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Toyota Camry: Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • 2003sev62003sev6 Member Posts: 44
    I think the decision you made to buy the camry was a good one. The camry is much more of a family vehicle than an accord and in case you didn't know, your camry was built in Japan.
  • joyceb5joyceb5 Member Posts: 1
    Dealer serviced vehicle. 1994 Camry at 680011 miles, 12/28/00 Dealer said waterpump leaking replace $561. At 82362 miles, 1/7/03, in for service Dealer said waterpump leaking needs replacement. Did not check file, my mistake, waterpump/thermostat replaced $517. When I confronted dealer they said part warranty for one year, nothing we can do. Any one out there have a similar problem. I have sent a letter to Toyota USA.
  • armtdmarmtdm Member Posts: 2,057
    they have to remove all belts to get to the pump (at least ona V6) but teh entire cost should not be that high. A genuine Toytoa pump form a dealer via the internet is under $100 I beleive and 2-3 hour of labor to install. try to find an independent mechanic to do it. As to warranty, sorry, one year is it and you are out of luck. My original went 120,000 miles on my 92 and was going strong when I had it replaced with the timing belt at the same time.

    Good luck
  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    Time to change water pump is when the timing belt is being changed since not much more labor. At 65K the dealer refused to change mine said no problem, 1994 camry 4 cyl. it has 102k now, still not leaking. If I own it when the timing belt is changed i will do it then.
    My 1991 civic while doing the belt the dealer charged only $60 to chnagethe pump since it was just 3 bolts (maybe 4)
  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    Want to ask again - anyone changing them on 4 cyl Camrys?
    My dealer and Toyota say they are "lifetime".

    Also heard rumors the fitting spreads or breaks easily causing the fuel line to need replacement ---$$$to the tank.

    Anyone had any experience with 4 cyl Fuel filters?
  • ny10019ny10019 Member Posts: 5
    On my 1997 Camry the driver's door lock isn't working (feels like mechanically blocked). I want to replace it myself (dealer quoted $ 250). Do I need to take off the inner door panel to do that ? I know there are cracks out there who can give me a hint to save some time.
  • airman72airman72 Member Posts: 19
    My '03 LE is just threee weeks old. We just found out that the keys we have only work for the driver side door and the ignition, not the trunk, glove box and the passenger side doors. The dealership tried to recut a key based on the VIN number, but just didn't work out. So, they said they had to order a complete set of locks to replace it. I don't know if this is an easy job for the service guys or not. My concern is if the replacement will possibly affect anything, as it makes things feel like "not original" anymore. Maybe I am over concerned. But if anyone has similar experience, any comments are appreciated. Also, once the locks are replace, what do they do with the keyless entry I currently have? Do they just need to reprogram the remotes, or need another set of remotes.
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    The lock cylanders are a seperate system entirely from the keyless system, so that shouldn't effect anything there. It sounds as though someone lost the master keys and they cut a new set off of the valet key, but not sure. The replacement is pretty easy, so I wouldn't have any worries. Just make sure that you try all of your keys in all of the locks following their replacement. Also, they will all be covered under warranty as well, so no worries on that score.

    It sounds as though the dealer is doing everything right to make the situation right for you. If this is taking a couple of days for them to do, you might ask them to spring for a dinner for 2 to a local restaurant for the trouble, but other than that, it seems they are doing everything right to make all well for you.

    Hope this helps.

