2007 Toyota Camry Problems and Repairs

damon34 · August 2006

I no exactly what u mean but the toyota rep wouldnt admit that there was anything wrong with it. but the first toyota dealership i took it to one of the techs that work there new exactly what i was talking about and said it was dangerous. I just dont understand the cover up on it.

damon34 · August 2006

I dont know if this is the right room for this question but i am going to ask this anyway. I just call up my toyota dealership and told them i was going to bring my car in for some warranty things. Well one of them was that the carpet was sliding down on the passenger side and getting caught in the chair when u slide it back, Not a big deal, but when i try to schedule appointment he got all mad because his carpet guy would only be there on tuesdays around noon. Well my work hours are 5am to 130pm and my lunch is only 30 minutes and my job is about 20 min drive. But he got mad because i wouldnt go out of my way and take rest of the day off to get the car to him and now he has to get me a rental. I told him i could have the car there after 130pm not a big deal but wasnt good enough for the carpet guy.
Then he said I was being difficult. Are they not suppose to take care of you? I tried to work with him but i am not going to take off work so they can fix something that should of be right in the first place. THis is the first toyota i have ever bought and it will be the last.

gbabaluk · August 2006

Hi Everyone;
The "thunck" sound is NORMAL! It is your ABS turning on after it has checked out everything for a few yards of actual driving. It is not the VSC.

kdhspyder · August 2006

An alternate viewpoint:

Disclaimer: I do work at a Toyota store.

After four 4c Camry's from 1989 to 2005 I switched to a Prius ( DBW ), in addition to my wife's Highlander ( DBW ) and MR2.

I normally drive thousands of different Toyota's each year. Recently many have exibited the 'hesitation' characteristic, some more-so some less-so. You posted.. " I just dont understand the cover up on it."

Many of the posters complaining about the I4's hesitation and the lack of response by Toyota Corporate on the matter. This is the 'coverup' you mention. It appears to me that Toyota has made it clear that as opposed to the snap ring mismanufacturing issue the hesitation issue is one of performance and not an error in manufacturing. It would be similar to saying that 'I wish my 4c did the 1/4 mile in 6.5 sec'. Cold hearted? Possibly, but it has to be viewed in the larger context and that is with nearly 150,000 new '07 Camry's on the road now not many are complaining about the 'performance'.

As I mentioned the hesitation is there but in speaking with many people who have noticed the characteristic it seems that..
a) it goes away over time;
b) the driver adjusts to the unique situation in the Camry;
c) the vehicle adjusts to the drivers inputs.
d) most of the 150,000 '07 vehicles delivered thus far just don't have much of an issue.

My alternate viewpoint is that there is no coverup it's just the nature of the beast at the moment. Can it be improved in order to improve the driving experience for you and others. I am certain that many people within Toyota are trying to improve it but as the prior poster stated there are compromises in every technical advancement.

mesquite57 · August 2006

I hear a thunk also but it appears only after backing out of my driveway, shifting into D and then during the shift from 1st to 2nd. Are those the same conditions under which the rest of you are experiencing that "thunk"?

jjthenovice · August 2006

On my 03 XLE V6 VSC and my 07 XLE v6 VSC there is the thunk. On my son's 06 LE no VSC there is no thunk and the same with my daughter's 06 LE no VSC. This leads me to believe that the VSC does have something to do with it.

flyingj · August 2006

I just purchased and 07 Camry LE 4c. The hesitation is dangerous in when attempting to cross intersections. The dealer's answer : It drives like the other 07 Camrys. Is that suppose to comfort owners? What is Toyota doing to fix this problem? How do you know the hesitation goes away? :lemon:

nissanron · August 2006

For the last six months I was looking for a car to replace my 2004 Maxima. When Nissan announced a CVT only for the 2007 Maxima, I was disappointed. I seriously considered buying either a 2007 Avalon or a 2007 Camry. Then, I read the many hundreds of messages posted here.

