1996 Toyota Tacoma

MY VEHICLES ENGINE BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH A FEW DAYS AGO AND WE BEGAN TROUBLE SHOOTING TO FIND THE CAUSE. WE PULLED THE SPARK PLUGS AND FOUND RUST AND WATER ON ONE PLUG. WE CLEANED THE PLUG UP AND REINSTALLED IT AND RAN THE VEHICLE TO TEST IT. IT RAN SMOOTH FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES THEN BEGAN RUNNING ROUGH AGAIN. WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT THE HEAD GASKET HAS FAILED. WE WENT ON THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN FOR OUR VEHICLE BACK IN 1999 AND AGAIN IN 2001. THE LAST ONE HAD AN EXPIRATION DATE OF NOVEMBER 30, 2004. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2002 AND WAS NOT AWARE OF THE SERVICE CAMPAIGN UNTIL WE FOUND IT ON THE INTERNET YESTERDAY. WE NOTIFIED TOYOTA AND THEY TOLD US THERE WAS NO RECALL OR CAMPAIGN FOR OUR VEHICLE. WE HAVE DOUBLE CHECKED THE VIN NUMBER WITH THEIR CAMPAIGN NOTICE AND IT IS A MATCH. WE HAVE NOT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE AS WE FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD MAKE IT RIGHT DUE TO NO NOTIFICATION WHEN THE CAMPAIGN WAS ONGOING.*JB

I COMPLAINED OF A RAPPING, TAPPING NOISE IN ENGINE ON 8/26/97. TRUCK HAD 15877 MILES ON IT. WAS TOLD NOTHING WAS WRONG. I AGAIN COMPLAINED OF NOISE 1/29/98. TRUCK HAD 21851 MILES ON IT. SOUNDED LIKE TAPPING NOISE COMING FROM TOP OF ENGINE . SAME NOISE AS BEFORE. THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG. AT 56500 MILES TAPPING GOT SLIGHTLY LOUDER. I AGAIN COMPLAINED OF NOISE AT BEGINNING OF DECEMBER 2001. I WAS TOLD THEY COULD HEAR IT THEN (AFTER WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED!) THEY TOLD ME I HADNT CHANGED MY OIL AND IT WOULD COST 4400 DOLLARS FOR A NEW SHORT BLOCK. I KNEW I WASNT AT FAULT. I REMOVED ENGINE SO I COULD DETERMINE CAUSE OF NOISE. THE PROBLEM IS A DEFECTIVE CRANKSHAFT. IT IS NOT MACHINED CORRECTLY. IT IS NOT DRILLED THRU TO ALLOW THE FLOW OF OIL THRU THE BEARING. I SHOWED THEM THE CRANK. THEY ADMITTED IT WAS A FACTORY DEFECT. THEY WILL NOT PUT IT IN WRITING. THEIR MAY BE THOUSANDS OF OTHER TRUCKS WHOSE OWNERS ARE GETTING RIPPED OFF FOR THE COST OF A NEW ENGINE. THEY WILL BE TOLD THEY DIDNT CHANGE THEIR OIL. TOYOTA WILL POCKET ALOT OF MONEY. THE OWNERS WILL BE COMPLETELY UNAWARE OF THIS MAJOR SCAM. TOYOTA MUST ADMIT IN WRITING THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF THIS. THEY MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. THE ENGINE COULD FAIL IN TRAFFIC CAUSING SEVERE ACCIDENTS.*AK

CONSUMER STATED THE HEAD GASKET BEGAN TO LEAK RED FLUID, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT BOTH HEAD GAKSKETS WERE CRACKED, CONSUMER HAS SINCE RETURED TO THE DEALER ON 3 OTHER OCCASIONS COMPLAING ABOUT AN ENGINE NOISE, CONSUMER THEN LEARNED THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS NEVER REPLACED, CONSUMER FINALLY HAD THE GASKET REPLACED AND THE NOISE BECAME EVEN LOUDER, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT AFTER HEAD GASKET WORK IS PERFORMED THAT POTENTIAL FOR LATER DAMAGE WAS COMMON.*JB

TAPPING NOISE IN ENGINE HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE 4-12-97. CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN, AND OTHER PROBLEMS HAD BEEN HAPPENING, TOYOTA HAS NOT BEEN ASSISTING CONSUMER WITH ANY OF THE VEHICLES ISSUES, A DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKET WAS NOT REPLACED AS IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, AND FROM ONE TOYOTA DEALER TO THE NEXT HAS FOUND MORE AND MORE PROBLEMS. TOYOTA STATED THEY WILL NOT COVER HEAD GASKET PROBLEM REGARDLESS OFTHE PAST PROBLEM. *AK. CONSUMER STATES SINCE HEAD GASKET WAS DONE THE EXHAUST STUDS WERE TIGHTENED DUE TO THE ENGINE MAKING NOISE, IT SOUNDS LIKE VALVE RAPPING, THUMBING NOISE OVER BUMPS AT LEFT FLOOR AREA, REAR SPRINGS WERE BROKEN AND NOISE FROM FRONT END AND ALSO NOISE AT IDLE. *YD

THE ENGINE MAKES A LOAD POPPING NOISE WHILE IT IS WARMING UP AND WHEN IT IS COOLING DOWN AFTER THE ENGINE HAS BEEN SHUT OFF. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT IT IS THE CHARCOAL CANISTER. I NOTICED THAT THERE IS A SERVICE REPORT FOR THIS. WILL THIS PROBLEM CAUSE ANY DAMAGE IN THE FUTURE. CAN IT BE FIXED? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, OLIVER NEWMAN