Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions

chuckielaine

I read your post. Trust me I have a ton of problems with my 2002 V6 Camry. But, as far as the Scores on the rear rotors. Don't worry about it unless you feel a shimmy in the rear of the car while you brake. The out of round rotors in the front are more of a concern.I have alot to say. If you want to talk. E-Mail me at SeaGainEE@aol.com Good luck!

lok888

dcmike - My problem is just the scores on the rear disc rotors. It was actually happened on my '93 Accord after I replaced the front disc rotors. I believe the guy (not dealer) didn't install it properly. The steering wheel is shaking when braking from high speed. BTW, is there any website to check any bulletin issues? It (your case) sounds like it was a recall issue.

chuckielaine - My friend also has a '02 Camry LE V6. I don't see he has any problem with his.

chiari

I was given a 1993 Car with a dealer installed alarm system. For about 4 years, the alarm system was deactivated by the previous owner. Today, it seems like my car's battery went out. Furthermore, when I tried to turn the engine on the second time, the alarm goes off! The alarm is now activated and my car still won't start. Does anybody have a clue, why the alarm is activated now - I know I didn't activate on purpose? Does anyone know how to deactivate my alarm? Is there a mechanism in place where the alarm goes off that the care won't turn?

Thanks everyone!

Karen_S

Click here to find more info about searching TSBs. If you find a specific TSB#, post it in the Technical Service Bulletins discussion in M&R.

Hope this helps!

lok888

KarenS (host) - Thanks for the link. I tried the 2002 Camry LE with V6 and found there have been 2 recalls about the airbag system and 36 TSBs. That's unbelievable! There is anything for my 2003 Camry SE.

Karen_S

Did you do a complaint search at www.nhtsa.gov? I came up with 55 for 2003 Camry. I can't post the link to the results, but you can go thru the search process from here:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/complaintsear- ch.cfm

raytoy44

TSBs are FIXes for Toyota's mechanics.

You can a list of TSBs for $10 from techinfo.toyota.com or free from the NHTS site but it is a terrible web site.

Another way is search as follows in GOOGLE and get the page from the ALLDATA.com site:
use the criteria: ALLDATA camry 2002 TSB V6 or 4 cyl

For 2002 CAMRY you see like 50 FIXES!!!! V6 is worse than 4 cyl.

Rather LEMONy !!!
If you search on Avalon it has 2 TSBs.

Ray

lok888

I am sure I will get notices for any recalls. But do they (dealer or manufacturer) notify me also for TSBs? I know I can find out these from vary websites or from my dealer.

Karen_S

I'm sure someone will pipe up if I'm wrong, but I don't think manufacturers are required to notify consumers of any TSBs.

lok888

I see. I don't know why they don't notify consumers for TSBs. It seems they both involve problems.

xbbuster

What kind of problem did you have with your tires and did your dealer do anything about it? I have have an '02 LE V6. (My first and last Toyota) I have 12,000 miles on it and the Goodyear tires are all worn on the inside edges. The right front tire's inside edge is nearly bald. I noticed this when I rotated the tires for the second time. Is alignment covered under the new car warranty? If it isn't then the Toyota dealer is the last place I'll take it.

xbbuster

What kind of problem did you have with your tires and did your dealer do anything about it? I have an '02 LE V6. (My first and last Toyota) I have 12,000 miles on it and the Goodyear tires are all worn on the inside edges. The left front tire's inside edge is nearly bald. I noticed this when I rotated the tires for the second time. Is alignment covered under the new car warranty? If it isn't then the Toyota dealer is the last place I'll take it.

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curlyrip

Have owned my new 03 SE 4 manual in lunar mist now for two weeks and love the car in every way.
Reading these problem boards do make you paranoid though. A couple of questions.

1. Right rear end knock or thump. Am I imagining this or is a real noise others have experienced? I think I hear something on hard bumps from the right rear, but maybe I am just imagining it.

