1997 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

1997 TOYOTA CAMARY HEAVY BLUE SMOKE ON COLD STARTS, ORIGINALY TAKEN IN FOR OIL GEL PROBLEM WAS TOLD NO GELLING FOUND BUT VALVE OIL SEAL WORN AND NEED REPLACE $1000.00. CAR HAS 85,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN SERVIED BY TOYOTA PER THIER SERVICE MANUAL. HAVE TALKED WITH NUMERIOUS OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS WITH SAME COMPLAINT. FEEL THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE SEALS BEING SUB STANDARD. PLEASE ADVISE IF OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN POSTED. *AK

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT A STEERING PROBLEM. WHEN IT RAINED STEERING WHEEL LOCKED IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

REAR SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT AFTER EXTENDING SEAT BELT TO LOCK IN PLACE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER NOTICED BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. CONSUMER PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER, OPENED THE HOOD, AND NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE WAS ON FIRE. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FLAMES. *AK

LOUD KNOCKING HEARD FROM FRONT RIGHT OF VEHICLE. TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED CAUSE TO BE A BAD CV JOINT. ADDITIONALLY, DURING A ROUTINE ENGINE OIL CHANGE, I DISCOVERED AN UNUSUALLY LARGE AMOUNT OF BEADING SLUDGE THAT HAD TO BE REMOVED BY HAND TO DRAIL AND FILL THE OIL. I HAVE READ REPORTS OF THE TOYOTA ENGINES PRODUCING SLUDGE AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW I GO ABOUT GETTING THIS FIXED ON THEIR RECALL IF ONE OCCURS.

THE PISTON SNAPPED SUDDENLY TOTALLY DESTROYING THE ENGINE. THIS CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED. THE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 3,000 - 5,000 BY A REPUTABLE LOCAL INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION. THE DEALER AT FIRST ATTEMPTED TO BLAME THE OWNER, SAYING THE OIL WAS NOT CHANGED BY THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE STATION HAD PROBABLY USED THE WRONG GRADE AND USED THE WRONG TYPE OF AIR FILTERS. HOWEVER, THEY LATER BACKED OFF THIS CLAIM AND SAID IT NOW APPEARS THE OIL PUMP FAILED. THEY CALLED THIS AN 'ACT OF GOD'. THEY ALSO SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE OIL FILTER POSSIBLY BEING CLOGGED. THEY REFUSED TO CONSIDER SLUDGE AS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM.

I RECEIVED A LETTER LAST YEAR FROM TOYOTA EXPLAINING A GELLING PROBLEM AND TO WATCH OUT FOR BLUE SMOKE COMING FROM THE TAIL PIPE WHEN STARTING THE CAR. I WENT INTO SEARS FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY INDICATED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE MOISTURE WAS GETTING IN THE OIL AND IT LOOKED SLUDGY. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO CHECK OUT THIS GELLING. THE LETTER INDICATED THAT TOYOTA WOULD PAY FOR THE PART/INSTALLATION. I GOT THE ESTIMATED BACK FROM TOYOTA AND THEY SAID I DID NOT HAVE ANY GELLING OR SLUDGE IN THE OIL/ENGINE, BUT THAT I DID HAVE ROTTED VALVE STEM SEALS AND HEAD GASKET LEAKS, AND OIL PAN LEAKS AND THATS WHY THERE WAS BLUE SMOKE. THE CAR IS BARELY 7 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE CHANGED THE OIL FAITHFULLY AT 3000 MILES. I DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED, BECAUSE I WANTED A SECOND OPINION FROM A MECHANIC THAT WAS REFERRED TO ME THAT IS TRUSTWORTHY. I PLAN ON TAKING THE CAR IN(AN APPT. WAS MADE FOR 2 DAYS AFTER I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP) AND I HAVE QUESTIONS IN HAND ABOUT HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I HAVE NOT HAD 1 INDICATION THAT THE ENGINE IS GOING BAD/VALVES ARE LEAKING(I.E. THERE HAVE BEEN NO NOISES, LEAKING OF ANTIFREEZE OR OTHER FLUID WHEN I PARK MY CAR O/N OR FOR A FEW HOURS).

