Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Camry 2011 transmission problem

1235

Comments

  • luckysevenluckyseven Member Posts: 134
    edited July 2011
    Is it jumping or it is sluggish or both? Let's try to sort it out.

    1. Try to put your car on the small incline and set it to N, see if it rolls with ease or not. Check your fuel consumption and tell us what it is (MPG).

    2. Is your parking at home on the flat surface or incline? As a general rule don't allow small children to approach your car if engine is running.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "..it jerked forward..."

    Lazy foot...?

    The brake pedal is angled over toward the gas pedal such that it is very easy to apply the brakes with the right side of your foot well over the gas pedal. Apply the brakes moderately "deep" and your foot depresses the gas pedal at the same time....the car "jerks" forward.

    I have had to be very mindful of this "lazy foot" situation, constantly remind myself to move my foot well over onto the brake pedal.

    "..car in park...car moved forward.."

    The parking gear "pawl" and gearteeth are so course that it is entirely possible to have your foot firmly on the brake, place the shifter into park, and have the car roll slightly (PANIC!!) on an incline when you release the brake to step out of the car.

    "..jumping in and out of gears..."

    Normal "shiftiness" during cruise in all modern day 6(10) speed transmissions.

    "...with hesitation.."

    Not good but also SOP, normal. 1-2 second downshift delay upon a quick return to acceleration after a brief period of coastdown. Has to do with a tranasaxle design change in favor of FE instigated back about the turn of the century.
  • toyotanomore3toyotanomore3 Member Posts: 4
    Well, Good Luck with that. I have A new 2011 Camry with same problem and the Dealer Excuse is that the Transmission in this Model is suppose to learn my Driving Habits. I am outraged about it, because, they have no right to store this information, which is personal Information that could be illegally sold to Insurance Companies and used against the driver. They should have told me about it before I purchased the Vehicle, so that I could make an informed decision. Also, I paid 28,Plus dollars for this Piece crap that is not even well finished. The Interior has a lot of Rough edges in Doors Plastic covers. The Front Instrument Panels don't Meet nicely in the Ends. SHAME on You TOYOTA. This company is no longer what it used to be. I regret Having purchased this poorly, bad Quality unfinished car. The Transmission is sluggish in the city settings, the Brakes are noisy, and the Suspensions make a Noc noise if I happen to go over a speed bump.
  • toyotanomore3toyotanomore3 Member Posts: 4
    Have you ever heard about a "Freeze Plug" in the Highlander Engine??
    This was one of the Reasons given to me by a Toyota Tech over at Maroone Toyota in Davie.
    I would not want my worst enemy to have to endure what I endured at Maroone's Service dept.
    Their Service sucks, and they make up serious failures in your car, so that you will decide to trade in your car for a New one. To top it, they have sharks in the sales floor that will offer very little money for your supposedly daying car. This dealer represents everything that is wrong in South Florida when it comes to Trust and Honesty among Toyota dealerships. I can tell that Toyota is really going down the tube with all these problems.
  • toyotanomore3toyotanomore3 Member Posts: 4
    Yes, I have the same NOC noise coming out of my front suspension when I go over a speed Bump. The Dealer gave me a poor excuse. The suspensions on these cars is noisy, which is the reason so many people have chosen to buy American Brands, which Outperform the Japanese cars.
  • toyotanomore3toyotanomore3 Member Posts: 4
    If I were you, I would skip Toyota all together. dont make that mistake, you will live to regret having purchased a Toyota. They no longer are the Cars they Used to be. If anything, tkae a look at WW or Audi, but definitely NOT A TOYOTA.
  • buttons973buttons973 Member Posts: 20