    Ken
  • rjlsnow1rjlsnow1 Member Posts: 3
    My wife and I recently purchased a 2002 Camry Le V6. We owned a 2000 model before purchasing the newer body style and adding leather. On our way home from the dealership (about 1 hour out) we noticed some wind noise coming from the back left passenger door. We thought maybe the door was not completely closed or the window was cracked open. We pulled over and checked both, but could not find anything visibly wrong with the door. The following weekend we drove to Houston with my in-laws in the back seat. My father in-law commented that the door sound like it had an air leak/wind noise. The following week I took it in for service. Now four months later, and five trips for service I still have wind noise coming from somewhere along the left side of the car. As of now the two different service departments have no idea how to fix it. Anyone else ever seen this in an 02 Camry?
  • toyotakentoyotaken Member Posts: 897
    This is not something that is common, but when it happens, there is a pretty easy fix. It's normally because there is too much of a gap between the weather stripping around the door and the frame. I say this is unusual because there are between 2 and three seals all the way around. The easiest way I've found to fix this is to go to the home-improvement dept. of your local hardware store and buy a box of thin self-stick weather stripping. On a warm car, make sure that the surface is clean (I use rubbing alcahol) and put the weather stripping around the frame where it will meet the weather stripping on the door. The additional coverage normally fixes the problem.

    Ken
  • 2002camry2002camry Member Posts: 20
    I had a similar problem. It was a broken regulator. Replaced window and regulator. No more wind noise. See the "Meet the Members" discussion for a full explanation.
  • jweaver1jweaver1 Member Posts: 25
    -- I’d like to comment on the “transmission clunk” while shifting from reverse into drive. My wife has a 2002 Camry-SE, and whenever I first back it out of the driveway, I definitely hear the “clunk”. It is not coming from the A/C or the antilock brakes. Since my driveway is on a hill, as I back out of my driveway, and turn the steering wheel to back up on the hill, my car comes to a stop without me applying the brakes. If I then shift into drive with my foot on or off the brake I hear the “clunk”. Even if I coast down the hill to try to match the transmission speed with the speed of the engine (which is running faster than normal because it is cold) and then shift into drive, I still hear the “clunk”, although it is quieter. This only happens the first time the car is driven in the morning.

    I have noticed another strange thing happening with the transmission. There is a stop sign a few blocks away that is on a hill. If I am not quick in shifting my foot from the brake to the accelerator to pull away from the stop sign, the car will drift BACKWARDS before it begins to move forward. This is with an automatic transmission. I cannot recall seeing any other car with an automatic transmission behave this way. This happens on most hills. Has anyone else noticed this condition? Could the two problems be related?
  • jweaver1jweaver1 Member Posts: 25
    -- I’d like to comment on the “transmission clunk” while shifting from reverse into drive. My wife has a 2002 Camry-SE, and whenever I first back it out of the driveway, I definitely hear the “clunk”. It is not coming from the A/C or the antilock brakes. Since my driveway is on a hill, as I back out of my driveway, and turn the steering wheel to back up on the hill, my car comes to a stop without me applying the brakes. If I then shift into drive with my foot on or off the brake I hear the “clunk”. Even if I coast down the hill to try to match the transmission speed with the speed of the engine (which is running faster than normal because it is cold) and then shift into drive, I still hear the “clunk”, although it is quieter. This only happens the first time the car is driven in the morning.

    I have noticed another strange thing happening with the transmission. There is a stop sign a few blocks away that is on a hill. If I am not quick in shifting my foot from the brake to the accelerator to pull away from the stop sign, the car will drift BACKWARDS before it begins to move forward. This is with an automatic transmission. I cannot recall seeing any other car with an automatic transmission behave this way. This happens on most hills. Has anyone else noticed this condition? Could the two problems be related?
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    all the 4 cylinder fuel-injected models I have ever owned from toyota (camrys, corollas, celicas, pick-ups) they have always told me the same thing, the fuel filter is for life. I have taken some of those vehicles out to 250K miles, and the non-replacement of the filter never was an issue on any of them. Since they are not designed to be changed unless they become completely plugged, it is possible to damage the fuel lines when you replace them. I have a friend who is a master tech at a Toyota dealership, and he tells me that changing that filter is always something they heavily discourage unless an obstruction is preventing the car from running, because it is a fragile connection. I don't think it affects the tank in any way though - the problem is it is a major hassle if one of those fuel line connections break.

