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2007 Toyota Camry Problems and Repairs

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Comments

  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "...if your transmission learns, how does it know when I an aggressive driver is driving or my wife, a slow poky driver is driving? Does it set the transmission somewhere in the middle?"

    You've pretty much got the idea. If the driving duties aren't divided equally, the TCM will skew its shift characteristics proportionately toward the principle driver's habits. The learning does not take place immediately, either. Months can elapse as the TCM refines its shift quality mapping. "Learning" also occurs as internal parts wear to compensate for changing shift quality characteristics over the life of the tranny. (Younger readers may've had no experience with going to the dealer or a transmission shop for routine "band" adjustments to compensate for slack-induced slippage that were periodically required with earlier automatic transmission designs.)
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    " I always thought that Toyota was a better quality car than Chevy’s or Fords but this really makes me wonder. :cry:"

    Begs the question, perhaps, where did laid-off GM and Ford assembly line workers end up? ;)
  • midnightcowboymidnightcowboy Member Posts: 1,978
    As Toyota has gotten bigger, they just past Ford in sales, their QA has gone down.

    Also , you have to realize that the frist model year of any new major car remake/design change normally has some first year problems , especially when their testing and QA have fallen off.

    Good Luck,

    MidCow
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    actually, i firmly believe the mapping (some call it "learning") happens in pretty short order (tens of minutes at the most). it would have to for the very fact that multiple drivers would be using the vehicle.

    could be wrong about that.

    the great, really great thing about posts claiming "no problems" means literally there is a problem with the car you may be driving. however, the root cause may not be the same in all cases.

    to even suggest the driver is responsible is foolish. that is the sign of a bad design. it's one thing to say a new technological artifact should change all the prior high-level learning and cause/effect low-level relationships your brain has trained itself up on, but to say a system is "smart" and adapts for driver style, but then doesn't deliver and the excuse that it is a driver style issue is just plain unjustifyable, just as it is unjustifyable to design a system that does collide with all that prior learning.

    folks with the problem: you aren't driving your cars improperly. toyota wouldn't design these behaviors in and have it pass various engineering tollgates.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    I had a slight drift problem with my '99 Mazda 626 V6 when I bought the car new in 1999. The alignment checked out OK. The problem, it turns out was the passenger side right tire, which was causing the drift. Replacing the tire took care of the problem for good. Hard to believe, but quality of tires has gone down drastically in he last few years. these tiers were Bridgestone Potenza RE92.

    I am surprized how many problems people have with the new Toyotas. A new Camry was on my list of vehicles to seriously consider, but no more.
  • p100p100 Member Posts: 1,116
    The fact that they had to put in two transmissions in a new car tells me they have a serious probelm on their hands. Well, at least they are doing the right thing and refuncing the money.
  • jetjockgjetjockg Member Posts: 80
    Ref: ray h1
    You've pretty much got the idea. If the driving duties aren't divided equally, the TCM will skew its shift characteristics proportionately toward the principle driver's habits. Does the transmission eventually correct the design error of Toyota? Since I got my license in the early 1950s I know what you mean about transmission band ajustments. I do not believe they have done that for 20 or 30 years.The 1989 Maxima that I gave to my grandson never had the bands adjusted and it still runs great. Maybe if I talk to him nicely he will trade me even for my 2007 Camry!! I don't think I will though because I want him to remain my friend.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "Does the transmission eventually correct the design error of Toyota?"