    Oh wow!!! You are not the only one. Everything you said is what has happened to me. My daughter drove the car a month ago and after driving it, she told me she doesn't want to anymore because she is scared of that car. I bought it with the intentions of giving it to her one day, but i guess not. I'm like you, i decided to buy me a car after 10years of not having a car note and look what i got. A piece of crap that doesn't know how to drive. I hate that car! I want to go to the media too and report what's going on. I'm so scared that one day that car is gonna do something to jeopardize myself or someone else, without it being my fault. I have already taking it to the dealer numerous times and each time, I'm told there's nothing wrong. My last time i took it, a technician said he was gonna solve my problem, and when he couldn't, he advised me to keep complaining. I think he knew there is an ongoing issue with that car and he felt really sorry for me. I didn't get upset with him cause i saw in his eyes that he really wanted to help. So my advice, it to keep complaining to customer service and hopefully they will do something about this for us. Keep me posted on what happens!
  • buttons973buttons973 Member Posts: 20
    I agree!!! The car is poorly made. My inside door panels and behind the seat look like it is 10 years old. I can't even let my purse zipper touch it without scratching it up. Looks like they got those parts from Mattel. I also agree that they should have told us the car has to learn our driving habits because if i knew that, i wouldn't have bought it. It's ashame, my car drove really good off the lost. And after 1,000 miles, it drives like a piece of crap! I am highly disappointed in Toyota. I see they are the Walmart of cars!!!
  • purupuru Member Posts: 11
    The only way we can help ourselves is by putting all our common problems with this car together, getting an agreement, consulting a good lawyer and suing Toyota. Unfortunately that is the only thing that we can do right now. I am open to any other ideas..Thoughts ?
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    I'm actually alright with my car the way it is. I still actually like mine. As long as it doesn't break down, I'm happy. I got a heck of a deal on it, $16,500, when you consider the interest saved on zero percent finnancing through Toyota, and money off the $21,675 sticker as well. I do like it. I look forward to driving it. Averaging 27mpg+, with ac on, and not babying it. Taking it in for its 5,000 mile service next week. Free!
  • buttons973buttons973 Member Posts: 20
    Well for the one who got the car at a good deal, that's great. Keep on enjoying your car. But for me, I got my twice as much yours cost and it should drive better than it does. I am willing to put my comments together and consult a lawyer about this. this is something the technician told me to do as well. They even advised me of the lemon law. They see a problem with my car and knows its a piece a crap. But its Toyota who refuses to do something about it. So whenever you are ready, let's do this and hopefully we can get more on this site to do so regardless of what a deal they got of their car. Just let me know when you are ready!
  • billwhobillwho Member Posts: 1
    my 2011 camry makes a clicking noise when cold and shifting to 3rd gear.sounds like the auto door locks are locking. have 3300 miles, noise goes away when warm.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    Mine makes one click in the driver's front, just after the doors lock, when it's cold. Recently it switched to the left front. Also, it groaned today when I got out of it. Taking it in next week for 5,000 mile service.
  • purupuru Member Posts: 11
    As you said, "... the one who got the car at a good deal, that's great." I agree with you. Getting a car at a great deal and having problems with the car are two separate things. For me , any new car that gives problems like these is not acceptable.
    If you ask me, I got the best deal I cud ask for. $20,700 Out of door for Camry LE 2011 at 0% APR , 0 down, but as I said that's not the point and it is irrelevant to this discussion.

