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Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions
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That's greart info to have!
Viche
pixiemartin: I have never personally heard of hercules tires, but all new camrys from that generation came with either Dunlop or Bridgestone brand tires, except for a few that came with General brand tires.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Thanks
One example: Once I asked a dealer (in NC) how much the brake rotor and pads are? The answer: $200/piece for the rotor and $70 for the pads. I just went to Auto store and bought OEM parts. Cost? A little bit over 1/3 of dealer price.
suv4x4: I am sorry, I meant TSB, not recall. There is also a TSB on the front brakes in that model. Both problems can cause noise. Tip: take the car for a regular service, and inquire about any TSBs for your car. Service departments don't talk about them over the phone, and they don't always like to do the work either, because they get reimbursed for their labor at the lower rate Toyota pays them, as opposed to what you pay them.
I would not pay $700 for a set of struts for this thing, I would go to a tire place that sells quality aftermarket parts, and get a quote on them. If you find, as I expect, that the aftermarket price is less than half, get those - they will be just as good if not better for this camry. If the prices are similar, go with the Toyota, because they will warrant everything longer usually.
You have a '98 with only 40K miles? That's low. Any place can inspect the front struts and tell you if htey are leaking.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
By the way, what is the TSB? if the issue for problem is covered under TSB, does that mean that the dealer will fix it for me for free.
The Pep boys store nearest to me is very rude. I only went to there twice, never again. I usually go to NAPA, Auto Zone, Advanced Autoparts.
1. Had to be aligned after purchase because it slightly veered to right.
2. Persistant rattle behind speedometer that neither I nor the dealer could remedy.
3. Extremely noisy sunroof, which the dealer was able to silence (there are TSBs on this one).
4. "Knock" in driver's seat sometimes when making left turn.
Other things that I don't care for, but aren't really problems, are:
a. SE ride is annoyingly stiff.
b. Does not downshift fast enough for my tastes. Must press gas pedal most of the way down for computer to understand that you want to accelerate. (Difficult to get car to pull through first half of turn).
Overall, it's a very nice car, but I find myself wishing I had purchased an Accord or Maxima.
The car is running great Need Help. Thanks
I have driven both the LE and the SE, and for my money the SE's suspension has finally brought camry suspension in general up to the bare minimum level. LE is still too floaty and cushy for my tastes.
This also affects the transmission programming for downshifting, which will be lazy because, again, this car is about smooth, and about economical, and neither of those prerequisites indicates a need for quick downshifting.
However, these are unabashedly Toyota's aims for the car, and I think they have hit the nail on the head in terms of producing what they set out to offer. I am also surprised these two downsides were not apparent in a test drive?
ranger: if you have noticed a sudden change in the behavior of the car that does not correspond to a sudden change in the environment (ie it is suddenly 30 degrees colder in the mornings this week than last), you may want to be sure to watch your temp gauge and see that it is, in fact, moving up at the usual pace when you drive the car first thing. The transmission is programmed not to go into higher gears until the temp needle is over the bottom line next to the 'C' on the gauge. This helps keep the revs up, which warms the engine quicker and contributes to reduced emissions.
If you come into the dealer for service and they decide you qualify for service under a TSB, they will do the work for free, unless it is merely a change in the routine maintenance service for the car, in which case you will pay for maintenance just as usual, but they will perform the revised procedure, or use the revised parts, as appropriate.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I will admit that I didn't testdrive long enough to see the bounciness in the suspension, which only occurs under certain conditions.
As for the transmission, I really shouldn't complain. It's designed for fuel economy, and it really delivers that. (Over 33mpg on last weekend's 14 hour roundtrip highway journey--and my girlfriend was passing cars right and left).
My '92 maxima had a 3-position switch to change how it shifted. Seems like a nice $20 solution to a vexing design tradeoff.
You sound knowledgeable--do you know of any cost-effective way to relax the suspension a bit?
I disagree on the suspension, however. I don't see any progressiveness to it's resistance, and it does at times exhibit an unnerving tight bouncy ride. I would have had to rent one for a day or two to see it, and nobody rents out SEs--so I don't fault myself too critically for not noticing this on the testdrive.
Kevin
On the other hand, my 79-year mother complains about the "firm" ride of my father's Avalon. She prefers the Buick ride.
