2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

MY SON WAS MAKING A LEFT TURN OFF BROWN RD ONTO AMBER GLEN DR IN CHARLOTTE, NC WHEN THE CARS STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP CAUSING THE CAR TO GO OUT OF CONTROL. WHEN HE TRIED TO PRESS THE BRAKES TO STOP THE CAR IT WOULD NOT STOP. THE CAR HIT A TREE THAT CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THANK GOD NO ONE WAS HURT/INJURED OR KILLED. BUT MY 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY IS TOTALED AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED. I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR IN APRIL 2012 FROM THE TOYOTA SCION DEALERSHIP IN HUNTERSVILLE, NC AND WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS OR RECALLS WITH THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKING UP. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE THAT COULD HAVE CAUSED SOMEONE TO LOSE THEIR LIFE. I FEEL LIKE I HAVE BEEN MISLEAD AND CHEATED OUT OF MY MONEY TO PURCHASE THE VEHICLE. THIS CAR SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SOLD TO ANYONE AND WHY WAS THE DEALERSHIP NOT AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND MADE THE CUSTOMER AWARE OR DID THEY JUST NOT CARE. TOYOTA HAS LEFT A BAD MEMORY THAT I WILL NEVER FORGET AND THAT IS DEFINITELY A BAD WAY TO RUN A BUSINESS. I HAVE NOT EVEN HAD THE CAR FOR 3 MONTHS AND THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS. HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2002/TOYOTA/CAMRY/STEERINGHTTP://WWW.CARPROBLEMZOO.COM/TOYOTA/CAMRY/STEERING-WHEEL-PROBLEMS.PHP. *TR

MY 2002 CAMRY HAD NO ISSUES UNTIL AT ABOUT 211,000 MILES WHEN ANTIFREEZE STARTED TO LEAK FROM BACK OF ENGINE. AFTER MECHANIC INSPECTED, HE SAID WATER HAD GOTTEN INTO HEAD GASKET. WHEN HE TRIED TO REMOVE BOLTS WE NOTICED THREE BACK BOLTS WERE LOOSE ALREADY AND THREAD WAS STRIPPED. AFTER HAVING HEAD GASKET CLEANED AND "REPAIRED" THIS REPAIR GUY SAID THERE WASN'T ANYTHING WRONG WITH HEAD ITSELF. ALL HE DID WAS INSPECT, CLEAN, AND SAND IT. HE DID SAY IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM HE ENCOUNTERS WITH TOYOTA'S. THE ONLY REPAIR HE SAYS WILL WORK IS TO HAVE ENGINE BLOCK REMOVED AND HE WILL RETHREAD ALL THE HOLES WITH DIFFERENT MATERIAL TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. NONE OF THIS IS A SURE FIX BECAUSE IT COULD STILL FAIL, THE ONLY SURE WAY IS TO BUY A NEW ENGINE, BUT IF TOYOTA MAKES DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKETS, THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. I HAVE ALWAYS SWORE BY TOYOTA CARS, THAT IS ALL I HAVE EVER OWNED BUT I WILL NEVER BUY A VEHICLE FROM THEM AGAIN. *JS

BAD THREADS ON ENGINE BLOCK. ENGINE LEAKING COOLANT. MECHANIC DETERMINED HEAD GASKET BAD. TOYOTA CERTIFIED MECHANIC TORE APART ENGINE AND ON REASSEMBLY FOUND THE THREADS ON THE LOWER ENGINE BLOCK WERE STRIPPED AND THIS WAS THE CAUSE OF THE HEAD GASKET FAILURE. NEW ENGINE/REBUILD REQUIRED AT $5200. FAILURE CAUSED BY FAULTY THREADS/ENGINE BLOCK AT MANUFACTURING END. SIMPLY DRIVING VEHICLE CAUSES THREADS TO DISINTEGRATE AND CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. *TR

I PURCHASE A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY IN AUGUST 2003 FROM REINHART TOYOTA IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA. THE VEHICLE WAS CERTIFIED USED WITH ONLY ABOUT 19000 ON THE ODOMETER. BECAUSE IT WAS CERTIFIED USED I ASSUMED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN REVIEWED TO ENSURE THAT IT HAD ALL OF ITS PARTS AND THEY OPERATED PROPERLY. I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE FOR ALMOST NINE YEARS WITHOUT ANY MAJOR ISSUES. ABOUT A YEAR OR TWO AGO, THE AIRBAG LIGHT WOULD COME ON AND STAY ON IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE GOT HOT BUT I DID NOT TAKE IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT THAT TIME. UNTIL RECENTLY WHEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BOB HOWARD TOYOTA IN EDMOND, OKLAHOMA TO REPLACE THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR HANDLE (WHICH WAS MY THIRD TIME REPLACING IT) DURING THIS TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS GOOD IDEA TO HAVE THE TECHNICIAN CHECK OUT THE AIRBAG LIGHT ALSO. AFTER THE TECHNICIAN CONDUCTED THEIR REVIEW THEY INFORMED ME THAT MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE A PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THEY INSTALLED RESISTORS TO KEEP THE AIRBAG LIGHT FROM COMING ON TO WARNING ME ABOUT THE ISSUE. THIS GAVE ME A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BY INTENTIONALLY FALSIFYING INFORMATION ABOUT THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO EARN A PROFIT, THEREFORE ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS. IF THE LIGHT WOULD HAVE COME ON BEFORE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE I WOULD HAVE ASKED ABOUT IT BUT IT DID NOT. IF THEY SELL A CERTIFIED USED VEHICLE AND THEY MENTION THAT IT HAS DUAL-SIDE AIRBAGS, THE CONSUMER SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE COMPANY LYING TO THEM ABOUT IT. I HAVE DRIVEN THE VEHICLE FOR ABOUT NINE YEARS WITH THE ASSUMPTION I HAD DUAL AIRBAGS IN MY VEHICLE TO RECENTLY FIND OUT THAT I BEEN LIED TO FOR THE PAST NINE YEARS. NOW, I AM BEING HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR A DEFECT THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECTED DURING THE CERTIFICATION OF THE VEHICLE. THIS IS UNFAIR HAVE THE CUSTOMER PAY FOR SOMEONE ELSES MISTAKE. THEY ARE NOW REFUSING TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 70 MPH WHEN A BURNING SMELL EMITTED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC WHERE THE MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT THE HEAD GASKET NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 100,000.

