Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

gp4 · May 2002

The Camry plant is also no longer the tops in quality in the US. I see even GM is building higher quality mid size cars now than the Camry. I think Toyota dropped the ball.

vic19 · May 2002

J.D. Power and Associates 2002 Initial Quality Study

Car models ranking highest in their segment are:

Compact Car - Toyota Corolla and Toyota Prius (tie)
Entry Midsize Car - Chevrolet Malibu
Premium Midsize Car - Buick Century
Full-Size Car - Buick LeSabre
Entry Luxury Car - Ford Thunderbird
Mid Luxury Car - Lexus GS 300/GS 430
Premium Luxury Car - Lexus LS 430
Sporty Car - Mazda Miata
Premium Sports Car - Chevrolet Corvette

Light-truck models ranking highest in their segment are:

Compact Pickup - Toyota Tacoma
Full-Size Pickup - Toyota Tundra
Entry SUV - Toyota RAV4
Midsize SUV - Toyota Highlander
Full-Size SUV - Ford Expedition
Luxury SUV - Lexus LX 470
Compact Van - Toyota Sienna

And for word about long distance runners, probable frequency of repair:

Consumer Reports judgment:

Corolla and Camry much better than average (their best rating)

All other Toyotas at least better than average

All Lexus much better than average

Chevy Malibu worse than average

Buick Century better than average

Buick Le Sabre average

Chey Corvette much worse than average

cliffy1 · May 2002

Webguyster, The IQS rates customer reported problems in the first 90 days of ownership. I had previously stated one year, but that was incorrect.

alpha01 · May 2002

The Sienna is currently from the same plant that produces Camrys, so apparently if they dropped the ball, they didnt let it roll to far. (The Sienna placed highest in JD Power for its class.) I am Toyota fan, and its nice to see the brand did well, but I'd put more credence in long term reliability studies than the JD Power Initial Quality anyday. I think their 5 year vehicle dependability study is alot more telling.
~alpha

alpha01 · May 2002

The Sienna is currently from the same plant that produces Camrys, so apparently if they dropped the ball, they didnt let it roll too far. (The Sienna placed highest in JD Power for its class.) I am Toyota fan, and its nice to see the brand did well, but I'd put more credence in long term reliability studies than the JD Power Initial Quality anyday. I think their 5 year vehicle dependability study is alot more telling.
~alpha

lilybean · May 2002

I'm considering getting this treatment and I'd really appreciate your comments. It's an 8mm layer of urethane coating especially designed by 3M that wraps around the tip of your hood (or bumpers) sort of like shrink-wrap or the film you put onto windows. It is very thick and resists rock chips and other debris. It books out at $150-300 from the dealer and according to their web-site is guaranteed for 4yrs/80,000 miles (if I read this right in the faq's). Apparently it's a modern alternative to the "bra".

http://www.chipguard.com/

Here are my feelings and please feel free to comment / add your own experiences & concerns

Love/Hate. It looks great on a showroom car...but I've never seen a "used" car with it.
It's a fairly new product (I think).
Wonder what it will look like after the 4 years are up (I'm a long-term owner-traditionally, that is)
Wonder if (or when) it will peel, chip or crack & how that would look! eeeeeww.
Wonder how it will react to car wax, etc...web-site says use a pick to clean the edges - yuck!
What about fading...either the car's original paint or the film. Will they age at the same rate?
I don't like the look of the top edge (it IS visible even tho they say it isn't), but the rest looks fabulous.
Will this be a re-sale boon or bust?
Is it really necessary...Toyota's paint jobs are highly rated.

I can get this done for $150 and it looks pretty nice, except for the top line/edge. That looks like a bi-focal...it annoys me even when looking at new ones. You've given me some great advice on the Camry, so I'm hoping I can get your gut feelings on this product before I do-or-don't take the plunge.

Thanx in advance, "Lily"

4dunes · May 2002

Hello all,

I am new to this forum (thought I posted already but it didn't show up!) and have a question about the '97 Camry V-6.

