2000 Toyota Corolla engine and engine cooling problems

“2000 TOYOTA COROLLA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, FOLLOWED BY HEAVY SMOKE POURING FROM UNDERNEATH HOOD AND NOTICED RADIATOR CAP WAS MISSING DUE TO A NEGLIGENT ACT BY AN ESTABLISHMENT WHO SERVICED HIS VEHICLE.. *LD THE RADIATOR CAP WAS NOT SECURED AFTER HAVING AN OIL CHANGE. TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS STATED THE HEAD GASKET WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND THE ENGINE BLOCK WAS WARPED AND A COMPLETE ENGINE REPLACEMENT WAS NEEDED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF NEGLECTING TO PLACE THE RADIATOR CAP BACK ON THE RADIATOR. *JB”

“I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA WITH A 1.8L ENGINE THAT IS FULL OF SLUDGE AND NOW VISIBLY BURNS 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 200-300 MILES AND WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO THE OIL BEING BURNED IN THE EXHAUST. I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE SEVERAL CATALYTIC CONVERTERS DUE TO BECOMING CLOGGED FROM THE AMOUNT OF OIL BURNING THROUGH THE ENGINE. THIS PROBLEM HAS EXISTED SINCE THE CAR HAD ABOUT 55,000 MILES ON IT AND LOCAL TOYOTA GARAGE HAS EITHER DENIED THERE BEING A PROBLEM OR THEY HAVE TRIED TO SELL ME ON NUMEROUS OTHER EXPENSIVE REPAIRS SUCH AS FRONT AND REAR MAIN BEARINGS AND SEALS, ALLEGEDLY WARPED HEAD, ETC. VEHICLE NOW HAS CLOSE TO 100K MILES. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT NOW PASS STATE EMISSIONS INSPECTION AND IS ESSENTIALLY WORTHLESS. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF LIKE REPORTS IN RESEARCHING BUT NEVER SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED. OTHER MODELS AND YEARS HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN A CLASS ACTION SUITS THAT WAS SUCCESSFUL FOR THE EXACT SAME ISSUE, BUT I CAN'T FIND THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY ADDRESSED. *KB”

“AT 70,000 MILES ON MY 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, WHEN REVIEWING THE CURRENT PROBLEMS WITH MY CERTIFIED MECHANIC, I MENTIONED THAT I WAS USING A QUART OF OIL ABOUT EVERY 600 MILES. HE SAID THAT IT WOULD COST BETWEEN $3,000-6,000 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IN UNDER 2,000 MORE MILES IT BECAME ADD A QUART OF OIL EACH TANK. AT 84,000 MILES THE HEAD WENT OUT ON THIS MOTOR, THREE DIFFERENT MECHANICS FROM DIFFERENT SHOPS COULDN'T BELIEVE A TOYOTA MOTOR WOULD NEED A NEW HEAD AT THIS DISTANCE. I REPLACED THE HEAD. THE KNOCKING SOUND DISAPPEARED FOR A WHILE, THE OIL CONSUMPTION WENT DOWN FOR A WHILE. AGAIN WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. AND BACK TO A QUART PER TANK. AFTER A WHILE THE CAR STARTED TO SHUT OFF BY ITS SELF. NO STEERING, SCARED THE HECK OUT OF ME. I LIVE IN A REGION WITH EMBANKMENTS WHICH REACH OVER 200' WITH TREES. I HAD TO STOP DRIVING THE CAR BECAUSE IT WAS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE. I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THE COROLLA MOTORS HAVE SUCH A BAD REPUTATION. THE TOYOTA TRUCK I OWNED RAN LIKE A CHAMP AT 200,000 WHEN I SOLD IT, IT STILL RUNS TODAY. WHILE THE COROLLA NEEDS A NEW MOTOR. THERE MUST BE A DESIGN FLAW TO CREATE SO MANY SIMILAR OIL PROBLEMS. *TR”

“MY CAR USED EXCESSIVE OIL, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON AFTER A WHILE THAT I BOUGHT IT, AND ON FRIDAY, MARCH 12, 2010, I PARKED MY CAR AT 4:00 PM AND DID NOT USE IT ANYMORE AND THEN ON SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2010 AT 5:00 AM THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE BY ITSELF, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE AND THEY SAID THAT PROBABLY THE FIRE STARTED ON THE FUSE SYSTEM ON THE DRIVERS SIDE MAYBE BECAUSE OF A RELAY THAT MAY HAVE HAD A SHORT CIRCUIT. *TR”

“I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO ACCELERATE BY ITSELF. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES UNTIL THEY SMOKED, BUT THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. I WAS SO SCARED I WAS AFRAID TO TRY AND TURN AROUND TO GET TO THE NEAREST MECHANIC SO I CONTINUED HOME WHICH IS A STRAIGHT LINE AND RIDING THE BRAKES THE ENTIRE WAY APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES, GOT INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK AT WHICH TIME THE CAR CONTINUED TO SURGE. I SHUT THE KEY OFF AND SAT THERE TRYING TO COMPOSE MYSELF. I HAVE HAD IT AT MY LOCAL MECHANICS AND THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. IT HAD NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE AND HASN'T SINCE 2/11/10. MY CAR IS A 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA. *TR”

“WE OWN A 2000 TOYOTA COROLLA CE. THE CAR WAS FUNCTIONING FINE MOST OF THE TIME HOWEVER IT SOMETIMES SHUTS DOWN ITS ENGINE IMMEDIATELY WITH OR WITHOUT MUCH NOTICE. SOMETIMES THE ENGINE APPEARS TO BE JERKING OFF BEFORE IT STARTS TO DIE DOWN, BUT IT'S NOT ALWAYS THE CASE. WE HAVE ASKED SEVERAL MECHANICS ABOUT THE PROBLEM (AND HAVE REPLACED MANY PARTS) BUT NO ONE CAN GIVE A DEFINITE ANSWER FOR THE PROBLEMS. ONE MECHANIC SUGGESTED THAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE COMPUTER, AND THERE IS NOTHING HE CAN DO ABOUT IT BUT TO REPLACE THE WHOLE COMPUTER. WE HAVE NOT YET INVOLVED IN ANY CRASHES OR ACCIDENTS (YET) BECAUSE WE ONLY USE THE CAR LOCALLY SINCE WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE PROBLEM. USUALLY WE STAY AT THE SLOWER LANE AND IMMEDIATELY PULL OVER WHEN THE ENGINE DIES DOWN. IT HAPPENS LIKE ONCE A MONTH OR SO. ANY IDEA HOW TO GET TOYOTA RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS? *TR”