I thought Toyota had solved their problems. I recall my wife's 1994 Camry V/6, and the oil sludge problem (which we avoided by using Mobil 1). However, our local Toyota dealer never found the leaking head gasket until the engine was ruined. (So much for those blanky-blank plastic engine covers and lazy and stupid service technicians.)

At first I was extremely impressed by the Toyota representative on this board. When the subject got to problems Toyota hasn't been able to resolve, he conveniently disappeared. What a chicken little! It appears to me that if he tells the truth, he will be fired. So, all the young kids working in customer relations are given a script to follow denying any problem. Maybe Toyota learned this tactic from Ford!

After driving the 2007 Maxima with CVT, I decided that I would rather risk this new technology than buying a Toyota with a transmission that may quit working after three days and with hestitation problems, and RPM spiking on engine up shifts.

I bought my new 2007 Maxima this past Saturday! And, the transmission works properly and is the smoothest transmission I have ever driven. I feel sorry for all you 2007 Camry owners with problems. (For you Toyota diehards, the 2007 Camry hybrid comes with a CVT transmission.)

jrock65 · August 2006

Can someone describe the 4 cyl. hesitation problem again?

Is it an issue from a stoplight? Or at speed?

And how is it related to the cruise control shifting problem?

ray_h1 · August 2006

"So much for those blanky-blank plastic engine covers and lazy and stupid service technicians. ... And, the transmission works properly and is the smoothest transmission I have ever driven."

The lack of engine covers wouldn't have aided diagnosis of the coolant leak. Your engine's leak was internal - there was no visible moisture tracking down the exterior surfaces of the engine. A master Rolls-Royce service tech would've fared no better than your dealership's "lazy and stupid service technicians". (By the way, were you too preoccupied with matters of paramount galactic importance to bother checking the pink coolant level in the conveniently located and plainly visible transluscent overflow tank periodically?) When an internal leak occurs, most coolant is going into the affected cylinder(s) and out the exhaust as vapor. But, some gets blown past the piston rings of the affected cylinder(s) and ends up in the engine oil in the crankcase. The chief component in most antifreeze solutions is ethylene glycol. The stuff is very corrosive to bearing metals. A $20.00 used oil analysis would've caught the presence of glycol in the oil - perhaps soon enough to save the engine. Most owners don't bother with submitting an oil sample to one of the analysis labs yearly to get a report on their engine's health. It's no trick to ask the tech to catch several ounces of oil midstream into a clean, sealable container you bring in as a sample container while it drains.

As for the smoothness of a CVT, of course they're smooth - there aren't any gear changes taking place in forward motion. The drive consists of a torque converter and a segmented steel "belt" engaged on a continuously variable diameter set of "pulleys". The pulleys engage the belt at various diameters by contracting and expanding against the width of the steel belt. The necessary ratio changes to accomodate load and cruise conditions occur seamlessly in real time. Toyota is using something similar in the Camry hybrid when the gasoline engine is operating. The long term durability of this technology in cars as large as the Camry and Altima remains to be seen.

damon34 · August 2006

How many miles do you have on ur camry? I have 12,000 on my car and it has gotten worse. I really didnt notice the hesitation problem till around my first oil change and i have been bitching since. I think the saying looks like a camry drives like a camry is the way they get out of the lemon law. But i have drove two other camrys and they didnt do it but it doesnt mean that they wont. SO good luck and keep bitching. Now you will get guys on here that will tell you to stop complaining and just buy something else. But toyota up here wont give me any trade allowance, wanted to put me upside down 5,000 dollars. So good luck because it doesnt get any better

damon34 · August 2006

And my gas mileage has gotten worse.I never thought i would talk about a car like this but it seems like it is confused what to do

dino01 · August 2006

I known this is a 2007+ camry post. You're saying that the hesitation will go away. I owned a 2005 v6 camry with the hesitation that have never go away. I have give up on the car and will try live with it and this will be my last Toyota. Yet I have been to all the dealers around here. They all washed the hand on the vehicle. Can wait till I saved enough to get rid of this car.

cam2003 · August 2006

I found that not many people check internet for problems before buying.
Have you guys thought of put a big sign on your windshield "Buyer beware Hesitation problem" and park it in front of dealership ? This would make them attention!

rollon1300 · August 2006

Can someone describe the 4 cyl. hesitation problem again?