02camryseowner: Don't really have any suggestions for a cheap fix to your suspension. Might help to keep the tire inflation pressures no higher than the recommendations in the owners manual. They tend to be on the soft side.
Had to laugh when I read that!
Where I am the local dealer rents SE's - I had one for a couple of weeks not too long ago. I think the suspension has the right amount of resistance for going over dips in the road, going around corners, etc. I will agree though that the ride can be rough on bad pavement.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Problems started with the auto-off for the headlights not working when I open the driver side door. This happened inconsistently in the beginning and less so now, 2 years later. But has been replaced with left signal light that blinks too fast, "door open" signal that works intermitantly, and dome light that works intermitantly.
Also, the driver side window fell off its tracks, 2x. The second time, the dealership replaced it under warranty. And the suspension was also repaired or replaced. Not sure.
I finally decided enough is enough, and am preparing to sell it so I took it in for service to the dealership. Apparently, this Camry, which has less than 42,000 miles on it has cracked and leaking struts, both front and back, oil gasket leakage, tires need to be replaced and brake pads and rotors as well.
I thank God I bought the extended warranty service when I purchased the car and all of those problems are covered under that warranty.
However, I am really curious as to whether others have encoutered the problems I have listed above. Or do I, as my supervisor at work insists, own the only piece of sh*t Camry ever made?
Turn signal flashing too fast is normal if an exterior bulb is burned out - it flashes too fast to let you know this has occurred. Another $5 repair (actually about $3)
I guess you mean the struts are leaking, and this seems odd given that "the suspension was repaired or replaced"...what was it replaced with, used struts? Something funny going on here...
Tires and brakes at 42K is not unusual, rotors is a bummer though, as is the window off its track. Why didn't Toyota fix it under warranty the first time? Possibly because of damage due to abuse? If so, this may have had an impact down the line.
Oil gasket is too general a description to be sure what you mean, but it sounds like you have 2 $5 repairs, one of which is definitely a maintenance item (burned out bulb). You then have two more expensive maintenance items that are appropriate for the miles on the car.
Finally, you have this unclear gasket thing and this weird window history that has me asking a dozen new questions.
You bought this new in 2/00...was it a demo car? Sometimes demo cars are driven hard when they are brand new and are also not treated that well by eager test drivers. If not a demo, why such a late purchase on a '99?
I would not call this a piece of s### personally. Ask all the folks out there with their VW 1.8T's in the shop right now how they are getting to work with the ignition coil backlog?
Even for all these issues you have listed, this is still a car you can get in every morning and drive to work.
I am not convinced.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I was actually surprised to hear that "camryseowner" had problems with his alignment too. My car tends to go to the right a little too! It's very very minor but noticeable. "camryseownner", did you go back to the dealer to fix the alignment? Did they charge you anything? I had my first oil change already but not the 1st service.
Other than those two really minor problems, I am very happy about the new car. That's why I have nearly 4000 km on it already! I used to own a 97 Camry LE 4 cylinder. It was reliable. But... dull, like many would say. The suspension was soft but comfortable. Cornering, yes, but the car would lean crazily.
Yup the new Camry SE V6 I have now is more bumpy. But I don't find it annoying at all. I still find it really comfortable when going over bumps. Cornering, however, is much better now. I hated how the old Camry used to feel so insecure on the highway through the turns. Imagine, you're going 120km/h at the turn just like everybody else, but my car used to feel like it was going to lose control at times. Add a few minor bumps in the turn and the car seemed like it would drift over to the other lane!
The new Camry SE doesn't have that problem. It sticks to the road. I've tried going more than 120km/h through the same turn, it was still very steady with little body lean.
Maybe the old Camry was TOO boring for my tastes, I actually find the Camry SE V6 fun to drive! I know that many would disagree, because it is still a Camry. Most would think that it's just another family sedan that's not as passionate as the Passat, nor as emotional as the new Altima. But if any of those people were owners of the generation 4 Camry like me, I think they would agree that the new Camry SE is a lot more fun to drive.
Last question, are Michelin Energy tires all season? I find that on slippery roads, the car now is more slippery than the old Camry I used to have.
Camry SE V6 Owner.
I think the Energy is a better tire, but for real winter traction, you may want to consider a set of winter tires for that time of year.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I meant, are Michelin's Energy tires all season?
As far as abuse causing the window to fall off its track, dunno what you mean by abuse. I'm the only driver and I have no kids who might have found a little joy playing with the power windows. Anyway, the dealership person told me that this was not an uncommon problem.
