Will not start in parking lot. Change a battery and fues in Kings Toyota cost me $410 plus $60 for towing service!
Is the battery suposed to die with only 36,000 miles or three years?
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 22nd July, 2005
Front rotors were badly warped and needed to be resurfaced by dealer at 100 miles.
Sunroof and door pillar rattles began at 3,000 miles. Have reported this to two different dealers and they say it's normal. I had a 98 Camry with 150,000 miles and it had no rattles.
Heat shield making loud noise at 6,000 miles. Fixed by dealer.
Engine has a loud valve ticking sound when cold starting at 7,000 miles. Left at dealer overnight and they said they could not hear it. This problem exists until this day. Keep in mind that I use Mobil 1 every 3,000 miles.
Vibration noise coming from radio when I go over any bump at 8,000 miles. Dealer cannot hear this either.
Winding noise in steering wheel comes and goes at 15,000 miles. Dealer cannot hear the noise.
Brakes vibrate when braking at highway speeds at 18,000 miles. Will have it looked at when the next problem arises.
I can feel something grinding under the driver's floor when turning the wheel when stopped at 20,000 miles. Bringing to the dealer tomorrow...
I am very disappointed with the build quality of this car. I have owned three other Toyotas that were great.
I bought a new 2001 Corolla that my wife had for 3 years, and never had to bring it to the dealer for anything other than oil changes.
Putting all the problem's aside. The car is roomy, rides great, and has great power.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 3rd February, 2005
It's OK so far
Nothing significant has gone wrong with my car, but there are some peeves described below that I'd like to share with others and get your input on.
General comments:
1. Oil. Although the owner's manual doesn't say it (and don't trust the Toyota owner's manual), I use synthetic oil only (Mobil 1) every four months or 2000 miles (whichever comes first), with a Bosch oil filter ($6.50 at Auto zone), and I change oil at an independent mechanic where I can watch him drain all the oil. Have no trust in Toyota mechanics.
2. Overdrive. Again, although the owner's manual doesn't say it, I switch off the overdrive when I drive (I drive mostly in or around New York City and there is a lot of traffic). It helps avoid transmission hesitation in the beginning.
3. Rattle/Shakes. I got them all right, but am paying no attention to them. I have not visited a Toyota dealer and have no desire visiting them. Had enough of experience with dealers when I owned my Taurus.
4. Braking. Breaks vibrate when pressed on uneven surfaces (braking is OK on even surfaces). Thanks to drivers on this website, I know now that this is a problem, but will have to live with it.
5. Skirt. I have 15 inch wheels so that the car is pitched low. The plastic skirt (or shield) underneath the car is attached to the body with only two screws. When parking, I managed to pull the front of the skirt (and one of the screws) off. An independent mechanic added a few screws and the skirt is in place.
6. Safety. Overall, Camry '02 is made entirely off plastic, and has no protection if anyone hits you (who knows if the airbags will deploy; Camry '02 has no side airbags). The car walls are very thin. When driving over hardened snow, the noise is quite loud. My 1988 Taurus seemed like a tank.
7. Theft Protection. A friend recommended a Multi-Lock transmission lock (pick the model with a key hole at 45 degrees) attached to the body of the car. Cost me $200 with installation (I definitely overpaid it), but it's worth the money. If you go for it, get the one made in Israel, not in Taiwan/ China. For the steering wheel and the air bag, I got a Multi-Lock cover for about $30 at Aid Auto stores and it's working all right.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 30th December, 2004
Most of the peeves you mention are completely subjective and have nothing at all to do with the car.
Synthetic oil? Fine, if that's what floats your boat. How is it a peeve if the manual doesn't recommend it? If it was recommended, the manual would state this. Notice the circular logic here.
Turning off overdrive in the city? I can't begin to understand where you're coming from with this one. You have no practical reason at all to do this unless you're such a driving enthusiast that you demand immediate throttle response. If this were the case, you probably wouldn't be driving a Camry, and you'd probably have something with a manual transmission. The only thing you're accomplishing here is reducing your fuel economy and raising your gearbox temperature (which may negatively impact transmission performance, in the long term).
Not safe? Most reputable automobile analysts would beg to differ:
http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/2002-to-2006-toyota-camry.htm
The Camry is ranked second among family sedans, only trailing the Volkswagen Passat.
Poor side skirts? Don't drive your car into the curb.
Anti-theft equipment? Again, a personal preference. Hardly a peeve if the car doesn't come standard with this. This is something you ponder in the showroom, not after you've bought the car.
I won't comment on the brake issues since only the driver knows what that is all about. As for the rattles though, if such things preoccupy you, step up to a Lexus.
I don't like Camry's personally, but in a negative review there's a difference between faults with the car and faults with the owner (which the reviewer has failed to realize).
31st Dec 2005, 21:50
The batteries installed in all Toyota's are very poor quality, I should know, I've had four models, brand new...
The service is also very poor at any dealer, thank God they don't require much of that!