Engine Failure - Toyota 4Runner V6 - Warranty

[demarpaint]

I've said more than once in similar threads, while these issues are being sorted out the car sits. Remember the owner is the one with the car sitting not the dealer so he has to take the dealer to court. Then typically the dealer will wait till the last minute and postpone the court date. Then there is always the risk of a loss. Follow the OM, use approved oil and filters, keep invoices, and a log,. Your life will be a whole lot easier if something happens!

 

[crazyoildude]

the car companies pay out big bucks to the consumer when they lose a lemon law case sometimes even getting a new car (lemon law is a big business for Lawyers in most states like nj especially, they get clobbered in court with payouts so sometimes its better to make the customer happy its always cheaper for the car company.. I know of a lot of cases that they paid out biggg

Sue em if they start their bull!

 

[abycat]

I agree 100% with you guys. Most definately a flaw. And I also agree with there being a rev limiter set low enough to protect the engine. Have you guys seen the u-tube vids that have the punk kids sitting there with their foot to the floor in neutral in their 1990 something pos with 300000 k's on it. It takes a long time for something to give if anything gives at all usually the egine overheats and siezes. I bet a weak or fractured conn rod let go and bam. Obviousley not the op's fault He's got the best oil and filters he could find, The guy has a sweet log, He's most likely at home polsishing his oil bottles as we speak. No im just kidding but what more could he do. Im glad it's working out for him. Happy new year everyone.

 

[wtd]

I keep my maintainence records on those small spiral notebooks and keep each one in the glovebox of each vehicle so that I always have them handy.

Wayne

 

[kcfx4]

OMG i cant believe this thing got this many posts

 

[Rickey]

Originally Posted By: abycat
I agree 100% with you guys. Most definately a flaw. And I also agree with there being a rev limiter set low enough to protect the engine. Have you guys seen the u-tube vids that have the punk kids sitting there with their foot to the floor in neutral in their 1990 something pos with 300000 k's on it. It takes a long time for something to give if anything gives at all usually the egine overheats and siezes. I bet a weak or fractured conn rod let go and bam. Obviousley not the op's fault He's got the best oil and filters he could find, The guy has a sweet log, He's most likely at home polsishing his oil bottles as we speak. No im just kidding but what more could he do. Im glad it's working out for him. Happy new year everyone.


Not to disagree with anyone or assign blame either:

There is a way that the rev limiter can "fail" to protect an engine from excessive rev's. If the engine is at redline in say fourth gear and the operator downshifts to third with a manual transmission.....blam!!! I know of one case of this happening,the results were not pretty.

Rickey.

 

[02SE]

Originally Posted By: Rickey
Originally Posted By: abycat
I agree 100% with you guys. Most definately a flaw. And I also agree with there being a rev limiter set low enough to protect the engine. Have you guys seen the u-tube vids that have the punk kids sitting there with their foot to the floor in neutral in their 1990 something pos with 300000 k's on it. It takes a long time for something to give if anything gives at all usually the egine overheats and siezes. I bet a weak or fractured conn rod let go and bam. Obviousley not the op's fault He's got the best oil and filters he could find, The guy has a sweet log, He's most likely at home polsishing his oil bottles as we speak. No im just kidding but what more could he do. Im glad it's working out for him. Happy new year everyone.


Not to disagree with anyone or assign blame either:

There is a way that the rev limiter can "fail" to protect an engine from excessive rev's. If the engine is at redline in say fourth gear and the operator downshifts to third with a manual transmission.....blam!!! I know of one case of this happening,the results were not pretty.

Rickey.


With a manual transmission that is possible to do. However, an '07 4Runner was not available with a manual transmission. The ECU would not allow a downshift of the automatic transmission to a lower gear, if engaging the lower gear would over-rev the engine.

 

[SpitfireS]

Are there - or will there be - any pictures of the engine?

 

[goodtimes]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk
Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Dermapaint is 100% correct. If the owner can not show proper maintenance was done and the oil changed properly they have an out. Improper maintenance is a very easy way out for the car mfg. He can show he did it all correctly however( he says )so it won't be an issue.