    I have consulted a lawyer and she told me that to build a strong case get as many people with similar complains, file incidents with NHTSA, get some kind of data from dealership/ service centers that these problems are known but nothing can be done abt them etc etc..

    "buttons973" : Can you send me a private message with your contact details ? I will get in touch with you and we can go from there.
    Others : You guys can join us if you want to. It seems no point to me just complaining and posting our frustrations on this forum any more. Its time to act ..just my 2 cents...
  • laukolauko Member Posts: 4
    edited July 2011
    My camry 2011,4 cylinder turn 7000 miles and have no problem with transmition.Actually I like it more then my previous Camrys (2000,1,6) When I travel over Donner summit it goes so smoothly (does not fish for gears as previous Camry's did) about 70 MPH. Traveling from Reno to Stockton monthly and averaging 33 miles per gallon. I love it. :)
  • flgator1989flgator1989 Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2011
    Hey Jeff,

    I just received your email regarding the level of satisfaction with my 2011 Camry, I decided to send you a few lines to pass on to your managers, but most important, Toyota itself.

    After driving the car now for 350 miles, and having been a prior Toyota owner (6 times), I can tell you that this Camry has eliminated my desire to own another Toyota ever again. There are many things about this car that are awful, and I can not even begin to tell you about them because they are minor in itself, but when you add them all up, they do amount to a lot. Frankly, for a new car, and a Camry, this car's design is awful. The unfortunate part is that I would have been unable to tell any of this unless I drove it for a while, and now; I am just completely destruct that I traded my Trailblazer for this car.

    One of the biggest problems with this car is the automatic transmission shifting. It is awful and completely unacceptable during deceleration. Getting it into gear on a flat surface is rough and clunky. The air conditioning cooling power is marginal at best and for the first time in my life, I kick myself for not having done the research upfront because these problems appear to be a common theme with this car. Another major problem is the loudness of the car at high speeds... I drove a Trailblazer before the Camry, not exactly a car, but the Camry is even louder than the Trailblazer at the same highway speeds. I have a list of other items that I keep adding to it, and I plan to send that list to Toyota because I can't believe that they have fallen this low.

    Honestly, I am going to sell this car soon, as I can not even conceive of making payments on it for the foreseeable future. I am not dissatisfied with the service I received at Ed Morse, but I have to confess that if all other Toyota models are this bad, I feel sorry for Toyota and your future sales.

    Regards,

    Fabian
  • dirtyharrywkdirtyharrywk Member Posts: 9
    Jeez, I've been reading all these problems you guys have been have... I have not experienced any of these transmission issues and I think I read about somebody complaining about it a panel getting scratched from her purse. Are you serious? Does you purse have nails all over the sided?
  • 4lisak44lisak4 Member Posts: 4
    I agree. I have had many problems with mine, and I'm done with it. Toyota has reduced the quality of their cars (or ast least the Camry). I wish i would have done more research before I bought this. I did not, because Camry is (or USED TO BE) a good car. I'm done with Toyota!!! I'm ready.
  • 4lisak44lisak4 Member Posts: 4
    I agree. I have had many problems with mine, and I'm done with it. Toyota has reduced the quality of their cars (or ast least the Camry). I wish i would have done more research before I bought this. I did not, because Camry is (or USED TO BE) a good car. I'm done with Toyota!!! I'm ready. :mad:
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    The paint is pretty thin. When I got mine, there were scratches in the wells behind the door handles, apparently from people's finger nails, and one on the driver's side rear quarter panel. I planned to show these to the dealership I bought mine from, but I bought some polish when I bought some Scotch Guard, and then I got used to the car, and never did. The trans does shift funny, up, and down, it will downshift to slow you down, but I like the car enough, that it doesn't bother me. The ac in mine is fine, and we're been getting over 100 degrees out here in SC PA with high humidity. The general sales manager at the dealership did remark on the paint thickness, when he tried to sell me extras, after we'd made our deal on the car, but I can live with it, as long as the car holds up mechanically. I'd like to put 200,000 miles on this car. I had a Ford Mustang one time that had paint this thin. 2006. New.
  • buttons973buttons973 Member Posts: 20
    Obviously you do not carry a purse and if you did, you would know the designs of them. Not only my purse, but my kids book bags which also have ZIPPERS on them! My laptop bag which has ZIPPERS on them. Get it now!!
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    My door jamb gets dinged every time I unbuckle my seat belt, dozens of those dings quite visible after 10 years of ownership. If it bothered me I would be a LOT more careful with the way I unbuckle the belt.

    You could do the same thing, be more careful, with your zippers, etc.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Modern day 6(10) speed automatic tranmissions, 6 "hard" gear ratios with the Torque converter in the loop, and at least 4 "soft" gear ratios using the TC locking clutch to bypass the "lossy" torque converter.

    Those "soft" ratios are used for simply cruising along with light loads on the engine. But anytime a level of acceleration, even minor level, is involved, or extra engine loading, traveling uphill, towing, etc, the TC MUST be in the loop. Plus, if you should step on the brake pedal just enough to turn on the brake lights, the transmission will, MUST, unlock the TC.

    10 gears to chose from in order to keep the engine RPM at the most optimal level for current speed/roadbed/travel conditions.

    Like to try that, always being in the most FE correct gear ratio, with a 1o speed manual transmission..?

    I thought not.

    "..it will downshift to slow you down.."

    No, YOU are the base cause of those downshifts.