I am getting ready to purchase one, and the owner's took it to Toyota today to have the automatic dimming mirror replaced, as it had stopped working. They have a bumper to bumper extended warranty.

When I spoke with them today, I was told that the car is getting $4,000.00 worth of work done on it.

They had noticed oil leaking, and just got the letter from Toyota. The engine seals are leaking and Toyota is doing the work at no charge.

Had anyone else gotten the letter, or had this service work done?

It kind of floored me, as one of the reasons I choose to buy a Toyota was the reputation of the engines. I guess if Toyota is performing that much work, the engine should be like new. (??)

Any reassurance would be helpful, before I plunk down the money on this car! Otherwise, the car is immaculate, and has had all service work performed.
The owners are having the service records printed out for me, as well. All service has been done by Toyota.

cliffy1 · May 2002

Valve seals in Camrys are fairly notorious for leaking after time. Since they had an extended warranty, that problem was covered. Valve seals don't cost $4000 to replace, unless other work needed to be performed as well. It is likely that the dealer figured that since they had things opened up and the customer would not be out of pocket for the repairs that they did a complete overhaul.

There has been no recall on the engine seals, but there was a letter to owners giving an 8 year/unlimited mileage warranty against engine sludge. Sludge develops in engines that have been "abused." It doesn't take much neglect to get sludge and it is possible that the dealer found enough evidence of sludge to justify a complete overhaul/cleaning. If this is the case, you will buy a car with an essentially new engine.

tiger8 · May 2002

You say your 2000 Camry was built in Japan. But you say your '02 Camry (built 11/98?) was American made, as I imagine the one from S.C. was.

alpha01 · June 2002

hahaha sorry about that typo. I dont know where my mind was. Our 2002 Camry was definitely built in 11/01. That said, I dont exactly understand your point... but you obviously make an intelligent argument, so thanks for the opportunity to discuss the Camry.
alpha

mimi919 · June 2002

Would you be kind enough to answer a question for me.....What is required by me to keep my 100,000 mile Platinum warranty in effect?....I realize that I need oil changes,tire rotations,coolant changes every 30,000 miles and tuneup at 60,000 miles but also I noticed Toyota lists the following and I was wondering if It was required or not....inspect ball joints,brake lines hoses pads,drive shaft gear box and many other items every 15,000 miles...if I don't pay to have these items checked by Toyota am I violating my extended warranty?...In addition to those checks my dealer recommends trans. service and several other costly preventive maintenance services which I can't see having done since most items I mentioned are covered under my extended warranty.

lilybean · June 2002

I debated this issue also. I was originally concidering a less expensive car (Ford Focus) but when all was said & done, the Camry LE beat it hands down. Hawks and Cliffy encouraged me to take a second look at the XLE and I'm glad I did! (Mine is now "on order") The upgrade is worth so much more than the face-price. I was quoted 18,999 on an LE and got the XLE for 20,460. Just two of the features I would have added to the LE made up that price, but there is soooo much more to the upgrade. I'm delighted that I investigated the advice I got here. I read that aprox 2/3 of Camry owners stay with the 4cyl and at 152 (?) vs 190 hp, you must be your own judge. If you're a power driver, then I guess the v6 is great. I'm looking for gas mileage, and the v6 would be a down-grade for me (I drive 100 miles/day). The engine is plenty zippy for me, but may not have the heft you are looking for. That's not for me to say. I'm sure you know yourself better & either choice is good, so how can you fail?!?

My advice is simple: Check out the XLE. If you are willing to pay the difference, you will be getting a lot more than the price. Remember this: Quality is remembered long after the price!