    joyce- it helps a lot if you do all your car repair/maintenance with one dealership, because they will sometimes do goodwill repairs for you if you ask nicely and point out you have been going there for a while. Case in point: several years back I had a new alternator put in my car to the tune of $250 or so. It had a 12 month/12K mile warranty, but when it failed a little over two years and 30K later, they replaced it for free because I always took that car there when it needed work. You might try approaching the service manager and just asking them - it is possible you might get at least part of the repair (parts OR labor) for free. Take your invoice from the first repair with you.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • camrysev6ownercamrysev6owner Member Posts: 66
    Are you sure it's not the ABS that's making that clunk noise while you are backing up? Every car I've driven that's equipped with ABS had a clunk noise that wasn't noisy but audible when you move the car the first time after being ignited. That clunk noise reminds you that the ABS is active. My 97 Camry had that noise. The 2003 Camry I own now has that noise. My Aunt's Volvo 850 has that noise. Some cars I have rented equipped with ABS had that noise. OK, you get the picture.

    In response to your concern about the car moving backwards when you come to a stop sign on a slope, most automatics would do that. It depends on how steep the slope is. When you're on a slope in "D" without stepping on the accelerator or brake, whether or not the rolls front or backwards depend on the idle speed of your engine. If the engine is powerful enough to hold the car, it doesn't roll (just like when you go onto your driveway, your car doesn't move even when you don't apply brakes). It's perfectly normal. The 97 Camry I had was an automatic and it sometimes rolled backwards on the slope. The 03 Camry SE V6 I have now, even though a lot more powerful, still rolls back if the hill is really steep. One trick is to step a little on the accelerator, just enough to hold the car, when you just want to stop it for a few seconds. If you want it to stop it longer and don't want to put it into "P", use your handbrake. When you are ready to go, step a little on the accelerator before letting go on the handbrake so that the engine speed is enough just to prevent it from rolling back and hit the car behind you (if there is one).

    Those are all the advice I could think of now. Hope they're useful. Tell your wife not to worry about the car. It's a nice and safe car to drive.
  • jweaver1jweaver1 Member Posts: 25
    I'm sure the clunk isn't coming from the ABS, as it only makes the sound when I shift into drive from reverse, and only during the first drive of the day. It also seems to be louder in the cold weather. I wonder if synthetic transmission fluid would help, but I'm sure Toyota will say that their fluid is the best in the world and using anything else will void the warranty... Thanks for the info.
  • xbbusterxbbuster Member Posts: 145
    Is your SE a V6? I have an '02 LE V6 and the "clunk" you describe is exactly how my car acts. I've been to two different dealers and they both tell me that it's normal. Never have they mentioned anti-lock brakes just "it's normal, they all do that" I have a friend with an '02 V6 and he tells me his car shifts smoothly into drive from reverse when the engine is cold. I test drove an '03 V6 at one of the dealers and no jerk or clunk. This may be a common problem with this transmission because they have not offered to do any kind of diagnostic on the car.
  • camrysev6ownercamrysev6owner Member Posts: 66
    I have a 03 SE V6 and my car jerks just a little when shifting into drive from reverse, just like all other cars. But I don't hear any clunk. The only thing that differentiates your cars from mine is that mine is a 03.

    I understand how frustrating it is to detect these problems but the dealer always say "it's normal". What I did when I had problems with my old 97 Camry was that I kept on bugging them until they spotted the problem. I asked them politely but made it sound really serious. I told them that I wanted to get it fixed before the warranty is over or similar things like that. My hope was that they would check the problem more thoroughly. And it worked. If not, just try another dealer if there's one around.

    Best of luck to both of you.
  • xbbusterxbbuster Member Posts: 145
    What did the dealer do to spot the problem? Did they ever find the cause of the cold start jerk and fix it?
  • paul29paul29 Member Posts: 178
    On the hill holding problem , have you tried holding the brake with your left foot and accel with right . There are millions of drivers with standards who co-ordinate both feet with ease. Good luck
  • jweaver1jweaver1 Member Posts: 25
    To xbbuster: Yes it is a v-6. I've noticed it since last summer, but it was't very loud. Now with the temperature just above zero degrees F, it seems more noticable.