Yes and no. I do MMWA cases as a side-line to my law practice. IF it goes to arb or court (a major if in the real world), the mfr will have the burden to prove that something that the owner (or some other 3d party) did caused the failure. Should the case go that far, it will be VERY hard for the mfr to meet this burden. We all hope that cases never go this far (bad for everyone), but if they do, the owner's lack of receipts, especially if he testifies he took good care, simply will NOT meet the mfr's burden.

The owner will then win, and probably get atty fees assessed too. But by that time, the owner will have been car-less for God only knows how long (unless he can just afford to buy another). By then, everyone has lost. Imagine a football game in which both teams can "earn" a loss.

Far better, but not technically necessary, to have every duck precisely in line, up front, so you can avoid such a confrontation.


You mean I don't need to buy no stinking oil, just say I took good care of it? There are a lot of pages in my owner's manual I don't need to read. Doesn't seem like it works this way, to me. I gotta prove something, not just say something, I thought. I saw where GM and I think Ford too, will question the use of a non original oil filter part, in cases of oil related engine damage. I think their reasoning is valid too, with all the possibilities of copied parts from China out there. Why should they pay for such things causing failures?

 

[ted s]

i had a friend who would buy oil and filter every three months, and then returm them and never changed the oil.

 

[Hootbro]

Originally Posted By: ted s
i had a friend who would buy oil and filter every three months, and then returm them and never changed the oil.


Was he on a lease vehicle?

 

[BigJohn]

Yesterday, the dealership called and said that they had received the "verbal approval" to conduct all the warranty work. The Service Manager ordered all the parts. He told me that the work would be completed and I could pick up the 4Runner next Friday, most likely.

Today, my son stopped by the shop (bypassed the Service Deck), going straight to the garage. He needed to get something out of the car. He was able to speak with the mechanic who had been doing all the work. The mechanic told him, straight up....it was a mechanical failure, due to manufacturer's defect.

An exhaust valve became loose, eventually breaking free...was thrown up in the cylinder, where it jammed.....causing two other cylinders to crack and one of them threw a rod through the engine.

They have ordered.... New block, new pistons, new valves, new timing chain, new cam shaft, etc, etc....basically the block and all the internals will be new.

Here are some pics the mechanic allow my son to snap with his camera phone....

 

[Pablo]

Epic. Mechanical stuff fails.

 

[OVERKILL]

Reminds me of what happened when I dropped a valve in a 1972 440 Chrysler.

 

[unDummy]

A little JBweld, some new fluids, and you'll have a fine running 23v engine!

Teenager, some high rpm lead footed driving, a little manual shifting for fun, couple power drops, and you drop a valve

I'm surprised that they didn't just order a new long block.

Glad to see that the log book worked. Log books have never failed anyone and I do recommend that everyone keep a 'written' log book. It doesn't have to be fancy. Even a mini-paper-notebook or pocket pad from the local student section of any store is good enough. Loose-leaf paper in a binder is fine too.

Or you can get fancy one.

 

[BigJohn]

Interesting, but my son said that the vehicle next our 4Runner....was a 2010 4Runner with the engine pulled and being broken down. Is the proverbial 4Runner toughness and it being bullet-proof....now a thing of the past?

 

[sicko]

Glad to hear everything worked out and it's being covered under warranty. Any word on what type of extended warranty they'll give you after the work, or is it just going to be covered under the extended warranty that you mentioned you got when purchasing the vehicle?

 

[unDummy]

Originally Posted By: BigJohn
Interesting, but my son said that the vehicle next our 4Runner....was a 2010 4Runner with the engine pulled and being broken down. Is the proverbial 4Runner toughness and it being bullet-proof....now a thing of the past?


There hasn't been a 'real' 4Runner made since 2002. Anything after that is just a bloated..... Sorry, had to say it. Looks like Toyota is basking in not so improved sales in 2010. Ford/Hyundai did good with 2010 sales growth. I wish and want and hope that Toyota gets back to its roots.

 

[tsduke]

The dealer mechanic isn't seriously reassembling all those part is he. That would cost more than just dropping a long block in easily.

 

[The_Eric]

Originally Posted By: tsduke
The dealer mechanic isn't seriously reassembling all those part is he. That would cost more than just dropping a long block in easily.


Agreed.