Is it an issue from a stoplight? Or at speed?

And how is it related to the cruise control shifting problem?

I have never had the hesitation problem from a dead stop.
It usually occurs:
a. when cruising and you want to speed up.
b. when cruising and you encounter an upgrade and want to maintain speed.
c. when slowing down and then trying to speed up again.

The issue is related to the cruise control shifting problem in that when you are using cruise control and encounter an upgrade, the vehicle tries to maintain speed, but cannot. This leads to the transmission coming out of lockup and, sometimes, still not being able to maintain the set speed, downshifting to 4th. Worse, if the grade is more than moderate, the vehicle will downshift again to 3rd and then accelerate brickly. On a longer upgrade, this can lead to over and undershooting the speed continuously, with repeated up and down shifting.

Not fun, not normal.

As I have stated before, the engineer who diagnosed my vehicle found a lean condition upon a request for acceleration. This is most certainly a major part of the problem and others have reported similiar findings when their vehicles were scanned.

cwnickell · August 2006

Assuming that the hesitation problem is being caused by an intermittent lean condition. Does anyone know if an engine running too lean on occasion can have a long-term adverse affect on engine wear and or lifespan? I'm wondering what components (if any) would be impacted.

damon34 · August 2006

Ok when i drive my car in the morning even with the air on i do not get the hesitation at all. But when i leave my job at 130pm and it is hot and i have the air on it hesitates seems not to have anypower until 2500 rpm. and has a hard time keeping 70mph on the hightway. Has anybody else notice this problem with their car?

gartmacd · August 2006

Lean burn can be no big deal if not excessive; on the other hand it can cause all kinds of problems, depending on how 'lean' the mixture actually is.
Excessive lean means excessive heat, and this can lead to catastrophic damage over time. Some emission control components can also be damaged by running lean.
If I was you, I would want to know how it was determined your engine was running 'lean',how it managed to do this 'intermittently', and what diagnostics were done to determine this? I would also want to know on what basis and what relationship the 'lean' condition has to the hesitation phenomenon.
IMO, that theory doesn't make much sense.

tmsusa · August 2006

No, TMS USA did not disappear. In fact TMS USA reads this forum daily. Frankly, the snap ring issue discussion faded more into the valve body and RPM spiking issue, and then other posters chimed in with different concerns. Part of the value of these forums is that they allow discussion, debate, real world testimony from other consumers that is often helpful to other participants--and to us.

Ultimately, our goal is to ensure a very satisfactory ownership experience for Camry customers. Many on here have taken the time to say that is exactly what they are getting. But many others are disappointed/frustrated. TMS USA is unable to address individual case issues in a public forum and TMS USA is not technically qualified to comment extensively about such complex components as transmissions. But be assured we are reporting these discussions to the right people, who in turn are using the data collected to help determine if real problems exist and, if so, the root cause.

If your hypothesis re telling the truth was valid, TMS USA would have been EX-TMS USA a long time ago. The fact is that TMS USA will provide relevant/new information re our Camry to the readers/participants of this forum whenever there is new information to share. In the interim, the discussions are very worthwhile and noted by TMS USA. You missed out on a great automobile nissanron, but I'm sure you will be happy with your Maxima. . . A fine automobile it is, too.

iggy38 · August 2006

I have a new 07 Camry SE and when I am turning, rough road, and hit the gas the right rear squeaks/crunches. It sounds as if it coming from the Trunk, or rear windshield. I talked to my friend who is an ex-toyota mechanic and he said it is possibly a weld that is bad(rear tidwell joint). Is this a serious problem? It is awful to listen to as I drive. I hope toyota will fix this problem. Any one experience something like this?

jjthenovice · August 2006

Check out this thread and see if this applies to you. http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t143505.html

jbednar · August 2006

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM ON MY 4 CLY. AUTO. :mad:

sacstate1 · August 2006

When you are green you grow, when you are ripe you rot.

