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2007 Toyota Camry Problems and Repairs

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Comments

  • blindmantooblindmantoo Member Posts: 139
    :confuse: "But when I tried to slow down then stepped on gas pedal, the transmission showed HESITATION."

    Please explain this procedure fully. How fast were you going? Did you step on the brake or just let off the gas? At what speed were you going when you tried to accelerate? What do you mean by "transmission showed HESITATION"? (Was it the engine hesitating or did the tranny downshift slowly or What?) Thanks in advance. I've noticed nothing like this so far on my V6SE (and I'm very picky).
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    I tried to make a sharp turn, body roll was noticed (even on SE ??).

    Wow, it leaned some, that's terrible...
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "There is some shifting glitch and you just trash the whole transmission and get a different one rather than adjust or replace some parts."

    Rest assured, whatever can be built by human hands can be repaired by human hands. The exchanged Toyota transmissions will not be trashed, but they will be carefully inspected by Toyota transmission specialists to verify the reason(s) for the fault(s) before they're repaired and stocked as exchange units. But, Honda, Hyundai, and, perhaps now Toyota, have instituted policies not to let dealership techs undertake "deep" work in these more complex five and six speed automatic transmissions. (Hyundai backs up their version of this policy by refusing to reimburse the dealerships if they ignore the policy and proceed with a transmission overhaul - the, "If you fix it, then you eat it." method of enforcement.) The "H" companies found out the hard way over the past four years that paying out multiple warranty claims for the same problem because field procedures weren't followed and repairs weren't done correctly on a given tranny cost 'em more than just replacing the transmission with a rebuilt. In the case of Hyundai, the "cores" are returned (with ATF!) in the exchange tranny's shipping container and inspected upon arrivial. If anything other than the mandated SP-III ATF is found inside (confirmed by chemical analysis to verify the presence of certain tracer elements), the warranty reimbursement is denied to the dealer who then may charge back the customer for the entire cost of the exchange transmission and labor. (~$3,500.00) I doubt Hyundai's alone in verifying ATF compliance. Both "H" companies now have centralized rebuild facilities in the U.S. in which the technicians have immediate access to the latest parts and company procedures and their work monitored at every step - a luxury the automakers don't have with in-the-field repairs. In the case of these new Toyota transmissions, they're just too new to have any rebuilt units available in quantity yet, so the company's hands are effectively tied to provide a new exchange transmission. Though Toyota has its own U.S. build facility for new transmission production, the company's not taking any chances - exchange trannies are being flown in from Japan.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    I agree, njerald - how dismaying to find that Toyota would dare put a compressible spring at each corner of a Camry SE!
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    "Please explain this procedure fully. How fast were you going? Did you step on the brake or just let off the gas? At what speed were you going when you tried to accelerate? What do you mean by "transmission showed HESITATION"? (Was it the engine hesitating or did the tranny downshift slowly or What?) Thanks in advance. I've noticed nothing like this so far on my V6SE (and I'm very picky)"

    It was running at ~50mph, then I stepped on brake to slow down ~20-25mph. Then immediately I pressed on gas pedal (about half throttle), I could see the RPM rised but the transmission confused to select the right gear for 1/2-1 sec so.
    Hope this helps.
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    I was quite disappointed with the ride on SE.
    I have lower profile tire (Yokohama AVS ES-100, 215R50/17) but the ride is much more comfortable than SE's ride.
    I guess the trunk access cross bars did not help much for body roll here.
  • comuscomus Member Posts: 24
    I am also the owner of a new 2007 Camry V6 XLE just purchased several days ago with 300 miles on it. I noticed a weird driving feeling,, like there was water in the fuel. I filled the tank, then a jerking and surging started on the highway. I pulled out of my driveway, and the tires squealed, a huge jerk to the transmission. I have an appointment at the Toyota Dealer in the morning. The VSC light came on, the engine light came on and the traction control light came on. Now it is just the engine light, an awsome car. Hoping no BIG PROBLEMS TO FIX IT. I have a 2002 Camry XLE with 186,000 miles, runs like new. Tires and oil changes is all I do to it.
  • barroncbarronc Member Posts: 44
    I have about 900 miles on my car and have not yet seen any third to fourth RPM spiking. I watched the video and saw the tach spike to almost 6,000 rpm at 45mph. I can see where this is a problem and it should be recognized by Toyota as being one. Did your car spike as high as 6,000 RPM? By the way thanks for the video link.
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    I guess the trunk access cross bars did not help much for body roll here.