Congratulations in either case! "Lily"

lehr · June 2002

Well, we picked up our 2002 Lunar Mist 4 cyl Toyota Camry XLE yesterday. We got it for $20,742 with only floor mats as an option with their special financing of 3.9% for 48 months.
I never figured out the dealers port fee mumbo-jumbo. The sticker said the car came from Kentucky. (We live in South Carolina)
We are elated with the car. Lilybean, you will be so glad you got the XLE. We, too, initially were looking at the LE. But we really wanted ABS, which are hard to come by on LE's. So we got the XLE. The climate control is awesome. The rear passengers get vents, and we have a sunshade in the back window for our baby. I really wanted alloy wheels, but the 16" wheel covers really look sharp.
The drive is serenly smooth and quiet. I was flying 80 mph down the freeway not even knowing it. Unfortunately, this is my wife's car and I will have to go back to my Geo Prizm.
Happy Motoring,
Lehr

cliffy1 · June 2002

The maintenance requirement for the Platinum warranty are the same as for the standard warranty. This means that if the book calls for it, you must do it. Most of the stuff you mentioned are pretty basic things that often get inspected as part of routine oil changes. If you ignore your ball joints and they go bad, it would not be covered. If you ignore your ball joints and your CD player goes out, it would be covered.

tiger8 · June 2002

The folks over at the Honda Accord board are all atwitter over rumors that the forthcoming new Accord (due later this summer) will have an available V6 with up to 240hp and a five-speed automatic transmission. If this is true, what will Toyota's answer be?

tiger8 · June 2002

I guess my point was that the South Carolina Camry discussed above was probably built in Kentucky (which the owner now confirms) and thus a "port fee" was a figment of her salesman's imagination.

sbell4 · June 2002

I'm confident that the admin fee was miscommunicated as a "port fee". No big deal really, she bought a great car at a great price. Congratulations! Next issue please.

cliffy1 · June 2002

All cars come through a central distribution facility which we commonly call a port. Cars are not shipped directly from the factory to the dealerships. They do go through a port, even if they arrive there by train.

cliffy1 · June 2002

There is a 3.3 liter engine coming for the Sienna and I have heard rumors that this engine will make its way into the Camry at some point.

clhawkins01 · June 2002

Has anyone resolved this issue yet? This smell has recently arrived in my SE V6. You can smell it right when the car is turned on. It does seem to disappear if I activate the recirculation button. I haven't taken the car in yet, but will be doing so very soon. Any help that I can forward to the service manager would be greatly appreciated.

mldtexas · June 2002

I purchased a 2002 Camry in November and it has a burning smell or a rotten egg smell. I can smell it in the car and outside the car. The dealorship has no clue to the problem. Any ideas??????

pham2001 · June 2002

My car had only 297miles on it. I noticed the brake is making a tapping noise from metal to metal when I slowed down to make turn to the drive
way. And both rear rotors showed a lot of grid lines. Some are deep I
can felt it with my finger rubbing it. The 2 front rotors still looks very smooth. What's wrong here with the brake?

I'll bring my car in for service this week. But I'd like to have some
ideas regard to this problem so the dealer won't be bs me.

Any input is very appreciated. Thanks

PS.

To alpha01, tiger8

Do you have any idear regard to
this brake problem?.

cliffy1 · June 2002

I don't know what the noise is you are hearing, but I do have a comment on the rear brakes. I had a customer show me his rear brakes last week and noticed that they are grooved fairly heavily. I looked at all the new ones on our lot and saw that they were all the same. I don't know why this is, but it seems to be normal. Have your dealer's service department look at yours.

alpha01 · June 2002

I would be unable to help you cause the LE 4 clyinder which we have, is the only Camry to use less sophisticated (and less powerful) rear drums.
~alpha

pat · June 2002

The Town Hall is about to take on a new look in an effort to make content more easily searchable and accessible.

Have you seen the Letter from the Town Hall Manager on the Town Hall Welcome page? If not, you might want to follow that link to have a look.

And hang on to your seats. Change is never easy - for any of us - but resolving the Search problems we've had will be worth the pain.