2. Clutch noise. This I definately hear and it seems to have just gotten worse. When the clutch is engaged or disengaged there is a metallic rattling sound. Anyone else heard this? I could swear this is a new sound, but then again I am paranoid.

bronzemaxell

i also have a 03 SE stick, when i was driving on highway and run over some highway gaps, i could also hear some noise from either the tire or the strut, this is happening to all wheels, to me, it think it is normal due to a little firmer spring and strut on the SE.
as far as the clutch, mine dont' make any noise at all, the sales guy told me it has a hydraulic soft clutch. When i drive on highway and enagage in 5th gear, and accelerating hard around 45 to 55mph, my shift nob shakes or vibrate a little, but if i don't accelerating hard, or stepping on the clutch, it wont' shake, i brought it to the dealer, and the service manager said it is normal.
it is a little annoying cus sometime i rest my right hand the shift nob on highway, and it vibrates only in 5th gear.
i also have a 10 years old camry with 213,000 miles that has little vibration on shift nob on 3rd gear sometimes, but it doesn't bother me much as i dont' drive on 3rd gear for long time, and in a hot summer day, when i step on the clutch, it makes a little squeaking noise, but sound like it is from the join of the pedal/lever, i didnt' bother to put some wd40 on that piece of crap.

timdu

I have a 99 Camry 4 cyl automatic with 58000 miles. Just noticed the check engine light has come on. Manual states to take vehicle to Toyota dealer. Does any one know why this is coming on? My local mechanic is on vacation.

nippononly

check to make sure you have not left the gas cap out...that is the most common cause of the CEL these days! Also, make sure the cap is tight.

xbbuster: when the car is new, alignment is covered. I know this because my celica was delivered out of alignment and they corrected it for free. After 12K miles, they may consider it "normal wear" however.

ray: it seems that about 4 out of the 8 issues you listed are design elements that should have been apparent when you tested the car out? In fact, I would think rain would come into most cars if the window is open.

The engine is revving when it is stone cold, so it is normal for the engagement of 'drive' to be harder than when the car is warm...it is not a mechanical concern, if that is your fear.

Some people mistake pinging, or even the normal sound of the valvetrain, for knocking? Knocking is a really ugly little sound. If the engine is truly knocking, that is something that should be checked. It would be covered under warranty.

forestergump

I can feel a slight vibration/shudder in my '02 Camry when I'm breaking just before I come to a stop. I noted that some others had also inquired about this in previous posts, but that no one gave information on whether the problem had been resolved, or whether it was normal for the vehicle to do this. Any thoughts?
-Bob

lamp

2003 camry, reverse lights stopped working, can't find the position of the light's fuse on owner's manual. Does anyone know where the fuse is??

lamp

its the 39th fuse slot...took in out and plug in the spare fuse provided and everything works now

toledo19

I've noticed the same thing. Do the RPM's drop and it almost feels like it will stall? Sound like a service appt should be made.

balaji_raju

I bought this car 45 days back. Had to take it to the dealer after 200 miles since steering was literally shaking while braking. They fixed the problem my shaving the rotors. It was quite okay and then i started feeling that it is not accelerating enough. I mean it reaches to 30 miles per hour only after reaching more than 45k rpm. Pumping above 30k rpm kind of produces noise from the engine.

Dealer found everything normal after test-driving it and he asked me to come over again to meet people from Toyota to discuss the issue. The gentleman from Toyota also felt that everything is functioning as designed.