    To paul29: It isn't a problem as far as driving is concerened as I have been driving a 5-speed manual for 25 years, I just want to make sure the transmission isn't defective.
  • keidejwkeidejw Member Posts: 4
    I have a vintage 88 camry w/V6 engine. The condensor fan runs the entire time I have the ignition key in the run position. Any thoughts on what could cause this malfuntion??
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    a condensor fan? Do you mean the engine cooling fan?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • keidejwkeidejw Member Posts: 4
    The 1988 2.5 V6 engine has two cooling fans in the engine compartment; one for the radiator (passenger side) and one for the condensor (drivers side). The drivers side fan starts running as soon as I turn the key on--even with the A/C off and engine cold. I have tried to track down electrical circuit and have found the Haynes book to be inaccurate. The fan only turns off if I pull the A/C fan relay No. 1. The Haynes book shows this relay tied to the other fan (radiator).
  • keidejwkeidejw Member Posts: 4
    I have a 1988 camry 2.5 V6 engine which has two cooling fans in the engine compartment; one for the radiator (passenger side) and one for the condensor (drivers side). The drivers side fan starts running as soon as I turn the key on--even with the A/C off and engine cold. I have tried to track down electrical circuit and have found the Haynes book to be inaccurate. The fan only turns off if I pull the A/C fan relay No. 1. The Haynes book shows this relay tied to the other fan (radiator). Any help would be appreciated.
  • paul29paul29 Member Posts: 178
    This condition ( hill holding ability or lack there of ) is considered normal for most of automatics today . There was a discussion a while back on the Lexus LS 400 board , " 1999 Lexus LS rolling backwards in drive " which may be of interest regarding this topic.
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    now I get it...it is almost certainly the switch that is malfunctioning...you can get a service book just for the electrical system from the Toyota dealer, if you want an accurate manual to track it down.

    At least it won't have any negative side effects, beyond a small draw on the electrical system, and possibly reduced life of the fan...

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    I get about 2 or 3 drops now and then from my engine.
    its oil.
    Anyone had similar?
    If you lay down under the car about where the inboard passenger side CV joint is, and look up you are looking past the drive shaft up at what looks like the bottom of the intake manifold. Four aluminum runners. two sets of two bolts on each side. on the passenger side of the car set of these two they both have oil drops on them.
    Can the manifild to the engine be leaking (is an oil passage involved - you would not think so) or is it more likely that its coming out of the valve cover gasket and draining down?
  • brewerdmbrewerdm Member Posts: 1
    My Solara makes that clunking sound. I too park on a hill. When I put the car in reverse, worse in the mornings, I hear the clunk. When I go from reverse to drive or vice versa, I hear the clunk. It's in the rear brakes. I went to the dealer repeatedly. I even forced them to change my brakes on one side. Finally, the manager went for a ride with me. He knew exactly what the problem was. The brakes are adjusting. He showed me how to stop and let the brake part (don't know the tech word) swing back to avoid the sound. I guess on a hill the brakes have to swing when you begin to move. I don't like hearing the noise, it's really disturbing, particularly since I've always had quiet cars. But I was told it's normal, nothing that can be done except learn how to let the brake part swing before you move when changing directions. I didn't begin hear the noise until 5-6 months after driving the car. I am considering purchasing a different vehicle. That has been the only problem I've experienced.
  • xbbusterxbbuster Member Posts: 145
    Is your Solara a V6? My '02 LE V6 clunks when shifting from reverse to drive and only in the morning when the engine is cold. The dealer hasn't a clue what it could be. So their answer is "it's normal"
  • tomgreen1000tomgreen1000 Member Posts: 18
    Is the dealer the appropriate source for touch up paint for 2003 - Aspen Green?

    Thanks.

    Tom
  • astorey1astorey1 Member Posts: 41
    Tom - yes. You need it already - wow! I want to go ahead and get some in Catalina Blue. I wonder how $$ it is.
  • tomgreen1000tomgreen1000 Member Posts: 18
    We had the car only about 10 days before some POS put a door ding in it. And that was with parking as far away as possible and doing everything else humanly possible to keep the car away from harm. (except for never driving it and leaving it in my garage)

    My wife literally had to physically restrain me from doing major damage to the other car.