    They are for stiffening the body. The springs, shocks, sway bars, tires control the ride and body roll.
  • barroncbarronc Member Posts: 44
    I also don't quite understand what is meant by "But when I tried to slow down then stepped on gas pedal, the transmission showed HESITATION". I know that when I let off the gas (for example coming to an intersection) on my 2007 Toyota Camry XLE V-6 the car will slow down as if it has a fairly stiff rear end gear :P and you can actually feel it. Maybe it's this slowing down that the reviewer calls HESITATION. By the way does anyone know the rear gearing in the XLE's?
  • motownusamotownusa Member Posts: 836
    I can make a BMW 545 hesitate too if I want too, LOL.
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    I also don't quite understand what is meant by "But when I tried to slow down then stepped on gas pedal, the transmission showed HESITATION". I know that when I let off the gas (for example coming to an intersection) on my 2007 Toyota Camry XLE V-6 the car will slow down as if it has a fairly stiff rear end gear and you can actually feel it. Maybe it's this slowing down that the reviewer calls HESITATION. By the way does anyone know the rear gearing in the XLE's?

    There is no rear end gearing!!!

    The differential gear ratio for all model 6 speed automatics is the same - 3.685:1.
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    Isn't the Camry front wheel drive... hummmm yes it is..
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    hesitation is a phenomenon when getting on the gas and not experiencing a response by the system to increase speed.

    if you are in your vehicle, apply the brakes then get on the accelerator, the lag between the moment you increase demand for power and power begins to increase is hesitation.
  • gbabalukgbabaluk Member Posts: 70
    I don't know what SE V6 you drove but, ours has about 500 miles on it and my other car is a G35 Infiniti, so I know what body roll is all about as well as hesitation. The SE V6 can take the corners almost as well as the G35 and if you drive the SE V6 in the manual shift mode, it's a completely different car from leaving it in Drive! No hesitation and as I have said before, posibly quicker than my G35!
    Leave it in Drive and it's a "slush" bucket from a shifting perspective, drive it in Manual mode and see what the car will do!
    Have a great day and take another SE V6 for a REAL drive!
  • cam2003cam2003 Member Posts: 131
    Thanks for your explanation. I could not have described it better than that.
  • jwa120jwa120 Member Posts: 7
    I've had the spiking issue form third to forth before I had 100 miles on the vehicle. Some had mentioned that the VSC could be the cause. My vehicle is a LEv6 and does not have VSC.

    Toyota's first decision was to replace the valve body in the transmission. My dealer told me that there could be metal filings in the valve body causing the slippage; i've also heard from a different source that a solenoid in the valve body could also be the problem.

    I had my doubts in reguards to the replacement of the valve body. My car sat for aprox. 2 weeks before a valve body became available. Yesterday the 20th of June I recived a call from my service manager that they would be replacing the transmission with a new unit. He also told me that Toyota should be contacting me.

    I know others who have had there trannys replaced have been offered a number of options. One of which is an extened warranty, what other offers do they make? Is there room to negotiate.
  • ray_h1ray_h1 Member Posts: 1,134
    "I know others who have had there trannys replaced have been offered a number of options. One of which is an extened warranty, what other offers do they make? Is there room to negotiate."

    You can certainly always try. Just keep in mind that even "lemon law" situations are predicated on the automaker having the opportunity to repair the purchased car prior to a buy-back or exchange. In some states, "lemon law" cases can't even be filed until BBB AUTOLINE alternative dispute resolution (binding arbitration on the automaker) has been attempted.
  • barroncbarronc Member Posts: 44
    :P Yes I know the Camry is front wheel drive and it does not have a rear end gear. It was just a joke!
  • nifty56nifty56 Member Posts: 279
    OH LOL got me not April first is it... :confuse:
  • cortoncorton Member Posts: 53
    "I know others who have had there trannys replaced have been offered a number of options. One of which is an extended warranty, what other offers do they make? Is there room to negotiate."

    That is the crux of the big problem that I have with Toyota over this issue. My 2007 Camry also has a problem transmission.

