2007 Toyota Camry Problems and Repairs

wwest

If my understanding of the transaxle "problem" is correct, "the throttle lag is to protect the drive train", then an aftermarket fix would be relatively easy to come up with. But the flip side of that coin is that the cost of product liability insurance for such a product would not be affordable.

crosscreek

Can anyone tell my why the AC light blinks on my 2004 Camry XLE when the AC is on?

johngf1

Do you know if the software "fix" will correct the hesitation issues for the pre-October 2007Camry LEs. I own an April/2006 Camry and am now aware of the problems. When I called Toyota in June, 2006 they said that there were no problems with the 4 cyclinder and I am really upset that I've been living the shortcomings for months without being notified by Toyota. I was told by my dealer that they are now "enhancing 1-2 Camrys per week. The fix will hopefully be applied to my car this week.

drjames

good question johngf1, and without a doubt, the TSB is applicable for your LE and intended for pre-Oct builds. Call them up and ask for the TSB EG056-06. I have an SE I4-5A early build, so I was following this TSB closely when it came out. I never experienced the 'hesitation' that some complained about, but had it done nonetheless. I stopped following this TSB because it was becoming useless. Of the 50 or so who had the TSB applied, only 2 or 3 continued to complain that the problem was still existent. Don't know why, maybe the service guys did not perform the TSB correctly, however, all the others loved it. good luck.

johngf1

Does Toyota know which Vin numbers are affected? If so why don't they notify those owners? Does the fix work?

My car is being looked at this week but the service rep didn't know whether the fix worked or not on the camrys that had been "updated with the software fix".

Very odd, isn't it?

drjames

At the time the TSB was released, the VIN numbers were not available. Since then, Toyota has provided VINs, the TSB is applicable for VINs before...

TMMK Line 1 - 4T1BE46K#7U080051
TMMK Line 2 - 4T1BE46K#7U599506
Japan - JTNBE46K#973061622

Toyota didn't notify owners, because it did not effect all cars, like mine. Moreover, this was not a recall. And as my previous post mentioned, aside from 2 or 3, this TSB has worked very well. Again, hope this helps.

johngf1

Thanks bery much for the update since I feel that the situation is very dangerous. My symptoms include: (1) poor gas mileage, (2) shifing on even roads when using cruise control @ 60 mph, (3) noticeable hesitation when pulling out or merging into traffic. Obviously the hestiation ismagnified when hestating when your wife is sitting in the death seat. Hopefully the fix works since I like the style and looks of the car. Thanks again.

johngf1

Looks like my car Vin falls into the "pre" categorgy so I hope this will alleviate my concerns but I still think that Toyota show have warned the owners of "possible" problems rather than wait for accidents/deaths to occur. Obvioulsly they know the vin numbers and the owners effected. Seem odd that neither the dealer nor the service rep didn't tell me about the vin effected. The service rep told me he had to drive the car for miles to mirrow my claims - then he could apply the fix if necessary. Do you know if the fix, once applied, makes the car act like a post - October Camry???
Thanks again for information.

kiawah

I have an early LE 4cyl, and had both hesitation and what I described earlier as a cruise control problem (not able to hold speed without downshifting transmission). Both of these problems went away, after installation of the TSB. Car appears to have more power from a performance perspective.

I suspect you'll be very pleased, post TSB installation.

johngf1

Thanks for the message. I now have a much better comfort level.

jetjockg

My 2007 Camry LE was purchased in March 06. Toyota completely ignored my complaints about my defective transmission for 6 or 7 Months. They would not even admit they had a problem. I read on this forum in Sept. or Oct 06 that a TSB was available. I called my dealer and had the TSB performed. It corrected about 90 percent of the problem but I still have some delay and drag problems. In spite of what you were told by some folks on this forum there are hundreds or thousands of people in the same boat as you and I are. If you call Toyota's 1-800 number they still will not admit to any transmission delay problems. My biggest complaint is the COMPLETE lack of help from Toyota!

jetjockg

If I had experienced what you did I probably would have felt the same as you. I bought my car in March 06 and for 7 months the dealer, Regional tech reps, and Toyota customer Care refused to admit to any problems. There I was with a brand new car with a defective transmission and nobody but I cared . A side affect of the problem was the transmission shifting to a lower gear going over every overpass for a 5 and a half hour drive. Since the TSB, for a problem that Toyota initially refused to admit to, I still have small hesitations and my miles per gallon has decreased. What did the TSB do just increase the idle/mixture? My hesitation problems become more prominent during high temperatures. Maybe the use of the air conditioner has something to do with it. I notice that the Canadian folks experience fewer problems because of the cooler temps. In any event if Toyota completely fixed my problem tomorrow. I would never buy another Toyota because of the way I was abandoned for 7 months.PS If your problem is hardly noticeable than it still is not fixed!

