2000 Toyota Camry

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, NO WARNING LIGHTS OR TEMPERATURE LIGHTS WENT OFF, BUT A RATTLING SOUND OCCURRED, PRIOR TO A "POP", WHICH WAS THE ENGINE "BLOWING" UP. THIS LATER WAS DIAGNOSED AS THE BLOW UP OF ROD #4, WHICH TORE THROUGH THE ENGINE BLOCK, WITH CURRENT REPAIR COST ESTIMATED AT $6000. THE VEHICLE HAS RECEIVED REGULAR MAINTENANCE INCLUDING OIL CHANGES WITHIN MANUFACTURER GUIDELINES. SINCE THIS YEAR AND MODEL WAS PART OF THE "OIL SLUDGE" MESS, I INQUIRED WHY I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE FROM THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS POTENTIAL FOR THE ENGINE TO SEIZE SUDDENLY WITH NO WARNING. THEY INDICATED MY VIN SUPPOSEDLY IS NOT PART OF THIS CAMPAIGN AND SINCE THE MILEAGE IS 96000 MILES, I AM NOT COVERED. TOYOTA TOTES A "QUALITY" PRODUCT, YET THIS IS THE FIRST CAR IN MY LIFE THAT HAS NOT MADE IT TO 140,000 MILES OR MORE. TOYOTA TO DATE HAS OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE WITH NO EXPLANATION OF WHY THE ENGINE WOULD SUDDENLY DIE WITH SO FEW MILES. THEY INDICATE THAT THIS IS NOT RELATED TO THEIR OIL SLUDGE NIGHTMARE OR ENGINE DESIGN PROBLEMS.*AK

I HAVE A 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH 62,000 MILES THAT HAS HAD THE OIL CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES OR LESS, AND HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED. I WAS TRAVLLING AT AROUND 65 MPH ON A BUSY HIGHWAY DURING A HOLIDAY WEEKEND WHEN WITHOUT ANY WARNING I HEARD A LOUD NOISE. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE OFF OF THE ROAD AND I DISCOVERED THAT THERE WAS OIL EVERYWHERE. WHEN A PASSERBY STOPPED HE SHOWED ME A HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. WHEN THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND EXAMINED, THEY OBSERVED THAT THE ENGINE HAD THROWN THE #4 ROD. SINCE THE CAR WAS 2,000 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY, AS A "GOOD WILL" GESTURE TOYOTA AGREED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE, BUT I WAS STUCK WITH LABOR ESTIMATED AT AROUND $1,500. I HAVE WRITTEN TO TOYOTA AND ASKED THEM TO PAY FOR LABOR ALSO, BUT THEY HAVEN'T MADE A FINAL DETERMINATION AS OF YET. THE ROAD I WAS TRAVELLING ON LESS THAN 10 MIN BEFORE THE INCIDENT OCCURED (THE PA TURNPIKE) WAS HILLLY, CURVEY AND CROWDED. IF THE ENGINE HAD BLOWN ON THAT HIGHWAY AN ACCIDENT WOULD HAVE ENSUED DUE TO THE LARGE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC AND ABSENCE OF ADEQUATE SHOULDER SPACE. I'M STILL WAITING FOR SHAFFERTOYOTA IN CUMBERLAND, MD TO REPAIR MY CAR. AS FAR AS I KNOW THEY HAVE THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE.*AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY WIFE'S 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY LE, 4 CYLINDER. DEALER CHARGED $72 FOR DIAGNOSIS AND RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF CHARCOAL CANISTER DUE TO EMISSIONS VENT CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, CODE PO 440. I DIDNT GET IT DONE. DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND SEE DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM TOYOTA USERS. CANT TOYOTA CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, AS ITS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING FLAW? *AK

I PURCHASED A 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY CE (VIN # 4T1BG22KOYU962183) WITH A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE, 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN FEBRUARY OF 2000. FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2004 AROUND 6:15AM I WAS DRIVING THIS CAR TO WORK ON RTE 495 SOUTH IN HUDSON, MASS. WITHOUT WARNING, I HEARD A POP UNDER THE HOOD AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION. WHITE SMOKE WAS POURING OUT THE REAR AND DARK SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I WAS DRIVING 65 MPH DOWN A STEEP GRADE, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I QUICKLY BEGAN PULL INTO THE BRAKE DOWN LANE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALSO TO THE FLOOR. I SLOWLY APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE AND MANAGED TO GET THE CAR STOPPED. I HAD FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND SMOKE COMING INTO THE DRIVERS COMPARTMENT. THE TRAFFIC THAT WAS BEING BLINDED BY THE SMOKE AND THE ROAD HAD GUARDRAILS SO I COULD NOT PULL COMPLETELY OFF THE ROAD. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING OUT OF THE CAR INTO TRAFFIC BUT I HAD TO GET OUT QUICKLY. I GOT AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE AND CALLED THE AUTHORITIES. BY THE TIME THE FIRE TRUCKS ARRIVED THE FRONT OF THE CAMRY WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. WHAT OCCURRED THAT MORNING HIT ME LATER. I REALIZED THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. THANKFULLY I DID NOT PANIC AND CAUSE A BAD SITUATION TO BE WORSE. I THOUGHT WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE HAD BEEN DRIVING THIS CAR, MY PREGNANT DAUGHTER OR MY WIFE. WHAT IF A FAMILY WITH A CHILD IN A CAR SEAT, A NEW YOUNGER DRIVER OR AN ELDERLY PERSON WAS DRIVING? I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO WALK AWAY UNINJURED. SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ANOTHER STORY. I DONT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR, I TOOK GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY, TRAVELERS CASUALTY COMPANY OF CONNECTICUT, IS HANDLING THE SETTLEMENT. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LET YOU KNOW OF THIS FAILURE. I HAD FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION INTO CAMRY FIRES A WHILE AGO. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE DETAILS. WILLIAM HOVEY. *NM

MY HUSBAND WAS GETTING ON THE ON RAMP TO THE FREEWAY WHEN THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE, HE THOUGHT HE BLEW A TIRE. WHEN HE CHECKED, THE SHORT BLOCK WAS CRACKED. THE CYLINDER HAD GONE THROUGH THE BLOCK. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING: NO OIL LIGHT, NO OVERHEATING, NO ABNORMAL ENGINE NOISE, OIL WAS FULL WHEN CHECKED TWO WEEKS PRIOR. TOYOTA REFUSED TO PAY TOTAL REPAIR COSTS DUE TO THE FACT WE WERE ONLY ABLE TO PRODUCE EVIDENCE OF TWO OIL CHANGES IN 15 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP/24,000 MILES. WE BOUGHT THE CAR AT 21.5K MILES, DEALER CHANGED OIL AT 31K MILES IN DEC 02, ONE OIL RECEIPT I COULD FIND WAS DATED JUNE '03, CAR WAS DUE FOR ANOTHER CHANGE. I TOOK PICTURES OF THE ENGINE TODAY AND RECEIVED A REQUESTED OIL SAMPLE. THE PICTURES SHOW SLUDGE ON THE PISTONS, A CRACKED PISTON AND A SEVERELY CRACKED SHORT BLOCK. MECHANIC SAYS ONE OF THE RODS IS BENT, ALSO. I COULD NOT SEE ANY DEFORMITY IN THE RODS, BUT HAVE A PICTURE OF ALL FOUR RODS.