I BOUGHT 4 NEW PIRELLI CINTURATO P5 TIRES FOR MY 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY IN FEBRUARY OF 2010 FROM DISCOUNT TIRE. I WAS TOLD THAT THESE TIRES THEY EASILY LAST FOR 85,000 MILES BEFORE HAVING TO REPLACE THEM. SINCE THEN I GONE BACK TO DISCOUNT TIRE TO HAVE THEM REGULARLY ROTATED AND BALANCED. LAST TIRE ROTATION WAS IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER 2011. WHEN I WENT TO GET MY TIRES ROTATED AND BALANCED AGAIN ON 3-23-2012, I WAS TOLD THAT TWO OF THE TIRES ARE ALREADY WORN OUT AND OTHER TWO ARE CLOSE TO GETTING WORN OUT AND I WOULD BE BETTER OFF TO GET NEW TIRES TO KEEP ME SAFE WHILE DRIVING. I INFORMED THE SALES PERSONNEL THAT THESE TIRES ARE JUST TWO YEARS OLD AND WITH LESS THAN 27,000 MILES SINCE PURCHASED. HE MENTIONED TO ME THAT TIRES MANY A TIMES DO NOT GIVE THE MILEAGE THEY ARE RATED FOR. IN MY CASE, I GOT LESS THAN 1/3RD OF THE RATED MILEAGE. WITH MY DRIVING PATTERN (12,000 MILES/YEAR), I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THESE TIRES TO LAST FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS AS I TAKE GOOD CARE (ROTATING, BALANCING, AND ALIGNMENT) OF THEM. WITH MY DRIVING PATTERN (12,000 MILES/YEAR), I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THESE TIRES TO LAST FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS AS I TAKE GOOD CARE (ROTATING, BALANCING, AND ALIGNMENT) OF THEM. *JS

IN A PARKING LOT, PICKING UP A FRIEND. WENT TO DRIVE HER HOME. AS I DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, IT SUDDENLY FLOORED ITSELF, ENGINE ROARED, AND THE CAR BEING IN DRIVE, LURCHED FORWARD TOWARDS A ROW OF PARKED CARS. I QUICKLY PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, BUT THE CAR THEN LURCHED BACKWARDS..... QUICKLY SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND KILLED THE ENGINE. ASKED MY FRIEND TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. STARTED THE ENGINE, WHICH CONTINUED TO ROAR AR HIGH RPM. I THEN PUMPED THE PEDAL A FEW TIMES, AND THE RAR AND RPM'S SUBSIDED. I MOTIONED TO MY FRIEND TO GET IN, AND SLOWLY DROVE HOME. IMMEDIATELY CALLED A NEABY TOYOTA DEALER. ARRANGEMENT WERE MADE AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER ON MONDAY, FEB. 6, 2012 ( I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT.) [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

RADIATOR/OIL COOLER COPPER NIPPLE DISINTEGRATED CAUSING LOSS OF OIL. PART THAT FAILED IS ORIGINAL PART OF VEHICLE. THE NUT HOLDING THE NIPPLE RUSTED AND CRUMBLED CAUSING THE OIL COOLER HOSE TO SEPARATE FROM THE OIL COOLER. CAR HAS NEVER HAD FRONT END OR ANY OTHER DAMAGE. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 TOYOTA CAMRY AND HAVE MAJOR DAMAGE TO CYLINDER BLOCK WITH STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS. COST IS APPROX $4700 TO REPAIR. I TALKED TO EXECUTIVE OFFICES AT TOYOTA THEY WILL NOT HELP. ALSO HAS CAUSED COOLANT TO LEAK INTO ENGINE. PLEASE SEE HTTP://WWW.CAMRYFORUMS.COM/FORUM/GENERAL-TECH-8/2002-STRIPPED-HEAD-BOLTS-4585/ AND CHECK OUT THE "TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB2740. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OVERHEATING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS WHEN THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING COOLANT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE AND THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND THE FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 135,000.