    Tom
  • yankeryanker Member Posts: 156
    Studebaker and Subaru more recently had a hill holder device and it worked with 5 speed transmissions
  • frank135frank135 Member Posts: 5
    Hi! I noted that the engine runs very loud right after I start the engine in the morning, a lot louder than a 1999 Corrola. The temperature is around 40 degrees. It quiets down after a minute or two. The car is an LE automatic. Is this an indiction of some problem? Thanks. Frank
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    it revs pretty high when you start it up completely cold in the morning. Is that the sound you mean?

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • xbbusterxbbuster Member Posts: 145
    A friend of mine has an '02 Solara 4cyl. auto. When starting the car cold, the engine races at 2k rpm for 4 or 5 minutes before the idle drops. his dealer's serv. mgr. spews the Toyota line of "It's normal". If he tries to drive it before the rpm drops to 900 he has to stand on the brakes at the first few stop signs. Any one have a similar problem or happen to know what the high idle rpm should be?
  • frank135frank135 Member Posts: 5
    Yes, the engine does rev pretty high right after start. But it runs a lot quieter even at higher RPM after a few minutes.

    Frank
  • giribillagiribilla Member Posts: 1
    Car: Cousin's 5 speed 2001 Camry
    Problem: It feels like missing or a little surge between 2500 RPM and 3500 RPMs.It does not do it in first gear. It does it right after shifting to second or third gear as one accelerates. After it does it stepping off the gas and accelerating again in the same gear does not bring it on UNLESS one shifts again to second or third again
    and gives it gas once again. It has been doing this since brand new. Changing to premium does no good.
    Questions:
    1) Has anyone else experience this?
    2) Could this just be the secondary injectors kicking in?
    3) I read on the net about a stick shift mustang with a similar problem and it was the throtle positioning sensor, could this be the culprit?

    Thanks Everyone for your help
  • camrytoyotacamrytoyota Member Posts: 4
    Ive been having many problems with my camry. I have not fixed any of these problems yet and they are occurring about 4 months apart. Could these problems possibly be related to some electrical problem or do they seem separate?:

    1. speakers on front right dash keep going in and out and one back speaker does not work. Went to a stereo shop and they checked the wiring connecting the aftermarket head unit and said the wires looked fine and he guessed the head unit must be broken.

    2. Power window in the back ceases to function

    3. reverse back up lights dont work

    4. O/d wording on dash does not light up any more though overdrive appears to work.

    5. 4 months AFTER reverse lights dont work the tail light failure sensor lights up on dash.All other lights appear to work.

    6. when shifting into reverse in the morning, I have to hold on the the shifter to insure the "r" on the dash lights up.

    fuses under the hood and on driver side seem fine.
    Anyone else have these problems? Any possibility they are related? Please offer advice on what might be wrong.
  • toyotabtoyotab Member Posts: 6
    Is the head unit Toyota or aftermarket stereo???
    Drawback of Aftermarket is electrical gremlins take over.

    Question 2. Power window in the back ceases to function.

    Are you referring to the heated window in back or one of the back door windows? If it is the one in back check the fuse, if it the windows for the doors the window regulator is bad. Do you hear the motor running?

    3. reverse back up lights dont work
    6. when shifting into reverse in the morning, I have to hold on the the shifter to insure the "r" on the dash lights up.

    In all likelihood your Neutral Safety Switch is bad, it also incorporates the back up lamp switch into it.

    4. O/d wording on dash does not light up any more though overdrive appears to work.

    Their is a bulb specifically for the overdrive that judging by the year of the car is probably burned out.

    5. 4 months AFTER reverse lights dont work the tail light failure sensor lights up on dash.All other lights appear to work.

    This sensor is located in the trunk on the left side up towards the left hinge. You will need to peel back the black carpet lining and you will find a yellow/white box that says lamp failure sensor right on it. Part number starts 89373.