    Toyota has essentially had two types of transmission failures of the 6 speed automatic transmissions in the 2007 Camrys.

    The first failure is of what Toyota calls the "snap ring" inside the transmission. The fix for this failure (per Toyota) is to replace the transmission. Toyota decided to offer those with a "snap ring" failure in their transmissions the choice of a replacement transmission, plus 1 months car payment made by Toyota, plus a 7yr/100k mile extended warranty at no charge, OR the option of a replacement vehicle.

    The 2nd failure is of an as yet undetermined part(s) that causes the RPM spike issue when shifting. The fix for this failure (per Toyota) is to also replace the transmission. Toyota decided to offer those with a RPM spike problem just a replacement transmission and that is all.

    So if you have an RPM spike problem with your transmission don't expect anything other than the minimum that Toyota has to do under their warranty - replace your transmission.

    Both failures require a replacement transmission, so it would seem logical from a customer service standpoint for Toyota to offer the same deal to owners affected by either problem. But they will not do that and will not explain why not. I've been talking to them and writing letters and emails just asking for fair treatment and so for their response has been essentially this:

    "I'm sorry Mr. Customer, you don't get our best customer service because the wrong part inside of your transmission broke".

    Hello? Anybody home at Toyota? What a bunch of BS.

    Additionally, Toyota has said that the "snap ring" issue only affected about 160 vehicles, and was caused by a manufacturing problem. In reality, the "snap ring" problem is much larger that that and is still showing up in newer vehicles manufactured after the problem was initially identified and supposedly corrected.

    So Toyota has problems with the 6 speed automatic transmissions the V6 2007 Camry, and it appears that they do not yet have the problems rectified. Buy a 2007 Camry at your own risk.

    And if you are unlucky enough to get one of the problem transmissions in your Camry, it's only a 50/50 chance that you'll get reasonable customer service from them.

    ...and don't say I didn't warn you.... :)
  • mesquite57mesquite57 Member Posts: 59
    So Toyota has problems with the 6 speed automatic transmissions the V6 2007 Camry, and it appears that they do not yet have the problems rectified. Buy a 2007 Camry at your own risk.
    corton,

    I am in the process of contacting an attorney to pursue Lemon Law remedies. I have requested a full refund (rather than a replacement car or transmission) through the National Dispute Settlement process.

    To expand, or clarify, what you stated here: Toyota has 6spd Auto transmission problems (3rd to 4th rpm spiking) and, earlier, Snap ring issue. The REAL problem is that they are totally SILENT on this and appear to either a) be not investigating and seeking a solution or b) are investigating but have no idea what is going on. Otherwise there would be a Tech Service Bulletin correcting the problem.

    My dealer thinks they fixed the problem by re-setting the ECT unit. But nothing has changed in my 3rd to 4th shifting. I'm tired of having my car at the dealer. 5 times now.

    Why would anyone with this problem think that a new V6 Camry or transmission would provide peace of mind?

    There is some variability in their manufacturing process or a problem with the design (or both). I don't want another Camry V6 until Toyota demonstrates to me that they fully understand this issue and have it corrected.
  • andy82471andy82471 Member Posts: 120
    am in the process of contacting an attorney to pursue Lemon Law remedies. I have requested a full refund (rather than a replacement car or transmission) through the National Dispute Settlement process

    I can tell you right now that you will lose. Lemon laws are very strict and gives manufacturers plenty of leeway before it can be applied. I believe most states give the makers three chances to rectify the problem before the law can be invoked. Have you let Toyota make the 3 attempts at repairs? it doesn't sound like you have.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    i think he said he's had it there 5 times now.
  • andy82471andy82471 Member Posts: 120
    Well he specifically told them not to replace the transmission when the problem was with the transmission. That is not going to go well in the hearings. You can't just demand a full refund because something isn't operating properly and the maker has not been given sufficient latitude in fixing the problem. The lawyer will have to be a fool to take the case under such a premise.
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    hmmm. yes, you raise a subtle but pertinent point i forgot.
  • faldocfaldoc Member Posts: 84
    Whenever you get an attorney involved you will pay either in more money or more time. I gave Toyota a chance to replace the transmission. I actually had the opportunity to get a new car and I elected to give them a chance.

