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Comments
~alpha
The experience you described sounds very much (almost identical) like mine. The part about the rude Toyota lady, same here. The part about "I have not heard of a hesitation", same here.
When I would try to get some help on the issue, I would frequently be reminded that Toyota was “number one”; as if that made the problem an impossibility. I am not sure who they think they are fooling, but, eventually it will catch up to them. One customer at a time, one blog at a time, one article at a time and from what I have found in research, more than one recall at a time.
Toyota is slowly but surely damaging its reputation as a top auto manufacturer by ignoring and at times, flat out insulting its customers. I hope they realize that what goes around comes around.
As for the comments in the article made by Mr. Kwong; two words: smoke screen
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I have a question for anyone. When the A/C - Heat vent selector shows down arrow, should'nt that shut off the top vents near the A-pillars? I get full air coming through even when only the down arrow is visible.
Is it coming out of the side window vents or the side occupant vents?
I am not referring to the center console vents.
Sorry, I did not understand what you meant by "side occupant vents".
I now understand. Thanks.
Actually, if I had bothered to read the manual, on pages 2 and 3 I would have seen what you meant. Furthermore, the diagrams on page 257 clearly shows the vent/airflow patterns.
For Down arrow it shows that air does come out of both; the side defroster outlet (the upper portion) and the side vent (the lower portion). Along with that, air also comes out of the front windshield defroster vents.
My friend with an older Corolla says that she also gets air through the side vents when selecting the 'Down' option.
Then my question becomes: why, when I want air only on my footsies do I have to get air on my face? Is this pattern similar to other brands too.
So let me now collectively thank all of you who have responded. You have been helpful and patient with me.
Good day ladies and gentlemen.
Engine braking...?
The factory shop manual indicates that the shift pattern results in an UPSHIFT of the transaxle with FULL lift-throttle at approximately those speeds. That would normally result in a lessening of the "feel" of engine compression braking, sort of, more like, a "surge" forward feeling.
That being said, my wife and I have put about 1100 miles on the car. She loves it and says that nothing is wrong. Since the Camry is "my" car and I drive it 2+ hours a day, I have decided to pay close attention to what I am reading here. Frankly, I am not sure that the car is experiencing any of these problems. Does the car hesitate? Yes, a bit, but not often. Do the engine RPMs surge between 3rd and 4th gear? Maybe. The car is so quiet and smooth, it is really hard to tell what gear you are in at any given time. I have been watching the tach, and it might have surged twice since I bought the car (and both occurred before I knew about the problem from reading it here--kind an aha moment?). Since then, I am not so sure. Engine braking can be annoying, but I lived with it in my TSX. I probably can now.
I have found, so far, that this is a solidly built, roomy, fast car with a lot of power when you need it. It is quiet. The car is so "well-engineered" that it feels very isolated from the road. There is no wind-noise and the transmission shifts smoothly. It can be an odd driving experience with little feedback from the road.
So, the question is: what can you live with and how much credence you put in the complaints expressed in this forum will happen to you when/if you buy the car?
I am wrestling with the "confidence" factor. I should not have to think about the problems brought up in this forum every time I get in the car, but I do. I am feeling confident enough to keep driving it. Maybe I will fall back in love with it like I did on the test drive after driving it for a while longer. Maybe the gnawing sense of uncertaintly about potential mechanical problems with the transmission will lead me to trade it. Mechanical failure is not an option if my family is in the car. I am just not sure yet.
As for the "regular" face vents, you may want to close them as wwest states during the colder months.
Regretfully, at times just the opposite happens in my car.
But in the last two days - no such problem, the day before that - almost all the time.
I now close the driver side vent when I need to. But ofcourse I can't reach the passenger side when I am strapped in (and I have looong arms).
I would have liked down arrow to mean down vents only, especially when I am not in defrost mode.
If you only have 1100 miles on your Camry, it is likely recently produced and my understanding is that you SHOULD not at all experience the Snap Ring transmission issue or the shift spike issues (two separate things) that arose in the first say, 5 or so months of production (which, IIRC, began in February).
That said - the vents issue in other posting; to my knowledge there is nothing functionally wrong with the way the airflow in the Camry works, nor is it any different from previous Camrys or any other Hondas/Toyotas/Nissans that I've driven recently. As noted, why not confirm that airflow is occuring the way it was designed by consulting with the owners manual.
~alpha
That said, why not call Toyota's Customer Assitance center to let them know this? You never know which changes will be incorporated...
~alpha
Starting to make sense; just something to which I am unaccustomed.
I will take your advice and do just that.
I have a number of suggestions for them, that in my opinion will make this an even better car.
lol... katmando90, I completely understand how you feel. I've had my SE I4 5A since early summer and have experience zero problems including the 'hessitation'; however, after stumbling upon this site/forum... I became peranoid aswell.
To answer your question, it actually reminds me of my med school days, where more or less every single one of my classmates including myself started to believe we had any given number of diseases and disorders, while others started going through extreme measures to prevent others diseases and disorders.... all thanks to a pathology class...... My point has been repeated already, but, enjoy your car as it is. Should an issue arise, deal with it then and know that there are many here who will try and help should you need it.
While this forum is great, I suggest new buyers not to get overwhelmed by some posts. People have different experiences. The best thing is to hear what others have to say and then take a decison. Thats why I am keen to find out how are the new Camry's doing. Between, I also considered waiting for the Accord 2008, but a first year redesign. Nah! Not too interested. When I buy a car in Jan or late dec, it will be almost 1 year for the new Camry.