Pat
Sedans Host

george00 · June 2002

I have a 2002 LE4 automatic with 3500 miles on the odometer - I bought it in January. So far, the operation of the car has been flawless - no rattles or squeaks, no shifting surges or noises (in fact, an extremely smooth transmission), the standard brakes (disks up front, drums in the rear, no ABS) work just fine, the car is very steady and quiet, makes 28 mpg in mixed local/highway driving. It's no street racer, but neither am I; I have no difficulty merging onto a 75 mph highway.

The only problem, and it is major, is with the driver's seat. I have the power option (all the LE4s I saw had it), so positioning is easy. But the seat is much too hard and improperly shaped - in particular, the top of the seat-back angles forward, which pushes my shoulders forward and gives me royal backaches after an hour or so of driving (which is why I didn't detect the problem during several 20-minute test drives).

I have had 3 auto upholsterers work on the seat. They have made it better - the seat comes, incredibly, with a horizontal metal bar a third down from the top of the seat-back; this is so hog rings can be used to pull in the fabric at that point, but it drove me crazy until it was removed. But even with all the fixes, and a top-of-the-line (= expensive) sheepskin cover, the seat is still uncomfortable over long rides.

I have tried every aftermarket seat cushion available and even bought special "memory foam" and made my own cushioning, but it's simply impossible to overcome the hardness, narrowness, and shape of the seat. One poster kindly sent me instructions on how to rebuild the seat from the ground up, including metal work, but I simply don't have the background or knowledge for such a project or, for that matter, the strength and agility necessary for removing and replacing a power seat.

What a shame Toyota can make so fine a car but so lousy a seat. By the way, I wrote to Toyota and got back a completely unresponsive reply telling me to see the service manager at a local dealership - they did not even address my question of whether other models' seats, e.g. Lexus ES300 (built on the same chassis), will fit my Camry.

So, although everything else about the car is fine, I guess I may be back in the car market sooner than I had planned.

8u6hfd · June 2002

According to some of the guys over at the Corolla forum, the 2003 Corolla owners noticed the same thing. Over a few thousand miles they say it will disappear as the catalytic converter breaks in.

alpha01 · June 2002

It really sucks that your seat gives you so much trouble. After a long stint in our 02 recently, I found it better than the seat in our 00. The two at least by my rudimentary tape measure, are similar in cushion length. (Yes, I know I am a dork, but I wanted to see if there was a difference). Granted neither seat is a massage recliner, but I just cant believe you find it that poor that you would be getting rid of the vehicle. Make sure that you are REALLY comfortable in the other seats, I suppose, so you hopefully dont run into this problem again.
~alpha

schweikb · June 2002

I have been recently considering a 2002 Camry XLE (I think that's right). The seat problems mentioned by george00 scare me. My own observation after sitting in one and taking a brief test drive indicate this might be a problem for me too. For one thing, the bottom cushion depth (front to back) is much shorter than in a '02 Altima or Sub Legacy. At 6'3" I need headroom and legroom (which there is plenty of) but also thigh support (there isn't much of that).
Also, I am reading even in the Edmunds review that rattles and squeaks could be a problem. Even thought the Altima looks cheaper in terms of interior (dash) materials it seems to have better seats and maybe be more rattle-free. Also, witht eh Altima I can choose the Charcoal interior (with the LE or XLE Camry's both taupe and stone interior are way to light for my taste (and dog's foot prints).
Anyone can confirm or challenge my observations? Thanks.

alpha01 · June 2002

The seat thing is definitely something to consider and I'd place it as a potential problem of higher priority than squeaks/rattles, which seem relegated to the cars that were produced earlier (and hence's edmunds.com noting the issue). That said, ours has had no issues with squeaks/rattles. Like you said, if you need a dark interior, you wont find it in the Camry LE/XLE. Is there a reason why the Maxima and Accord arent on your shopping list? Both have outstanding reliability, and though the Max is generally at a higher price point, there are big discounts out there right now. I'd take the Max over the Altima.

sam_beaver · June 2002

I'm one of the people who found the driver's seat extremely uncomfortable, and I'm only 5'7". Fortunately, a $30 sheepskin cover has made all the difference for me and I no longer notice any significant problem with the seat.