    Too many other variables to answer concisely. (and I'm no programmable transmission computer control expert) If the problem's truly a mechanical design consideration, "learning" might eventually be able compensate if the amount of compensation is within the mechanical parameters of the transmission to adjust. On the other hand, if the problem is merely an unforeseen software glitch, a firmware revision download into the TCM might be the remedy - though there conceivably could be some "relearning" time involved to fully realize the new programming's shift quality and general performance improvements.
  • concertkeyconcertkey Member Posts: 59
    I am glad to hear that Toyota took great care of you and had consideration for your time. That has not been my experience so far. As of next Wednesday, it will have been 12 weeks since I put down a deposit on my SE-V6. This was not a custom order. As of today, I still do not have a build date! In the meantime, the state sales tax has increased and Toyota is implementing the second price increase on the Camry this year. According to my dealer, I will be liable for an additional $600.00 over the price of my sales contract. I have chronicled my "woes" over in the Prices Paid and Buying Experience forum.
  • chacha426chacha426 Member Posts: 16
    Got my 07 XLE June 1 and after 2200 miles my transmission and torque converter are being replaced. Called the 800# found on this site and TMUSA has been great. My local dealer got on my car right away to order the new trans (not the lot that I currently have), gave me a rental, will pay 1 months payment and extended my warranty to 7yr/100K. This is the option I chose over them giving me my money back or replacing with a new car. I really love the Nav loaded XLE and hopefully the new trans works out and if not, then will look at the other option they gave. TMUSA is calling me frequently and is working closely with my local service department. Should take 7-10 days. Yes, I'm bothered that this happened, but the TMUSA and my dealership have been great and will feel better with the extended warranty.
  • chacha426chacha426 Member Posts: 16
    You have a signed contract with a price, so they can't increase. Seems like the same would apply for the sales tax since the contract is signed/dated. I'd sure check into this because I don't think they can do this. If they placed your order then tell them you want your PO# and by this number your vehicle can be tracked. I learned this when I ordered the new 06 Honda Civic Coupe SI from a local dealership and they sold it out from under them. I complained to the FTC, Honda Corp and Better Business Bureau. Of course cancelled the order and got my money back. If your dealership doesn't give you a PO# t hen they may have sold it as Toyota will have a PO for the car order (whether special order or not). Learned alot from my Honda experience...won't own another due to their shady dealings.
  • nissanronnissanron Member Posts: 17
    There haven't been any bands to adjust in automatic transmissions (to my knowledge) for many years. You are showing your age! I bet most Toyota engineers who worked on the 2007 Camry have never heard of adjusting bands in an automatic transmission. That is the problem with most car companies today. To cut costs, they fired or retired way too many senior employees, i.e., the true "car guys".

    When young engineers are designing their very first automatic transmission, you have to expect problems! Everything today is designed on a computer using computer programs. The young engineers do not have the knowledge or understanding to design any other way. They are no longer mechanical engineers in the true sense, who were trained in engineering theory, logic, common sense, and trial and error. The true car guys worked on their own cars as did a lot of car owners.

    I recall helping my dad install new transmission bands in his 1923 Model T Ford. And, my first driving experiences were in the Model T. There were 3 fabric bands, as I recall. One for low, one for high, and one for reverse. If the bands stretched too much, you didn't "go". The bands had to be tightened. If you slipped them too much, you burned them out and new bands had to be installed. Many farmers and laborers installed their own, using logic and common sense and some instructions from the parts person.

    If today's "engineers" do not understand how a transmission works, how are they going to fix it? That is the problem facing not only Toyota, but all the car companies.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    nissanron - excellent post!

    not only is your prose appropos for the automotive industry, i suggest it extends to many other high-tech industries as well.

    companies in their endless pursuit to make money for shareholders and the people at the top management ranks have allowed engineering to be dessimated, outsourced to low-cost countries while the experts that got them where they are retire.

    the engineers who are left don't have the history or technical mentoring from those experts which are now gone, and the work outsourced is being done by those without proper training and even less access to that same critical expertise.

    as if that weren't enough, many critical components and sub-systems are now designed and made not by the OEM, but by sourced firms. how does the OEM track and control the quality of something they did not design or build?

    and those sourced firms, where is their labor and material comming from?

    once upon a time, engineers were allowed to over-engineer a part such that lifing of that item was never a concern, even under the most demanding applications for the life of the product that contained it.

    not anymore.

    it's got some gingoistic name du jour that i can't seem to recall at the moment, but what has been de-valued in the automotive industry is being done so also in many high-tech / complex industries in the name of the almighty dollar.