johngf1

I completely agree with you. Toyota's handling of the issue leaves much to be desired; however, my complaint to the Fed safety board may open some eyes and help make Toyota inform all customers who may/should have hesitation problems. I find it difficult to believe that some pre-Oct camry need the fix while others don't. Sounds like you have to be a squeaky wheel to get help.

Reminds me of the runaround I got in 2002 with L.I., N.Y. dealers giving phony quotes for autos and refusing to honor their prices. My solution then was to buy an Acura - I should have learned from that experience but I really like the 2007 Camry look.

I'll post results of my service asap.

gusflo

I noticed on my '07 Camry SE when I am going downhill the transmission shifts down. Do you think this has anything to do with the glitch?

drjames

"I noticed on my '07 Camry SE when I am going downhill the transmission shifts down. Do you think this has anything to do with the glitch?"

good question gusflo. Though I can't be for certain and know some will disagree with me. I'm aware of the somewhat agressive' downshifting and noticed it when I first got my car. However, it's noticeably less perceived now, and so don't know if it 'went away' after the TSB. That said, many companies are using programming such as that calling it things like "grade logic" (Honda's been doing it for quite awhile). The engine breaking is supposed to save the engine, brakes, and gas. Again, can't help much, but I'm pretty sure it is designed that way. One more thing.. I think the owner's manual has something on this. Just can't be sure... haven't read that thing for 6 -7 months.

cooterbfd

Does it blow cold air (in warm weather)? I had a 1991 gmc truck that did that when it needed a freon recharge (AC light blinked)

mikes6

Our 2007 Camry (5000 miles) has had 2 issues:
1) On 2 different occasions the volume control knob failed to change the volume (although we could still adjust the volume with the steering wheel button). Toyota service could not duplicate the problem so no fix.
2) The auto feature on the driver's side window makes it very difficult to stop the window part-way down. It goes up and down, up and down, up and down and finally it will stop partially open. Haven't brought that in to Toyota service yet but wonder if anyone else has the problem. I hope it's a minor adjustment.

billwade1

Thanks to 07xle, I learned of the TSB for the dash ticking noise, and had it done at the local dealership. Unfortunately, the noise was still there. I finally located the noise as coming from the two dash speakers and/or sopeaker covers. I removed the covers, and found that the noise was still there, so the covers weren't the problem. A little experimentation indicated that the noise was coming from the brackets that house the small speakers. I cut a piece of hard rubber for each side ( about1"x1-1/2"x1-1/2"), jammed them in the corners between the brackets and the windshield so they would not move, put the covers back on, and the noise is gone. Fairly easy fix. No other problems with the car.

rmartinez1

Today I took my wife's 07 Camry to the dealership and asked them to see about the hestitaion we had when we would slow down to 1,000 rpm's then had to quickly speed up. The Tach would go to 4,000 but the vehicle wouldn't move. Had previouly taken it in November but the tech was "unable to duplicate." Today I told them that I would go on the test drive and I proved the problem to the tech, not satisfied he went got a new camry from the lot to try and duplicate the problem and say it was normal. As much as he tried the hesitation was not as bad as my July built camry. Long story short they did the TBS but they were still hemming and hawing that it wasn't necessary. So far it has driven fine. Hope that that's the end of that, as we really like the car overall.

jknolls

07 camry LE has been pulling to the left the minute I drove out of the lot. So I take it back a few days later and they do a wheel alignment. The problem persisted and I took it back again and they told me the the alignment was dead-on and there was nothing wrong. They also said they checked the tire pressure. I had them rotate the tires also but the car is still pulling to the left. It's more noticeable and extremely annoying when I'm on the highway driving 70+. Is it too much to ask for a straight-driving NEW car?

chuck28

Hello all, just an update on my car. I had the valvebody and trans replacement done. Still have the Rpm flare problem. Now I have dropped the car off again at the dealer to try to get them to duplicate the flare. After 3 days of trying they saif they couldn't find anything wrong with the trans. My first drive in the morning after getting the car back I duplicated the flare. What do you do now when they won't admit to a problem that you know is there?
I'm open for your suggestions. Thanks, Chuck

drjames

chuck28, sorry to hear that. I suggest taking a video camera, and making a short video showing what happens. Assuming it does... you now have proof that it is still a problem. Take the car and the video to the dealer and show them, and ask them or Toyota to either fix it or give you a new car with the latest build date possible. Good luck.

