1998 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE ENGINE BLEW. SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AS THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHERE THE INSPECTION DETERMINED A LIFTER ROD HAD FRACTURED AND BLOWN OUT THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE CASING. THE SERVICE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED.

BLUE SMOKE COME FROM TAIL PIPE AFTER CAR SIT FOR A FEW DAYS AND THE FRONT RIGHT STRUT OR SOMETHING ON THAT SIDE RATTLE. THE DATE IS WHEN I FIRST HEARD THE NOISE BUT THE PREVIOUS OWNER HEARD THE NOISE A YEAR OR TWO AFTER PURCHASE,SHE HAD THE STRUTS CHANGED AND THE NOISE IS STILL THERE. *NM

I STARTED SMELLING GAS ODORS INSIDE OF THE CAR AFTER FILLING THE TANK. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER IN JULY 2006 AND TOLD THEM THAT I ALSO SAW GAS DRIPPING ON THE GROUND. THEY FOUND NOTHING. I CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SMELL. TWO WEEKS AGO I SMELLED THE FUMES INSIDE AND SAW LEAK. DEALER REPLACED GAS TANK, SAYING THERE WAS RUST NEAR THE TOP OF THE TANK. MY CAR IS GARAGED, SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND. *NM

GAS PEDAL CONSTANTLY STICKS. HAVE TO PRESS IT HARD TO ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENS MULTIPLE TIMES A DAY, ESPECIALLY AFTER STOPPING FOR LIGHT. UNABLE TO PROCEED NORMALLY WHEN LIGHT TURNS GREEN ,MUST GIVE THE GAS PEDAL A QUICK JOLT TO GO. TOYOTA NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE FOR A RECALL. *NM

GAS PEDAL STICKS. ONE DAY DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD COMING FROM A COMPLETE STOP FROM A RED TO GREEN LIGHT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, SO I HAD TO PUSH DOWN HARD ON THE GAS PEDAL TO MAKE THE CAR GO. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR 98 CAMRY'S. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS COMING FROM 0 MPH GOING TO AN UNKNOWN SPEED TRYING TO GET THE VEHICLE TO MOVE AND CONSUMES A LOT OF GAS WHEN THIS HAPPENS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO LOOK INTO THIS FOR A RECALL. *NM

JUST RECENTLY MY AIR BAG LIGHT HAS BEEN ON. I CALLED TOYOTA TO SEE IF THE PROBLEM WAS A RECALL PERHAPS AND FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS NOT AND I WAS SURPRISED ONLY BECAUSE THAT THIS IS A TRUE SAFETY ISSUE IN EVENT THAT I WAS EVER IN A ACCIDENT. AIR BAGS HAVE NOT REACHED 10 YRS OLD YET AND THEY ARE CAUSING PROBLEMS NOW? WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THAT WHEN I HEARD THAT WHEN THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMES ON YOUR AIR BAGS ARE NOT WORKING MEANING THAT WILL NOT DEPLOY IN ACCIDENT. TOYOTA NEEDS TO CONSIDER OF A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. *NM

THIS DESCRIPTION IS IN REFERENCE TO A CONTINUING MECHANICAL ERROR THAT HAS AFFECTED MY 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY LE AND THE TERRIBLE WAY MY SITUATION HAS BEEN DEALT WITH BY TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE. TO SUMMARIZE, AFTER A ROUTINE CHECK OF MY ENGINE OIL LEVEL ON OCTOBER 28TH, 2004, I DISCOVERED THAT THE BOTTOM 1- INCHES OF THE ENGINE OIL DIP STICK HAD BROKEN OFF. THE PIECE WAS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND AND I IMMEDIATELY BECAME CONCERNED AS TO ITS WHEREABOUTS. AT THAT TIME, I VISITED MY LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE CENTER AND CONTACTED THE SERVICE MANAGER AFTER EXPLAINING TO THEM THE SITUATION, THEY SAID THERE WAS NO WAY TO DETERMINE HOW THE BREAK ORIGINATED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION OF THE DIP STICK UNDER A MICROSCOPE IT WAS OBVIOUS THERE WAS A CLEAN BREAK ON THE METAL. THIS RULED OUT A BENDING OF THE DIP STICK, AND COULD ONLY MEAN THE METAL BROKE OFF BY RUBBING AGAINST ANOTHER PART OF THE ENGINE, WHICH WAS MY IMMEDIATE CONCERN. ON SEPTEMBER 15TH, I CONTACTED THE CUSTOMER CENTER TO MAKE THEM AWARE OF MY CONTINUED CONCERN. WE AGREED THAT OBVIOUSLY IF THE DIP STICK WOULD BE FOUND, THE CUSTOMER (MYSELF), WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OF THE LABOR, AS I WAS TAKING A PRO-ACTIVE APPROACH BY LOOKING INTO THE MATTER. ON THE 27TH OF SEPTEMBER, I VISITED TOYOTA TO GET THE WORK DONE. ONCE THE PAN WAS PULLED, THE 1- INCH PIECE OF THE DIP STICK WAS FOUND IN THE OIL PAN. UPON RE-INSPECTION OF THE ENGINE WITH THE DIP STICK MOUNTED NORMALLY, THE TECHNICIAN AND MYSELF WERE ABLE TO SEE NO INTERFERENCE. HOWEVER, ONCE WE MOUNTED THE DIP STICK BACKWARDS, IT CAME INTO CONTACT WITH PART OF THE ENGINE. ALTHOUGH THE DIP STICK IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE INSERTED THAT WAY, IT STILL SHOULD NOT COME INTO CONTACT WITH ANY PART OF THE MOTOR AND WE CONCLUDED THIS WAS THE REASON FOR THE BREAK. I WAS GIVEN ZERO ASSISTANCE FROM TOYOTA AFTER THIS, AND WAS NOT REIMBURSED FOR THE $270 THAT WAS PAID IN GOOD FAITH. THIS IS WHY I AM CONTACTING YOU TODAY. *JB

PULLING 1998 TOYOTA CAMRY INTO PARKING SPACE. FOOT ON BRAKE. PUT INTO PARK. CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN ACCELERATING. TRIED REVERSE, DIDN'T STOP. TRIED PARK AGAIN STANDING ON BRAKES. DIDN'T STOP. WENT OVER CURB DOWN HILL INTO CREEK. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN FRONT OF CAR HIT BANK OF CREEK. SAW PUFF OF SMOKE AFTER HITTING BANK COME FROM UNDER CAR. TURNED CAR OFF IMMEDIATELY. *NM

ENGINE STARTS AND STALLS. RPM'S WON'T STAY UP. HAVE TO USE GAS AND BRAKE TOGETHER UNTIL IDLE STAYS UP ENOUGH TO KEEP CAR RUNNING. IDLE SPEED CONTROL VALVE REPLACED @ 38,315 MI ON 6/20/02. REPLACED AGAIN @ 45,703 MI ON 8/22/03. SERVICE MGR SAID THEY HAVE "CHANGED MANUFACTURERS, SO SHOULD BE OK NOW". PROBLEM RECURRED @ 56,000 MILES IN MID-JUNE. IT'S A PROGRESSIVE FAILURE, SO WILL RETURN TO DEALER IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE. THIS AMOUNTS TO 3 REPLACED IDLE SPEED CONTROL VALVES IN 20,000 MILES. SERVICE WILL REPLACE PART, BUT I MUST PAY LABOR. *JB

SEAT BELT ON MY 98 TOYOTA CAMRY MALFUNCTIONED WILL NOT RETRACT. MY 5 YEAR OLD WAS PULLING ON THE SEAT BELT AND PULLED IT OUT ALL THE WAY. DEALER SAID HE WOULD FIX FOR $200.00 I ASKED HIM WHY THEY DON'T FIX IT FOR FREE SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT'S WHAT THEY CHARGE. *JB