I WAS INVOLVED IN A 5 CAR PILE UP ON INTERSTATE 94, HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME GOING AT 45-50 MPH, AND AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA, THIS IS ACCEPTABLE DUE TO THE PARTICULAR TYPE OF FRONTAL ACCIDENT I HAD. IF HITTING A CAR AT 45-50 MPH DEAD ON IS NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR THE AIRBAG DEPLOYING THEN WHAT IS? DUE TO THE AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING, I SUFFERED A SEVERE BRAIN CONTUSION WITH BLEEDING IN THE BRAIN AND LOSS TIME OFF OF WORK. EARLIER ENGINE PROBLEM: OIL SLUDGE IN ENGINE, ONCE REPAIRS WERE DONE 6 MONTHS LATER ENGINE MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACE FRONT MOTOR MOUNT AND DOG BONE, INJECTORS AND GASKETS, WHY?, THIS WAS ALL REPLACED ON THE FIRST ENGINEERING DEFECT TOYOTA CREATED AND WHY SHOULD I PAY A PORTION OF THEIR OIL SLUDGE ENGINEERING DEFECTS.

MY TOYOTA CAMRY'S ENGINE FAILED AS I WAS MERGING ONTO A VERY BUSY FREEWAY WITH MY BABY IN THE BACKSEAT. I WAS STUCK ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FAST LANE FOR 2 HOURS BEFORE THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED; MY FANCY DRIVING IS THE ONLY REASON AN ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. I HAD JUST RECEIVED THE LETTER ABOUT THE OIL GEL AND WAS GOING TO GET MY OIL CHANGED THE NEXT DAY BECAUSE THE ENGINE FAILED ON MY MOTHER'S BIRTHDAY. NOW BOTH TOYOTA AND MY LOCAL DEALER ARE TELLING ME THAT MY ENGINE DOES NOT HAVE OIL CAKED INSIDE THE HEAD SO IT COULD NOT BE OIL GEL THAT CAUSED MY ENGINE TO THROW A ROD AT 80,000 MILES. WHEN ASKED WHAT COULD HAVE CAUSED IT TO HAPPEN THEY HAVE NO ANSWER EXCEPT SOMETIMES THAT HAPPENS TO ENGINES AND THEY WANT ME TO PAY THEM A SIGNIFICANT SUM OF MONEY TO OPEN UP THE ENGINE TO FIND OUT IF OIL GEL IS PRESENT. IF IT IS NOT THE CAUSE AS THEY KEEP SAYING IT IS NOT YET I FEEL SURE IT IS; I WILL HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL FOR A NEW ENGINE AT THE DEALER. TOYOTA ALSO WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO HAVE THE WORK DONE BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC IF I MOVE THE CAR AND FIND OIL GEL IS THE CAUSE. I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR OVER 3 MONTHS AND HAVE 2 SMALL CHILDREN AND LIVE IN THE COUNTRY. IS THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT OIL GEL A SLUDGE ON THE HEAD? I AM SO FRUSTRATED.

TOYOTA HAS COMPLETELY DENIED MY ENGINE BLEW UP DUE TO ENGINE SLUDGE AND IN FACT ARE HOLDING MY CAR HOSTAGE. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO COST ME 2200.00 FOR THEM TO TEAR IT DOWN SO TOYOTA COULD DETERMINE THAT IT WAS ENGINE SLUDGE, THEN THEY DENIED IT WAS AND SAID THAT MY CAM SHAFT BROKE. A CAM SHAFT SHOULD NOT HAVE BROKE IN A 5 YEAR OLD CAR, ESPECIALY ONE THAT HAD BEEN MAINTAINED AND I HAD THE OIL CHANGED 1 WEEK PRIOR AT TOYOTA. I THEN GOT A CALL SAYING MY CAR WAS READY AND IT WAS 7800.00, THAT THEY HAD REPLACED THE CAM SHAFT. I WAS FURIOUS AND TOLD THEM I NEVER GAVE MY AUTHORIZATION TO REPLACE A CAM SHAFT FOR 7800.00. WHEN I WENT TO PICK IT UP THEY WOULDN'T RELEASE IT BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PAPERWORK.. (SUDDENLY) AND I KEPT GETTING THE RUN AROUND.. NOW THEY SAY THE CAM SHAFT WAS NEVER REPLACED.. ( I THINK THEY REMOVED IT).. NEEDLESS TO SAY MY CAR HAS BEEN PARKED AT TOYOTA SINCE LAST NOVEMBER OR WHEN I FILED THIS REPORT. I AM FURIOUS THAT THEY WON'T FIX IT.. AND THEY REFUSE TO GIVE ME THE PERSONS NAME AT TOYOTA CORP. WHO TURNED DOWN MY REQUEST TO HAVE IT FIXED UNDER THE SLUDGE PROBLEM..