I don't have the same problem with the passenger side seat because I can shift around more than when I'm driving, so I can usually find a comfortable position (or at least vary my position) over long periods. And I find the back seat (where I often ride, next to a child's car seat) very comfortable indeed.

george00 · June 2002

Sam, I'm 5'7" too. Can you tell us the brand of seat cover you got, and where you got it?

Alpha, your advice about other cars is spot on. I am in fact terrified that I will trade for another car, and take a terrific loss on the Camry, and then find the new car equally uncomfortable. I certainly was extremely careful about the Camry: I found its seat comfortable for all the test drives I took. Indeed, I found it comfortable for a month of ownership; only then did it start to hurt. I think one problem is that most seats are comfortable at first, but if a seat impinges on particular sensitive points in your back, you become sore there, so continual
pressure on those same points becomes cumulative. If you then change for another seat, it impinges on different points, which aren't sore yet, and so it seems more comfortable even if it's not better designed and even if in the long run it will be as or more uncomfortable than the first. It's a real problem, and I have no idea of the answer (except in 50 years of driving I never had this problem until, around 10-12 years ago, car makers adopted the preformed foam which is now universal). Renting a car in advance for an extended period, say a month, would be sensible, but it's often not possible - e.g., at least in my area, nobody rents a Subaru or an Altima, two cars I would consider as a replacement for my Camry. Is a puzzlement.

schweikb · June 2002

After years of all the tiny 4 cylinders going to cheaper lighter and less rotating mass timing belts, some are coming back to timing chains for durabillity, I guess. Nissan's new 175 hp Altima 4 has a chain. Anyone know about the Camry 4 cylinder - belt or chain??

clhawkins01 · June 2002

8u6hfd wrote - "According to some of the guys over at the Corolla forum, the 2003 Corolla owners noticed the same thing. Over a few thousand miles they say it will disappear as the catalytic converter breaks in."

I must be noticing something different. The smell I'm noticing didn't show up until 6,000 miles or so. I need to get it in for reivew ... I've been lazy.

cliffy1 · June 2002

The new 4 cylinder engine has a timing chain. The V6 still has a belt.

mimi919 · June 2002

Sorry to hear about the discomfort you are having with your Camry driver seat and I know from expierence what your going through.
I actually ordered an "02" Camry but after reading all the negative posts about the drivers seat I had to find out for myself and rented a Camry and yes I found the drivers seat to be extremely uncomfortable and cancelled my order the day I was scheduled to pick up my car and ended up with the Solara instead.
I was told by a Toyota salesman that the problem with the "02" Camry seat is that it was shortened by approx. 2 1/2 inches from the previous year causing it to lack thigh support for the driver.
I have a suggestion....maybe you can find out if a previous year Camry seat will fit on your seat tracks and if so that may take care of your problem as it would be a lot less costly if you can correct this rather then trading your Camry in as it can be very costly trading in a new car.

sam_beaver · June 2002

The cover I bought was ordered from autobarn.com -- my order confirmation listed it as follows:

Genuine Sheepskin Seat
CLA30500series $37.95
Color = (CLA30502) Beige Cushion

I said $30 in an earlier post but I guess I was slightly off. I don't think there was any other sheepskin cushion at that site, though.

Everyone's pressure points are different, so of course this may or may not help you at all. And especially now that you've had so much work done to the seat, it may fit differently.

For me, I was having both bottom-irritation (the dividing line in the seat bottom hit me in exactly the wrong place), and back pain (which I couldn't trace directly to the seat, but if it wasn't the seat then it was a strange coincidence that it came with the car, and left with the seat cover). Both of the problems were solved with this one cover.

In fact, my wife was also beginning to get back pain at about the same time, and hers too went away within a few days of installing the seat cover. She's about 5'1".

