1998 Toyota Sienna

ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA ON I75 IN ATLANTA GA WHILE VISITING FRIENDS, WAS ABLE TO GET TO MEDIAN BEFORE IT DIED. HAD IT TOWED TO INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO VERIFIED SLUDGE BUILD UP. CALLED TOYOTA ABOUT ENGINE FAILURE. WAS TOLD TO TAKE VAN TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SC (WHERE WE LIVE) TOWED THE VAN HOME TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP WHO ALSO VERIFIED SLUDGE BUILD UP. WAS TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEMS IN THEIR ENGINES BUT WAS NOT GOING TO PAY FOR ENGINE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE WE DID NOT HAVE RECEIPTS PROVING THAT OIL/FILTERS CHANGES WERE MADE. WE CHANGED OUR OIL EVERY 3000 MILES WITHOUT FAIL. IF WE DIDN'T ENGINE WOULD HAVE DIED SOONER. TOYOTA DID SAY THAT WE COULD PAY FOR REPAIRS $9000 AND THEN SUBMIT RECEIPTS FOR REVIEW AND MAY BE REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS. STILL FIGHTING WITH TOYOTA, HAVE MADE COMPLAINT WITH BBB. POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE, I WAS ALONE WITH 4 CHILDREN. *NM

WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE VEHICLE STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY. THE DEALER EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND A BUILD UP OF SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. A NEW ENGINE WAS INSTALLED. TWO YEARS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM RECURRED AND A NEW ENGINE WAS NEEDED. *AK ON MARCH 22, 2004 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON. ON MARCH 23, 2004 THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SERVICE DEALER WHO SUGGESTED THAT SLUDGE WAS THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

WE LEASED A 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAFEST VAN OUT THERE AT THE TIME. TWO YEARS LATER I WAS DRIVING TO WORK, WHEN THE ( DUMMY GAUGE) FOR THE OIL LIGHT TURNED ON. I STOPPED AT THE FIRST GAS STATION AND CHECKED THE OIL IT WAS FINE. ON MY WAY HOME THAT MORNING FROM WORK ON THE FREEWAY. THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, THEN SUDDENLY THE ENGINE STALLED & I HEARD SOME KNOCKING NOISE , I PULLED OVER, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALEARSHIP WHERE WE LEASED THE VAN. THEY HAD IT CHECKED OUT THEN TOLD US THAT THERE WAS OIL SLUDGING AND HAS CAUSED ENGINE DAMAGE. THEY TOLD US THAT THE VAN NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE WE HAD GONE OVER THE WARRANTY MILES. THE ESTIMATE WAS OVER 5,000.00 , WE DID NOT HAVE THE FUNDS, OR CREDIT AVAILABLE TO COVER FOR THE ESTIMATE ON THE VAN. SO WE HAD NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO GIVE IT UP AS A VOLUNTARY REPO. KNOWING THAT THE LEASING COMPANY WAS GOING TO TRY TO GET THEIR MONEY. THERE WAS NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO FILE FOR BANKRUPTCY. I HAD EXCELLENT CREDIT AND NOW MY CREDIT IS RUINED. IN THE YEAR 2002 I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM THE MANUFACTURER STATING THAT THEY WERE REIMBURSING AND OR EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE ENGINE AT NO COST TO ALL CUSTOMERS WHO HAD THE PROBLEM WITH ENGINE DAMAGE DUE TO OIL SLUDGING. WELL I NO LONGER HAD THE VAN IN MY POSSESION BUT I DID SUFFER SOME DAMAGES AND I ONLY THINK IT IS FAIR THAT I GET SOME COMPENSATION FROM THE TOYOTA MANUFACTURER DUE TO THEIR OWN DEFECTIVE ENGINE. I WROTE A LETTER TO TOYOTA AND I HAVE NOT HEARD A RESPONSE FROM THEM YET.*AK

ENGINE OIL SLUDGE: MY SIENNA WAS FINALLY FIXED BY TOYOTA CANADA AFTER I MADE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE DEALERSHIP (JIM PATTISON TOYOTA) THAT REFUSED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE WHOLE ENGINE WAS OVERHAULED BY A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP. I WAS REALLY HAPPY THE WAY THEY HANDLED THE CASE. I JUST RECEIVED A MEMO FROM TOYOTA YESTERDAY THAT SIENNA BETWEEN 1998-2000 HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THEY HAVE EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON TRANSMISSION FOR THESE PARTICULAR VEHICLES TO 8 YRS OR 100,000 MILES .