    Look at the fact, in the Prius, that the regenerative braking system is used to simulate engine compression braking during coastdown periods. Basically putting fuel BACK into the "tank" anytime the driver has no pressure on the gas pedal.

    Would the Prius be just as fuel efficient absent this coastdown hybrid battery charging technique...?

    NOT..!

    Only if the driver used coastdown periods, "free-wheeling" coastdown techniques, highly judiously, focussing CONSTANT attention to the matter.

    Your Camry uses the same technique, basically.

    Doing coastdown periods the engine is COMPLETELY starved of fuel, the injectors are disabled. But now, to keep the engine RPM from dropping too low and stalling, new downspeed gear ratios must be selected, again and again, as roadspeed declines. Once roadspeed has declined to the point wherein the engine RPM cannot be held above "stall" the idle level fuel flow is restored and the transmission is quickly upshifted to remove the engine load.

    If now the coastdown period continues to a full stop only then will the transmission shift into first gear.

    Whole lotta SHIFTING going on.

    Be aware that the above is true, or soon will be, for almost all modern day passenger cars.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "..cooling power is marginal at best.."

    I'm betting otherwise.

    Have you previously owned a car with the NipponDenso, Denso US, automatic climate control system..? These systems are designed to "moderate" the level of coolness of the outlet airflow once the cabin temperature is near the temperature setpoint. If you want to get an idea of how adequate the base cooling level is then turn it to recirculate, MAX cooling, and lower the blower speed below midpoint.

    On the hand if I am wrong (not likely) you can always go to Home Depot and buy a manual water flow shutoff valve to install in the engine coolant hose to the heater core. Not a bad idea in any case since that way the A/C will not be being used to COOL the engine water jacket....improved FE.
  • flgator1989flgator1989 Member Posts: 2
    As a person that has own over 30 vehicles in my life, and has had a hand in fixing many of them, I can tell you that this Camry is unusual. You may justify the engineering of modern day 6 speed transmission as a compromise for power vs efficiency; however, the Camry doesn't do that smoothly at all. So much so, sometimes it feels as I am driving a stick shift. There is no excuse for a design like this. In fact, other Toyota models (Corolla and Tacoma) do not shift anything like the Camry and the Corolla being a 6 speed as well.

    As far as the cooling, we live in South Florida where it is 90+ degrees and 100% humidity sometimes, and the Camry can barely keep up. In fact, if you are seating in the back seat you are sweating for the most part even at full blast. I finally decided to tint the windows to help the cooling a bit,

    Just a side note to those that respond in defense of Toyota. I have owned 6 Toyotas prior to my Camry. It used to be that if you bought a Toyota, you were going to be satisfied. This Camry is designed poorly and I can't vouch for the sudden acceleration issues that dominated the news a few years ago with this car and, at that time, I thought people were making up the problem. However, after owning this Camry, I think maybe there was truth with that problem. All in all, I don't plan to keep this car.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    2010 Camry (same as 2011) at 95F and very humid day here (80%) has no problem keeping us cool, back or front.

    and the Corolla being a 6 speed as well.

    Corolla has a 4 speed automatic (older design, probably at least 10-15 years old). Corolla still has great efficiency though, and turns low rpms at highway speeds. Don't know about Tacoma.

    Some people complain about the Camry 6 Auto Transmission, but most don't . I have seen some others complain about the shifting of the automatic, but most think it is fine. I have driven a Camry 6 Speed auto for a few days, and found it to be fine - before I drove it, I knew about some complaints about it, but I honestly had no complaints with it. Also, very quiet at speed, just like most professional reviewers say.

    I'd take back to dealer and have them check it out, maybe drive another Camry to compare.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    I first encountered one of these new 6(10) speed transaxles, Chrysler Sebring Conv rental, while on vacation a number of years ago. Reasonably flat terrain yet the tranny just simply could not find, settle into a gear. I found it best to drive it in CC.

    I'm hoping that by the time I need to buy my next daily driver that actual CVT's will be available.

    I suspect the hard shifting is the result of the shiftiness. If so much shifting is expected throughout the vehicle's useful life then the shifting must be quick, solid, and firm, no slippage, frictional surface wear, allowed to "ease" into the next gear.