Apart from this braking is not good, you have to push it hard to get the desired response. Does any of you experienced the same problem?. I specifically went for V6 to get that more speed but ended up being having this problem.

dchopp

One way to find out is to go back to your dealer and test drive another one. Then you will know what is normal.

zed421v

I just purchased this car, and fine the ride very rough. You feel every bump in the road. Toyota tells me this is due to the sports suspension. Does anyone else have this problem? My 2002 Acura CL/S even has a better ride.

bronzemaxell

i think the SE rides rough is relative. it has a firmer supspension then LE and XLE, which other people claim the LE and XLE are too floaty. to my experience, the ride is rougher than my rx300, but just need to get used to the SE ride and handling.

lugwrench

It is the oxygen sensor and there is a TSB on it.
Most likely Toyota will split the cost with you for the repair. Your share will be around $150.00.

dchopp

I to just purchased an 03 SE and I found the ride was far above what I had expected. I know of the sport tuned suspention and had expected a rough ride just like our ex Grand -AM GT. The ride is very smooth and I will say it rides as good as my 02 Honda ODDY. I think the difference might be in the tires. I did not want the touring tires that came with it and opted for the all season M&S by Bridgestone. In fact of the six SE's he had on the lot only two had those touring tires on them. I had them on the Grand-AM and you felt every bump and crack in the road. If you do have the touring tires, see if your Dealer will exchange them for you before its to late.

dchopp

Any one know what size socket my lug nuts take on my 03 Camry SE with the 16 inch tires? The 22mm is to big.It might be a 20mm but before I buy one I want to be sure.

canoe2

They should replace new rotors for you instead of shaving them! Here is an example of poor assembly, the wheel nuts had not torqued correctly that caused distortion on rotors.
For acceleration, the Camry is much higher off the ground that made you felt slow moving.

curlyrip

Hello, I posted this on another board but thought I'd try this one. I have a three week old Camry SE 4cylinder with the 5 spd manual. At approximately 700 miles on the odometer, the clutch started making ametalic, yet subtle, rattling sound at the point of clutch engagement or disengagment. This has been driving me nuts, since the clutch was butter smooth when brand new.
Took it to toyota, and surprise, can't duplicate, sounds like it should, etc. I hunkered away defeated but it has since become even worse. I can duplicate the noise sitting still by leaving the car in neutral, and revving the engine to about 2000 rpm and pushing the clutch in and out. Sure the sound should change, since the clutch plate starts spinning when the clutch pedal is released, but the metalic rattling doesn't sound right. Going back to toyota this evening to demonstrate. So stay tuned. Anyone else with a 5speed having this problem. Do my described parking lot test and let me know. If I rev the engine higher, the noise gets louder.

zed421v

Hi:
I have a 2003 Camry SE. Every morning I have what appears to be moisture on my car windows. The problem is it is impossible to get off, It almost appears to have an oil to it. I've cleaned the windows inside and out with a good window cleaner. Any suggestions?

davidm12

Hi,

I have an '89 Camry (not too many miles though -- 111,000), and I've been having this one problem for a few years now. The car runs fine except in very humid conditions. It would usually start fine in the morning (although a few times it didn't), then I'd come to the first red light and the car would be idling normally, but when the light changes to green and I step on the gas, the engine dies. Usually, I can restart the car without too much difficulty, but the same thing would happen at the next light. I'd manage to limp this way to work (there is also some bucking) and after about an hour or so of "resting" in the parking lot the car starts fine and I have no more problems. We had very humid and stormy weather the last couple of weeks and I couldn't even start the car for five days until last night (yesterday being not as wet and humid as days before). Although it started, once I stepped on the gas it died again. I've taken the car to a few shops over the last few years, they would do some kind of tune-up (spark plugs, wires, etc), but the problem never really went away. Any ideas? Thanks.

nippononly

I would check the wires and the distributor cap, then move on to the rest of the primary electrical. You could do yourself a big favor though just by replacing the wires and cap and rotor. Check the connection to the coil for cracked boot, etc as well.

This is based on your assertion that you only have this problem when it is stormy or humid.

quandao

look at the post #1414,1458,1464,1466, I hope that it will help you.

xingze_cai

I got 60K on my 97 Camry now, and according to the maintenance schedule, timing belt needs to be replaced. Some car shop do suggest to change the following parts too:

1. Water pump.
2. Drive belt (pair)
3. Top seal
4. etc.

Should I go for it or just change the timing belt? Any suggestions? Many thanks!

according2me

That seems premature at 60K for most of the additional parts, but your car is 6 years old. How do the assessory belts look?