The Big 3 didn't change and now....

This was the mantra used by the Big 3 for years, they are rotting now. They didn't change and assumed that there was another sucker born every minute, so their sales would remain strong forever.

Toyota was the up and comer, always growing in quality. Now that they are part of the Big 3, they are starting to rot. They reached their goal of market penetration and are now producing vehicles with as much, if not more, problems than GM, Ford and Chrysler.

I think Toyota will experience a backlash of loyalty when long-term Toyota owners get tired of the BS fed to them. Or the coverup by the dealers or corporate HQ for poorly executed, half-baked vehicles.

My Toyota dealership has remodeled and now EVERY technician is locked in a garage with absolutley no access for the questions poised by consumers. They have removed any liability of a technician actually saying something that could jeopardize the Toyota 'quality' perception or future litigation. So everything is channeled through the moronic service writers who never write on the work order what you say.

I say Toyota is walking a fine line and if they don't start producing trouble free vehicles along with a solid service experience. I might just go back to domestic.

Iggs · August 2006

Been driving this car for the last 2 weeks and noticed a slight drift to the left when driving on a good road (Garden State pkwy in NJ)
Anyone else had to take the car back to get alignment checked? I really hate making early morning Service Dept appointments and then have them tell me that this is a "tire pull".

On a different note, I think this is one quick car with comfortable leather seats, good firm ride, cheap interior and idiotic center console lighting that annoys me when driving at night. Lots of other bad ergonomic/esthetic design decisions went into this car's interior that I will have to learn to live with, but rant about every time people ask me how I like the car. Could it be that all 2007 Camry's center console design and ext/int color combinations for non-SE models were made to feel cheap and look stupid just to give drivers and their passengers that "this is not a freakin Lexus - you cheap [non-permissible content removed]" feeling? Oh yeah - I test drove this car during the day.

marjoe11 · August 2006

We have also filled, I was wondering if you have a arbitration date yet ? We are still waiting. I can't agree more with you about the "Thats just the way it is" crap. If I wanted a car that drove this poorly there are plenty of new cars I could have bought for around 12k. This could have been an awsome car had toyota just gone the extra mile to get it right. Meanwhile my 07 camary still vibrates down the road. Let me know ,Thanks

marjoe11

damon34 · August 2006

Well i guess it is time to throw in the towel. I think i am going to trade this junky car in. OH yeah i forgot it is a 2007 se camry it is brand new and i cant stand it. Hesitates,transmission always shifting, cruise is terrible, Gas mileage has gotten worse instead of better. Basically the Toyota company and its workings basically calling me a dumb [non-permissible content removed] by trying to make me think that a car is suppose to react like this and not taking care of my problems. I feel really let down by toyota and this was my first toyota and will be my last. So good luck to all of you camry owners I hope something good comes out of all of this but i cant stand driving this sluggish car. Did i tell you guys this is the 28th car I have own and it is the worse brand new car i have ever bought and i have never been treated so wrong buy a company like toyota. :mad:

:confuse: :sick:

mesquite57 · August 2006

mrlevis,

email me. I have some good news about your car (and mine). Click on my name "mesquite57" to get my address.

comus · August 2006

Thanks TMS USA. A lot of these issues are technically challenging to us all. All manufacturers, including automobile, have experienced issues at times. I buy Toyota because I cannot afford to buy from another manufacturer. I have to have an automobile that will travel at least 50,000 miles per year with little or no service. Thats why I buy Toyota. Thanks for listening and taking real time issues to the table. As the owner of a small business our goals are the same, to keep our customers happy. My 2002 Camry XLE with 196,000 miles on it runs like new, all I do is change the oil and tires. The dealer who sold me the 07 with the problematic transmission problem has been terrific and so has the support reps from Toyota. I am impressed and looking forward to my, well advanced, 07 XLE.