    In my experience even an LS400's climate control system, even with dark window tint, cannot provide a good level of cooling for rear seat passengers on a HOT day in Tucson.

    The ducting to the rear simply does not have enough volume, CSA, to move enough moderately cooled airflow. But there are a couple of things that will be helpful...

    To cool, COOLDOWN, the entire cabin most quickly:

    First and foremost, DO NOT allow the system to go into recirculate initially. It is best to leave the system in "fresh" mode initially thereby FORCING the SUPERHEATED atmosphere out of the cabin. As most owner manuals suggest it also helps to lower the rear windows for a few miles to help with this matter.

    Now, after the cabin's HOT atmosphere is purged, move the mode to recirculate, bypass the system's MODERATED cooling mode via using MAX cooling, manually close the front outside, nearest the side windows, airflow ducts ("force" more cooling airflow to the rear seats), and now use the blower speed to optimize the overall cooling level.

    In my '92 LS400 I find that if I use the above procedure for quick cabin cooldown on a HOT day then within 10 or 15 minutes (interior surfaces also cooled) I can put the air temperature control aspect back to auto and basically ignore the system operation thereafter.

    Oh, one nice aspect of the LS400 is that I can open the engine hood, disconnect the servomotor drive from the heater core engine coolant/water flow control valve, and then tie the water valve full closed. Basically making the reheat/remix blend door movement, system airflow temperature moderation control, non-functional.

    I have no idea, other than the total idiocy of NipponDenso, Denso US, engineering team, why the design of these automatic climate control systems has gone so far awry from reasonable, sensible.
  • toyota3000toyota3000 Member Posts: 6
    Use your brake to hold car, DO NOT hold it with trans, or you will overheat it.

    You can use left foot on steep incline to hold brake and right to accelerate.
  • pagan1pagan1 Member Posts: 1
    I'm having same issues with my 2011 Camry. I'm in with you guys. Let me know when you are ready.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    If you don't know the procedure for engaging, activating the "hill-hold" feature you may be intermittently engaging it, or not, resulting in the roll-back randomness.

    Best to reseach this in your owners manual but I beleive it needs a sharp "stab" of the brake pedal, and then release. "Stab": higher momentary brake pressure beyond just the level needed to hold the car on the incline.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    Interesting. I didn't know the car had this function. I'll have to try that. Thanks.
  • miko638miko638 Member Posts: 2
    I am considering the 2011 SE and am pretty dismayed to hear about these issues with the 6 speed auto. Does anyone think that shifting manually in slower speed around town traffic will alleviate some of the problems or symptom related to this transmission?
  • kbetts1kbetts1 Member Posts: 36
    Manual shifting helps a little but overall it's just a weak transmission system. It feels as if they got the gear ratios in the transaxle wrong and the engine is pulling too high a gear.

