Plant Company Name: Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Cambridge
Plant Country: Canada
Plant State: Ontario
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: ZRE142L / AZE141L / AZE144L / AZE146L
TPMS: Direct
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2003
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA MATRIX WITH APPROXIMATELY 38,000 MILES ON IT. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 6 OR MORE HOURS WHEN IT BEGAN A LOUD KNOCKING SOUND, AND STARTED TO LOSE POWER. THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. AS IT TURNED OUT, THE CAR HAD THROWN A ROD THROUGH THE FRONT OF THE BLOCK, AS WELL AS BLEW THE STARTER FROM THE TRANSMISSION HOUSING. IN ADDITION THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE BACK OF THE OIL PAN ABOUT 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER. FROM THE SPOT WHERE THE ENGINE BLEW UP I TOOK MEASUREMENTS. THE INITIAL OIL SPOT WAS 121" LONG BY 18" WIDE. FROM THERE THE CAR SPRAYED OIL 1104' AVERAGING 15" TO 18" WIDE AS IT COASTED DOWNHILL TO A STOP WHERE IT MADE ANOTHER OIL SPOT ABOUT 15" WIDE BY 24" LONG. THE DEALERSHIP (NEWARK TOYOTA 1344 MARROWS RD.. NEWARK, DE 19711) IS ALLEGING THAT THE CARE HAD NO OIL IN IT ALTHOUGH I PROVIDED MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND A VIDEO OF THE OIL SPILL FROM THE START OF THE BREAKDOWN TO THE FINISH. THEY SAID THEY WERE DENYING THE WARRANTY WORK FOR LACK OF MAINTENANCE. *LA