Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

smartguy8514 · July 2002

i was wondering does anyone know if there are any changes in the 2003 camry?

yanker · July 2002

I have exactly the same question about the 2003 Camry. Hopefully they will have removed some of these annoying little problems squeaks smells and
poor paint jobs. The don't buy the first model out holds true.

alpha01 · July 2002

Just as a note, our 2002 LE has an 8 way power adjustable seat (seatback angle, seat height up/down, seat fore/aft, front lip of seat cushion up/down). And our 2002 LE (made in Kentucky) is assembled better than our 2000 (made in Japan), or at least it is so thus far.. Before 10K, the 2000 had developed a squeaking rear suspension over moderate bumps, and the latch to the center armest broke off in my mother's hand (she is no powerhouse). Right now, at 33K, the plastic around the gear shift seems to be losing adhesion. So, as for my family personally, we have not experienced any assembly issues with our 2002 Camry (which now has nearly 9K miles), and are very satisfied with it. The car is refined, composed, and efficient in everything it does. My niggling complaints- a slightly spongy brake pedal, the headrests don't articulate as they used to, and the headlights are no longer auto-on. Other than that, the increased power, better handling, upgraded interior... I could go on... make for a markedly improved vehicle, and I DOUBT there will be many, if ANY, changes to the 2003.
~alpha

mimi919 · July 2002

I am surprised to hear that the LE can be equiped with an 8 way power seat as when I was looking at the XLE both edmunds as well as the dealership had the power seats listed only as 4 way with no option of getting it with an 8 way seat.
Had I realized the LE had the 8 way power seat I would have looked at that model closer.

vic19 · July 2002

We recently purchased a 2002 Camery LE with 8 way power driver's seat. I was comfortable until I read these posts. I'm only 5' 8" but you guys are right the bottom cushion is short and detracts from comfort. I would have been happy with the seat except for you guys. This will teach me a lesson.

cliffy1 · July 2002

Vic19 made a very curious statement in his last post. "I would have been happy with the seat except for you guys." This statement confirms what I have long thought about some issues on this and other boards. If people don't know to look for a problem, none will exist. If one goes in looking for a problem, it will be found.

I'll give you another example of this. About two years ago, one person on the Sienna topic complained of poor alignment on his van. He probably did have an alignment issue but was very vocal about it. Soon after, a large number of people began to complain about alignment issues. The original poster complained of pulling to the left. Other lurkers read this and decided to do something they had never done before. They drove down the highway and let go of the steering wheel. Sure enough, the car "pulled" to the left. In reality, it was more of a drift which is quite normal due to road crown and does not indicate alignment problems.

These folks went to their dealers and complained of alignment problems. Most were told they had no problem. They reported back about how unresponsive Toyota dealers were to this "problem." It was a hot topic for quite some time and I still read about it from time to time. It was driven by nothing more than the power of suggestion.

I don't want to minimize this for those who really have a problem. Everybody is built a little different and has different expectations. I would only argue that if one goes in with the expectation of discomfort, one will find it.

BTW, the Solara seat is very different than the Camry and I personally find it extremely comfortable. I've also driven Volvos and think the Solara seat is nearly identical to that seat.

vic19 · July 2002

I posted the above a bit tongue in cheeck, but it is true that the bottom cushion is short. Compared to my BMW 5 or an S class that I owned it is short. The bottom cushion on the S moved in and out electrically. I wouldn't sell the car just because of the short cushion, but it is disconcerting that Toyota would do it in what is a full sized car. GM did or my still be going it in the back seat of their cars, but that's GM.

Consumers sense of what is acceptable and not acceptable is partially or maybe primarily what they learn other consumers are experiencing. The fact that Japanese cars were preceived to be so much less prone to bugs certainly translated into what consumers were willing to accept from US manufacturers.

george00 · July 2002

The power seat in my LE4 is 8-way and the driving position is excellent. The problem is in the configuration and hardness of the seat-back. I am grateful for the various comments. Often on this and other internet sites, people come on who respond to any expression of problems with phrases like stop whining and get a life. It's a pleasure when responses to what is after all, to me, a very serious problem, are serious and concerned.

Mimi919 - your offer is most kind. At the moment, I am trying various combinations of seat cushions. I bought a bunch of them and am mixing and matching; things seem to be getting better. I am also considering getting a new back, as mine is causing too much trouble, and the one thing doctors are stymied by more than any other is a bad back. Anyway, thanks so much - people like you remind me why I bother.