MY CAR'S ENGINE FAILED AT 20,000 MILES. THE DEALER SAID IT WAS DUE TO SLUDGE, BASED ON MY NOT CHANGING THE OIL OFTEN ENOUGH. I HAD CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 6000 MILES, NOT EVERY 3000 MILES. THE DEALER, JIM COLEMAN TOYOTA OF BETHESDA MD STATED THAT I WAS AT FAULT AND THAT TOYOTA WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. FIRST COLEMAN FLUSHED THE ENGINE, AT A COST OF 1000. WHEN THIS REPAIR ONLY HELD FOR 2000 MILES OR SO, I WAS TOLD I NEEDED TO REPLACE MY ENGINE. I DID SO AT ERNIE'S, A TOP-RATED REPAIR SHOP IN BETHESDA (CONSUMER CHECK LIST)AT A COST OF 5600, CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN TOYOTA'S PRICE OF 7500. I HAVE FAITHFULLY CHANGED MY OIL SINCE THAT TIME ON OR BEFORE THE 3000 MILE MARK. THE ENGINE HAS AGAIN FAILED DUE TO SLUDGE BUILD-UP!!! I AM NOW EXPECTING THAT TOYOTA WILL REPLACE THE ENGINE AT NO COST TO ME, BUT I AM CONCERNED THAT THERE WILL BE SOME CATCH TO THIS...

HAD SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. ENGINE LOST OIL AND SMOKE COMING OUT THE TAIL PIPE. THEY REBUILT MY ENGINE FOR FREE. SAYING THAT I DID NOT CHANGE OIL FREQUENT ENOUGH. I HAVE PROOF AND DID CHANGE EVERY 4-5000 MILES BUT NOT WITH THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. MY CONCERN IS THAT WHAT DID THEY CHANGE TO MAKE SURE THIS DOESN\\'T HAPPEN AGAIN. THEY COULD NOT PROMISE ME IT WOULDN\\'T EVEN IF I CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3000 MILES

FAX FM GEORGE A. STOUFFER (NC) REQUEST THAT TOYOTA COVER THE COST OF A NEW ENGINE FOR THIS 1998 TOYOTA SIENNA DUE TO AN "OIL GEL" PROBLEM. *MR WHITE SMOKE HAD COME FROM THE TAIL PIPE. THE SERVICE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT TOYOTA LABELED AN "OIL GEL PROBLEM" AND TOLD THE CONSUMER THAT THE ENGINE WOULD BE CLEANED UNDER WARRANTY. THE PROBLEM RECURRED AND DESTROYED THE ENGINE. TOYOTA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PAYMENT UNDER THE SAME PROVISIONS AS BEFORE. (THEY REFUSED THE REQUEST) *SC THE REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE WAS DENIED, BECAUSE THE MANUFACTURER STATED THE CONSUMER DID NOT PROPERLY MAINTAIN THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER HAD PROOF THAT THE VEHICLE WAS WELL MAINTAINED, ONCE THAT PROOF WAS SENT, THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMED THE WARRANTY ONLY COVERED ONE SINGLE REPAIR, BUT THE ORIGINAL REPAIR NEVER FIXED THE DESIGN FLAW, BUT ONLY CLEANED OUT THE OIL GEL. *JB

WE HAVE A TOYOTA SIENNA VAN. IN 8/02 WE HAD 'OIL GEL SLUDGING' AND THE ENGINE WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY. NOW, WE HAVE EXACTLY THE SAME PROBLEM AND TOYOTA REFUSES TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. WITH THE INITIAL REPAIR, THEY ACKNOWLEDGED IT WAS A DESIGN FLAW. SINCE THE ENGINE WAS POORLY DESIGNED, AND THERE IS A RECURRING PROBLEM DUE TO THE DESIGN, WHY DO THEY THINK A ONE-TIME REPAIR WILL SUFFICE? *LA