    and how does corporate management react when the output quality gulfs finally catch up to them? first they throw more managers at the problem... of course - someone has to track those defects and try to understand, then control processes that have gotten quite out of hand. then, they themselves move on to leave the mess to their successor.
  • tmsusatmsusa Member Posts: 81
    #1093 of 1116 Re: .02 on the Camry Transmission issues [tmsusa] by gartmacd Aug 11, 2006 (6:56 am)
    Replying to: tmsusa (Aug 11, 2006 4:09 am)

    I just want to add my thanks and profound respect for your presence in discussions about problems some are having with their Toyotas. Don't be discouraged or dissuaded by some negative reactions to your input. I don't believe this is representative of the majority of those of us who are interested but not participative onlookers. I know of no other automaker doing the same thing, at least on these kinds of forums, and it takes guts and bags of integrity to do so. . .

    Thank. Your comments are appreciated.

    #1098 of 1116 Re: .02 on the Camry Transmission issues [tmsusa] by jetjockg Aug 11, 2006 (7:39 am)
    Replying to: tmsusa (Aug 11, 2006 5:21 am)

    tmsusa -- I have two comments about your poorly worded reply. My 2007 Camry LE 4cyl. Hesitates and downshifts when not needed.If everything is OK according to Toyota why doesn't tmsusa acknowledge it and tell it's customers how to deal with it. The second comment is--if your transmission learns, how does it know when I an aggressive driver is driving or my wife, a slow poky driver is driving? Does it set the transmission somewhere in the middle? Your 800-331 4331 people will not talk to me any more after telling me nothing. So much for customer relations. Haven't you learned that to admit a problem sooner is better than later?

    Thank you. Your comments are appreciated also. And I will agree that sometimes in my anxiousness to be straightforward and transparent on the part of Toyota, tmsusa chooses words that might not convey the level of concern we truly do have for those customers that have legitimate performance issues with their cars. You are one of them, and I regret coming across as insensitive to your issue with your 2007 Camry LE 4-cyl.

    I will be happy to go back and look at your case history to understand a little more about the origin of your hesitation issues and to consult with our folks in CR and the technical group to see why we evidently have reached an impasses with your particular concerns.

    But the point of responding to your post and to the one above is to illustrate that we most certainly are being more attentive to listening to the real world experiences with our customers and taking action to address real technical issues sooner than we've been able to do in the past. I think we're not hesitant to go public with a problem and admit an error. We're doing several "recalls" this year--That's certainly no secret. But in all cases, we've chosen to be upfront about it--publicize them more expansively by going to the web and getting the info out to our customers and consumers ASAP. Does that then contribute to a bit of media frenzy over the question of a crack in Toyota's long held quality reputation? Of course. But far better to let the media play around with that all they want then alienate our customers and others who look to Toyota for sound information about our products and company.

    The snap ring issue on the Camry V6 07s might be one example of something new for us--addressing an unexpected and vexing technical problem in a sophisticated transmission head-on by going to the internet and talking about it in consumer-generated forums like this. Actually, I don't ever recall in my 20+ years with this organization a time when we thought it better to not disclose a problem. Witness the October 1989 recall of our 45-day old in the marketplace new luxury flagship LS400. Then we just did not have the capability to harness the internet and its viral capacity to communicate to new owners and others nearly instantaneously as we do today--so instead each of us in the new division picked up the phone and started calling . . .