    Whatever the case, for a high percentage of drivers it's bad enough for them to wish they bought something else. After six months and 15,000 miles I'm one of the people who wishes I'd bought something else.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    I also read these stories before I bought my Camry, and I am not sorry I bought it. I have used the S shift option on the AT, and I found it fun to rip around curvy back roads, but I'm happy with the AT. It knows what to do to keep the power band where it should, and I have fun just letting it do its own thing when I'm flying around the back roads. I thought maybe having bought a manual transmission would have avoided this sometimes rough shifting AT issue, but I'm ok with it the way it is. I don't think something has to be perfect to be "good enough". I got a great deal on my Camry, and expect it to last, so I'm happy. I still look forward to driving it, after 5,000 miles. Was not able to say that for my 2010 Prius III after 4,000 miles. I had to drive to an airport two hours away, in the early morning, in the dark, in the cold, and I dreaded it! The thing was so light, and hollow feeling. I didn't feel secure in it. The Camry is much more solid, and stable feeling. And the motor is more powerful. I guess it's just a matter of finding what you like. I'm happy with my Camry. I feel very safe, and secure, and comfortable driving it on a long trip. My Camry seems to like being driven a little bit harder. The AT seems to like that better than being babied; it'll lug the engine if I do that. Also, I got 32mpg the first tankful of gas, 30mpg second tank, and 26-27 thereafter, although I have been using the AC since then. I did take it to the dealer for the 5,000 mile service, and got 30 mpg after that. Now down to 26. I wonder if they put something in the gas tank to make it get better milage? I'm alright with 26-27, but would like 30-32 better.
  • kevipkevip Member Posts: 1
    I wish I came across this site before I bought my camry LE 2011. This is my fourth new car. After just weeks, I absolutely hated this car. It is ridiculous that there are so many problems. The biggest annoyance for me is that it overturns whenever I make left turn. It is really close to impossible to park straight in a parking lot, because it always overturns and the wheel does not come back even when it is released. If I make a left turn and release the wheel, the car keeps going to the left in circles. The back window defrosting is awful. I can see that it would be a big problem in winter. There is a trange loud noice coming out under the hood. The door opens too wide easily, making me nervous at parking lots. I also do not like the key. I accidently openned the truck twice when I turned off the car. It is a poorly designed car. I do not understand why so many of them on the road. That is the fact that influenced my buying decision.
  • onyx2005onyx2005 Member Posts: 5
    Yes, I find the tranny a little odd and sometimes annoying (only driven 1000miles), but if this car gets 100-200K miles out of it, which C'mon all you Camry owners, it will, it was worth the purchase. I traded in a 2010 Nissan Altima 4cyl CVT, and have NO regrets, the CVT was way worse than the 6spd camry, I am more comfortable knowing I have a quiet, smooth, vanilla toyota. :)
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    Ditto.
  • guptronguptron Member Posts: 2
    My family has owned 5 Camry's, a '92, '93, '97, '05, and my '10. Only my '10 suffers from the jerky transmission issue described throughout this thread. It is so bad that I am seriously considering taking the huge hit to trade it in and get a real car. I live and work downtown, so all of my driving is city, and this constant shifting <10 mph is making me incredibly frustrated.

    Has anyone made progress with lawyers/getting Toyota to actually care about this yet? I see posts back over a year, someone must have heard something meaningful back. The dealers here in CO "haven't heard" of this issue and want $100 each time I bring it in to tell me that I'm crazy.
  • kbetts1kbetts1 Member Posts: 36
    edited November 2011
    Mine does the same thing on occasion. VERY annoying.

    During your next trip, move the transmission "+" "-" selector to where a "3" appears near the odometer while in stop and go traffic below 35mph. Selecting 3rd gear will keep the transmission from going to too high of gear.

    When traffic speeds up go back to "D" or normal. I did this and it really helped with the transmission jerking. The same thing might re-train yours to start behaving correctly.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    Drove to NYC, and back, tankful of gas, 30mpg, very disappointing. Comfortable. My transmission acts the same. I guess Toyota has seen its day, and its sun is setting, as is Honda's. They were always the best cars for me, growing up. Many people my parent's age contiued driving American cars, even when their sun had set. I guess things change, and, unless we change with them, we get this these types of frustrations. I've heard Hyundias, and Kias are good.
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    edited November 2011
    You say the dealers want $100 to check your 2010? It is under warranty for 5 years, or 60,000 miles (powertrain warranty). There should be no charge.

    There are some people that complain of the extra and/or jerky shifting. I think most have said that it is that way to get more mpg, by design. Most people are very happy with the car, and it is working fine, so you won't get far at all with a lawsuit. I have heard same complaint with other makes of cars, due to getting more mpg with the new 6 speed auto trannies.

    My 2010 is great, but it is a 6 speed manual transmission!

    Getting 31.5 mpg on my commute to work, which is great! I can get 33 mpg on the highway (as the EPA says), but NOT going over 65 mpg and NOT with a strong head wind.
  • aaa76aaa76 Member Posts: 2
    I am having similar problems with my new 2011 Camry. Soon after I bought this brand new 2011 Camry the car started acting weird. A constant problem that appear a lot of time when I am driving concerns the transmission. At low speeds, mostly city driving, the car jerks with abrupt shiftings, and sometimes harsh shifting. Also it feels like the car pauses a little when shifting at low speeds.
    The thing that concerns me and my wife the most is that the car takes off like it rushes rather than a smooth acceleration, although we both press the gas pedal really gently. This mostly happens at low speeds when we are driving in the city where heavy traffic might be present. This is making both of us very concerned about our safety. We are concerned to the point that we both stopped driving the car unless we really have to, we rely on our second car which is a BMW. One other issue is that the car feels like it is going to stall when I release my foot from the acceleration. This happens at both slow speeds and high speeds. I have taken the car to the dealer three times and they said they could not reproduce the problems I am describing, although on the second visit the dealer's mechanic did feel the harsh shifting and only then did he offer to take it for a check up which he did but said he could not reproduce it.