    I let them do that and it is working great for more than 3000 miles on the new transmission. You can always try to invoke the lemon law later if it still doesn't work. Whatever you do, good luck to you.
  • tmsusatmsusa Member Posts: 81
    I've just looked out my window and can verify the sky is not falling on our 2007 Camry quality--or on any of our vehicles for that matter.

    We do have one "failure" issue with the 6-spd automatic transmission on the 2007 Camry involving the snap ring, and we purposely became of bit more proactive in addressing it publicly. The scope and nature did not warrant a special campaign; instead we elected to handle affected vehicles and customers on a case-by-case basis, most of whom elected to have a new transmission installed, like faldoc. Results have been excellent.

    More details re the snap ring issue are documented in a separate Camry Transmission thread on Edmunds, which is now "Read Only."

    There certainly are other reported product issues with Camry as there normally are with any high volume vehicle. I've seen and read with interest the discussion re RPM spikes and have viewed the video clips supplied by a few of our customers. And I'm disappointed to read that some feel our customer response has been lackluster. While I don't doubt that occasionally our customer service representatives may come across as unyielding to what might seem to some to be an obvious solution to a problem, please understand that they work very hard to achieve the best resolution for our customers while coordinating a response with our dealers, field offices and usually a prescribed process of root cause analysis by our technical folks to truly identify if there is some underlying issue with a vehicle not previously confirmed.

    That is what we do with any product-related problem reported by our customers, and it is what we are doing with any Camry customers that report an RPM/shifting anomaly with their vehicles. So far, we have not identified any other "failures" of a component other than the snap ring. The reported RPM spiking issue is very small in number and the actual root cause has ranged anywhere from perfectly normal operation to a solenoid that we've seen on a few that will sometimes "stick."

    While we strive at all levels and with all of our products to "fix it right the first time," because we're human and our vehicles so complex, occasionally we don't get it right on that first visit and have to respectfully ask the customer to return. We do track that and are constantly working with our dealers and training our service technicians to minimize multiple service visits.

    There's no excuse for rude treatment anywhere in the Toyota system and we regret any instances of that with our customers.
  • cortoncorton Member Posts: 53
    Contrary to what TMSUSA may say, I think the facts speak for themselves.

    Both 2007 Camry 6 speed automatic transmission problems, the "snap ring" problem and the "RPM spike" problem continue to show up via posts in online forums, and as we all know, it is just a small fraction of 2007 Camry V6 owners with problems who actually take the time to seek out and post messages in online forums such as this one.

    If you look at some of the posts you will also see that some dealers are telling the owners that the RPM spike behavior is normal and is part of the "transmission learning your driving habits".

    But we know that simply not true.
  • swarnerswarner Member Posts: 2
    Please help me to understand how Toyota's response to the snap ring failure with the 2007 V6 Camry has been 'proactive'.

    Did Toyota notify any owners of vehicles prone to this failure prior to their encountering the problem on the road? Was NHTSA notified?

    Has an extended warranty been offered to anyone that has not already had their new vehicle disabled after a failure requiring a transmission replacement?

    As far as I can tell from reading the forum you cited, there was zero response from Toyota until sometime after owners reported in public forums such as this that their vehicles became undriveable because of mechanical failures.

    And months ago, the closed forum you cited was told that the problem was limited to a few early production vehicles, with countermeasures in place so that anyone purchasing a Camry could do so with full confidence. Yet owners continue to report failures-- two days ago on the Camry forum in toyotanation.com a Canadian V6 owner waiting for a transmission replacement after putting 1400km on his car was told by Toyota Canada "they were not aware of any problem with the '07 trannys"

    So just what is it that Toyota has done to respond to this problem in a proactive manner?
  • max_99max_99 Member Posts: 28
    I certainly empathize with those having these problems.

    My frustation has been trying to understand what exactly I bought, understand the transmission and when it is working ok. I expect many here feel the same way since people posting have interest in vehicles, how they operate and would like to appreciate the design. I found the owners manual very lacking in explaining this car. I didn't know I had a transmission that "learns" until I started reading this board. The manual also doesnt' really discuss how/why to use sequential shifting and if you could cause any problems by using it incorrectly. So I just avoid using it altogether. Too bad since there may be a feature that would allow me to appreciate this car more. Perhaps it is my technical background that makes me want to understand more than what Toyota tells me. I have the impression they think all owners are basically stupid and don't need to understand how the car works. I haven't really been able to contact anyone at either the dealer or the 800 number that can really explain to me what is in that black box under my car. Seems like I know more than the person on the other end of the line and what I know is pretty pitiful.

