2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACTED STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A SET OF CEMENT STAIRS. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. UPDATED 4/4/14*CN

THE COOLANT STARTED LEAKING FROM BEHIND THE MOTOR. MY MECHANIC LOOKED AT IT AND SAID THAT THE FOAM INSULATION WAS SATURATED WITH COOLANT AND IT WAS LEAKING FROM THERE, BETWEEN THE HEAD AND THE CYLINDER. WHEN I RESEARCHED ABOUT IT ONLINE IN MANY TOYOTA FORUMS, THE COMMON THING THAT I HAVE COME ACROSS IS THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAD BOLTS STRIPPING AND THE COOLANT LEAKING FROM THAT AREA. MY MECHANIC SAID THAT I EITHER NEED A NEW ENGINE OR DO A FIX THE STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS WITH A HELI-COIL OR A TIME-SERT. THIS IS VERY DISAPPOINTING WITH TOYOTA, THAT THEY ARE NOT ACKNOWLEDGING THE DEFECT WITH THERE 5TH GEN 4 CYL 2AZ-FE ENGINES AND ARE REFUSING TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT. THE SOLUTION THAT THEY ARE GIVING IS A VERY EXPENSIVE ONE OF GETTING A NEW ENGINE FOR $5000. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA OR SOMEONE NEEDS TO MAKE THEM TAKE NOTICE OF THIS ISSUE. *TR

COMPONENTS ON VEHICLE DASH NOT OPERATING. INSTRUMENT PANEL STOPPED WORKING. NO TEMP. GAUGE, NO FUEL GAUGE, NO TACH OR SPEEDOMETER. LIGHT ON INSTRUMENT PANEL NOT WORKING. HAVE BEEN TO THREE MECHANICS WHO DIAGNOSED BUT CANNOT REPAIR. CONTACTED TOYOTA AND QUOTED EXCESSIVE PRICE OF $780.00 PLUS TAX AND DIAGNOSTIC TIME TO REPAIR. *TR

THE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND REPROGRAMMING THE ECU. I DON'T THINK TOYOTA NOTIFIES CURRENT OWNERS OF FREE WORK TO BE DONE THAT IS NOT AN ACTUAL RECALL. INSTEAD THEY WAIT TO SEE WHO FINDS OUT ON THEIR OWN. THE SERVICE BULLETIN TSB 2404 DATED 07-01-04 COVERS THE REPLACEMENT OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND REPROGRAMMING THE ECU TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT MENTIONS THE SMELL OF SULFUR FROM THE EXHAUST AND WAS APPARENTLY THE ONLY REASON MOST PEOPLE HAD IT CHECKED OUT. MY WIFE'S CAR HAS HAD THE SMELL OF SULFUR FOR A FEW YEARS NOW, BUT SINCE WE DON'T MAKE IT A HABIT OF MAKING OUR CAR EXHAUST SMELL PLEASANT WE NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING OF IT. NOW, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED BUT HER CAR IS OVER THE 8 YEAR, 80,000 MILE LIMIT OF THE TSB. IF WE WERE NOTIFIED OF TOYOTA'S DESIGN ERROR EARLIER AND HAD THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED AND THE ECU REPROGRAMMED FOR FREE, WE WOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT A $1000 REPAIR BILL IN OUR FUTURE. WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY FOR TOYOTA'S ERROR, WE ALREADY PAID FOR THE CAR. *TR

AFTER TAKING MY CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC BECAUSE OF OVERHEATING, A COOLANT LEAK, AND MISFIRING, I BROUGHT MY CAMRY TO A CERTIFIED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. I EXPLAINED TO THE TOYOTA REPRESENTATIVE OF THE FORE MENTIONED ISSUES. AFTER CONDUCTING AN INSPECTION, THE TOYOTA REP. TOLD ME I HAD A BAD COIL IN CYLINDER #2, AND FOUND PRESSURE LEAKING INTO #2 AND #3 CYLINDERS. AFTER A FURTHER TEAR DOWN OF THE ENGINE, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE ENGINE HAD LOOSE HEAD BOLTS IN THESE CYLINDERS, AND THAT THE THREADS ON THE ENGINE FOR THESE BOLTS WAS STRIPPED. THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO FIX TO THIS PROBLEM AND QUOTED ME A NEW ENGINE WITH 90,000 MILES WITH AN ESTIMATE COST BETWEEN $5000-$6000. FURTHERMORE, I WAS TOLD REPLACING THE COIL AT $227, WOULD FIX THE MISFIRING. HOWEVER THIS DID NOT FIX THE MISFIRING PROBLEM, AS THE MISFIRE WAS DUE BECAUSE OF THE LOOSE HEAD BOLTS WHICH WAS EXPLAINED TO ME BY THE DEALERSHIP AS WELL. THIS CONFLICTING INFORMATION LED ME TO BELIEVE IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS LONG AS COOLANT WAS PLENTIFUL IN THE RADIATOR AND OVER FLOW RESERVOIR. HOWEVER, THE OVERHEATING, LEAKING OF COOLANT AND MISFIRING CONTINUES. THE MISFIRING CREATES DANGEROUS RANDOM STALLS. *TR