Cliffy1 - you note that the Solara seat is really more comfortable than the Camry seat. Let me ask you the same question I asked Toyota and they refused to answer, and I promise I will not hold you liable for anything that happens to me, my car, or anything else: Will the Solara seat fit in the Camry?

cliffy1 · July 2002

Its not that I don't want to answer, its just that I don't know. Due to differences in the body and floor pan, I would doubt it but that is not an answer. Taking a tape measurer and looking at where the bolt holes are will give you a better idea. Beyond that obvious piece of advice, you also need to look at the electrical requirements of bother seats, plus the seat belt attachments. Also, you need to make sure anything mounted under the seat (security systems and audio amplifiers) will fit both. That is just too much for me to know on this subject.

coolguyky7 · July 2002

I read that the Camry will get adjustable gas/brake pedals. Anyone know if this is true and when it will be? I think I read that it would be in the late 2002 model year.

sbell4 · July 2002

The Camry will have this as an option hopefully before the 2003 model. Originally it was going to be available before the end of 2001 but it keeps getting pushed back.

coolguyky7 · July 2002

Was Ford having some problems from its owners having to do with the adjustable pedals? I thought I heard something about that somewhere.

anonymousposts · July 2002

When does Ford not have a problem with something?

jeffrey15 · July 2002

Yes,

The adjustable pedals on the Taurus have been cited as being to close together thus causing the possibility of hitting the wrong one. Sounds like a bunch of baloney to me, but the NHTSA is looking into it.

Jeff

pbwith · July 2002

Hi. I recently purchased a 1999 Camry LE. I really like the car a lot.

I am interested in adding a remote control transmitter (you know, what you dangle on your key chain) for automatically unlocking the doors and trunk.

The already have power locks. Anybody know if I can simply buy a transmitter that will allow the functionality I desire ? If so, I imagine it needs to be programmed somehow ?

Thanks for your help !

sam_beaver · July 2002

I hope I'm not starting anything here. I just want a little advice on a brand new car. We don't drive a whole lot, so 3 months into our new 2002 Camry it still has only 1500 miles on the odometer. Which is more important for oil change intervals -- the time, or the mileage? Do I wait for 5000 miles even if that takes all year, or is there some point at which I really ought to bring it in even if it only has 2000 miles on it?

And whatever your advice is, should I continue with that for all subsequent oil changes, or is the first one particularly important/unimportant?

Thanks.

alpha01 · July 2002

5000 miles or 6 months sounds fair. Did you not receive a complete maintenance manual with your Camry? It even recommends a 7500 sevice interval for moderate use, but we prefer to service more often than that. We also do everything (at least until the powertrain warranty is up) at the dealer. I especially like the fact that they check the tire inflation, and brake pad wear, as well as top off all fluids, with the regular oil and filter.
~alpha

gvlgal · July 2002

I recently purchased a 2001 Camry from Car Max and I had remote keyless entry installed at Circuit City for $159 and it works great. There were other remote keyless options that ranged in price from about $375-650 that included a security system and/or remote start and other functions that I didn't feel were worth the price difference. The brand of keyless remote I have is the Rattler 100, which is the basic model. It doesn't unlock the trunk, however, but I think the Rattler has other models which can be programmed to unlock the trunk, but that wasn't an option I was offered with the basic remote.

mmccloskey · July 2002

Greetings:

The comments made by Cliffy1 regarding the Solara seats being more comfortable is true.

I have a 2K SLE and was considering a 2001 ES300 and test drove one last year. The first thing I noticed was the bottom cushion seemed smaller/shorter than in my Solara. The seat in the ES300 wasn't as comfortable and the overall difference between the my Solara and the ES300 wasn't worth the extra money. I am rather tall (4' 26") and in most cars the bottom cushion is too short, but the Solara's bottom cushion appears to be nearly 2" longer which results in a more comfortable seat for me. Maybe it's because the Solara was designed for the American/Canadian market while the Camry/ES300 is a 'global' vehicle. Anyway, you may want to test drive a Solara to see if the seats might be more accomodating over the Camry's. BTW, the headrests on the Solara articulate (tilt forward) and this feature makes the seat more flexible for each driver. As for swapping seats - the design of the Solara seats is quite different than the Camry so you'd have the visual impact of different front/rear seats in a car.