    Call Toyota with the number but make sure you are sitting down, I believe it is 350.00!!!!!

    Let me know the number, I have one that may work..
  • toyotabtoyotab Member Posts: 6
    ------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------
    #1245 of 1263 Re: Condensor fan runs all the time by keidejw Jan 25, 2003 (12:33 pm)
    The 1988 2.5 V6 engine has two cooling fans in the engine compartment; one for the radiator (passenger side) and one for the condensor (drivers side). The drivers side fan starts running as soon as I turn the key on--even with the A/C off and engine cold. I have tried to track down electrical circuit and have found the Haynes book to be inaccurate. The fan only turns off if I pull the A/C fan relay No. 1. The Haynes book shows this relay tied to the other fan (radiator).

    The problem is one of your temp switches. The A/C condenser should only come on when the engine temeperature reaches a certain point, kind of like a thermostat in a way, the engine get's hot the fan kicks on to cool down the engine. these switches should be located on a water outlet, i believe there is 4 on the outlet. You need to test to see which one.

    Long term effects?????????

    I do not believe it will hurt anything if it keeps running all the time. The motor will burn out at somepoint, then you will need to replace it
  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    . 4 months AFTER reverse lights dont work the tail light failure sensor lights up on dash.All other lights appear to work.

    check the high mount tail lite above the back seat
  • camrytoyotacamrytoyota Member Posts: 4
    toyotab: the car still starts and reverses fine. It only has problems reading as reverse on the dash. Would it still be the saftey neutral switch that is defective?

    You state the bulb must be burned out that lights up o/d on the dash. Is this difficult to replace? Do you know if you have to remove the entire dash or is it something simpler.

    On the defective power windows I dont not hear the power window motor running and it will not lower at all.

    Is the tail light sensor easy to replace? Is it a job for a novice?

    Thanks
  • donnyrosedonnyrose Member Posts: 11
    My brand new 2003 Toyota Camry LE 4 cyl emits a single, clearly audible "click" when it reaches about 3 mph. It won't click again until the car is turned off and then restarted. The click happens no matter what gear (reverse, drive, or neutral), and every time the car is turned on. Has anyone else noticed the same behavior?
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    ABS self function test
  • nippononlynippononly Member Posts: 12,555
    are you sure you do not have a burned out taillight or brake light? I would be surprised if the sensor had gone out - that is not that common. Make sure to check the third brake light that sits on the parcel shelf.

    The o/d light on the dash is a pain - better to just leave it. But the reverse light is controlled by the neutral safety switch, which is on the side of the transmission. Can you start your car in any gear besides 'P' or 'N'? If so, you may need a new one, and they aren't that cheap. On older cars they could be "adjusted" a bit, I don't know if there is still room to adjust them on newer models.

    2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)

  • camrythreecamrythree Member Posts: 2
    By now you have probably figured out that the lines go up by 2.5 mph. (60-62.5-65.0-67.5-70.0 and so forth. So two lines up from 60 is 65 and it is very easy to keep that speed especially with cruise control. Hope that helps.
  • jack600jack600 Member Posts: 11
    99 Camry CE, tail light,back up light, head dim light not work, but brake and turn light works.

    Check fuse and relay box, no fuse found bad. But did not find tail light relay position.

    Month before, instrument cluster indicater tail light not work(very occasionally,but not go back to check)

    Any pne know this, please send email: jack600@hotmail.com
    thansk
  • jlsextonjlsexton Member Posts: 302
    My 99 camry has been a superb auto but for two problems. My heater squirrel cage fan makes a lot of noise on high as if it is out of round. The dealer said he pulled a critter out of it a while back because of noise and the noise is less but still there, he said all Camrys are prone to this and one must leave the heater on recirculate in cold weather(sounds like a story). Also a crack has appeared mid dash out of no where and I'm curious if anyone has experienced these problems. Please e-mail me if you can help.
                           shooter_9mm@yahoo.com
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