Engine problems of the 2002 Toyota Highlander

My 2002 Toyota Highlander v6 broke down on the side of the road. I had it towed to the Toyota dealership where they informed me that oil sludge has clogged my engine and I would have to have it replaced to the tune of $6000. I was shocked because I always got my oil changed well before the suggested 7500 mile mark. I did some research online and found out my car was part of a recall and class action suit. They never sent a recall notice. We purchased the car when it was 2 years old. I contacted Toyota USA and they confirmed that it was oil sludge but since a was a couple months beyond the class action suit of 8 years. I argued that they never sent us a recall notice. They pretty much said tough luck. I was lucky I was able to get my car to the side of the road safely ( my 5 year old daughter was in the back). I don't feel Toyota made enough of an effort to let the customer know of these issues. . I feel they were interested in protecting their reputation above their customers safety. I would have certainly gotten the car fix if they had sent the recall notice. I will not pay $6000 for something that Toyota should. These cars are dangerous and this company is wreck-less.

4 cylinder engine blocked warped where head meets block. Head bolts were stripped and could not be tightened down. Following link describes the problem we encountered with our 2002 Highlander which has the same 2. 4 ltr 4 cylinder engine as the camry. . Read more...

In June 2008, I was driving when my engine apparently melted down. It went completely hot. I pulled over and there was what appeared to be coolant pooled under the car. Prior to this all scheduled maintenance had been done and there was no indication of any trouble with the car earlier that day. I later took it to my mechanic who said he had never seen anything like that in his life. The engine had literally melted. He then tried to call Toyota and got in contact with someone but they couldn't figure out what happened either and was unwilling to deal with it. He said it obviously had to be a factory defect. It cost me a whole new engine.

Past couple of months have seen smoke coming out of the tailpipe. Sludge has built up and clogged the pvc system and inside of the valve cover causing oil to sit inside and damaged the valve seals. Dealer wants to clean the sludge under the valve covers and replace the valve seals - cost of 3,900. 00.