    Is there a technical manual somewhere that explains what a C-ring does, why breakin is important the first 1000 miles, how you are supposed to operate a transmission that "learns" and the purpose of sequential shift. I would love to corner a Toyota design engineer for a few hours to explain this transmission why it seems a little different in shifting, how I know what it is learning and how to operate my car effectively.
  • tmsusatmsusa Member Posts: 81
    "Please help me to understand how Toyota's response to the snap ring failure with the 2007 V6 Camry has been 'proactive'."
    __________________________________________________________

    I'll try. The word proactive may mean something much different to you than it does to us. I tend to lean toward this definition that I saw in a book on leadership:

    “serving to prepare, to intervene in or control an expected or unexpected occurrence or situation, including a negative or difficult one—in an anticipatory manner to cause others to want your leadership.”

    Our hope is to always be out front of something likely to inconvenience and disappoint our customers. But because we have purposely worked to develop closer relationships with our customers and have spent more time listening to them as part of kaizening both customer loyalty and product quality, we can and do react proactively when we learn of something unusual/abnormal directly from them.

    We don't shy from issuing recalls, or Special Service Campaigns as we call them. It's our way of helping to ensure our customers do have a long and happy experience with Toyota and, such as with our recent Prius SSC, receive the level of quality, dependability and reliability they expect from a Toyota.

    With the snap ring issue on the 2007 Camry, of course we would have preferred to have been able to detect and isolate the rather unique combination of circumstances that ultimately would manifest themselves rather suddenly in vehicle performance that was anything but what our Camry delivers before the very first car left either assembly plant. That did not happen. Safety was never an issue, but our "black eye" as some have called it is the very real disappointment, inconvenience and even anger borne by our customers impacted by this confounding and difficult to isolate issue.

    So to my way of thinking, being proactive on this one meant intervening in an unexpected occurrence of a transmission issue--certainly a difficult situation--in such a way as to rapidly deploy via nontraditional means the facts of what was happening, what we knew and how we were going to respond. No correlation between specific build dates and serial numbers, no way to inspect or positively identify the culprit transmissions--so forget about a service campaign or owner notification letters.

    Yes, we rushed to get information incorporated into our public web site, confided to media and we took the unusual step of coming out of the closet so-to-speak right here. We posted the facts as we knew them and as fast as these fingers could type. Tracked down Edmund's keeper of the forums at Detroit Metro Airport and other webmasters to validate we are who we are if anyone asks. It's not that we sought others to want our leadership; Rather, it's that we wanted our customers to trust our leadership.
  • tmsusatmsusa Member Posts: 81
    "I found the owners manual very lacking in explaining this car. I didn't know I had a transmission that "learns" until I started reading this board. The manual also doesnt' really discuss how/why to use sequential shifting and if you could cause any problems by using it incorrectly. So I just avoid using it altogether. Too bad since there may be a feature that would allow me to appreciate this car more."

    __________________________________________________________

    You know, I couldn't agree more with you max 99. Trouble sleeping? Take one of our owner's manuals to bed with you. Yawn. :cry:

    I can assure you, we don't think owners are stupid. In fact one of our biggest challenges is just trying to ensure our dealership sales folks are as knowledgeable about our cars and trucks as our customers. With rapid technological advances that allow us to incorporate adaptive/intelligent electronic components into our products, it's a constant effort at delivering relevant and up-to-date training. That's why we have the University of Toyota occupying a totally separate multi-storied building at our HQ campus and why we're investing in new satellite based communication systems at dealerships around the country. We've also just begun testing a new desktop knowledge management tool for our Customer Experience Center representatives that promises to eliminate dead air when you ask about black boxes.

    But all of this does not necessarily mean a quick fix for boring owner's manuals. Some customers purchase service repair manuals, because they find the technical detail informative/interesting. We're experimenting with DVDs. I think there are opportunities to do more with the web, like expanded knowledge management modules accessible to consumers online. I'm forwarding your comments to our product and U of T folks, as I think you've done a nice job of communicating the frustration that I know others feel too.