M. J. McCloskey - 2K SLE - Silverstream/loaded

anonymousposts · July 2002

4" 26" ... you almost threw me for a loop there

bklynguy · July 2002

When will the 03 Camrys arrive in the Northeast ? What new features will be available ? Will Cassis Pearl ( red ) replace Salsa Pearl ?

maxamillion1 · July 2002

I like Salsa Red Pearl. It's beautiful on an SE model.

jbg12 · July 2002

I'm going to be purchasing a Camry, Accord, or Passat in Sept/Oct. I tested an SEV6 that exhibited unsophisticated harshness on bumps at relatively low speed. Was this specific to this car perhaps? No reviews that I've seen have mentioned such behavior. Otherwise really liked the car and much prefer it to the LE/XLE. Any thoughts? Thanks

biyonic2 · July 2002

I got to test drive a loaded 2002 Camry with the bigger engine for over 200 miles. My general thoughts:

Great steering, suspension, and overall "feel" Good general driving power from the engine.
Good brakes. Great big comfy leather seats.

Although the engine was capable for general driving it had no passing power. I would not buy this car because I could not pass trucks on a 2 lane with total confidence. That is something that is important to me as a driver and may not be to you.

Also had issue with arm rest to high and too low - but that is nitpicking.

alpha01 · July 2002

My only input on the SE besides that which you mention is that I feel the Black lettering and emblems are cheap and not very visible. If I were getting an SE, I'd see if there was any way to get it without that- though I do like the blacked out headlamps.
~alpha

biyonic- how in the world did you manage to test drive a car for 200 miles?

bklynguy · July 2002

The new Camry is much better than the previous edition. But there is still room for improvement :

- about 25 more HP would be nice ( V6 )
- HID/Xenon headlights
- tilting feature for the steering wheel

coolguyky7 · July 2002

I think that can be considered the Lexus ES 300.

bklynguy · July 2002

you're right

alpha01 · July 2002

The steering wheel does tilt. Do you mean telescope? Any coolguy-very shrewd assertion.
Whats up? Whats goin on? Any 02 Camry owners have anything to say? Rants/Raves?
~alpha

maxamillion1 · July 2002

but the darn car does need steering wheel radio controls. Even the Es300 doesn't have them, that's a shame.

1000bpm · July 2002

How legitimate is this TDA fee???

Just ordered a Silver LE V6 w/ GI, GU, Sunroof, Spoiler, Alloys, Carpet mats, All Weather Mats for $23,700 which is invoice + $300 (dealer margin) + $325 (TDA).

I don't mind giving the dealer $300 for his trouble in driving the car down a dealer in Northern Indiana ..... after all there are legitimate expenses involved in paying a driver to get the vehicle down, documentation at both dealers, etc.

But the TDA of $325? How legit is this?

1000bpm · July 2002

Anyone heard anything? When will they hit the showrooms?

Will the same V6 powertrain be offered? Or will it be a VVTI ...similar to the one used by the Avalon, ES 300 or RX 300? More displacement perhaps?

Any enhancements to the interiors/exteriors?

Just trying to figure out if I should wait for the 03's before taking delivery of my 02' LE V6.

i_luv_toyota · July 2002

The 2003 Camrys should be out in September, which is the usual month for Toyota's model year change over.

I wouldn't know of any visual enhancements, but I doubt it. After all it was just introduced.

andrelaplume · July 2002

I got my 4cyl automatic LE 1700 miles ago. I got it with no packages and only added on mats, alloys and a spoiler. I have been hesitant to post any comments since the car is so new but I will say the following...

I did not see the value of the SE over LE either. Though I liked the brushed chrome on the interior I found the cloth seats (dark grey - almost black) too claustrophobic.(then again I think my LE's stone interior is a bit too light!) I did not find the the Black pearl emblems particularly unappealing but evidently many do based on how many sets of them I see selling on Ebay. I guess you can get them removed and have a chrome or gold set installed! In any event I did not feel the upgraded interior and fog lights were worth the extra bucks. As far as the comment on the engine not being fast/powerful enough; we just had a trip up I87 from Jersey to New York. Personally I can not understand why anyone would opt for the 6 cyl engine. The 4cyl was as fast as my old Ford 6 (no snickers please--I loved my old Mystique). I had no problems passing trucks either. We had two adults and 2 children in the car with air on. I was realy impressed with gas mileage too - 30mpg. I too had concerns about the 4cyl but in the face of the 6's sludge issues I took the 4 and saved a few bucks. I have not been disappointed!

Like I said I have had the car a short period of time so I can not make too many comments. I can say the car is SUPER quiet. This works a bit against it though because contrary to the Beach Boy hit I have 'bad vibrations' just above ear's height on both the driver's and passenger side as well as by the radio area and by the glove box. This is REAL dissapointing because the car is soooo quiet otherwise. (I am waiting to see if they get better or turn to rattles before I get the dealer involved) Sadly one of the main reasons I bought the Camry was because I did not want a rattle trap...those noises drive me nuts! By the way there was some talk about rattles in the early 2002 Camry's and the fact that the situation was rectified...not so.... my Camry was made May 1st.