kiawah

Check the right rear tire camber. I've noticed a couple of very early production Camry's driving down the road, which have the right rear wheel visually out of 'plumb'. It's like something isn't assembled correctly. If you stand way behind the car and visually sight up the right hand side of the car, if your car has this problem you'll see the right rear tire vertically out of plumb and inconsistent with the front tire.....very noticeable if you are looking for it.

imidazol97

That should have been noticed in the predelivery inspection if the dealer actually does one.

gosman

I posted this more than a month ago, with no response. Posting again:

I'm having the oposite problem with my 350 mile Camry. At about 20 miles an hour when breaking or slowing down, I can feel an abrupt downshift. It does not happen all the time, just part of the time. It is so minor but it bugs me. Is this part of just having a 6 speed transmission? The dealer is checking it out tomorrow. We will see what they say. Anyone experiencing this downshifting problem?

redcam1

I had problems with the flare when shifting from 3-4th at 30-40 mph. Back in November the dealership replaced the transmission. This was after they tried replacing the valve body with no success. Shortly after the new trans was installed I again experienced the same flare, but only occaisionally. Now it has progressed and become consistent again. Additionally it now has the problem of downshifting when taking a corner at low speeds of ~20mph, then when you press the accellerator it revs way up, like around 4K, then slams into gear! So I'm saying that your problem is different but maybe related. My wife has had the slow speed gear slip/slam problem happen twice driving through a parking lot at work. Talk about un-nerving!
We will be contacting Toyota America again about this before we talk to the dealership. This seems to have netted us better attention than just going directly to the dealership as Toyota gives us an incident number and then contacts the dealership with a suggested course of action.
Good Luck. I am considering trading the car for another brand at this point. I will give them one more chance to fix it, which will give them 3 strikes within 6 mos if they don't.

chuck28

Hello, I had the TSB done for the window dash noise and seems to be much better however I still have some noise. How easy does the speaker covers come off?
Also, has anyone noticed the sound under the car that sounds as if pebbles are hitting under the car. It's seems to happen on uneven surfaces? I used to think it was stones coming off the ground though it is happening to ofen.
Thanks

dmathews3

Isn't there a lemon law in your state. Why should you take a screwing on trade when they should buy it back. :lemon: :lemon:

belaircarguy

I have a 2007 Camry 4 cylinder purchased in July 2006. This is a company car, and 3 other salespeople in my office have the same car, purchased about the same time. All have the jerky transmission problems, most notable when turning a corner at slow speeds and the transmission downshifts to a lower gear. Car will jerk forward. Additionally, at highway cruising speeds, the transmission downshifts (abruptly) at the slightest incline, again jerking the car. My car has 7500 miles and just had the Service Bulletin (October 2006 releas) performed on the transmission. This fix has certainly corrected the problem. It is surprising if Toyota had this issue with early production Camrys they did not issue a "quiet" recall and notify the owners. I have been so frustrated with the car that it has put a bad taste in my mouth for Toyota products. It probably is also a good lesson that if you buy a brand new model be prepared for a host of problems either do to poor design or production issues. Better to wait until the car is on the market for about a year before jumping in!

ski7304

I also thought our Camry V6 was pulling to the left. When we brought it in for service, they checked the alignment and said it was perfect. I still feel the pull. My husband says he does not feel it, so I just thought it was me...but I really feel I am always struggling to keep the wheel straight. It seemd to only happen at higher speeds.

ski7304

We took our 07 V6 in on Tuesday and they replaced the valve body. It is still not fixed correctly. It seems like the hesitation between 3rd-4th gear is slightly better but we are still having problems w/ the it downshifting quickly and hesitation and jerking at lower speeds, around 20mph. Also, we have rattling noises in the dashboard which they said they could not duplicate, but they are there. I just read that there is a TSB for such problem. Anyway, I just made another appt to bring it back..this will be attempt #2. They get 3 chances and then I am contacting a lemon law lawyer. I don't know what state your in chuck28 and what their lemon laws are, but I would definetly look in to it.

billwade1

The speaker covers come off pretty easily. Pry them up with a couple of very small, thin screwdrivers. Start in the front outside corner, and move toward the middle. Just keep nudging them up until you feel the clamps let go.

