2000 Toyota Sienna

TOLD BY TOYOTA THAT SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE IS OUR FAULT DESPITE REGULAR OIL CHANGES. WE DON'T HAVE ALL OUR RECEPTS BUT CHANGED THE OIL AT LEAST 4 TIMES SINCE WE OWNED THE CAR. IMPOSSIBLE TO BELIEVE THAT WE WERE NEGLECTFUL, ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM SEEING SO MANY OTHER CASES WITH THE SAME THING HAPPENING. THERE NEEDS TO BE AN INVESTIGATION HERE SOON. *AK

ENGINE HAD SLUDGE BUILD UP THAT CLOGGED ENGINE AND CAUSED IT TO FAIL. SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF EXHAUST. NOTHING LIT UP ON DASHBOARD, INDICATING A PROBLEM. CONSUEMR WENT ON A 300 MILE TRIP AND HAD TO ADD 21/2 QUARTS OF OIL. DEALER STATED THE ONLY WAY IT COULD HAVE GOTTEN LIKE THAT WAS BY NOT HAVING OIL CHANGES. CONSUMER HAS RECEIPTS FOR OIL ADDED TO VEHICLE. *AK

I TOOK MY NEW TOYOTA SIENNA TO BE REPAIRED BECAUSE IT WAS SMOKING. I WAS TOLD THAT THE ENGINE HAD SLUDGE IN IT AND TOYOTA WAS DENYING ANY WARRANTY CLAIMS. HOW DOES A BRAND NEW ENGINE GET SLUDGE IN IT? THERE ARE LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR INSTANCES REPORTED ON VARIOUS SITES ON THE INTERNET. THE PATTERN IS SIMILAR - LOW MILEAGE TOYOTA VEHCLES (ESPECIALLY SIENNAS) SUDDENLY SMOKING AND HAVING SLUDGE IN THEIR ENGINES, DEPSITE PROPER MAINTENANCE AND REGULAR OIL CHANGES. THERE CLEARLY IS A COVERUP HERE BY TOYOTA. THEY ARE DECLINING WARRANTY CLAIMS RATHER THAN TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM.*AK

HAVE BEEN TOLD I HAVE SLUDGE BUILD UP IN MY ENGINE DUE TO LACK OF MAINTANANCE. I HAVE RECEIPTS FOR 3 OIL CHANGES IN THE FIRST 19000 MILES, BUT THEY THEN TELL ME IT MUST HAVE BEEN INFERIOR OIL. HAVE FOUND THIS TO BE PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE NATION WIDE, AND TOYOTA WILL NOT STAND BEHIND ITS WARRANTY. THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN CAUSED SOLELY DUE TO A LACK OF MAINTANANCE TO ALL THE PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA WANTS TO REBUILD THE ENGINE ON A ONE YEAR OLD VAN WITH 19000 MILES FOR $2200, THOUGH IT WAS PROPERLY MAINTAINED. WILL NOT ACCEPT RECEIPTS FOR SERVICE DONE AS PROOF OF MAINTANANCE. WHAT ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO HAVE TO ENSURE PROOF?*AK

WITH LESS THAN 15,000 MILES ON MY VAN, THICK GREY SMOKE BEGAN POURING OUT OF THE BACK AT STARTUP. I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE THE OIL CHANGED (NOT THE DEALER). IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER, ESPECIALLY IF IT LOST OIL (WHICH IT DID). THE DEALER FOUND EXCESSIVE SLUDGE BUILD UP. THEY SAID THEY HAD TO CLEAN SLUDGE FROM THE CYLINDER HEADS AND CAMSHAFTS, AND REPLACE THE VALVE COVERS, STEM SEALS AND RELATED GASKETS AND THE R&R ENGINE OIL PAN. THEY ALSO SAID THEY CLEANED THE SLUDGE FROM THE PAN OIL PUMP AND PICK UP SCREEN, AND THE CAM CAPS WERE SCORED DUE TO LACK OF OIL LUBRICATION. THE ONSITE SERVICE MANAGER (WHO SUPPOSEDLY SPOKE TO THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER) SAID THE SLUDGE BUILD UP WAS OUR FAULT AND REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY. WE PAID $2670.82 FOR THE REPAIRS. I'VE HAD THE CAR BACK LESS THAN A WEEK, BUT SO FAR NO MORE PROBLEMS. I FEEL THAT A CAR WITH LESS THAN 15,000 MILES ON IT SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS KIND OF PROBLEM, AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS OF TOYOTAS WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. EVEN THE TOYOTA PEOPLE IMPLIED THEY'VE SEEN THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM OFTEN.