH DEALERSHIP. SIGHT UNSEEN BY CUSTOMER. NAPERVILE TOYOTA 1ST GOODWILL REPAIR INCLUDED 50% OF PARTS AND SERVICE. AFTER PERSUING THEY AGREED TO LABOR COST. TOYOTA MASS PRODUCED AN ENGINE WITH SMALL VALVE AND LEARNED IT WAS A PROBLEM. CORRECTED IT AND THOUSAND OF CONSUMERS ARE BEING ACCUSE OF LOW LUBRICANT AND NOT MANITENANCE THERE AUTOMOBILE CORRECTLY .

8/12/03 HEARD UNUSUAL NOISE SHORTLY AFTER GETTING ON A HIGHWAY. PULLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE AND STOPPED. FOUND OIL ALL OVER THE PLACE, INSIDE THE ENGINE AND OUTSIDE ON THE GROUND. A TOYOTA DEALER EXAMINED THE CAR AND SAID THAT THE "#1 CONNECTING ROD" WAS BROKEN AND THAT IT IS NOT CUSTOMER'S FAULT. WE BOUGHT TOYOTA CAMRY (4 CYLINDERS) IN 1999. WE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE AT THE SAME TOYOTA DEALER. EVEN 3 WEEKS BEFORE THE ENGINE BROKE DOWN, WE HAD A MAJOR MAINTENANCE FOLLOWING THE ADVICE OF THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR PREVENTING DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE. AS THE MILEAGE IS OVER THE WARRANTE AMOUNT, TOYOTA DOESN'T PAY FOR THE REQUIRED ENGINE REPLACEMENT AND WE HOPE THEY DO. IT'S NOT FAIR TO LET US PAY AS WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG.

BLUE EXHAUST SMOKE AND ODD ENGINE NOICE DURING IGNITION. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO COBB COUNTY TOYOTA IN KENNESAW, GA. I TOOK ALL OF MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND SOME ARTICLES I'D PRINTED OUT REGARDING OIL GELLING, IN CASE THEY GAVE ME ANY HASSLE. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO DO A FLUSH - HE SAID THAT TOYOTA WOULDN'T ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT ANYHOW, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE TAKING IT APART. HE WOULDN'T EVEN SPECULATE WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS GELLING UNTIL THEY TOOK IT APART. AS SUCH, THEY WOULDN'T AGREE TO PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THEY THEY CONFIRMED IT WAS GELLING. THEY DID TAKE IT APART AND FOUND THAT THE GELLING WAS LIMITED TO THE HEAD. WITHOUT ASKING FOR MAINTENANCE RECORDS (EVEN THOUGH I'D HAD MOST OF MY OIL CHANGES DONE BY 3RD PARTIES), AND COMPLETELY FREE OF COST TO ME, THEY CLEANED THE HEAD, AND REPLACED THE VALVE STEM SEALS, OIL PUMP, PICK-UP SCREEN, PVC VALVE, AND VALVE COVER. RUNS SMOOTH AS THE DAY I BOUGHT IT NOW (THOUGH I DID REPLACE THE TIMING BELT AS WELL, WHICH I'M SURE CONTRIBUTED SLIGHTLY TO THE IMPROVEMENT). NO RENTAL CAR WAS NECESSARY AS THEY HAD IT BACK TO ME BY THE END OF THE DAY (I'D TAKEN IT IN THE PREVIOUS EVENING). INCIDENTALLY, I TOOK IT IN 4 YEARS TO THE DAY SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY OF IT.

INITIAL SYMTOMS: ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON; CAR RAN VERY ROUGH, AS IF MISFIRING; WHITE SMOKE BILLOWED; ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY VOID OF OIL; RESPONSE: MECHANIC FLUSHED OIL THROUGH ENGINE; REFILLED ENGINE WITH 4 QUARTS OIL; CHANGED FRONT 3 SPARKPLUGS; 1 WEEK LATER SAME SYMTOMS ABOVE RETURNED; ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY VOID OF OIL AGAIN;

APRIL 30, 2003 ON SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2003 - MY 1999 TOYOTA 2.2L 4CYL CAMRY LE VIN NUMBER [XXX] CEASED TO OPERATE AT JFK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE ENGINE WITH A VERY LOUD NOISE (SUCH HAS GEARS UNDER PRESSURE THAT JUST GAVE WAY) STOPPED ABRUPTLY WHILE SMOKE CAME OUT AND THE OIL SPILLED ALL OVER THE PLACE. AFTER HAVING THE CAR TOWED BACK TO ROCKLAND TOYOTA THE NEXT DAY I LATER WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS A SIGNIFICANT SIZED HOLE ON THE ENGINE AND WAS SHOWN BROKEN THE PIECES. THE CAR WAS ALWAYS SERVICED AT ROCKLAND TOYOTA SINCE ITS PURCHASE FROM TOYOTA NORTH (ALL BASED IN NEW YORK). MY CAMRY HAS HAD SYMPTOMS RELATING TO OIL SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. PERSISTENT DRIFTING/PULLING TO THE LEFT OR THE RIGHT, UNEVEN WEAR OF TIRES WITH NEED FOR EARLY REPLACEMENT, PREMATURE BRAKE COMPONENT WEAR, INCLUDING REAR BRAKE DRUMS, AND VIBRATIONS, ESP. AT SPEEDS ABOVE 50 MPH SINCE ITS PURCHASE IN 1999. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR