I recently came in (Oct. 13th) for my 15,000 mile checkup and they noticed a serious issue - an oil leak generating from somewhere in the engine. I scheduled another visit to the service department today (Oct. 15th). The service tech came out to explain that the cam tower is leaking oil and seal is no good.

Your reputation for well built vehicles is pronounced and well documented; however, I was very upset to hear that a major engine component is already breaking down before I even hit 20k miles. I was given a pretty passive response by my service consultant who said – this is hard for you, imagine me trying to explain this to someone who bought a new platinum tundra and that someone who makes a lot more money than him made the decision to use a cheap seal. And when I asked about who I could contact regarding my concerns – he gave me the 800 number for Toyota and told me they would probably say “thanks for letting us know – we already know this is an issue” This level of attitude was concerning.

This weekend, I was driving to the mountains and on my way back home merged onto the highway and began to accelerate. I heard a pop, a serious rattle (I immediately laid off the gas) and looked in my rearview mirror. There was enough smoke to blanket the entire highway. I pulled over at the first exit and looked for any signs of damage. I did not see anything at first glance. So, I got back on the highway and began to accelerate – the same thing happened. I limped home and made it back safely.

I am now sitting back at the dealership this morning to get the bumper film reviewed, the rubber flap repaired, and most importantly, the engine looked at again.