The intermitent "door open" signal was once again discounted by the Toyota service shop as non existent, even though I had taken care to point it out to them when I brought it in.
The signal lights and dome light? Bulbs, I was told - still surprising for the age of the car, in my opinion.
Sorry about the less than technical descriptions re: the struts and other stuff, but I was basically going by what I was told over the phone a few days ago.
The oil gasket leakage problem could be due to a faulty/shoddy job done by Jiffy Lube - jury's still out on that.
I owned a Mitsubish Gallant before I "upgraded" to the Camry, and in the 9 years I drove the Mitsu, only thing I had to do was change the oil and replace the brake pads once and replace the tires once after 6 years - and did some of the recommended maintenance.
Needless to say, I'm more than a little disappointed that the Camry didn't turn out to be such a "trade up" from my old Mitsu. I was expecting a trouble-free ride for the first 5 years, at least.
I understand that a lot of people LOVE their Camry, which is what has led me to belive that mine must have been one of those made on a Friday afternoon after beer break or something.
There were little annoyances with the way it drove too (lack of independent rear suspension) that set my teeth on edge whenever had had to go over a bump and take a curve at the same time.
In any case, I don't want to rain on anyone else's Toyota parade -- again just wondering if my experience is a fluke or not.
2000and 2001 buying guide - rated above average
2002 - new model
2003 - average
any thing specific? - or is it all these squeaks etc. They still list is as a top choice in the Jan 03 issue after accord and passat.
My 94 has been trouble free. best car I ever owned.
The Car will have a slight jerk, but you can feel every time when the speed up from about 10MPH-15MPH ,I do not know whether it is normal or a transmission jerk.
I test drived 02 Camry, the jerk is much weak the my 99 Camry.
Any 99 Camry owner can tell??
Btw, I just put some Micheline Arctic Alpin snow tires on the car, and that has softened the ride a little bit. (Car came with Toyos).
Also, the dealer was able to completely eliminate the sunroof squeaking/rattling/cracking.
I just saw that you had a front end alignment done. We also had a front end alignment done and that is when our rattle started. We didn't have it done at a toyota dealer. We think that they had to take some things apart when they did the alignment and didn't put it back together properly and that is where the rattle came from.
2002camry
I am going to post exactly what the ticket from the dealer states when I get home tonight.
CAUSE: panels not fitted properly on assembly
isolate noise to front fender area-repair plastic panels by cowl and inner fender liner
As I mentioned, I think the cause of my problems was I had a front end alignment done (not by toyota) and I think they reassembled something incorrectly. I might be wrong though.
2002camry - thanks for find that info for us.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
It helped in my car-buying decision. All cars have some problems.
Thanks again for the open discussion from some contributors in the groups on Edmunds.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Softer, quieter, better seats. Honda had a hard tite ride and their transmissions all shift a little hard.
Good car and compant tho.
Problem:
During low speeds(20-40mph), when I take a sharp right turn my vehicle jerks on the front passenger side wheel(i.e I get the feeling there is a obstruction coming from the right passenger side wheel). I live in San Francisco bay area which has lots of mountainous roads. Also I notice that this happens during downhill rides only and stepping out of gas pedal.
This happened after 65k miles on my car. Now I put on 80k in my car.
Repairs done so far:
Toyota dealer advised me to change the 4 tires and did the same no solutions. After changing the tires I took the car to the dealer said he doesn't see anything wrong. Tried with a local mechanic and asked to change the right wheel axle. no luck yet.
Can anyone suggest me what can I do to fix this problem. I don't have any other problem with my vehicle.
I called a Toyota dealer svc dept and the svc mgr stated it is extremely rare for a Camry radiator to rust out and go bad.
Am I getting ripped off?
Thanks for any comments. John
I was also wondering if anyone who had the nonJBL car stereo system had upgraded their speakers with aftermarket ones and could recommend to me on what fits my car and sounds good? The crutchfield site indicates that all their aftermarket speakers requiring redrilling new mounting holes.
do it yourself if you want to.
radiator should be what?
under $200?
I also just realized, after two weeks, that the speedometer is very ood and difficult to read.
As a sample, mine looks like this...
20 | | | | | | | 40 | | | | | | | 60 | | | | | | | 80
How can I identify 65 mph and 70 mph????????