exploder750 · August 2006

Great post. I could almost see this coming back in 2004. Having driven several airport rentals that year, I was able to witness the decline of the bread and butter Camry at that time. It was barely comparable to the outdated Taurus, and the brakes were terrible. Toyota had obviously rested on their laurels and engineered every last nickel out of that tub in the name of profit, and lived off of the 'quality' momentum. It's all coming to roost for them now.

judas1 · August 2006

I noticed someone with a silver 07 was having trouble with chips on the hood, I am also. 2800 miles on the car and over the last 500 miles I've gotten 6-8+ fairly large rock chips on my hood. I never drive on gravel, rarely drive on the highway, and I've never noticed anything hitting the hood that would cause rock chips these bad. My 2800 mile Camry now has more rock chips on the hood than the 110,000 mile Civic I just got rid of. Think I can get Toyota to do anything about it? At this rate the hood is going to be paintless by the time I hit 30,000 miles.

faldoc · August 2006

Recap: I had a 2007 Camry V6 XLE with a snap-ring problem tranny replaced at 3 weeks, which then had problems again 6 weeks later, requiring another replacement for over-revving/lurching issues. I requested another car, and I have selected the TCH for a replacement.

Despite having 7000 miles on my original car, TMS via SE Toyota has waived any reduction in a refund of my purchase price, and working with Rice Toyota in Greensboro, NC the transaction for switching to the TCH should be complete next week. Other than leather, heated mirrors and mats, it is standard. They are throwing in Toyoguard, at no charge, since I did not want that option, but they order them in all their Hybrids.

I have had a good experience with Toyota USA (Danika), SE Toyota (Todd) and Rice Toyota (Jack, Jim) in the handling of this transaction, with prompt, courteous updates and service. I will post a review and pics when the Hybrid gets home.

I will miss my V6 power, which is awesome, and the bigger trunk, but was time for a new car. Best of luck to all the 2007 V6 Camry owners.

vaasa · August 2006

I have the same hesitation problem! This is my 4th 4 cyl Camry and although none of them had a lot of power, they did not hesitate like the 2007 I have now. It is scary to drive this car! I feel someone is going to hit me because I can not get out of the way while merging to the freeway... The hesitation problem is also much worse when turning. Does everyone with the 4 cyl have this problem? :confuse: :sick:

gillesmtl · August 2006

Good comments, but let me add a note about the so-called CVT in the hybrid Camry.

Toyota does not call it a CVT, but rather a Power Split device. An electric motor (MG2) drives the wheels through a planetary reducer. In parallel, a second planetary arrangement acts like a differential between the engine, an electric generator (MG1) and the wheels.

The computer controls MG1's speed by setting how much electrical power is sent to MG2. Since the wheels speed is roughly the engine's speed minus MG1's speed, a variable drive ratio is obtained.

What I feel is significant, as a Hybrid Camry owner, is that there are no cone pulleys, no belt, no friction and no wear in this design.

However, there are many "single points of failure" : Should the computer, or any of the iGBT transistors, or MG1, or MG2, or the battery, or the up/down voltage converter fail, the car would completely stop.

As an electrical engineer, I know iGBT transistors and permanent magnet motors/generators have become extremely reliable and durable, which is why I have trusted this technology and bought the hybrid.

I believe your caveat about the durability of CVTs in cars as large as the Camry and the Altima needs some qualifying when it is extended to the hybrid Camry.

user777 · August 2006

Here is a good anecdotal description of hesitation of the extreme kind for those that would believe it could not possibly be a safety issue:

jimmy57, "Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions" #5193, 4 Aug 2006 6:19 am

ray_h1 · August 2006

"Good comments, but let me add a note about the so-called CVT in the hybrid Camry. Toyota does not call it a CVT, but rather a Power Split device."

