28th Nov 2009, 18:34
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I have ANOTHER problem on my hands. When I turn my steering wheel all the way to the left or to the right, there is a loud drone.
The car is going in next week for the 92,000 mile oil change (I'm going at 92, 96, and 100K and then will go every 5K at Toyota's recommendation).
If anyone has had this problem on a 97-01 Camry, please give me some insight.
5th Dec 2009, 12:17
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I took my Camry into the shop on December 2. The mechanics looked at my car and told me that it "just makes that noise".
They also reminded me that I need a fuel pump and a timing belt - but I will look into the warranty before I do any other repairs.
30th Dec 2009, 18:50
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I took my Camry to the dealer today to replace the timing belt and battery. The timing belt was due at 90,000 miles, but I wanted to find my coupon for it. The battery was putting out half power, not to mention the fact that it was manufactured in June 2004. The timing belt and two other vane belts were replaced for USD $300, and the battery was replaced for $130.
At this service, they found that the water pump had play in it. I was told when I purchased the car in December 2008 that it would need to be replaced, and it got replaced today. This never happened in my Taurus. The water pump was $180.
HOWEVER, today they found out that my Camry had an oil leak today - so they had to replace three seals in the engine AND THE OIL PUMP. The Taurus NEVER leaked anything. This repair was $120.
$300 + $130 + $180 + $120 = $730, and after coupons was $580.
28th Jan 2010, 15:14
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
Around January 20, 2010, the Camry would make a clunking sound when accelerating. It sometimes did it while braking, but not always. I thought it was the transmission. It started when the weather got cold.
On January 22nd, the Camry went to the dealer to get it fixed. The dealer replaced a bracket, but it didn't do the trick. On Monday the 23rd, it went back again. When I finally got it back three days later, they replaced the sway bar.
The bracket cost $142 and I didn't have to pay for the sway bar because the dealer made a mistake. I was in a rental for three days (Hyundai Accent).
The Camry hit 95,000 miles today. I really thought a Toyota could go ONE MONTH with nothing but an oil change. I was wrong.
5th Feb 2010, 09:46
An OIL PUMP? WOW! Watch out for the sludge issues present in most Toyota vehicles of this era!
The floor mat hook and gas pedal recall would be enough to secure me never buying a Toyota vehicle!
No wonder you miss your Taurus!
21st Apr 2010, 20:37
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
As of today, I have 99,600 miles on my Camry.
Since the last update, the Camry has continued to wear at the rate it has been going at, if not more.
While driving it the same way I normally do, the mileage seems to have gone down to 25 or 26 miles per gallon. I remember at one point the regular figure was 28.
The power door locks can be trusted no more. They work but only sporadically. Yesterday, I pressed the lock button on the driver's door (and all doors were closed), but only the driver door locked. Turning the key used to unlock all four locks, and now it only unlocks the driver door (unless I turn it a second time).
Another license plate bulb has burned out, but that's regular maintenance.
Hopefully my next update is in 20,000 miles with only good news. Since we've owned this car, we haven't gone more than 5- or 6,000 miles without having to replace a part or having something break.
Funny, I tell other people of my problems with my car, and they say that they wish they could have it. Maybe I got the 1 in 1,000 lemon. Who knows? I'm just glad it hasn't left me stranded yet.
16th May 2010, 19:30
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
I have two pieces of good news today.
First, on April 25, I hit a deer head-on at 60 MPH. The Camry took it like a champ, and it was even drivable afterward! This happened at approximately 99920 miles. The Camry could have been totaled ($3800 of work on a car worth $2500), but with my finances, I chose to fix it. I ended up having to replace the front bumper, the windshield, the grille, the hood, the radiator, a support in the engine, a condenser, and other things. I can't remember them all now, but this is a good start. I had a rental from April 26 to May 13.
Second, on May 13, the Camry turned 100,000 miles! I don't know why I'm so excited for this. The Camry still doesn't feel like "my car".
We'll see what another 100,000 miles bring!
8th Aug 2010, 09:56
ORIGINAL REVIEWER HERE.
It's been over two months since my last comment. I had said that hopefully I would return with good news. Well, I wouldn't say this news is good.
On the highway, I was doing 55 MPH and an Explorer came from behind me at 70 MPH and rear-ended me. For the second time, my Camry was totaled. The bumper was cracked and deformed, the tail lights broke, and it would have needed a new trunk. The insurance company didn't even give me the choice; they said it was totaled.
The Camry kept me and my family alive twice (albeit being totaled each time) and I am thankful for it. But, the overall reliability from the Camry during my ownership would stray me away from Toyota in the future. If you read my survey and comments, and thought my car was reliable, one of us needs to rethink our definition of that word.
At 104881 miles, I retired the Camry. Looking back, it really wasn't that economical between all the repairs and an average of 26 miles per gallon during my ownership. As a previous commenter said, it couldn't outrun a kid on a tricycle, and the brakes couldn't stop said tricycle, either.
Highlights of the Camry's unreliability, at least in my head, are the door fuse, continuing failure of the window washer system (between leaks and a dead spitter), oxygen sensor, catalytic converter, constant squealing of the brakes, the failure of multiple plastic parts (such as the driver floor mat hook, cup holders, grab handles, window mount switches, and the visor vanity mirror covers), constantly going out of alignment, and an oil leak which warranted the replacement of the oil pump.
At this point, would I buy another Toyota? No.
28th Oct 2009, 21:49
Original reviewer here.
I know - and now I'm REALLY kicking myself for not fixing the Taurus again. At this point, the only good thing I can say about the Camry is that it runs and is dependable. Everything else is below average, and at best.