Does your user manual really say 60K for timing belts. Honda was using 90K intervals for that model year. I find it hard to believe that Toyota would use lesser duration belts than Honda.

xingze_cai

Hi mike,

Thanks for your reply! I don't have too many experience on checking the drive belt, recently, when I start my car in morning (when car is cold), I heard some sound which is not very smooth from the drive belt area, when turning off the engine, look at the drive belt, I found there is a very minor thread there. But when using finger to push it, its tension seems to be OK. I'm not that sure if it needs to be adjusted or should be replaced, etc.

And also, when the car is started in the morning(car is cold), I noticed there is a smoke(not very heavy, but below average level, I think) from the exhausting pipe at the back, about 2 or 3 seconds later, the smoke is gone. The smoke is in light blue color, not sure if the top seal of the engine got a leaking problem there.

Anybody has similar experience will be appreciated to give comments here. Thanks!

semichigan

A little over a week ago I noticed the temperature gage on my Toyota raising to the "H" red area warning me that the car was overheating.
It never cut off on me or started to smoke. On my way back to school from the airport, the car began to make a rattling noise and started to smoke from under the hood.
I pulled the car over and my brother noticed antifreeze pouring onto the ground. He lifted the hood after a few minutes and checked the oil and saw that it was okay.
However he did notice antifreeze spilling out from the "overflow".
After the car cooled I parked it at my sisters house which was about 5 minutes away from the expressway and let it sit over the weekend.
I took the car to a mechanic who could find nothing wrong with the car but changed the thermostat.
I took the car on the expressway after the repair had been made and the car began to overheat & antifreeze pouring onto the ground and the smell coming through the vents.
I drove the car back to the mechanic who swore he saw nothing wrong with the car and insisted on changing the "caps" that held the liquid down in the radiator.
He suggested that the bearings were worn.
I did not trust him so I had the car towed to GoodYear.
They are now saying the same thing. The diagnostic and leak tests are not indicating any problems and the engine is in great condition.
I suggested to them that the car is not overheating because they have not driven it to get the engine warmed.
What could be going wrong? Someone suggested the heating coil.
Please Help!

semichigan

A little over a week ago I noticed the temperature gage on my Toyota raising to the "H" red area warning me that the car was overheating.
It never cut off on me or started to smoke. On my way back to school from the airport, the car began to make a rattling noise and started to smoke from under the hood.
I pulled the car over and my brother noticed antifreeze pouring onto the ground. He lifted the hood after a few minutes and checked the oil and saw that it was okay.
However he did notice antifreeze spilling out from the "overflow".
After the car cooled I parked it at my sisters house which was about 5 minutes away from the expressway and let it sit over the weekend.
I took the car to a mechanic who could find nothing wrong with the car but changed the thermostat.
I took the car on the expressway after the repair had been made and the car began to overheat & antifreeze pouring onto the ground and the smell coming through the vents.
I drove the car back to the mechanic who swore he saw nothing wrong with the car and insisted on changing the "caps" that held the liquid down in the radiator.
He suggested that the bearings were worn.
I did not trust him so I had the car towed to GoodYear.
They are now saying the same thing. The diagnostic and leak tests are not indicating any problems and the engine is in great condition.
I suggested to them that the car is not overheating because they have not driven it to get the engine warmed.
What could be going wrong? Someone suggested the heating coil.
Please Help!

according2me

semichigan... check to see if your cooling fans are working. Warmup to operating temp and see if radiator fan starts. Next turn on AC and see if fans work.

If fans don't work, could be bad thermosensor, fan switch or fan assy.

If fans work, hmmm, maybe clogged radiator.

good luck.

canoe2

Check the water pump: Turn control temperature to heating mode, do you have heat inside the car ?

billmahan

Just started to experience difficulty when moving the transmission from Park to Reverse. If you play with the shifter long enough, eventually, it will move into reverse.

Shifts to all other gears seem to be fine. The steering wheel is locked when this happens and the brake is depressed.