Toyota identifies the hybrid's mechanical transmission as an "Electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (ECVT)" in the 07 Camry Hybrid Specifications section (very last page - actually the inside back cover) of the 2007 Camry sales brochure. Since I'm not an electrical engineer, I found it an informative read.

rfp1 · August 2006

After skimming all messages, haven't seen anyone with this problem.

I live in mid-atlantic area, very hot the past week.
I went out to my car after work, about 95 - 100 degrees.

The car started, but would not come out of park. AC, power windows, turn signals, did not work. Brake light, tire pressure light, and ABS light, were all on. I called dealership and they told me about the button to push to get it out of park. I drove the car to the dealership, probably about 120 degrees inside, 50 minute drive.

Left it there overnight, same symptoms in the morning. They hooked it up to diagnostic machine, and everything started working properly, without doing anything. They kept the car for another day, did not happen again. So they have no idea what happened.

My theory is computer/heat/short circuit problem.

I called that Toyota number and they assigned me a reference #.

tomc14 · August 2006

Here's an update on our Camry XLE V6. After deciding to have the car repaired rather than get a new one or our money back (which TMS offered) it was in the shop about 10 days (vs. the three week estimate). It's running fine now. We have received the Platinum warranty and have been told the check is coming for one month's car payment. All in all, after the shock of "you need a new transmission" the experience with Toyota has been very good. We haven't had to push for anything, they came to us and keep us posted without us having to call them.

maximafan · August 2006

Hi, Nissanron. How do you like your 2007 Maxima as compared to the 2004 Maxima? I was
driving a 2002 Maxima(has been a great car!) and a young kid ran a stop sign and hit me, and the car has got quite a bit of damage on the front. I'm still waiting to hear from my insurance co. as to whether the car will be a loss or if it can be repaired. I was almost at the end of my lease too!

Anyway, I like the changes that were made to
the interior on the 2007, but the car keeps
growing in length. It's now over three inches
longer than my 2002. I've got a single-car
garage and I liked to keep the Max garaged, but
it's a tight fit, mainly length-wise.
I'm not sure I could fit the new Max in my
garage. Let me know how you like your 2007.

pat · August 2006

Actually, let's invite nissanron to drop by the Nissan Maxima discussion and fill us in on how things are with his new Max instead of doing that here ...

damon34 · August 2006

pat · August 2006

The best thing to do is go to your personal CarSpace page (link on the upper left) and post it there. The instructions will help you.

damon34 · August 2006

check them out if u would like photos the in keywords put in damon34> Tell me what you think about it. I think it looks good but hesitation and shifting problems all the time. and yes it did it before i put the 20s on it.

dougb10 · August 2006

Those are beautiful wheels. Too bad about all the problems you (and some others) are having with the transmission issues.
Guess I will hang on to my '03 Camry XLE ..."if it ain't broke....."

Doug

dennisg1 · August 2006

I have a 2007 Camry LE with the 4 cylinder engine that has 6,000 miles on it now. The car hesitates on take off from a standing start and also when slowing down then speeding back up especially when turning corners. Also the gas mileage is not what I expected. I average 21 to 23 combined but am only getting 24 on the highway with the cruise control engaged. The dealer is blaming my driving, but I had a 98 Stratus, 2.4L engine, with 210,000 miles that I got 27 on the highway with no cruise control. I was expecting the Camry to get at least that much. Anyone else seeing the same things?

flyingj · August 2006

What's the good news? We could all use some.

flyingj · August 2006

I am getting 19 in the city. Guess we all drive alike.

damon34 · August 2006

did u ever get better than that? I use to get 28 to 30 and it droped down to 24 for about the last 4 fill ups

flyingj · August 2006

I got 24 on the highway and 19 in the city. I've only had a couple of fillups. I hate the way this car hesitates. Unsafe!

damon34 · August 2006

I was wondering if you can get a manual with a model se in a 6 cyl?

njerald · August 2006

No, 4 cyl. only.

2007 Toyota Camry Problems and Repairs

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