    BTW, are you looking at the same black box I am?
  • user777user777 Member Posts: 3,341
    one cannot help but wonder if the spiking issue is a large- or small-N problem.

    let's assume for the moment it is a small-N problem. one cannot help but to wonder why toyota wouldn't want to do a full exchange for these customers so they could flat-bed them back to controlled environments to test them out.

    how absolutely inefficient it would be (and inconvenient and frustrating for an owner) for toyota to throw diagnostics and parts and procedures and tests at a dealership to winnow the problem down.

    one assumes the most expedient means to understand the problem is to put the problem vehicle(s) into the hands of the engineers that are responsible for the design. you have to test the "system" as a whole, not pieces / parts in isolation (until you've narrowed the problem space down), so this begs the question, why swap a part at a time and force an owner back to the dealership more than 1 time?

    they either know what is going on, or they don't.

    if they do know what is going on and are leaving an owner in that ride, that would be rather shameful - assuming small-N, what is the impact to take back these outlyer vehicles?

    if they don't know what is going on and are leaving the owner in that ride, that would seem negligent - for minimally these owners are probably doing subsequent damage to the vehicle transmission or torque convertor for example by driving it while the problem is getting a solution engineered.
  • mrlevismrlevis Member Posts: 9
    Spiking issue…Toyota does not think so in my case

    The facts

    1. My car has been to the dealership 4 times.

    2. 4 April the shift spiking was reported to my dealership.

    3. My dealership felt the spiking when I took the car in for an oil change. They could not find any error codes.

    4. Toyota flew someone in to work on my valve body. The S-2 shift solenoid was changed. The tech called me and told me the transmission did not feel like it was shifting right. He told me saw some shift flair, but it was 3-4 gear not 2-3 like I reported. He reset the Trans ECU. Transmission replacement was an option discussed, but time constraints ruled it out, and I was not a big fan of it.

    5. The shift flare or spiking came back 1 day after the valve body work was done. I took it back to the dealer

    6. The dealership claims they could not reproduce my concern (I could not be there to show them, due to time constrains…It is not detectable all the time under heavy acceleration, light to med acceleration is the breeding ground for spiking in my car).

    7. I did not have time to make another 200 mile round trip to dealership, because I needed to ship the car off to Italy (pending military assignment), the car has already been delayed 2 weeks.

    8. Customer care does not return my phone calls. Toyota sent a letter telling me since they could not reproduce the problem; they will not buy my car back, and cannot provide me any assistance.

    9. I recorded several episodes of the shift flare/spiking. (the vehicle mileage was also plainly visible to show it was recorded after the valve body work). I find it very interesting that the dealership or Toyota Regional Care Manager did not care to see it.

    10. My Regional Rep called and told me the only reason the valve body was worked on was to provide me piece of mind because no one detected a problem (bullcrap!!! See #3, #4 and #9). They did add a Vehicle Service Agreement, so I can get warranty issues taken care of in 4 years when I get back.

    The car is going to Italy with transmission problems. I predict problems while I am deployed to Iraq, and out of pocket repairs, (since my warranty is worthless over there); Toyota IMHO thinks I am full of it, or does not know how to address this problem. Maybe they think we are all making this up since we are sharing our issues on the forums.

    I have dealt with Toyota's customer service, it could use some improvement serious improvement. I have up submitted my suggestions to Toyota.

    If only I had more time to keep fighting this issue. I have to give up the fight. I have to serve my call of duty. I have a bigger war to be a part of right now.

    Good luck everyone!
  • austinman7austinman7 Member Posts: 313
    tmsusa,

    In regard to the snap ring issue, you comment:

    "No correlation between specific build dates and serial numbers, no way to inspect or positively identify the culprit transmissions -- so forget about a service campaign or owner notification letters."

    So I'm guessing the original Toyota position that 160 cars were affected has been abandoned?