ON THE EVENING ON AUGUST 30, 2013, MY WIFE AND I WERE INVOLVED IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT DUE TO A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM WITH OUR 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. I WAS DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED AROUND A CUL-DE-SAC WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED OUT OF MY CONTROL AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. I PRESSED THE BRAKE A FEW TIMES BUT IT WAS INEFFECTIVE. THE CRASH DESTROYED THE CAR AND IS DETERMINED TO BE A "TOTAL LOSS." *TR

BOTH FRONT AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A HEAD ON COLLISION. CAR WAS TOTALED AND BOTH PASSENGERS, BELTED IN FRONT SEAT WERE INJURED. *TR

ON DECEMBER 14, 2012, AT ABOUT 7:20 AM, MY SPOUSE, [XXX] GOT INTO THE DRIVER'S SEAT OF THE ABOVE DESCRIBED 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY, WHICH WAS PARKED ON OUR DRIVEWAY. AFTER FASTENING HER SEAT BELT AND THEN CHECKING BEHIND TO MAKE SURE OUR STREET WAS FREE OF PEDESTRIANS AND BIKE RIDERS, MY SPOUSE PLACED HER RIGHT FOOT FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE AND SHIFTED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LEVER FROM "PARK" TO "REVERSE" THE TOYOTA CAMRY INSTANTLY ACCELERATED BACKWARDS AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. AND HIT A TREE ON MY ACROSS THE STREET NEIGHBOR'S LAWN, FORTUNATELY, THE CAR STOPPED BEFORE HITTING MY NEIGHBOR'S GARAGE DOOR BECAUSE THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL DUG ITSELF INTO THE LAWN AND THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE LOST TRACTION IN A MANNER SIMILAR TO WHAT ONE EXPECT WHEN ONE DRIVES INTO HEAVY SNOW. THE TOTAL TIME ELAPSED DURING THE SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WAS LESS THAN TWO SECONDS. THE DISTANCE TRAVELED DURING THE SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WAS EXTREMELY SHORT. THE TREE WAS LOCATED ABOUT 57 FEET FROM THE REAR END OF THE CAR AND THE TOTAL DISTANCE THAT THE CAR TRAVELED WAS ONLY 72 FEET.. MY SPOUSE WAS TERRIFIED BY THE EXPERIENCE BUT, FORTUNATELY, SHE WAS NOT PHYSICALLY INJURED. I HAD TO CALL AAA TO COME WITH A TOW TRUCK. AAA EXTRACTED THE CAR FROM THE LAWN'S SOFT EARTH BY THE USE OF A CHAIN ATTACHED TO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. THE TRUNK LID WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED AND THE PARKING PAW WITHIN THE TRANSAXLE ASSEMBLY WAS BROKEN.. I AM A RETIRED NYS PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER. I CAN PROVE THAT THE SUA INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECT IN THE FIRMWARE (SOFTWARE) IN THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL MODULE WITHIN THE CAMRY. I FILED A 48 PAGE BRIEF OBJECTING TO THE US COURT RECENT TOYOTA ECONOMIC LOSS LAWSUIT. IT IS AVAILABLE ON THE PACER SYSTEM. I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THAT ALL 2002 THROUGH 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY CARS BE RECALLED BY TOYOTA AND EQUIPPED WITH APPLICABLE BRAKE OVERRIDE SYSTEMS. . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ON 8/11/13 I PULLED UP TO A GAS PUMP, AND AS I SHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I PURCHASED THIS USED VEHICLE ON 12/1/12 TO REPLACE MY CAR THAT WAS DESTROYED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER SHIFTING INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE LUNGED BACKWARDS. THE CONTACT THEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE AND THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 53,000. UPDATED 9/12/13*CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE PLACED THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE LURCHED AND SHE BRUSHED A VEHICLE NEXT TO HER, AND THE VEHICLE MADE A VERY LOUD NOISE. SHE THEN PUT THE VEHICLE IN DRIVE WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, BUT IT DID NOT STOP, SO SHE SLAMMED IT INTO PARK, BUT THE VEHICLE STILL DID NOT STOP.