My only other real disappointment (other than the just announced 2 star side impact rating...how emabarassing for Toyota) is the AC when set in floor mode really does not get the job done...even with the air recirculating. I found you must really keep in Bilevel mode and cut back on the AC dial from blue to red as it gets too cold.

Now if you want some real nitpicks...I find the angle of the gas pedal a bit steep....hard to get my foot comfortable (thank God for the Cruise on long trips), there is no 'curb' lighting when you exit the car at night...this was real handy on my Ford--the kids are forever droping things in the driveway at night! Note: I don't even think this is available on the XLE. Also, it's just about impossible to see if the AC and Recirculation buttons are illuminated during the day not to mention the switches for mirrors, windows and locks are not illuminated at night. Another annoyance, when the car is shut off the interior lighting does not automatically come on. Finally, the damn owners manual does not fit well in the glove box! (Hey I said these were nitpicks)

On the other hand, I do like the temperature gauge, cup holders, easily to use radio and simple dash layout. I find the lumbar seat support, auto off headlights and 6 spkr am/Fm/Cassete/Cd player all great features for the base model. So far the car, though not very exciting, does excelerate very smoothly and is very peppy, it has been very comfortable (seat adjusts up/down/fore/aft with lumbar), and as mentioned above is VERY quite. Handling has been superb though the Power steering is a bit overpowered.... We'll see what happens as time goes on.

If your shopping for a new car you likely can't go wrong with the Camry - especially for under 20K with tax. Though with that 2 star side impact safety rating you might want to try the new Accord....of course who knows what it's rating will...obviously you can not assume these things anymore!

mandarino · July 2002

both my neighboors have late 90s camrys. Both experienced the same problem. Their cars would not turn off and then the starter would begin smoking and in one case caught fire. Has anyone heard of this? Is this problem wide spread? Has Toyota had a recall?

Mike M Thanks

alpha01 · July 2002

For what its worth, I called Toyota Customer Service today and, after waiting for 10 minutes, was able to speak to a representative about the 2 Star Side Impact Rating.
According to her (a surprisingly nice young sounding woman named Connie), Toyota relased an internal document on the crash test result. Here's my best paraphrasing-
Toyota was surprised to learn of the NHTSA's 2 Star rating for Driver Safety in the Side Impact Crash. Before it was introduced to the public, the Camry underwent many crash tests of several different types, including side impacts with direct respect to those that are performed by NHSTA. In all of Toyota's tests, the Camry, with and without airbags performed within the equivalent of the standards set for the 4 to 5 star range. Toyota engineers are currently investigating why there would be such a discrepancy between its testing and that of NHTSAs. They also point out that the rear passenger received 5 stars, as expected, and that NHTSA has performed a full frontal crash test on the Camry, for which it will release results shortly, and Toyota is confident they will be impressive. Finally, the receptionist also pointed out that the Camry received the highest rating from the IIHS for its offset test.

Just thought I'd post that for what its worth. Toyota's Customer Service Center is at 800-331-4331
~alpha

sr89rocha · July 2002

My son has a '97 Camry SE and he has disconnected the flange on the muffler just for noise modification. I've always heard that it can damage the engine. Is that true or a possibility?

dudleyr · July 2002

You must not have been driving in the seventies or eighties, or else you had a Ferrari, because the V-6 Camry is faster than a late seventies Corvette, and most other cars made in that era.

Allowing enough space to pass will give you more confidence - people have been doing it for years in much slower vehicles. What do you drive now that is so much faster?

hondacare · July 2002

Now understand that I am biased. I am a sales manager for a Honda dealership. Do not take my word for it. Do the research yourself. I have seen several cases of this sludge problem in the past month.

I used yahoo and performed the following search:
toyota sludge oil

The sludge issue involves all Toyotas 4 and 6 cylinder. The only vehicle not affected is the Sequoia.

8u6hfd · July 2002

1997-2001 Camrys, Solaras, Siennas, Avalons, Celicas and Highlanders as well as 1997-2001 Lexus ES300s and RX300s and are contacting them with a letter.

Which is namely the 5S-FE & 1MZ-FE motors, and the occasional ZZ motor.

It's in the "Official Toyota Press Release on Sludge" thread in the archived Maintenance and Repair section.

Kirstie_H · July 2002

ALL the information you'd ever want on the Toyota Sludge issue can be found in the archived Maintenance & Repair sludge topic, LOL.

