20th Oct 2004, 10:08

I bought my 1999 Camry LE in August of 2003 and have had no problems with it... until this summer.

The check engine light came on so I took it to the dealer for an oil change. They told me to make sure that I click the gas cap after filling up to prevent the light from coming on again. A week later, the light came on again. I took it in and the service desk manager told me that my gas cap looked like it had been "run over by a truck". I asked to see it and the mechanic came out with it and it looked fine. He simply explained to me that it was not threading in completely. They charged me $24 for the gas cap (which I now know I could have gotten at Auto Zone much cheaper) and tried to charge me a second time for $44.50 Labor & to clear the codes. I refused to pay the $44.50, so they waived it. Two days later, the light came on AGAIN!! I took it in the following weekend and they called me to say that they had "bad news", the charcoal canister had to be replaced and it would cost $341 for the part and $178 for labor, but they would give me 10% off.

At this point I am extremely angry and disappointed that what I thought was a reliable car that would last a long time is having such serious problems. From reading this site, I am not confident that this will fix the problem. I am not willing to spend over $500 if it is not guaranteed to fix it. Any suggestions as to how to proceed from here?

Evelyn - Stamford, CT.

9th Nov 2004, 13:20

I have a Toyota Camry, purchased new in 2003. It has been very reliable and a pleasure to drive, with one exception. I hear break noise in back (driver's side) when applying my breaks. It's an annoying high pitched squeal. The car only has 13,000 miles so I'm not ready for new breaks. I've noticed it for quite a few months now, hoping it goes away, but it hasn't. It happens 9 out of 10 times I apply the brakes. Any idea what is causing this? Thanks!

11th Nov 2004, 22:52

Sounds like you need a BRAKE job to me. $25.00 for pads or $32.00 for drums. Good luck.

15th Dec 2004, 17:06

Well, here we go. I've got a 1999 Camry CE with 58k on it. Last week, the light came on telling me I have a brake light out. It doesn't come on until you press the brake. With my sister pressing the brake, I checked and have no lights out, brake or tail. I figured in the near future, I'd buy some new bulbs and play around a bit to see if I can get it taken care of. Today now, my check engine light came on. I drove home, checked all the fluids, which were fine, and got out my owners manual. It states the light will come on if you are out of gas, which I'm not, the gas cap is loose, which it wasn't and isn't, or there is a problem somewhere in your engine or transmissions electrical system.

After reading everything everyone's writing here, I'm pretty worried that I'll be joining the ranks. I called the dealership---$80 to put on the diagnostic machine. A few other car repair shops, and I found a price of $50 to hook it up. I found one more place, and they'll hook it up for free just to see what the problem is. What's a guy to do? I'm going for the freebie tomorrow. Really, the only problem that I'm noticing about the car is that with the cold mornings now, the car really hesitates to change gears around 35mph, which is about all the faster I get to go with my short drive to work. It'll get up to about 2800 RPM, and I'll go just a little faster, then release the gas pedal, expecting it to drop into the next gear, but it doesn't unless I get it going around 40mph or so. After it's warmed up, no problem. I was planning a fluid change at 60K, but maybe won't wait that long. I do oil changes every 3000K, which is always less than 3mos.

I'm curious what the outcome will be tomorrow, and will be sure to update you here.

17th Dec 2004, 09:45

I have the same problem as everyone above. Toyota Camry 99 LE with 66k miles. My Check Engine Light came on yesterday and yet there is no problem with my car. I hear no weird noises, I never have filled gas in my car while it was on, I get the expensive oil changes from Jiffy Lube which say they are good for 6 months, and am wondering if I should pay to have a diagnostic done?

Please Help!

17th Dec 2004, 19:05

Well, here's my update from the 15th December... went to auto shop yesterday... power outage...story of my life. Anyway, went back today... they indeed put the car on the diagnostic machine free of charge. It showed it was a signal coming from the evap. system... they said it may be nothing much, and they cleared the computer, but that it may show up again later, and will probably be the same thing. They said its not as expensive as things such as the charcoal canister, but does cost a bit. I didn't get a price on the evap system. I guess I was just glad it wasn't anything overly expensive at this time. I'll sure let you know if anything else comes about from it. As for the brake light warning, I've got an aftermarket rear spoiler on the car, and all lights working fine, but, turns out the original 3rd light, the one in the back window, is out. Hope that's not a job and half to replace. Best of luck to everyone with their Camry's.

19th Dec 2004, 20:54

I have a 99 Camry 4 cyl. approx. 125,000 so far so good I have no complaints except for the front suspension, it recently started a clunking noise when going over bumps.

I have been planning on replacing the front struts for a while now, but the thing is I recall talking to someone in the past with the same problem and new struts didn't fix the clunk, something about a bad mount or bushing?? has anyone else had this problem or heard of it.

7th Feb 2005, 03:22

Member of the P0446 Toyota problem club.

I have a 1999 Camry 4 cyl with 40,000 miles it has been parked for 6months since it is a 2nd car and has had too many problems. The Camry did not pass emissions the check engine light went on. The code PO446 was diagnosed. gas cap was replaced and am concerned about spending money on a canister if it does not fix the problem. Sounds like this is an advocate issue with all the other Toyota owners that are seeing the same problem. Interesting how Toyota's defect has become Toyota Camry Owners problem.

Any suggestions on what is the Max I can spend to get the P0446 Fixed at a Toyota Dealer.

Any comments on any success stories on a correct diagnosis and repair for P0446 will be greatly appreciated.

Frank.