I actually ordered 4 different seat cushions/covers from autobarn.com, but this was the only one they had in stock, and since it worked so well I cancelled the back-order on the others.

andrelaplume · June 2002

I should be picking up my 2002 LE this week. Anyone know how I can tell when and where it was manufactured. I am concerned about rattles. Indeed I test drove 2 Camry's. One had a hideous rattle, the other quite as can be. The car in the color I wanted, with the options I wanted had to be 'built' at port so I it's pot luck I guess. I saw a post about the earlier models having the rattles so I am hoping mine was built recently. How can I check?

Cliffy, I you read this....we had spoken of the fact that you can purchase Platinum Extended care anytime during the 3/36K warranty from ANY dealer. I probably will buy the contract where I can get the best price even it means calling in a phone order to a distant dealer. My question is: 'Is there any benefit to buying the Platinum care up front?'. I'd like to wait a few months to make sure the car isn't a complete clunker...not that it could possible be....Are their any benefits that come from the Extended care that are not part of the 3/36 warranty?

fredvh · June 2002

There is a sticker on the driver's door post that has the month and year of manufacture. Almost all US Camrys are built in the US. If the first digit of the VIN is a "J" then the Camry was built in Japan.

rwong1998 · June 2002

Hello I am looking at buying a bare bones 2002 Camry LE with automatic transmission in Vancouver, B.C. with a MSRP of $24,800 Canadian. How much off MSRP are people getting off in Canada on 2002 Toyota Camrys? Thanks in advance to any help you can offer.

deluxcar · June 2002

Yesterday I saw a sharp looking BLACK 2002 Camry XLE v6 with spoiler and gold package. What caught my eye however, was the word "Turbo" just beneath the V6. Surely, this must be an aftermarket moniker fastened there for show.

I never thought of the Camry as a sports car but this baby was a looker. The shine of the black paint coupled with the gold lettering transformed the Camry to look like a black stallion after a light workout.

Great car.

schweikb · June 2002

I decided last PM not to get the Camry, I am probably going with a 4 cyl Altima (maybe a Legacy if the Nissan dealer doesn't budge a little on price). Sole reason is the short front seat cushion. I tried a '02 XLE again last evening and the seat cushion comes just about half way up my upper leg, giving virtually no support. I am long-legged, but the Legacy and the Altima both appear to have much longer (front to back, or deep) bottom cushions. In the Altima I can feel the cushion gently on the underside of my knee, probably 3" longer the Camry's. I believe mim919's info from a Toyota salesman that the '02 midels had the front seat cushion cut by 2.5 inches. Bad move - now Nissan gets another sale even though I'd rather have the Camry style, features, reliabiity, economy, automatic A/C, etc.

sam_beaver · June 2002

I was driving yesterday and found myself for a short while behind a Camry (don't know the year and I'm not so good on reognizing generations, but my best guess is 2-4 years old) that had a "V12" emblem on the back. Was that just a joke, or did the Camry ever come with a V12? Or can you add one after-market? The emblem did not quite look as if it came originally with the car -- the size of the lettering was off a bit from what I would expect.

cliffy1 · June 2002

First, the manufacture date is on the door jam, but since this is coming in directly to your dealer from the port, it will be a May or June 2002 build.

Next, the only thing you get from the Platinum warranty that you don't get on the standard warranty is the "travel protection." This pays you $100 per day if you require warranty work and you are more than 150 miles from home.

One other thing to keep in mind on the warranty is that it is transferable plus you can cancel it. The transferability is nice if you sell it to a private party. You can usually recoup a large portion of your purchase price like this. Cancelling has one big pitfall though. They pro-rate the refund based on the date of first use instead of the date that the 3/36 expires. This means that if you buy the 7/100 for say $1200 (for example) and cancel after 1 year and 14K miles, your refund would be roughly $1029 or 6/7ths of the original purchase price. I know this doesn't make sense, but it is how it is done.

cliffy1 · June 2002

Never existed. You just saw some joker trying to look cool.

azstan · June 2002

Hope Toyota is listening, because they have lost another sale due to further decontenting a great car by shortening the seats.