    Listen, we're far from perfect, and I am serious about appreciating your candid posts. I learn how to write with a greater degree of sensitivity and Toyota, the company that I represent by virtue of the tmsusa screen name, can gather additional feedback re the issues you describe and take the appropriate action.
  • gen4gen4 Member Posts: 3
    I just got a better job, and I was planning to leave my old 89 celica for a new 07 camry. But honestly, after reading this posts, I just have to think twice before compromise myself for 5 years with a car that just don't respond to the pedal input, and gives less than expected gas miles. 23MPG is just to low. The car looks beatiful, but I have to go for a Civic. Hope Toyota will resolve this issues for all of you. All of you deserves better response since most of you have been loyal customers to the toyota Brand. I loved my celica for 6 years, but the new Celica has been discontinued. Corolla is an ugly car. I don't fit in the scion mood. I just have to go for a Civic. Good luck to all of you.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    I don't blame you, I plan to do the same thing. I have a 2007 LE 4 cyl with un-resolved hesitation and cruise problems, and will be in the market again in a couple months for my daughters car replacement. Unless a fix comes out shortly, I'll be buying a competitive brand instead of another Toyota.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    rmartinez- thank you for the kind words. I am not able to frequent the edmunds.com threads as much as I used to, but still try and at least READ the forums that are most intersting to me. Since I've always been a Toyota fan, that includes this brands more popular models....

    Good luck if you were experiencing the Shift Flare issue, I hope having that TSB in hand helps.

    ~alpha
  • exploder750exploder750 Member Posts: 159
    Civic is an excellent choice. I've read that Honda is a humbler engineering intensive company as opposed to Toyota who is becoming big on marketing, PR, and spin as evidenced on this thread. I might go with Civic or Fusion.
  • jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    I seriously consided a 2006 Civic, but ended up with a Camry Hybrid... I know alot more $. A big part of my decision, were the numerous problems reported in the Civic forums here, AND the fact that some of the issues, were also present in my 2001 Civic...also a first year model. And Honda was very quick to say to me "that's the way it was designed", or "that's within specs"

    The 2006 Civic is quite a car..I'm sure you will enjoy it.
  • concertkeyconcertkey Member Posts: 59
    Will my dealer have the P.O # or should I call Toyota to get it? Getting it from Toyota would show me on what date the dealer ordered the car.
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    7/ 100 is not the max anymore. HondaCare offers 8/ 120 on their new cars (you have to pay extra for this).
  • damon34damon34 Member Posts: 124
    Well i have been back and forth with toyota, But i found a dealership that is going to help me out, but the dealership I bought the car from basically blew me off even after we bought 2 cars from them and getting ready to get a 3rd car which we bought from other dealership. Well anyway I am dealing with a local dealership to me here in kansas city and they are going to help me out. How good i dont no but it sounds pretty positive. They also made a remark that Toyota Knows about this problem and they no they are going to have to deal with it for the saftey issues. SO all of you 4cyls owners keep going to the dealership if that doesnt help you out go to another somebody will want you business. Well I dont no for sure how it is going to turn out for me but it is sure alot more positive then what it was, and i no how all of you feel.
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    can you please describe your problems? also, what exactly is this hesitation problem? I just want to make sure that my problems are similar.
  • damon34damon34 Member Posts: 124
    ilovecars this is for you. You will no when it hesitates.It can do it from and start and also when you are rolling. From a take off you will give it gas and it will go and then it hesitates and you are just kind of rolling until about 2500 rpms and then it will take off. and they are cases when you are doing about 10 or 20 mph kind of like when you are making a left turn at a intersection and you are rolled up ready to make the left well when you give it gas it rolls but it doesnt really take off you are just kinda of there looking at the traffic comming at you and wondering if you will make it. when i very first got the car i had some close calls, but now i am to scared to try it so i have to give myself i big window before i turn.
    And some of the hesitation while you are driving I also think is the tranny doesnt no what gear it wants to be in. It takes it a second or two to figure it out. I think It is a very dangerous car but you have to learn how to drive it without making it dangerous for you and others but the car is a hazzard to the road and Toyota needs to except that it is and do something about it.
    Cruise control I done even use anymore because it is uncomfortable and i think it is bad for the car to be doing 65 mph and spikeing at 5100 rpms for 20 seconds just to keep 65 so i stoped using it. But you will no if you have hesitation problems you will fill it. Also your car will not climp hills it will crawl up big hills unlesss you have speed going up the hill or start from a stop. Well i h ope this helps you out alittle good luck
  • jetjockgjetjockg Member Posts: 80
    Hi Damon34,
    How is the dealer going to help you? Are you trading your car in for a different model? Please keep us all informed and updated. At last a ray of hope!
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    Thanks a lot. I will go to the dealer to pick it up this week. I gave $500 deposit for a LE 4 cyl. Can you please suggest me what to do in this situation? I was a student and this will be my first new car. :(
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    The owners that have problems with their I4 automatics are in the minority.

