Struts Toyota Camry

soona

Bought a "Certified" Camry with 22K miles and age of 38 months. So maufacturer's warranty is gone. There is a "knocking" sound every time I travel a rough road. Had dealer look at it and he says "end caps" on front struts are bad and wants $775 to replace. Was told by manager that all 97 and 98 Camrys have this problem, there is no danger, struts are OK because there is no oil leak. They refuse to fix it. Manager said Toyota made design changes in 99 and now there are no more complaints (on 99s and up).

Q1. Is this a widespread problem with 97&98 Camrys? If so, Toyota could be forced to recall

Q2. Is this a safety problem and will it cause premature wear elsewhere?

Q3. Is it woth $775 to fix it?

Mr_Shiftright

There does seem to be some "buzz" on the internet sites about Camry struts, but not from all owners...some mention this problem and some have no complaints.

You might check this site to see if there have been recalls or TBS (technical service bulletins) about this car..........www.alldata.com.

As for replacement costs, shop around for quality replacement parts at independent shops. There's no reason you have to go to the dealer to have new struts put in. If you have a reputable front end/alignment/tire shop in your area, they could check the car for you...maybe some place that services taxi/police fleets or actually services dealers' vehicles (not all dealers do their own alignments...many don't).


Mr. Shiftright
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armtdm

http://www.toyotapart.com/

I have used this dealer to ship me genuine Toyota parts at greatly reduced prices. Many shops will replace the parts if you bring them in so shop around.

silvernubira

Toyota bought back my lemon 1998 Camry because of "knocking" noises plus few other problems. They replaced the struts twice and it did not make any difference. So rather than doing anything further, after arbitration, they bought it back.

This is probably more of an "annoyance" problem than a safety problem.

If you get a local mechanic replace the struts with after market ones, you will probably pay about 50% of what Toyota dealer is asking. (Toyota asked me $900 for a Camry leather steering wheel!!)

eneth

However, the one big advantage of a Toyota dealer for struts and exhaust work is that they cover the replacements for the remainder of the time you own the car, parts and labor. No one else will do that (and for exhaust work on my 1987 Corolla when it was needed, the dealer was actually less expensive than Midas or Meineke).

Mr_Shiftright

I wasn't thinking of Midas for the work...uh-uh....a good independent Japanese specialist was what I had in mind when making a recommendation for an alternative to the dealer. But by all means, shop the price and the warranty and make your best decision.

osky55

I have a '98 Camry that began making noises at about 35,000 miles. My Toyota dealer also said it requires new struts and told me they have a waiting list of about 2 months for replacement parts which will cost me $400 as I am now over the 36,000 mile warranty. This looks like a problem requiring a recall. Any news on that?