    If that's the case, and that retraction was previously posted, I apologize for the duplication of the question -- I may have missed that posting.
  • camryfan1camryfan1 Member Posts: 17
    I'm sorry about the problems you have experienced with your car and the effect it is having. I realize it may be small consolation but your post and others are having a ripple effect. There are many people that read this forum and they tell many others about these problems (I have) and I know for a fact that it is causing others to not purchase this car.
  • mrlevismrlevis Member Posts: 9
    I just wanted to share my buying experience and the steps I have taken to try resolve this very real issue.

    I was reminded just how real this problem is when I got in my car this morining and the RPMS spiked 1500 RPM between 3rd and 4th gear.
  • bayliebaylie Member Posts: 3
    Never Mind... had a "senior" moment. :blush:

    Bad when your mind starts going at 45....
  • mesquite57mesquite57 Member Posts: 59
    max_99,

    You may never find out how the transmission is supposed to work. I'm having problems with RPM spiking up to 2500 RPMs between 3rd and 4th. I'm waiting for the dealer to tell me "it's normal....part of warming up the engine quickly".

    The reason you may never find out is because the Electronic Controlled Transmission (ECT) unit has an "i" after it meaning "intelligent". That intelligence is considered "intellectual property" of Toyota. I've already asked about how it's supposed to work.

    All I know is that my V6 XLE isn't very intelligent with respect to the transmission.

    I am fuming and extremely disappointed with the Dealer's response and Toyota's Customer Experience line's response. I did, however, get a form to fill out from the regional Toyota that goes to the National Center for Dispute Settlement. I'll wait and see what results I get from them. I'm not too hopeful at this point.

    On your sequential (manual) shift...there is a page in the manual that discusses how it shifts but it is quite confusing and it is not entirely manual. There is intelligence in it also. So if you try to take off from a stop in 4th it shifts down to 1st (while indicating that you are in 4th!!!) Too bad the display doesn't really tell you what gear you're in. That would really be helpful. Toyota, are you listening??? Hint: recommended improvement for next year. Otherwise, explain it better in the manual why it always indicates one gear even though it may be in another.

    Oh, that Black Box? That may be your "flight recorder". The manual describes early on that there is a recorder on board for determining what happened after an accident for example. I believe it continuously records about 30 seconds of a lot of vehicle data like speed, gear, brakes applied, was ABS activated? etc.

    I'll have to look for mine. I haven't spotted it yet.
  • spiff72spiff72 Member Posts: 179
    I can say what a C-ring or a snap ring typically is used for mechanically.

    It is most often used as a retaining ring. In other words its purpose is to hold something in place on a shaft. It could be a gear being held in place on a shaft, or or a collar being held in place. The way that they work is that there is a groove machined around the circumference of a shaft, and the ring pops into the groove.

    This is a link to examples of what they look like:
    http://www.arconring.com/retainingrings.htm

    The rings, once they are installed into the groove, create a shoulder for something like a gear to bear up against. The rings are meant to resist thrust loads - loads applied along the length of the shaft. In a transmission, helical gears are often used, and these types of gears, when loaded, are subjected to thrust loading because of the angle of the teeth. If a ring failed, and it is resisting a thrust load, the gear (in theory) could move along the shaft allowing it to get out of position.

    I am only speculating on what the snap ring in this tranmission does. It could be used in a different application - I am trying to explain what a snap ring is TYPICALLY used for!
  • njeraldnjerald Member Posts: 689
    I had a golf ball rolling around in the trunk!!!!
  • toyota07toyota07 Member Posts: 12
    Rattle from the front passenger door
    I have 07 Camry V6 XLE. I love the car but the only thing that is bothering me is a rattle from the front passenger side. It’s very noticeable when I drive over bumps or rough roads. I cannot figure out where it’s coming from. It’s very annoying since I hear it whether I have my stereo on or off.

    Is anyone experiencing the same issue?

    Thanks,
  • master1master1 Member Posts: 340
    In my Highlander there is a plastic piece behind the glove box where wires are. I had to tighten it and it stopped the rattles. Maybe it's the same in your Camry?
  • rollon1300rollon1300 Member Posts: 63
    Well, I've not been able to post recently about my experience with the Toyota Customer Experience Center, but I will now since I've had a few days to calm down. :mad:

    Basically I've been blown off by Toyota on my problem!

    I won't go into the problems I experienced in getting connected with a Case Manager, but it is an experience that some here have had - and I now know their comments are all true - it's not something you want to experience.

