I need advice on son's Tundra engine issue

I am new here, and very out of my element but I am seeking advice for my son-who is 24,
He bought a 2014 Tundra (second owner ) with about 30K miles on it almost three years ago, when he was 21. It now has 71K on it. Last Thursday he got in the truck to run errands and when he started it, it made what he described as a "horrible rattling" sound so he shut it right off, then it would not start again. It has had regular oil changes, never been abused, no engine lights, no signs of leaks, no signs at all of any problems. Basic regular oil changes, tire and brake replacement is the only thing it has ever needed. His girlfriend works at a Hyundai dealer so his dad helped him dolly it to the dealership. When they got it on the dolly he said oil started pouring out of it.` They looked at it the same day and they say the motor is blown. He went to the Hyundai dealer bc he got a family discount and believed it was a minor starter issue. He immediately went to the Toyota dealer where they stated it was 9 months and 10K miles out of extended warranty. They said call Toyota and see what they say. Our Toyota dealer said they can get it in to assess the problem themselves, in 3 weeks. They are being unwilling to help and really not going out of their way at all to help. They hyundai dealer works with a Toyota dealer south of us, about two hours away and they said they would look at it immediatly. So I think he is going to have it brought there. Is there any hope here, or are we SOL? He is such a good "kid", he has worked so hard for everything he has, he was so sad when he had to retire his old T100, and so excited when his grandfather helped him get his Tundra. He loves this truck so much and is so upset. Any advice? I told him the first thing that needs to be done is get it assessed by a Toyota mechanic.

 

Welcome from CO. Sorry to hear about the loss on his truck. Did he have an oil leak that he didn't know about? Something that would indicate that there would be a problem?

 

Sorry no help. Sorry for the troubles. I'd get it to toyota and open a claim to see if they will help since outside warranty. Sounds odd.

 

I have questioned him several times and thoroughly. I have worked at a Napa for six years and even though Im not a mechanic my boss is one, and I know what to look for a what to ask. He said he didn't see any signs of oil leaks, no lights in the dash, no strange sounds, no smells. In fact, he bought a street bike back in April to zip back and forth to work, and keep the miles low on his truck. It hasn't even been his main mode of transportation since spring.

 

I agree 100%. We always say here at Napa , especially where we live, the frame will be dead and gone on a Toyota long before the engine quits..I am stunned.

 

Second owner...makes me wonder how it was treated by the first owner.

 

Correct. The only way to be sure what happened is to do a post-forensic analysis of what caused the failure. Then you can work backwards and hopefully tell exactly 'why' the engine ate itself.

 

possible. He has never had any issues at all. Would it take nearly 3 years and all those miles to make the problem present itself?

 

I honestly dont know. But if neglected for first 30k miles or was hot rodded it could have lowered the life expectancy of the motor. Just happened to go when it did with your son.

 

I would have a Toyota mechanic look at it to make sure it's "blown". They can then help you with possible coverage outside of warranty. I would be shocked if the engine is cooked.

 

Before I took it anywhere, I would look under there or have a friend look under there and find out where this OIL is pouring out of...

 

I asked my son and his father said it looked as if it was around the area of the starter..greek to me, and hes not super trustworthy and handy..(EX) lol

 

ok, The reason I ask is, your gonna need to know exactly if you want a standing chance on battling with this...When I first read your post, I immediately thought someone didn't install the drain plug or oil filter housing properly, because oil pouring out is a pretty strong statement.

 

last oil change was in Early March, he has a road bike and hasn't been driving his truck hardly at all. Truck is at the dealership south of us, they said they will look at it as soon as they can

 

Ask your boss to take a look to determine the source of the oil leak.

Pretty hard to understand how a normal closed engine suddenly has a massive oil leak because someone tried to start it. If the oil was never changed in the truck, I could understand how a non-functional timing chain tensioner could do a lot of engine damage, but not a massive oil leak. Even then, I think the truck would have to be driven in that condition.

Some mechanics are evil when it comes to deceiving naive customers. The fact that it's another brand doesn't help...dishonestly can be rationalized as "punishment" for a bad choice. If the engine really is "blown", discuss it with the dealer 200 miles away. Hopefully, that's the selling dealer. If he is open to taking the issue to Toyota, flat bed it or tow the truck the 200 miles to the other dealer. If they won't try to get any help from Toyota, have your boss recommend an independent locally. Have them replace the engine with a Toyota re-manufactured engine. The rest of the truck should be good for a long time.

 

Update: Diagnosis from Toyota certified mechanic:
connecting rod through block, not your fault, something wrong with this truck from the beginning, contact Corporate and open a claim. I have never seen anything like this.
After weeks of phone tag and a very uncooperative claim rep at corporate Toyota, they called last night to say theres nothing they can do, sorry, and good evening. So here sits a truck with 71k miles and a very upset young man...what to do?

 

Wow, even after their own “Toyota” mechanic said it was a problem from the start? I’d be persistent. If you have a friend who is an attorney, a letter from him/her might be helpful. And then start posting bad reviews regarding Toyota. They actually will respond to that. Unfortunately

 

already posted on fb pages, one response from Toyota states if we are unhappy with the customer service department to file a complaint at our dealer..i feel like this is so wrong

 

Persistence is key, all while keeping a cool head. If not already, get the Certified Tech to supply a letter or service report. Get chummy with the Toyota Service Manager and/or General Manager, they know how to appeal to corporate.
Worst case scenario, your son can buy a used engine and have installed if not too soured by this. This is by far not the norm.

Sorry for his troubles and good luck.

 

I agree with Troopers plan. Good luck. If you end up going new engine route, there are a lot of Toyota clubs nationwide. I’m in one in So Cal. I’d bet there’s someone who might be able to help source an engine and maybe even help with install. Just a thought

 

Very unfortunate. It's not a good situation. If you can't get the engine replaced from Toyota, you may consider finding a used engine from junkyard and have it installed. It's not going to be cheap but is an option.

 

That sucks. Maybe talk to the dealer, and the mechanic that diagnosed it. See if they can go to bat for you. Maybe even find a way to wrangle the warranty stuff out of it. Some dealerships are more helpful than others.

 

drop in a used engine