I have a 1990 toyota 4 runner that went through that recall it had about 70,000 miles. It was to get a new short block. The service manager said it had hair line cracks in the cylinders When I got the truck back I wanted to show my wife her new engine. Well when I looked at the short block it looked old with dirty grease in spots that should not have old grease in them. I went back to Modesto toyota and was told that when they put in the new blocks sometimes the old grease gets on the new ones.Well now at 150,000 miles it blew another head gasket. I complained to Toyota they said talk to the dealer. I talked to the dealer and they said it was so long ago they don’t have records. Even toyota said my id numbers did not show it was included in that recall. After about 5 emails to Toyota they said yes my truch or S.U.V was included but they only will replace the gasket once.I have been working on this for about 4 years. After having a mechanic look at the engine he stated there is no block number and that I was given an old block not a new one. Sorry this is so long!
Your 4 Runner is 20 years old! You think Toyota now owes you a new short block? Would you want a new motor for your 20 year old washing machine? Toyota took care of you long ago. Now any repairs are on you. Sue them if you want, but I think they’ll win the case.
Cut your losses and move on. You got 20 years out of this vehicle, which is more than most people get. Sell it and get on with your life.
You’ve gotten 20+ years and 150,000 miles out of the truck, 80,000 since they gave you the free short block years ago. I think you should be thrilled with the service you’ve gotten from the truck and with the sevice you’ve gotten from the dealer. If they had not done the job right years ago it would not have lasted 80,000 miles.
So now you have a blown headgasket. You can either have it changed at your expense or nurse it until you find something you like better and then sell it for $500. That’s all fsir.
We know this happens at dealers and their stories are differently similar. Similarly different. They are all interesting and I am happy to read your story.
I am also happy that there are customers like you. It could make somebody have second thoughts about doing ripoff jobs. The dealer’s story always seems to end with “we have no record of us doing that”.
That half inch of crud transferred itself to the new block. At least they were obvious about it.
The story wasn’t long, it was complete. You can’t tell some stories in two words. If you had to describe George Carlin, you would need at least seven. Seven heavy words.
I can see you being upset over the dealer allegedly lying to you about installing a new block but I also don’t see how you can get compensation for a truck that has lasted for 20 years.
You could take the dealership to small claims court but you would need expert testimony and documented proof for your claim. Even if you won the court would very likely factor in the value of having had the engine run for 80,000 miles with no problems, so your award would be small if any at all.
You’re out of luck and that’s the way it should be. Twenty years and you’re wanting a Get Out of Jail Free card? Any Recall is a one-time deal; you’re not guaranteed for life.
I would not read anything into this no numbers business your mechanic is telling you. It’s quite possible a new block was provided with no numbers.
Harley Davidson used to provide blank number engine cases also but only to dealers.
I know I need to move on but I have a 1993 truck with the same engine I bought it from a neighbor at 125,000 miles. it now has 339,00 miles and still runs great! The 4 runner is my daughters.