Any ideas on what needs to be adjusted or fixed?

Thanks.

mtclay

i left the key on over night. after charging the battery, the engine cranks, but electrical issues. the fuel pump isnt working. the radio, power windows, door locks, etc arent working. any help would be appreciated.

iyoob

When I am trying to engage the cruise control, the cruise control light starts blinking. When I referenced the owner’s manual it says that if the light starts blinking, to take it to the dealer. I would like to know if any one else had such problems and could suggest any solutions.

andrelaplume

1996 RAV Valve Seals...Well it appears the valve seals replaced 2 - 3 years ago (but only 24K miles ago) have worn out on our 1996 Rav from hell and will cost $1300 to replace. They were replaced 24K miles ago when Toyota changed the short engine block. I feel the seals should last more than 24K miles....In fact even if they were the original seals with 76K miles on them they should not need to be replaced. I told the dealer to forget the repair and I would be contacting Toyota. They charged me $69 for the diagnosis/compression check that showed 185 on each cylinder---whatever that means. They also told me there is little chance of Toyota helping me out....and they certainly wouldn't be helping me out or supporting me. (They also told me my oil level was down 1/2 qt since my last oil change 3 months ago---I checked it beforehand and it was full, they then threatened that they might even find sludge in there) What do you guys think? Am I unreasonable to expect seals to last more than 24K? Should I just ignore the puff of smoke on cold mornings until I get rid of the car? Does $1300 sound excessive for the job? This car was a lemon from the beginning---can't tell you how many times we were at the dealer culminating in the short block replacement. The car fine after that until now...

gymswim

Bridgestone Portenza tires came on my 2002 Camry XLE V 6. They have been TERRIBLE. I am not a "high performance driver"; and these tires are wearing out so quickly I am going to replace them. Most importantly, I fear for my safety whenever it rains because the car hydroplanes badly with these tires. My tire dealer informs me that many other Toyota owners are experiencing similar problems with these Bridgestones after 12k miles.
Yesterday the left rear tire ran flat while I was on the interstate. That was the final straw. Although I only have 12k miles on these tires, the car is at Big O Tire dealership today having Michelin MXV4 (v) energy tires installed on all four wheels.

18fan

Go ahead and contact Toyota to see if they will offer any help... worst they can say is "no"!

Also, find another dealer to get a second opinion. Sounds like this dealer may be trying to just get deep into your wallet...

--18fan

stephanief2

I'm new to this townhall because my beautiful 2003 Camry was only 15 days old when it was sitting unoccupied in my husband's work parking lot when an 18-wheeler backed into it and pushed it across the parking lot. The driver didn't even know he hit it. There was approximately $3600 worth of damage mainly to the rear passenger door and wheel well. The Camry has been under repair now for over a month because the dealership's body repair can not get the wheel well back to its original splendor. They are telling me the 1/4 round does not come as part of the side panel when on the 2003's. They have to recreate the 1/4 round, which they have yet to do successfully. What they want to do now is to cut off the 1/4 round from each of the wheel wells because they can't seem to fix it and said this would make all of the wheel wells look the same. I said no-way!!!! Does anyone else know of a 2003 Camry owner who has had such a problem with this? The dealership is telling me the 1/4 round being separate from the panel is new to the 2003 Camry's, however every other car I see Camry or not has 1/4 round on the wheel well. Just curious if they're telling the truth. Thanks!

toledo19

Go back to your insurance company and tell them the body shop is unable to restore your car to "just like new" status. Tell them you want the adjustor to "total" the car so you can buy a new one! Your Ins co will be very motivated to find a new body shop or address the problem.

stephanief2

Unfortunately I already tried that and the total amount of the damage does not suffice to consider it totalled. I wish the guy had totalled it. The body shop called though late this afternoon and said now they have finally repaired it correctly and that I should be happy with it. We'll see when I pick it up Thursday!

andrelaplume

Why couldn't you take the car to a dealer?