Oil sludge

Numerous late-model piston engines from many manufacturers have suffered from failures due to oil sludge contamination. These problems happen when fine engine oil passages become clogged with sludge, and often result in catastrophic failure of the engine. 3.3 million Toyota engines were affected, as were 430,000 from Saab, 426,000 from Volkswagen, and an unknown number from Chrysler. Fixes include changing to synthetic oil, inspection, and even engine replacement.

Engines affected with oil sludge problems:

• 1998-2002 Chrysler 2.7 L LH V6
  • 1998-2002 Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring
  • 1998-2002 Dodge Intrepid/Chrysler Concorde)
• 1998-2003 Saab H engine B204/B234 I4
  • 1998-2003 Saab 9-5 B234 2.3 L
  • 1999 Saab Viggen B234 2.3 L
  • 2000-2002 Saab 9-3 B204 2.0 L
  • 2000-2003 Saab 9-3 convertible B204 2.0 L
• 1996-2001 Toyota 3.0 L 1MZ V6
  • August 1996-July 2001 Toyota Camry
  • June 1998-May 2001 Toyota Camry Solara
  • July 1997-May 2001 Toyota Sienna
  • July 1996-May 2001 Toyota Avalon
  • November 2000-July 2001 Toyota Highlander
  • August 1998-July 2001 Lexus ES300
  • January 1998-July 2001 Lexus RX300
• 1996-2001 Toyota 5SFE I4
  • August 1996-July 2001 Toyota Camry
  • June 1998-May 2001 Toyota Camry Solara
  • August 1996-April 1999 Toyota Celica
• 1997-2004 Volkswagen VW 1.8t I4
  • 1997-2004 Audi A4 1.8t
  • 1998-2004 Volkswagen Passat 1.8t

References

• "Oil sludge woes plague VW." AutoWeek. Accessed on March 14, 2005.
• "Toyota, owners spar over engine sludge problem." AutoWeek. Accessed on March 14, 2005.
• "Consumer advocacy group says Chrysler V6 has sludge problems." AutoWeek. Accessed on March 14, 2005.