Unless there's new info, probably best not to re-open the discussion here; rather, refer to that topic first. Things tend to get, um, kinda heated & ugly when we get too sludge-focused.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Edmunds.com

alpha01 · July 2002

The sludge issue can occur in any car of any make, but the issue with Toyotas is confined to those listed above by 8u6hfd, so perhaps before alarming everyone, from Echo to Tacoma owners, get your facts straight. In addition, concerning something you said on another thread, against the Altima- since when does a high compression ratio mean lower durability? Are you saying that the S2000 is going to be trash after 3 years? I think not. Stereotypes, though unfair to some, exist for a reason- you're a sales manager for Honda, eh?
~alpha

lilybean · July 2002

I've been on the edge of my seat since May 22nd, but my beautiful new Camry XLE is finally here! OooooLaLa! Just wish I could have gotten some more quotes on that darned Extended Warranty. Gosh those folks are tight lipped about that! Well, I'm armed with what its and bits I was able to glean off the internet and the few meager responses I got thru eMail, so wish me luck that the warranty doesn't cost more than the car! Thanks to all for your input...it helped immeasurably. I couldn't have done this without yas! Thx especially to Hawks1 and Cliffy!!!

"Lily" beep-beep!

alpha01 · July 2002

Tell us about the Camry you chose- what color, options, engine, why did it take so long to come in....
~alpha

PS-congratulations!!!

lilybean · July 2002

Thanx for asking, I'm soooo excited. I chose the 4 cyl XLE with Alloy wheels. No other goodies (like sunroof, nav, etc) as it's plenty loaded. It's ChaChaCha Salsa Pearl Red, which by the way is on the very bottom of the "demand" list but for why, I do not know. I think it is very very pretty. Black and Silver are the numero unos. Oh well. As to why it took so long, gosh, I wish I knew! I was a bit disappointed there! I might have just waited for the 2003's, had I known. Originally I believed that they were expecting a regular shipment and that it would be on the lot in a "couple of weeks" but I later found out that it was "made" the first week of July, so in truth, 2 weeks from manufacture to delivery is not bad at all. Think I might have gotten a teeny-tad of a runaround on the "availability" of that perdy red Camry, but hey! I plan to keep it for a lonnnng long time...so I guess I'm OK with it. I got a fabulous price and good financing and couldn't be happier. I got such great advice from all the folks here, and I'm so glad that I tuned in faithfully to get "the low-down". I was a "terror" at the negotiation table...but in a nice way. : - D
Another dealer tried to "steal our business" when he found out that the car hadn't been delivered yet, but he couldn't beat the price, so I guess I done good! heehee. First time for me, so I'm kinda guiddy. Silly me.

silly "Lily"

felixdacat13 · July 2002

I cannot eject the cd out. I have a sneaky suspicion that someone put a 2nd cd in the cd
player (not sure how, but with kids you never know). Other then paying the dealership tons
of $$$$ to fix this, has anyone else ever had
this problem? Could it be possible that there
is only 1 cd in there that is just not coming
out?

Also, my passenger side sun visor has "come out",
so that will be fixed via warrenty I would suppose. I am going to visit the dealer tomorrow
for that and an oil change.

SAndy (2002 LE with 6K miles and loving the car)

andrelaplume · July 2002

There have been many posts on warranties. A good price for Platinum 7/75 no deductible would be about $850 but you could get it for as low as $675 if you 'shop' around. Don't let them bundle anything else in with the warranty either. Hope it worked out!

castleowner · July 2002

I too have the seat discomfort...but...

if you lower the seat to the lowest, the discomfort does go away.

The adjustable height is problematic, i.e; when you raise it, it tilts the seat forward resulting in leg/back discomfort.

On the other hand, sitting too low creates too many blind spots due to the funny upward sloping design, and it is very difficult to put your arm on the window sill when the seat is too low, this is annoying.

Personally, I also think that the 2 star crash rating may be related to how high or low the seat is during the test. Lower could be safer because you are exposed to more steel, less glass.

Any comments...I could be wrong on the crash rating.

castleowner · July 2002

I still have the sulfur smell in the LE 4cyl

Have tried all kinds of gas, and also high octane.

To reproduce it, your vents must be open, you must be a consistent "heavy accelerator" type of driver, accelerating from any speed to high speed aggressively, with occassional interruptions.

If the sulfur smell is a design defect, which I think it is, everybody should be smelling it, unless your gas is very low sulfur.

Also, just because you don't smell anything (i.e; using low sulfur gas), doesn't mean some other emission isnt getting into the compartment.

This is very serious for Toyota, if emissions are entering the passenger compartment while driving, from your own car.

8u6hfd · July 2002

If you read from the Corolla threads, they get the same same, but it goes away after the catalytic converter fully breaks in.

Toyota Camry 2006 and earlier

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles