Are Toyota V6 Engines a Consumer Rip-Off? Yes, say the owners...
Ask those who have experienced the Toyota engine SLUDGE problem first hand and the answer will be YES! Will Toyota dealerships admit to any problems in the V6 engine of several models under four years of age? Most likely not.
The history of the sludge problem goes as follows:
1) BLAME the owner. BLAME the owner. BLAME the owner.
2) BLAME the oil change facility used.
3) BLAME the type, quality, and/or grade of engine oil used.
How long has Toyota known about the tendency for its V6 engines to develop SEVERE sludge? It has known for at least 3 years. This is when one of the first owners on-line began to post about the problem. Toyota insiders admit to seeing the problem years ago. They admit that the numbers of cases are increasing steadily now.
What is Toyota's CURRENT opinion on the matter? It has done some testing (proprietary and not accessible to the owners) that shows NO defect. Therefore, the OWNER is to blame. But... It will give owners a "Customer Support Program" instead of the original warranty should the sludge occur.
BEWARE... If they use the terms "oil gelation, " "sludge, " "carbonization, " etc. IF the Toyota dealership tells you that your vehicle has bad valve stem seals... LOOK OUT! IF it tell you that the increasing smoke you see from your tailpipe is "normal" and should be ignored... LOOK OUT! IF it tells you that repairs are needed and that it will NOT cover them because you did not maintain your vehicle as you should have... LOOK OUT!
I suggest FREQUENT engine oil analyses (cost $18-$25) to see if there is a contaminant entering your engine oil system.in many of the sludge cases, EXCESSIVE FUEL or GLYCOL CONTAMINATION (coolant caused) was present at the time of total engine failure. Monitor your engine oil for changes in characteristics and for consumption.
There have been several internet sites where the Toyota owners have gathered together to compare notes and collect data. Corporate counter-strategists are busy to discredit the information being passed along by these owners. Computer intrusion has resulted for many. Toyota continues to maintain that there is but a "small, very vocal group of owners" on the internet.
Do NOT think for a minute that this is the case. Toyota itself admits to over 3,000 written complaints to it by owners with a sludge problem. This was the figure BEFORE the internet discussion. Hundreds upon hundreds of owners have logged their complaints on the internet. STILL, Toyota maintains that this is an OWNER MAINTENANCE problem and that it has NO RESPONSIBILITY at all. All the while, it is patting itself on the back for coming out with a "policy" to help out.
What is the problem? Well, recent owner complaints show that Toyota is actually CHARGING the owners to LOOK FOR SLUDGE! Dealerships are citing there is no sludge but that the owner must pay for the replacement of parts that are failing when sludge occurs! Particularly, there is a long flow sheet that Toyota has which addresses the inspection of the engine via compression tests.
Ultimately, piston rings and valve stem seals are being replaced when the vehicles consume too much oil and show increased exhaust smoke. Oftentimes, there are NO DASH LIGHTS or MIL lights that come on when the engines FAIL.
In this situation, what you do not know can and will hurt you financially.
The owners have found that many owners have NOT received the letter promised from Toyota Motor Sales, Inc. Not only that, but the owners have also been denied information by the dealerships about the "Customer Support Program." This begs the question, is Toyota only giving information out when the owner reveals his/her knowledge from the internet? It seems that the owners in many current cases are STILL being blamed until they learn the truth about the program that was initiated ONLY AFTER the internet group began to become vocal.
The victims of HEAD GASKET failures in the Toyota 4Runner are supposed to have a policy BETTER than the sludge victims.in truth, these owners are reporting that Toyota is NOT COVERING the repeat repairs even though their policy says "unlimited age, unlimited mileage." There was a KNOWN head gasket problem but subsequent failures are not covered even though the mileage is less than 50,000 miles on the new gasket.
Do a "Google.com" search for "Toyota Sludge" and see what you find. Research the more than 5,000 posts on Edmund's Town Hall that are buried deep within the archives. You will not be permitted to keep the sludge discussion alive on that site and you may even be BANNED if you bring it up! You may be attacked by "spin doctors" on The Complaint Station for Toyota if you claim there is anything wrong with your Toyota vehicle. Yes, there is an active effort to keep the owner networking to a MINIMUM.
IGNORE this and connect with others anyway. This is your right. Toyota and/or its affiliates have NO RIGHT to interfere with the dissemination of information among the owners of its vehicles. It needs to DELIVER the "made to perfection" vehicle it is currently promising to the public. It needs to STOP any deception occurring in the sludge matter, address the problem CORRECTLY, and RESOLVE it. Cleaning the dirty engine and replacing a few seals is NOT THE ANSWER!
Contact me if you have any concerns or if you would like to network with other owners to keep the database going.
Charlene
Vienna, Virginia
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