2009 Toyota Camry 4 cylinder from North America
Summary:
Don't buy the 2009 Toyota Camry
Faults:
This car has been a problem for me. I bought it certified pre-owned from the Toyota dealership and it has oil consumption issues. Which effects the safety of the vehicle, because if I don't check the vehicle's oil consumption problems, the motor can seize over. Toyota is aware of this annoying problem and have offered a warranty enhancement, however the parts are on back order. They aren't wanting to take responsibility for the vehicle while being driven until the parts come in. The Toyota service advisor told us to check oil daily and don't let it run low at all whatsoever or it is a consumer problem.
If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't have purchased the 2009 Toyota Camry and I don't want others to suffer so I am telling you my thoughts on the vehicle. Reliability seems to be a major problem with this vehicle due to the oil consumption issue, although Toyota sold it to me to be reliable, so I am waiting for them to fix the problem.
General Comments:
I wouldn't have bought the 2009 Toyota Camry if I had it to do over again.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 10th April, 2016
10th Apr 2016, 17:08
I see endless comments on this site about oil consumption on new (or newish) cars and wonder how many people actually know how the level should be checked (i.e. after letting the vehicle sit on level ground for at least two hours).
I used to work in the service department of a Vauxhall dealer, and can attest to the almost total technical illiteracy of most owners. The only cars I saw there with oil consumption issues had either never been serviced or had been massively over-revved (my favourite being a V6 Calibra owned by a female solicitor, who couldn't understand why the warranty was voided after she'd somehow jammed it into second at 70mph).
11th Apr 2016, 02:54
When the passages in the block sludge, even if oil is changed often with quality filters or driven conservatively, it's problematic.
11th Apr 2016, 12:15
So how do you warm up cold passages in the block to prevent sludging? Shift sooner I guess.
11th Apr 2016, 16:36
Looks like a few of the 2007-2009 had some oil consumption problems. Might be better off avoiding these years. When checking over a used car, you can check a lot of things, but oil consumption probably isn't one of them. Most sellers might not give up that information when selling a car. Toyota sold about 450,000 US Camrys in 2009, and the percentage was low on these problems, but unless you can find a way to weed out the problem cars, I wouldn't take a chance.
15th Apr 2016, 17:44
I don't want to insult the reviewer of this car, but if you gave the car a 2 out of 10 for performance, and a 6 out of 10 for comfort, then why did you buy it? These two items would've been detected while on the test drive. It seems to me that the low numbers were given due to the frustration of the oil burning issue and were given unfairly.
Also, I'm not sure how bad the oil burning is in your vehicle, but I have one that burns oil too. I check it once a week and add about a liter between oil changes. However, I would not consider my car unreliable due to this. Some cars simply need a bit more TLC. Best of luck to you and I hope Toyota comes through for you!
10th Apr 2016, 15:12
In order for Toyota to fix the problem, the engine has to be either rebuilt or replaced.