billwade1

Has anyone found an easy way to disable the seatbelt chime?

roman73

Hi List,

I bought my 4-cyl '07 Camry in May of 2006. From the beginning it has had, and still has transmission problems, like most people who post here have mentioned of their new Camrys. (e.g. the strong hesitation when trying to accelerate after slowing down while turning a corner.) I took the car to the service department of the nearby dealership and asked them to look at it to see if anything was wrong with the transmission. They said even though many people do not like how the new transmission works, that it was working properly and there was nothing they could do about it. The representative at the service dept said that Toyota could reprogram the car's computer so the transmission would shift better and more smoothly, but he said that they did not intend on doing that because of cost. I'm very unhappy with the very bad hesitations, but it seems there is nothing that can be done about it unless Toyota agrees to fix all 07 Camrys. I have also noticed a jump in RPMs with cruise control on while driving up hills on highways. this may also be related to the transmission, but I'm not sure.

I've also been having noise problems, including a rubbing/rattling noise from the front of the dashboard. I was told this was a common problem, and that there was a tech note out on how to fix it. The dealership worked on my car, and they reduced the frequency of the noise, but it still occurs when the car is cold or while driving on a rough road. Has anyone else had your car worked on for this problem and actually have the noise totally go away?

The front/driver side shoulder harness has been squeaking off and on, basically since I bought the car. They replaced the whole harness including the strap, then lubricated the inner mechanism, but it still squeaks and they seem to be at a loss on how to fix it. What's weird is that the passenger side shoulder harness does not squeak at all. Anyone have any ideas on why this squeaking is occurring?

There is sometimes a crackling noise coming from climate control and stereo control panels. It seems as the temperature changes within my car, these panels expand and contract and create a crackling noise for a second or two. This may occur up to a half a dozen times during a short drive. Anyone have any ideas on how to fix this problem and why it may be occurring?

Finally, my breaks squeak while breaking and lower speeds, usually to a stop. I've heard this happening in older cars, but a brand new Camry? I'm surprised. Is there anyway that noise can be stopped?

Sorry for the long post, but I'm frustrated after spending so much money and not having a car I can enjoy driving. Any help on any of the above topics would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Roman

kiawah

There is a TSB out, which should help resolve your hesitation and the cruise control downshifting. Read earlier in this forum to get the number, print it out and take it to your dealer to have them do it.

chuck28

Hello Roman, there is a TSB out on the your car for the trans hesetation problem that will fix it. Some dealerships are stuborn and don'r want to look it up. Insist on it though or call the 1-800## and let them know your problem. There is also a TSB for the brake squeak which I had done on my v-6 and it has taken care oif the problem. I also had the TSB done for window/dash noise and it seems to be much better though I am hearing other noises now that I'nm not sure where they are from. I also get noise on uneven surfacesn that sounfd like pebbles coming off the tires and hitting the wheel wells.
Keep complaining to Toyota and hope they make things right with all Camry owners. I feel your frustration.

sumnerc

2007 toyota camry v6 transmission when put in drive car won't gop into gear.

imidazol97

Anyone can be a member of the class as long as they give up their rights to an individual action so the number to benefit is not limited to the named plaintiffs. The settlement has been decided already. The whole thing could have been avoided if Toyota had been upfront with their customers about the surfacing problems instead of stalling them off for years, and using their dealerships to do the stalling on top of it all.

rhczee

I am planning to purchase a 2007 Camry with 5M (manual transmission). I noticed you were one of the very few people who bought and posted message on manual transmission. Do you have any information on this manual transmission or should I stick with the more common automatic?
Please advise. Thanks.

user777

i know of a family that recently were contacted by toyota about their camry. a while back, they had had to replace their engine because it ceased up with fairly low miles.

they were not taken care of by toyota and had to pay an independant to put in a used replacement engine into their vehicle.

well, lo and behold before the holidays they were contacted out of the blue by toyota and told, send in copies of all your paper work, we're gonna pick up the tab.

to be honest, i'm not sure it was sludge. i do know toyota's action was VERY appreciated because the family, like many tend to live paycheck to paycheck and fixing their vehicle wasn't an easy thing for them to do financially.

imidazol97

That sounds like it's part of the 3.5 million cars in this class action settlement. It's a shame that they've ended up with a used motor if it was sludging that shouldn't normally have happened... If Toyota had done right when it first came in, they would have a new or new remanufactured motor in the car.

