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Comments
rattles appeared. Behind the glove compartment,
both front doors, radio and CD player distortions, and finally the dash itself. Gone to the dealer three times, some rattles fixed, at least for now, others continue. The Toyota
"price premium" may rapidly disappear.
The loudest of the noises emanates from the passenger side B pillar, which I opened up yesterday. I tightened a loose, partially screwed in metal seatbelt guide and added some foam padding in a couple of strategic locations. However, the b pillar noises have not been eliminated. I noticed that the seatbelt height adjustment mechanism is flimsy and may contribute to the rattles, as the rattles are fewer with a passenger seatbelted in.
The fascia at the top of the front passenger door is also very creaky. I'll let the dealership tackle that one.
At 1,300 moderately driven miles, my front brakes have started to squeal and a new rattle has started at the left vent/instrument cluster area. Just when I thought that I did not have the typical Toyota dash rattle!
I really do not appreciate my new Camry and regret purchasing it. I certainly will not buy another Camry, nor will I recommend one.
As for "should have bought a Honda": Don't go there - I've owned 3 that I purchased new. They had their share of mechanical problems (i.e. replaced faulty front wheel bearings at 20k miles, timing belt broke at 42k miles, leaky a/c system, defective sunroof, 1979 Civic would never start at or below 10 degrees because of a weak [not defective] starter, etc.)
To be fair, my 1997 Camry was more mechanically sound and reliable than all of my Hondas. I do not hold such hope for my 2003 Camry.
For everyone out there with rattles and squeaks, Toyota has been making a lot of public fuss lately (including JD Power interviews) about how they have done TSBs for all the noise issues, so if you have not already been to the dealer with your rattles, take the car in. You just may find that the dealelr can actually fix them and make your car tomb-like quiet!
Maybe not too, but it is worth a shot. Since this is such a common problem, they should be able to get you a loaner car too.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
To sum it up, people should get out of the Camry dream and just go and sit in another car(Intrepid, Taurus, Galant, Altima) and see where the Camry really stands up today. And forget the reliability story, just go and check the Camry Problem group to see the kind of ridicolous problems it has been having, not to mention the new "rattle" syndrome that just came up. Just go and sit and drive a new Taurus. Not only will it hold up(no rattles for 100K plus, but it will keep on going strong). Combine the excellent fit and finish quality to its strong European handling characteristics as well as its cheaper price, the real winner will be apparent.
Today I go with him to pick up his mother at work. He's parked at the entrance waiting for her and he notices the cover on the visor's vanity mirror is askew. Suddenly the cover comes off as he's trying to fix it. We made several attempts and did get the cover back on. I didn't say anything as I didn't want to make him feel bad, but I'm sure he was embarrassed to have me witness these quality bugaboos.
I wanted to compare my 1990 Chevrolet Lumina and a friend's 1992 Camry LE. I had the Lumina till 12/2000, when it was hit by a Ford F150 at an intersection. The hit occured at a right angle. The Lumina's bumper basically slid to the right, and the front of the hood became bent. Nevertheless, the car took a big hit, but the funny thing is that it ran like it was never hit. Even the A/C was fine.
Coming back to the comparison, my Lumina in its 10 years required a water pump, Ignition Module($75), and brakes. Mileage was 145K when the insurance company took it away 12/2000.
The friend's 92 Camry, however, required a new radiator, CV joints and boots, Engine mounts, Brake master cylinder, an enormous tuneup that cost $450, water pump. His A/C evaporator also developed a leak, thus all the freon escaped. He kept the Camry till 7/2002. Mileage was 150K.
Basically, we both kept our cars for 10 years and mileage before disposal was almost the same. You can just look and come up with a reasonable conclusion that the Camry was not reliable at all. In fact, I was so sad that my Lumina got hit becuase I hated for it to go. In my experience, that car was basically bullet proof. Everything from the A/C to the transmission ran just like it did on its first day. If you don't call this reliable, I dont know what would be.
In general, ALTHOUGH NOT FOR EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE EVER MADE, they also build them a lot better, and they generally develop fewer problems later on than the domestic cars do, and that includes the impala, CERTAINLY the intrepid, and the Taurus.
Finally, they have longer warranties than the domestics, and they are very good about honoring them.
Anything that people are involved in producing, including cars, will occasionally produce one that is not as good as the rest. That is the impact that humans being on the production line at any point has.
if you are going to compare one car to another, AT LEAST they should have the same owner so that they have some type of consistent treatment - any car that is babied is likely to do better regardless of the brand than one that is used hard and abused.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
It's really a disappointment, because one of the reasons I replaced my '92 Maxima is that it was starting to rattle--and my new car is even worse! People at work see the new car and ask them how happy I am with it, and I have to tell them that I would not buy this car if I knew what I knew today.
If I find any fixes, I will post them here.
I will say that the dealer fixed the noisy sunroof completely.
The latest is a very loud rattle that seems to be coming from the rear passenger-side seat area. Haven't had a chance to investigate yet, as I need somebody else to drive...
gcsads: can you describe what pieces were rattling in the wheel well? I'm desperate, and will look at anything!
1) Door pillar crackle / rattle on both driver and passenger side....pretty much occurs all the time.
2) Rattles behind radio area...sound like loose wires banging aroung...intermittant.
3) Instrument panel.....rattle that is present less often.
4) Occasional clunk in the trunk....actually I believe there is a TSB for this one...I just have convinced myself to think it's my son's soccer ball moving around...thats what I tell passengers anyway.