    I and many others have no hesitation problem.

    My cruise control will unlock the torque converter and then downshift to 4th to maintain my set speed (as it should) and does not overshoot up steep hills.

    I have no rattles, noises or interior gaps.

    This is my first Toyota.

    My XLE is quiet, well refined and gets great gas mileage.
  • damon34damon34 Member Posts: 124
    Yes it is just the dealership. I really dont no the outcome but she said she was going to give me almost what i gave for the car. I have had it 5 months with 13000 miles on it but complained about it at 5000 miles. I am upgraded for a SE V6. So i will spend more money to. I will let you no more as i no more. SHe is putting me in for first choice on the SE models comming in this month and she said toyota new about my car that i have been having issues with it and they no about the problem.
  • beantownbeantown Member Posts: 228
    The owners that have problems with their I4 automatics are in the minority.

    This is impossible for any one person to know, unless you somehow surveyed thousands of '07 Camry I4 owners. Even if you took every post from every person on every Internet board dedicated to the '07 Camry, you'd still be looking at less than 1% of the car's owners.
  • edsamedsam Member Posts: 14
    I took delivery of a red 2007 XLE V6. After we drove away from the lot, we noticed there was a misalignment of the rear bumper. Upon closer inspection, we discovered a serious defect on the car. The misalignment was caused by installing a 4 cylinder model bumper on a V6. The bumper of a 4 cylinder model does not have the necessary clearance for the left exhaust pipe. Hello! Did someone fall asleep on the assembly line in Kentucky???

    http://www.carspace.com/edsam/.59aa7f94/">
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    Assemblers, inspectors and your dealer prep. employees are incompetent.
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    Is toyota really becoming JUNK nowadays? I am really pissed off now. :mad:
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    beautifully documented.
  • chacha426chacha426 Member Posts: 16
    Your dealer will definitely have a PO# for the car you purchased. I'd call and DEMAND it. :)
  • chacha426chacha426 Member Posts: 16
    Toyota gave me a 4cyl Camry to drive while my V6 XLE's trans/torque converter are being replaced. I haven't noticed this in the rental and I "drive" it. I've passed plenty of cars and gotten to cruising speed on the freeway with no problems. I'm actually surprised at the poop this little 4-banger has. Cruise control works fine too. I can't wait to get my XLE back though. It's quiet and fast. I'm use to driving cars with horsepower to spare and am impressed with the XLE's HP. Weird to get use to torque steer though on a FWD car when use to RWD.
  • imidazol97imidazol97 Member Posts: 27,132
    The FWD shouldn't have much torque steer these days if they're engineered well. How much does it show?

    2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,

  • dougb10dougb10 Member Posts: 185
    My guess is that this is not an assembly line problem.
    The car could have been damaged in transit, and was repaired by the dealer....someone screwed up and put on the wrong bumper.
    Doug
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    Not a good deal. A friend of mine got 100% money back - his Corolla was 11000 miles old. This happened 4 years back.
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    I didn't buy the extended warranty from HondaCare. I bought a 7 year/ 100,000 mile ($250 deductible) on my new CR-V from GEICO for just $2.50/ month for 7 years (total $210). If Toyota offers a replacement, take it - then buy a cheap warranty from GEICO :-D
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    WOW!!! Great photo. I never look under the body or bumper. Time for me to wake up and take a look :(
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    DAMON34 and others with the hesitation problems in cars, Could you please explain me when the first time you saw the hesitation problem? Was it the first day? Also, what kind of gas mileage you are getting? I need to make a decision very soon whether I let go my $500 deposit and not take the car. :mad:
    thanks.
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    If you buy something else from the same dealer such as a Corolla or a RAV4, you should not lose your deposit.
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    If I show them the problems that other people are having, they should give me the deposit back. Isn't that? Otherwise, I will try to do a credit card dispute. Let's see.
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    Specifically on the cruise control problem.....