Thoughts, Anyone. Help...
Be aware that the nature of this particular topic is about problems, not kudos, so the bias by default is going to be negative. If you're looking for kudos, this isn't the place, and it soon becomes obvious kudos aren't welcome, period, end of story.
I'm of the opinion most owners aren't having experiences like those being reported here, otherwise we would likely be hearing far more than we are about such problems.
Also, there are quite a few reports of success having the TSB applied by posters who experienced the shift delay/flare issue.
The snap ring issue was an early production snag, apparently caught early on and quickly corrected before Oct. 1.
As a recent 07 Camry purchaser, our experience has been flawless. Like you, we have been following this forum for some time, but so far there haven't been any concerns.
I can't speak for others, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Camry. On the other hand, if you're searching for the elusive "perfect" automobile, my guess would be there isn't one!
Rats. One more in a long list of life's unrealized expectations. Next, someone'll post there ain't no Santa Claus either...
~alpha
Thanks for your response though Alpha
The 4-cylinder model sometimes has a slight delay before downshifting in response to the driver hitting the gas. Some people find this disconcerting, since they make tight maneuvers in traffic under the assumption that the car will immediately accelerate when called upon to do so. If that's you, I'd recommend thoroughly test driving the car before buying it. An update to the transmission computer firmware has been released that makes this a non-issue for many drivers, but some people may still not find the car responsive enough.
The 6-cylinder model's transmission initially had a mechanical defect that caused it to fail catastrophically, requiring complete replacement. That problem no longer exists; corrections to the manufacturing process were implemented months back to fix this. This transmission also has had another problem, which still exists but might not affect every car: the "flare". This problem results in the engine speed spiking 500-1000 RPM and the drivetrain "slipping" (i.e., the transmission not engaging fast enough) for less than one second when shifting from 3rd to 4th gear when the car is first driven (i.e., the engine is cold). This is an annoyance, especially in an expensive car, but will not cause an accident. There's also a third problem that is less common, but is more severe and tends to occur in cars that have a severe case of the "flare": The transmission will "slip" (act as if in neutral) for about 0.5 - 3 seconds when the gas pedal is pressed, then it will harshly engage with a "thunk" and the car will jolt forward. Unfortunately for me, my two-month old V6 Camry has all three problems, and is in the shop having a new transmission installed. :sick: :lemon:
I have a new Camry 07 LE 4Cylinder ,
I am getting 17-21 MPG in 50/50 City/freeway
I am not a fast/aggressive driver.
The dealer said there is nothing wrong with my car
and he cannot do anything. He suggested I wait for
3000 Miles for break in and it might improve.
I currently have 1300 miles.
I am extremely disappointed and have no clue how to handle this,
Any ideas?
Re: your theory, one would think Toyota Engineering would have recognized a marginal design early and moved to a different implementation rather than continue to roll it out to several models and stick with it for 4yrs now...
Banking on using software to (eventually and hopefully completely) mitigate hardware issues would be a poor decision on their part. I cannot believe they would opt to do so.
However, I also see how it might be possible that the competent engineers involved in the 4spd design might not have been consulted by the team responsible for extending it to a 5spd design (instead of designing it from scratch), nor the same people responsible for deciding to stick with a marginal design nor those responsible for deciding to apply it to a range of models across two makes/lines.
also, make sure there is no obvious obstruction in the air intake / engine air filter compartment.
fill the vehicle, reset the trip odometer and go for a good long hwy cruise at 55-65. stop and refill and divide miles driven by gallons pumped. do this a few times and average the result.
city driving and winter formulation fuels can throw things off. there are other possibilities as well but i'd personally get a handle on hwy fuel economy before i'd get overly concerned. city driving can be very variable.
i think vehicles do experience an increase in fuel economy through their break-in period. how significant that may be i'm uncertain.
Other cars have had torque converter lockup in lower gears for years.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Your dealer should be able to confirm this.
~alpha
the abs indication as you suggest is just a self-test of the indicator, not the function.
That is the only transmission I would buy.
Case in point, the new RAV4...
Possibly too many inexperienced drivers (or former RWD owners) downshifting FWD on an adverse, slippery, roadbed and losing control, I would guess.
I was really looking forward to the possibility of a new RAV4 as a TOAD, but the manual transaxle was dropped.
So I have moved on..to the SX4.
I use the brakes (inexpensive) to slow down (as is the design itent of the vehicle) not the transmission (expensive), so I don't need to worry about popping a low gear in a turn - abs will also keep the wheels from locking. If I am driving aggressively and need the power in a turn it won't be in slippery conditions, and traction control and stability control will help take care of things if there is an unforseen condition.
Actually with a manual I can shift when I want and avoid shifts during a turn if called for. Automatics can surprise one in a turn.
It is sad to see fewer manuals - I would have actually considered a CRV or RAV 4-cyl if the manual was available with FWD - AWD uses too much gas for me. Never thought about the SX4, but I think it uses more gas, and the nearest dealer is 200+ miles away.
I know most prefer automatics, but to me the lower price, better fuel economy, better control, increased reliability and greater fun (as well as better balance from less weight in front) make the manual a no brainer. Being able to push start with a dead battery and a lower likelyhood of people wanting to borrow the car are just bonuses.