Also, note most of these rattles disappear when the temp falls to under 20 degrees...I have noticed this over the past 2 weeks in PA. Perhaps Toyota should only sell these cars in Alaska...ha ha ha
CAUSE: panels not fitted properly on assembly
isolate noise to front fender area-repair plastic panels by cowl and inner fender liner
I mentioned in a different discussion that I think the cause of my problems was I had a front end alignment done (not by toyota) and I think they reassembled something incorrectly. I might be wrong though.
From the 1st mile, the right passenger window buzzed loudly under acceleration and rough pavement. I could quickly tap the down switch on the right-front power window, and the noise would immediately stop. Put the window back up, no buzz....until next time I used the car.
After a few weeks it settled down, now is just intermittent and faint at that. But it's annoying.
Now the dash area has developed a noise that is a combination of buzz and high-ptiched rattle, you have to hear it to believe it. This one is highly intermittent, but when it happens you can hear it over the radio. Pressing on the radio, trim, or other dash pieces does not affect it. It does seem to be affected by temperature: the warmer the interior gets, the less it happens.
I also have the faint clunking in the trunk that other folks mentioned, but I can ignore that one.
Past posts recently said Toyota publically stated there were noise/rattle issues, and that they have been addressed. If so, is there a TSB on them that I can send my service dept to? They are telling me they don't know anything.
Otherwise, I'm happy with this car, but I seem to have bought a rattler.
Tyler
The most prominent and annoying rattle came from the front passenger door. It seemed as though the entire piece of fascia around the door pull (dark band of plastic trim right under the window that surrounds the door pull and extends the length of the door) would creak, click and rattle. The rattle was so pervasive that I would hear it on smooth pavement while accelerating, while braking, when the transmission shifted, etc.
A trip to the dealership on December 13 resulted in the rattle being acknowledged, but no specific source was identified. According to the dealership customer rep, nothing appeared to be loose, so the door was "taped up all around" and the interior fascia was reinstalled. Rattle gone per the rep. Rattle returned with vengeance within hours.
Despite the aftermath of a major snow storm in the northeast, I kept my appointment today because I figured that between the road conditions and the holidays, business would be slow and perhaps the techs would have more time and patience with the issue. This time, a problem was identified. According to the customer rep and report that I have, a piece of internal weatherstripping near the window was not tight to the doorframe - as it should be. The piece was secured, some "spooge" was applied to key points, and the door fascia was reinstalled. No rattle heard on the ride home over icy washboard roads. Fingers crossed and feeling positive this time!!!
Even though I am suffering from buyer's remorse and am not happy with my latest Camry, I have been satisified with the dealership's efforts to date and would buy from them again without a second thought. Perhaps the first tech was inexperienced. The dealership is a huge one in Framingham, Massachusetts.
I don't have the oft reported dash rattle. However, those that do should be aware that rattles from the audio system area may be loose cables and harnesses bumping against vent tubing, blower housing, etc. An easy fix. However, as always, identifying the source of rattles always seems to be the hardest part.
Or they are real odd and hard to find.
I had a VW on time that had a click between the lower metal part of the dash and the side door frame. Impossible to stop til I got a pair of vice grips and bent the bottom edge out - that stopped it.
As for the B pillar rattle: There is a very simple 1 piece metal seatbelt guide that is screwed to the body between the seatbelt retractor and the seatbelt height adjuster. Mine was loose and rattled over bumps. If you look at your B pillar fascia, the guide is located approximately behind the seam at which the upper and lower pieces of fascia meet (about the height of your seat back not including headrest.) One telltale sign was that the rattle was gone when I pulled the seatbelt taught, and lessoned when I had a passenger seatbelted in. After opening up my passenger side B pillar, I can tell you that there isn't much else to rattle at that height if you rule out the flimsy seatbelt height adjuster.
The passenger side door rattle has not returned after 2 days of post-repair driving! I'll share the entire report in hopes that it will help others who have reported a similar rattle:
"Cause: Resecured inner weather liner of pass front door"
"Road tested vehicle for noise complaint. Heard the vibration where the customer put the note removed the door panel. First removed all screws, then removed plastic corner trim. Removed the inside door cluster. Looked to see if anything is out of place, found the plastic cover that covers the area of the window area was not correctly secured to the body of the door. Took some black spoolge and placed it in various places. Put the door panel back on the door. Installed screws. Put back the corner plastic panel. Road tested vehicle two times. First time could not hear any vibration noises. The second time I grabbed another tech so I could listen more closely. Second time could not hear the noise vibration any more. Returned vehicle back to customer."
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
BERGM,
What did the reps say when you were pointing out the rattles? Having the video, have you considered further action.
I urge people to let the Toyota dealers work on these rattles, they are quite familiar with them, even when they pretend not to be - don't break a sweat exploring the innards of your dash yourself! Make them do it!
camrysev6owner - take it to a dealer who has done a good job in the past...you shouldn't live with that stuff for as much as cars cost these days. Several people have posted in here saying that their rattles were entirely fixed by their dealers. But take it to one that you trust.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I bought my Camry in Aug01, so I would assume it's one of the first ones off the lot. The B-pillars started rattling at about 5000 miles, but it doesn't sound as serious as some of the rattles you have mentioned. Peeling roof trims, cracking shifter console was something that I have never seen on new cars with such low mileage tho.
However, I have experienced much problems with the dash. The dash assmebly was so poor on my car. The trim piece around the radio didn't even fit snug to the dash. There was a big gap between the dash pieces, and obviously squeak and rattle developed. I took it to the dealer, they fixed it up a bit. The dash pieces fit better now, but a new rattle developed INSIDE the dash.
I am not sure whether I should ask them to fix it anymore as the dealer just makes the problem worse.
Solution I took a flat blade screw driver and pried the plate up near the rivets that attach the tag to a metal bracket. NO MORE POPPING!!!
Somebody needs to start a master fix cure list
Ed
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)