    But now to the real question is what can we do? There seems a lot of people on this forum that are complaining about very similar issues, so Toyota can't just tell us there is nothing wrong with all of these cars. Can we take legal action? What are our options? I did file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (http://www.nhtsa.gov/) which only took a minute. I was surprised however to see that I am the only one who filed a complaint on the 2011. So I encourage every one with a problem to report it at the site I listed here, it literally takes a minute.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    "..feels like it is going to stall..."

    It is "stalling".

    When you release the gas pedal at almost any speed the engine will go into coastdown mode with FULL fuel cut and sequential downshifting to prevent the engine from stalling fully. Once a speed is reached that is too low to sustain enoght engine RPM then fuel flow will be restored while at the same time the transaxle is upshifted. The car will then not downshift in 1st gear until you reach a full stop.

    Note that if you by happenstance reapply pressure on the gas pedal just as that final upshift is commanded you will get a bit of hesitation in response. A little later, before the fully stopped downshift occurs, and you get the jerk, lurch.
  • sjbentreesjbentree Member Posts: 5
    Service manager took test drive with me. Says it is ABS pump kicking in at 10 MPH when starting to drive. Says the ABS solenoid makes the noise. Also says it is "normal" which I cannot accept. I have a case number with Toyota Corp and will follow up tomorrow. Service manager said another customer with same complaint traded for a 2012 Camry. But, he could not assure me that 2012 would not have same noise and problem. Svc manager said he has not heard of complaint from other customer with new 2012 Camry. If I trade to get rid of this irritable noise, it will NOT be another Camry.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    I'm thinking about seeing if I can trade this car for a manual transmission Camry. I wonder how they are to shift?
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    What kind of issues would there be with FWD and manual gearbox?
  • mcdawggmcdawgg Member Posts: 1,722
    edited November 2011
    I have a 2010 Camry 6 speed manual, which is the same as a 2011 Camry. For 2012, they do not make a manual anymore, so you would have to get used 2011 or older.

    Love the manual transmission, no issues, just got back from a 554 mile trip and averaged 32.1 mpg. 85% of the miles were highway, 70 - 75 mph, no AC use, light wind.

    Issues with FWD and manual gearbox - no different than any other FWD with a manual. IF the clutch is not used properly, then clutch replacement is approx. $1,500. Other than that, no issues. I have had 150k miles on my FWD manual transmissions, and still had not had any problems with clutch or transmission. Just change the transmission oil every 60k, and make sure to use the clutch CORRECTLY.

    What specific questions do you have?
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    I just wondered if having the manual transmission would solve the problems so many of us are having with our six-speed automatic transmissions. You seem to have answered my question. The problems with FWD, and manual transmissions was posed by someone else. I had no knowledge of such things. $1,500 to replace a clutch is much less than what I'd imagine it'd cost to replace, or repair an automatic transmission. Thanks for your feedback. Enjoy! Sounds like fun, ripping around with a stick-shift on this car. Maybe I can find one.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    edited November 2011
    Manual transmission vehicles have been on the decline for a number of reasons(***) but FWD even moreso due to the matter of safety. With a manual transmission in a FWD an unwary/inexperienced/unknowledgeable driver can induce loss of directional control far too easily.

    Downshift to a level that engine compression braking levels are beyond the roadbed traction capability and....

    VW recently introduced a technique to overcome this problem, automatically up-rev the engine if a downshift results in wheelslip/skid.

    *** Not the least of these being better MPG ratings with automatics vs manuals resulting from increased lockup clutch use and FULL fuel cut during coastdown periods.
  • flbntzflbntz Member Posts: 43
    Thanks for the reply.
Sign In or Register to comment.