But on the other hand they are getting reimbursed and it sounds like they deserve it.

dwhittles

07 Camry Gearshift box on the interior of car gets so hot that after a 2 hour drive, you could burn your hand! Is that normal or has anyone else noticed that? Does anyone know how I can get a copy of TSB#EG056-56?

sumnerc

my 2007 camry v6 won't engage in drive when cold.

fishrman1

Hello roman73
Wow! As I read your message, I was amazed. I have 3 of the EXACT same problems you noted - transmission, dashboard noise, and crackling noise from the climate control area. I plan on taking the car to my local dealership sometime in the next two weeks, and I hope they are responsive. But I must admit, all the hype about Toyota quality is just that - hype. I could have bought a Ford Fusion for below invoice AND 0% financing, or a Honda Accord WITH leather package (for below invoice) and not had these problems. Instead, since I loved the Camry styling, I bought that, waited 8 weeks for the car, paid well over invoice, and got no financing breaks at all, so I paid cash. I think the saying "Once you own a Toyota, you'll never own another car" is misleading. They forgot to add "from Toyota" at the end of the sentence. Good luck.

patcof2

Several Questions please. Have 4 cyl, with the hesitation, downshift issues, herky herky problems. Where is Toyota on these issues? With this many complaints, why have they not responded? Asked about the TSB at my dealership and I was told they have never done it, so I was hesitant about them doing it. I don't want them experimenting on my car. I am about ready to trade this thing in because of all the problems. The tranny problems seem to come and go. One day it will not do it at all, other days it goes on all day. I find it very disconcerting to drive such an unpredictable car. I am tired of jerking around trying to maintain a MPH of 40. Tired of the jerking going down a hill. Tired of car searching for the right gear to be in. At only 3,200 miles it should have "learned" my driving style by know. Is Toyota ever going to acknowledge this problem? I feel I am stuck with a car that is dangerous to drive! Where is Toyota?

wwest

"..Where is Toyota?...."

Believe it or not Toyota is just a tad bit ahead of the rest of the industry on this matter. Sometime late in the last century Toyota came to realize that FWD vehicles had a few flaws with regards overall safety.

They sat out to correct this by adopting a new automatic transaxle shift pattern/schedule to help alleviate the safety problems with FWD and front torque biased AWD on adverse, slippery, roadbed conditions.

What would you do in a stick shift FWD vehicle on a known slippery roadbed surface when you lift the gas pedal, especially fully?

Immediately despress the clutch pedal so as not to incur engine compression braking on the front wheels...

That's exactly what Toyota sat out to do back in about '97, upshift the transaxle upon lift-throttle events to prevent loss of directional control on an extremely slippery roadbed.

drjames

"Have 4 cyl, with the hesitation, downshift issues, herky herky problems. Where is Toyota on these issues? With this many complaints, why have they not responded? Asked about the TSB at my dealership and I was told they have never done it, so I was hesitant about them doing it."

"where is Toyota on these issues?" They've already produced a solution via TSB EG056-06. Either be the first at your dealership to get it done or go to another dealership that may have done it already. Either way, there's NO reason for you to continue experiencing this issue when there is a TSB for it made available since last September. Good luck.

wwest

If you browse around the internet for reports of/on 1-2 second throttle lag, downshift delay/hesitation it appears that not only does it exhibit in all of the 07 models the reports on the TSB are at best inconclusive as to whether this is truly a fix.

drjames

wwest, if I may ask... what do you drive? The reason I ask is since I own an 07 Camry SE I4 5A, and though never experienced the distinctive "hesitation" many were complaining about, I had the TSB applied and am even happier with it's performance since my fuel econ as improved even more. Moreover, I had kept track of as many "owners" complaining of such issues, and of up to the 50 + people who had this TSB applied, only two or three continue to complain. Why didn't it work for those unfortunate few? Maybe the TSB was performed incorrectly, maybe they truly have a 'lemon', or maybe they don't even own an 07 Camry. But, a fix is a fix, regardless of any speculation.

That said, it can't be missed that 99.9% of all new complaints (which have slowed down considerably on many forums) are of 07 Camrys built fairly early, certainly not in past few months, especially for the 5A tranny.

geniesue

The car is on it's way to the dealership this morning to have the transmission replaced. We pick it up again in a couple of days...so hopefully the problem will get fixed. I have to say that our dealership is trying really hard to get us taken care of. I will update again after we drive the new trany.