The mid 2000’s VW Passat had an “engine sludge” issue that caused a large percentage of engine failures and 10k bills. VW kept it a secret and when they failed they pulled the same thing, offering to pay half of the inflated charges which basically got them off the hook financially for a flawed engine design.
I think I’d rather have the government be a watchdog for these types of things rather than suing and fining other companies for no consumer protection reason but becuase it;s boatloads of $$ for government.
I heard that the first Lexus RX model (RX300 with a 3.0 liter engine) had sludge problems that caused early engine failure.
The wife has the RX330 and apparently Toyota/Lexus fixed the
problem. I have been a long time Toyota fan, but they are not immune to problems.
We had a Toyota Sienna van with sludge. That engine was notorious for it. If you missed the oil change interval by one mile, you invalidated the warranty.
The buyers took it to the dealer for service and then called us complaining that the transmission wasn’t original. We bought it new — never did figure out the transmission issue.
Toyota? Never again for this family!