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Toyota’s billion-dollar recall excuses a broken-down engine at the same time

Image credit: Toyota.

Toyota’s reputation for reliability has taken a hit in recent months as the company faces several recalls of the new twin-turbo V6 engine used in the Tundra pickup and several SUVs. Officially, Toyota blamed construction debris left in the oil passages for the failure.

But freelance mechanic and YouTube creator Eric Berg, best known recently for his “I Do Car” channel, raises serious questions about whether the wreck is really the culprit.

Image credit: Toyota

Range of memories: More than 200,000 vehicles equipped with Toyota’s V35A twin-turbo V6 have been recalled.
Toyota’s explanation: The company says product debris left in oil channels can damage sensitive components such as rod bearings.
Customer Impact: Owners receive full engine replacements under warranty, an expensive solution for Toyota but a frustrating ordeal for drivers expecting long-term reliability.

Eric Berg finally got one of the failed engines. Getting hold of someone was no easy task as Toyota had to recall the defective cores to dealers. His extensive tears revealed several worrisome signs:

Initial wear: At only 38,000 miles, the cam lobes were already showing marks, and the cylinder head was showing oil buildup with metal debris.
Timing chain gear damage: One idler gear was unusually hard, its bearing filled with large debris.
Main bearing failure: Two of the four main bearings were “spun,” meaning their surfaces had rotated out of place, a classic sign of oil contamination.
Rod Bearings Intact: Surprisingly, the rod bearings – considered the most vulnerable to debris – showed no visible damage.
Contrast: Berg reasoned that if debris was indeed the cause, both the rod and main bearings should be affected because they share oil channels.

Berg’s central claim is that the official wreck story does not match the physical evidence. He pointed out that, upon examining the components, there was no evidence of debris damage to the camshafts, caps or towers, which should show clear signs if contamination was the real culprit. More to the point, the rod bearings, which normally fail when the oil passages become blocked or contaminated, were in good condition.

Instead, the only parts that showed catastrophic wear were the main bearings, which were knocked out of place. That pattern of damage suggests something more fundamental than random debris. Berg’s clear conclusion, “There’s something wrong with these engines,” challenges Toyota’s wreckage story and casts doubt on whether the company has truly identified the root cause of failure.

While Toyota has not directly responded to Berg’s teardown, the company has maintained that debris was the root cause, insisting that an engine replacement would solve the problem. This teardown indicates that customers get new engines but there is little clarity on whether the underlying problem has been fully addressed.

The wider impact of Toyota’s engine problems is far beyond the immediate recall. Financially, the scale of the problem is staggering. Replacing hundreds of thousands of engines is a very expensive undertaking. The cost can easily run into billions of dollars. For a company that has built its reputation on efficiency and reliability, such a financial hit is significant.

It has an equally damaging effect on Toyota’s brand image. For decades, the automaker has marketed itself as the gold standard in durability and dependability, a company whose vehicles are believed to last for years with minimal problems. A recall of this magnitude threatens to undermine that narrative and raises uncomfortable questions about whether Toyota can still claim to be the benchmark for reliability in the industry.

Consumer confidence is another casualty. Even though Toyota is replacing the engines under warranty, Berg’s revelations could leave drivers concerned about whether the new units are truly free of serious defects. Even with a replacement engine, if the root cause is not fully understood or addressed, owners may fear their vehicles experiencing similar failures down the line. That kind of doubt undermines confidence, and once shaken, trust is hard to rebuild.

In a sense, the recall is not just Toyota’s problem, but an industry-wide reminder of the risks of advancing technology without fully accounting for durability in real-world conditions. Modern turbocharged engines are designed to combine performance and efficiency, but they also introduce new complexities and potential drawbacks compared to simple, naturally aspirated designs. While it’s true that recalls are not uncommon for high-volume manufacturers, the scale and severity here are different.

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