My 92 Camry (3rd one I have owned) was in the shop having work done on the air conditioner. I rented a 2002 Camry LE and agree with other posters here...THE SEATS ARE TOO SHORT AND UNCOMFORTABLE! Otherwise it is a great car...but where does the driver spend most of the time when in the car?

Waiting for a look at the new Honda Accord coming out later this month. *sigh* Thought I would never have to do this.

Wake up Toyota!

alpha01 · June 2002

A Gold Pkg has never looked good on any Toyota. EVER. Its cheap and gaudy.

To everyone upset about the lack of seat comfort for the driver, you really should take action, make your discontent known to Toyota. All you need to do is write a quick profession letter to the folks in Torrance, CA. If enough Camry prospectives lost to the competition write, Toyota will not (or at least should not)ignore.

~alpha

vic19 · June 2002

I had a 93 S Class Mercedes with seat bottoms that slid in and out a considerable distance. It had a 3 position memory on the seat that allowed both my wife and me to get real comfy. The new S Class doesn't have it, and I don't know of any new car with this feature. It made a lot of sense.

The seat looked like it cost about as much as a new Camry.

greg130 · June 2002

I purchased a 2002 LE V6 Camry last Saturday mostly due to it's reputation and the financing that ended on the 3rd.

I had been reading this townhall site for a little while and I was somewhat aware of the seat problem and rotten egg smell so I was watching for that when I went for the test drive.

I wasn't sure if I wanted the 6cyl or the 4cyl so I wanted to drive both, which I did and I liked the v6 better due to the ride and quiteness of the engine. The 4 had enough power but I wanted the 6.

I didn't notice the seat being that bad in the 10 minute test ride and I didn't smell rotten eggs either. Went back in with the sales person and worked out a price that seemed fair and since you had to take delivery by the 3rd I was limted to what they had on hand or what they could get right away. They had what I wanted and I quickly test drove that one too, not noticing anything at that point.
Now over the weekend I noticed that the brakes were vibrating really bad. The steering wheel would actually shake during braking at all different speeds.
I also noticed the front passenger headlight was not installed properly. there is a seal that sits on top of the light where the hood lays on top of the seal and the light. You really shouldn't see the seal that much. On mine the seal is exposed and the light itself is not recessed enough.

I popped the hood to see what I could see and to my surprise there are two parts on the engine that are rusty already. They are the vsu valve and the front pipe gasket. Right about now I'm thinking this can't be right, brakes,headlight,rusty parts not on my brand new Toyota.

Ok so on Monday I called the dealer and was told to bring it in which I did.

Here's what they did, for the brakes they turned all four rotors and replace the front pads and left the back pads alone. This corrected the problem but now I'm thinking next time I need brakes guess what your going to need four new rotors since these have been cut once and we all know that you can only cut the rotors so much.

The headlight they said looked like it just needed adjusting,which they tried and they couldn't so they said the part was defective and they would have to replace it, part is on order.

As far as the rusting parts in the engine I was told those parts rust and that's normal and they would not be replacing them. I agree those parts might rust after a few years but it's hard to take when you just spent 23k on a car that is suppose to be brand new with new parts not rusty ones.

So here I am posting about my problems which I never thought I would have such problems with a brand new Toyota.

The funny thing is in March I bought my first Toyota ever, the Highlander V6 and not one problem that is the best SUV I have ever had and not one problem so far with 1k miles. No rusty parts either or parts that are not adjusted properly either.

I thought man my next car is going to be another Toyota.

So I had to write this post to all the people thinking about buying just like I was last week right now I would say think twice.

vic19 · June 2002

Sorry to hear about your problems but, hopefully, it'll be smooth sailing from now on,

We purchased two Toyotas a couple of weeks ago. A Corolla and a Camry. They are absolutely perfect.

Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles