FRAM FRAM Complaints

I PURCHASED A FRAM PH7317 FILTER & 5W-30 CASTROL OIL ON 5/9/14 FROM AUTOZONE TO DO AN OIL CHANGE FOR MY '06 TOYOTA TACOMA REGULAR CAB PRERUNNER. MY TRUCK WAS FINE UNTIL 6 MONTHS & 3K MILES LATER, ON 11/7/14, WHEN I EXPERIENCED A FAILURE SUCH THAT THE FILTER CAME OFF MY TRUCK GOING 30MPH & OIL SPEWED ONTO THE ROAD.I PULLED OVER ABOUT 200 YARDS AFTER THE FILTER CAME OFF JUST AS THE OIL CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I FOUND THE OIL FILTER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD.THE GASKET WAS ATTACHED IN FINE CONDITION, & NEITHER FACE NOR BODY LOOKED DEFORMED. THE FILTER HAD MINOR SCRATCHES.MY FATHER CAME WITH TOOLS & OIL.THE CAR'S MALE THREADS WERE GOOD. ASSUMING I ERRED & FORGOT TO FULLY TIGHTEN THE FILTER, IT LOOSENED OVER TIME, & ITS CONDITION, I CLEANED THEN THREADED THE SAME FILTER ON & SNUGGED IT DOWN WITH A WRENCH. I FILLED THE ENGINE WITH OIL.MY FATHER WAS WATCHING THE FILTER AREA UNDER THE CAR FOR DRIPPING OIL WHILE I FILLED, BUT THERE WAS NONE. I IDLED THE CAR WHILE MY FATHER & I CHECKED FOR DRIPPING OIL BUT THERE WAS NONE.AT THIS POINT, IT SEEMED REASONABLE THAT THE FILTER WOULD NOT COME OFF & OIL WOULD NOT LEAK. AS A PRECAUTION, MY FATHER DROVE BEHIND ME.I STARTED THE CAR & MADE A U-TURN IN THE ROAD. AT SOME POINT IN THE TURN, THE FILTER CAME OFF SO I IMMEDIATELY TURNED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE OIL FILTER WAS CRUMPLED. IT IS OF MY FATHER'S THEORY (HE IS A MECHANICAL ENGINEER BY TRADE) & I THAT THE FILTER FAILED CAUSING PRESSURE TO BUILD-UP.THIS PRESSURE BUILD-UP CAUSED THE FILTER TO UNSCREW ITSELF.THE MALE THREADS ON THE ENGINE SIDE WERE GOOD. I HAVE SINCE INSTALLED A BOSCH FILTER WITH CASTROL OIL & THE TRUCK DRIVES FINE.THE FILTER WAS NOT DOUBLE GASKETED.EVEN IF IT WERE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN OIL LEAKING WHEN I IDLED THE TRUCK.IT WAS NOT FOULED OIL, BECAUSE THE OIL WAS REPLACED.IT WAS NOT AN IMPROPERLY TIGHTENED FILTER, BECAUSE THE OIL FILTER FAILED CATASTROPHICALLY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER DRIVING OFF & THERE WAS NO OIL DRIPPING DURING REPLACEMENT OR IDLE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1991 CADILLAC ELANTE. THE FRAM FUEL FILTER SPLIT IN HALF AND CAUSED A FUEL LEAK. APPROXIMATELY A HALF TANK OF GASOLINE BEGAN SPURTING FROM THE FILTER. THE FILTER WAS INSTALLED IN THE VEHICLE A YEAR AGO AND WORKED PROPERLY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 14, 2007. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC BECAUSE THE SMELL OF GASOLINE WAS OVERWHELMING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS DRIVEWAY WAS DAMAGED FROM THE FUEL LEAK. HE HAS A PICTURES AND THE FILTER IF NEEDED. THE EQUIPMENT WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,900. UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

ON AUG. 20TH I TOOK MY '04 CR-V TO THE HONDA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FOR ITS 5,000 MILE SERVICE, INCLUDING ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE. THE NEXT DAY, AFTER DRIVING IT FOR SEVERAL MILES AND STOPPING TO GET GAS, I NOTICED A BURNT ODOR. I POPPED THE HOOD AND NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING UP FROM THE BACK OF THE ENGINE. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED OIL DRIPPING FROM SEVERAL LOCATIONS. I RETURNED THE CR-V TO THE DEALER. THEY EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A "DOUBLE-GASKET" - THE GASKET FROM THE FACTORY-INSTALLED OIL FILTER HAD STUCK IN PLACE WHEN THE OIL FILTER WAS REMOVED, AND A NEW OIL FILTER AND GASKET WAS INSTALLED OVER THE OLD GASKET, RESULTING IN AN OIL LEAK. AMID MANY APOLOGIES, THE OLD GASKET WAS REMOVED AND THE OIL CHANGE WAS PROPERLY COMPLETED. HAD I BEEN LESS ATTENTIVE TO THE VEHICLE AFTER THE OIL CHANGE, AND HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THERE WAS A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT A FIRE WOULD HAVE RESULTED. WHY DID NHTSA CLOSE THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THE CR-V FIRES? WHY DID HONDA LAY THE BLAME ON TECHNICIANS? AND WHY, AFTER ALL THE PUBLICITY THE FIRES RECEIVED AND AFTER HONDA PRESUMABLY INSTRUCTED THEIR TECHNICIANS TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL WITH CR-V OIL CHANGES, ARE CR-V OWNERS STILL AT RISK OF A FIRE AFTER AN OIL CHANGE? WILL IT TAKE A DEATH BEFORE NHTSA AND/OR HONDA DOES SOMETHING THAT EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM?*AK