That's one thing that I never thought to ask. Is this filter being installed by the owner, by the dealership, or by a third party like Firestone
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I really think that there is no way for a can like that to get sucked to death, though I have seen filters blown to bits. The media inside would (by design) fail, and allow oil to bypass the media to keep the engine lubricated, even if it is unfiltered oil. I just have a hard time believing that this is from anything but mechanical stress. Could you show additional pictures, particularly of the center tube inside the filter? Maybe the inside of the filter deconstructed by a Dremel? If it's possible, that is. If we could see more pictures, we could help diagnose this. I'm sure we are all really concerned with this problem if it occurring with more vehicles.