    When I finally did make a connection, it didn't take long before I realized I was being written off by the CM based on the comments made by the Field Technical Service Engineer on the service report during his visit. Even though he verbally stated that my vehicle was going lean when I accelerated, and this according to the scan tool, he had the dealership note that "they dulpicated my concerns, and that they are normal characteristics of the vehicle." This is a crock!

    There are a number of things I can do at this point.

    1. I am going to go back to the dealership and see if they will let me drive another vehicle like mine. Other have reported that they have done this and found profound differences in the operation of the vehicles. If my dealer will not give me this option, I will visit other dealers and "test drive" a few 07 4-cyl Camrys.

    2. I can pursue arbitration through Toyota.

    3. I can pursue the lemon law option.

    4. I can notify the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of my problem - which is certainly safety related.

    If my vehicle's problem is like many, but not all, other 07 Camry 4-cyl 5A, then Toyota has a problem that must be addressed and I am willing to pursue this till they do.

    If my vehicle's problem is limited to a few vehicles, then I believe I have a "LEMON" :lemon: and Toyota is going to fix it or replace it.

    With my automotive, aircraft, motorcycle and engineering experience, which is extensive, I am DISGUSTED with Toyota telling me that this vehicle "performs normally." Every time I drive this Camry, I get more and more frustrated.

    A colleague told me he would help me put together a letter in Japanese to Toyota Headquarters in Japan. He stated that they would be quite upset to hear that my experience with this vehicle and Toyota USA was so unpleasant.

    I will continue to post to keep this forum updated on my future experiences with Toyota and this Camry....
  • blindmantooblindmantoo Member Posts: 139
    :P I've had my V6SE for eight days and 300 miles now - no glitches yet. I've used the "S" mode extensively for downshifting (I was used to having a five speed Maxima SE), and it is a dream. Can't wait to crack 1k miles so I can open it up a bit more.
  • samchinchsamchinch Member Posts: 47
    I have always liked Toyota product and have known many people that have owned Toyota and praise them to the hilt. But I can see that the quality of Toyota is going down the drain. The Avalons are having problems and the Camry is having problems and I don't want any problems. I would not have any faith in purchasing a Toyota at this point it would scare me death and probably drive me insane worrying about all these issues. I guess I will be looking to a different brand for my next car. It is depressing to see a great company going to crap.
  • roman73roman73 Member Posts: 8
    Hi Everyone,

    I have had some problems with my new 2007 4-cyl 5A Camry LE. Like other people that have posted to this forum, I noticed that my car hesitates sometimes when trying to accelerate from first to second gear. This is especially noticeable if I have to slow down for some reason, such as when turning a corner, then speed up again. A couple times the hesitation has been very bad. Once when driving up a hill, I had the acceleration pedal to the floor and I don't think I left first gear. I have also noticed jerky acceleration once the transmission goes into second, or anytime the transmission changes from a lower to higher gear. Also sometimes I have noticed the car actually slowing down unnaturally while coasting, I think because the transmission was shifting to a lower gear. Excuse me if I got any technical jargin wrong, I'm trying to explain my experiences using information from my farther on how a transmission shifts.

    I've talked to the salesman who sold me the car, and he told me that the service department should be able to make an adjustment to the transmission to make it shift smoother. Does this sound right? Am I stuck with a car that does not shift well, which could actually be a safety issue? Should I trade in my Camry for an Accord? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Roman
  • tinatinatinatina Member Posts: 388
    Thanks for posting your comments on the Camry LE. I wanted the same exact model, but I will not purchase this vehicle at this time. If you feel that its a safety issue, you should file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. You may also want to get a second opinion from another dealership if you are not satisfied. Anyway, please keep us updated.
  • barroncbarronc Member Posts: 44
    Hi, My 2007 Camry XLE also will slow down while coasting but it doesn't really bother me all that much. I haven't experienced the jerky acceleration you mention nor any hesitation problem. I'd be careful if you bring your car to the dealer and I doubt I'd let them mess with the transmission's valve body. I believe there was another person who posted here that had the dealer do something to the valve body but if I'm not mistaken it didn't seem to help the problem. I'd hold onto your 2007 Camry for the time being because if you trade it for a new Honda Accord your gonna lose money on the trade. :)
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