    For the first 1K miles until broken in, I avoided even driving the car on interstates, taking one of our other cars instead. So once past the break in period, then started doing some interstate and 55MPH+ driving. First trip we took wife set the cruise control, and problem was immediately evident. Even on moderate interstate grades, the car will not hold the target speed with downshifting to 4th and sometimes to 3rd. When it downshifts to 3rd, the revs jump substantially. If you drive without cruise control and a soft gas pedal, you can easily avoid transmission shifts.

    I would suspect if you took the brand new vehicle for an interstate test drive and traffic wasn't packed so you could use the cruise, it would be immediately evident. It didn't show in my case since I waited post 1K break in period before driving over 50.
  • lahirilahiri Member Posts: 394
    I don't think they'll. All new models have teething problems and that's probably not reason enough. Dealer would insist that you buy something new from them to save your deposit. If you're very worried, you can consider close alternatives like Avalon. Avalon may not have the nice mpg rating of a 4 cyl Camry. However, Avalon has a strong engine and the base model doesn't cost that much more than a Camry.
  • ilovecars1ilovecars1 Member Posts: 119
    Thanks for the description. Do you have the hesitation problem as described by damon34?
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    A reporter seeks to interview current and former Texans with opinions about the recent Toyota recalls. Please reply to jfallon@edmunds.com by Tuesday, August 8, 2006 with your daytime contact info, a description of your Texas connection and a few words about whether you think the Toyota recalls will affect the Toyota brand.
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    It didn't show in my case since I waited post 1K break in period before driving over 50.

    This wasn't the best procedure to follow during breakin. Note that in your manual there is nothing there about 'babying' it until over 1000 mile. The only thing it does say is don't tow anything initially.

    Actually the best procedure during the breakin period is just to drive normally; city, highway, stop and go, 75 mph+, both with and without cruise. The babying procedure may have exacerbated your subsequent problems.
  • autodrivenautodriven Member Posts: 16
    Hello:

    I believe there is a difference between cars "Made in America" (even if this is a transplant car) and those made 100% (or close to that; like 95% parts from Japan), then those in the states of the same model. All vehicles made in Japan will have a VIN# beginning with a "J" rather then a 1 or 2. I bought a 2007 Toyota Camry and it was made in Japan. I love mine. When the dealer did a search and brought up some of the "available" models in the area, I seen the VIN# listed on the options printout. I picked the one with the "J". That doesn't mean there won't be a bad one in the bunch, but look in Consumer Reports. Seems the majority of the most reliable cars are those made ENTIRELY (or a good percentage of the parts) from Japan. Good Luck!
  • kiawahkiawah Member Posts: 3,666
    The Break-in period instructions (p 286) actually states:

    Drive gently and avoid high speeds. (Bold in the manual)
    Your vehicle does not need an elaborate break-in. But following a few simple tips for the first 1600 km (1000 miles) can add to the future economy and long life of your vehicle:
    - Avoid full throttle accelerations when starting and driving
    - Avoid racing the engine
    - Try to avoid hard stops during the first 300km (200 miles)
    - Do not drive slowly with the manual transmission in a high gear
    - Do not drive for a long time at any single speed, either fast or slow
    - Do not tow a trailer during the first 800 km (500 miles)

    I am aware of many differing opinions from all the different folks...as to the best way to break in engines, transmissions, and brakes. I've personally always broken in all my new cars by driving easy (except one Honda back in 1975), and have had extremely reliable high mileage vehicles. They run the full gamut of 4 cylinders to 8 cylinders, 2 seaters to 8 seaters, manuals/automatics, sports/luxury/trucks/vans/compacts/SUV's/etc.

    The manual doesn't say anything that you can't baby the car initially, and I think anyone would be hard pressed to claim because we drove this in city traffic first 1k miles that it didn't break-in correctly. Again, the first line in manual w/Bold font......"Drive gently and avoid high speeds"
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