2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH INTO A PARKING SPACE, THE BRAKE WAS ENGAGED AND A SUDDEN UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SLOW DOWN AFTER REPEATEDLY APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL AS A RESULT TO CRASHING INTO A BUILDING. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN FROM THE SCENE AND TAKEN TO AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO LOCATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MINOR BODY DAMAGE AND HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,600.

I PURCHASED A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY BACK IN MARCH OF THIS YEAR FROM A PRIVATE AUTO SELLER. ON MAY 20TH WHILE SITTING AT A STOP SIGN IN NEUTRAL, MY RPM GAGE ALL OF A SUDDEN SURGED. I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL TWICE TO SEE IF IT WAS STUCK SINCE I'D HEARD NEWS REPORTS THAT THIS WAS REPORTEDLY THE ISSUE ACCORDING TO TOYOTA WHEN OTHER INCIDENTS WERE REPORTED, BUT I THOUGHT THEY WERE WITH THE NEWER MODELS. NONETHELESS, WHEN I RELEASED THE PEDAL, THE GAGE CONTINUED SURGING. THANK GOODNESS I WAS IN NEUTRAL WHEN THE ACCELERATION STARTED BECAUSE THERE WERE CHILDREN IN THE AREA WHO WERE WAITING TO CATCH THEIR SCHOOL BUS. I DECIDED TO TURN OFF MY VEHICLE AND SAT FOR ABOUT TEN SECONDS, STARTED IT BACK UP AND IT WAS STILL SURGING FOR APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER THREE SECONDS, THEN FINALLY STOPPED AND WENT BACK TO NORMAL. AT THAT POINT, I TURNED BACK AROUND AND PARKED THE CAR AT MY HOME. FORTUNATELY, I HAVE ANOTHER VEHICLE I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE. THAT FOLLOWING TUESDAY I STOPPED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN KANSAS CITY, KANSAS AND EXPLAINED TO THE SERVICE PARTS WORKER WHAT HAPPENED. HIS EXPLANATION WAS IT'S THE FLOOR MAT GETTING STUCK CAUSING THE ACCELERATION AND THAT I NEED TO PROVIDE MY VIN NUMBER FOR THEM TO LOOK IT UP. FIRST OF ALL, THIS WAS NOT A FLOOR MAT ISSUE. IF THAT WAS THE CASE THEN WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, IT SHOULD'VE COME UNSTUCK. IT'S OBVIOUS THAT THE DEALERSHIP WANTED TO GO THE ROUTE THAT'S GOING TO BE THE LEAST EXPENSIVE INSTEAD OF ACTUALLY LOOKING INTO THE PROBLEM. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE, I CAME ACROSS A TECHNICAL BULLETIN MEMO FROM AUGUST 2002 THAT ADDRESSED THE ACCELERATION ISSUE STATING THAT IT WAS AN ELECTRONICS GLITCH. I E-MAILED TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPT. AND THE ONLY RESOLUTION THEY OFFERED WAS.....NOTHING. APPARENTLY THE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED FOR THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE SO NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIRS DONE. DUE TO THE DANGEROUS NATURE OF THESE INCIDENTS, REPAIRS SHOULD BE AUTOMATIC AND NOT AT THE COST OF THE CONSUMER! *TR

2002 TOYOTA CAMRY XLE UPON HITTING THE BRAKE CAR WILL CONTINUE TO JUMP WHILE STILL MOVING FORWARD. IT IS HAPPENING MORE AND MORE. ALMOST CAUSED A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE VEHICLE AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND ALL THREE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE WERE REPORTED INJURED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED AN INSURANCE LOT. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

27 MAY 2011 1. EVENTS LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE: THE CAR BATTERY, INCORRECTLY PLACE DIRECTLY OVER THE LEFT SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR NORMALLY LEAKED WATER AND ACID ONTO THE WIRING HARNESS OPENING THE CIRCUIT AND CAUSING THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO GO ON AND THE CAR SAFETY AIR BAGS TO BE DISABLED. THE LEFT SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR MAYBE MOVED SO THAT IT IS NOT UNDER THE CAR BATTERY OR THE SENSOR COULD BE SHIELDED, SUCH AS A SPLASH GUARD. 2. THE FAILURE, HOW OFTEN IT OCCURS, IT CONSEQUENCES: THIS IS A 2002 OR 8 YEAR OLD CAR; HOWEVER, I WOULD ESTIMATE THIS FAILURE COULD OCCUR WITHIN 6 MONTHS TO FOUR YEARS. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD ALWAYS FAIL TO DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT; MAKING THE SAFETY SYSTEM INOPERABLE. 3. WHAT WAS DONE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE; THE MAIN ENGINE WIRING HARNESS WAS REPLACED; TOYOTA WANTED $3,800 DOLLARS AT FIRST. THE TWO WIRES TO THE AIR BAG SENSOR COULD HAVE A DISCONNECT, SO THAT ONLY THE TWO WIRES TO THE AIR BAG SENSOR COULD HAVE NEEDED TOO BE REPLACED. *TR

MY CAR ALARM GOES OFF DURING THE NIGHT AND WILL NOT RESET. THIS HAS HAPPENED PERIODICALLY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY STALL INTERMITTENTLY, THEN THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CONTACT TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE MANUFACTURER OF THE FAILURE SINCE HE KNEW THAT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. NO REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT BLUE SMOKE WAS EMITTING FROM THE TAIL PIPE ABNORMALLY. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THERE WAS SLUDGE BUILDING UP IN THE ENGINE AND CAUSING THE ENGINE TO BURN MILEAGE EXTREMELY QUICKLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

ATLANTA, GA, REQUIRES AN EMISSION INSPECTION EACH YEAR. MY 2002 CAMRY XLE HAS PASSED WITH NO PROBLEM IN PAST YEARS. WHEN THE INSPECTION TESTER WAS HOOKED TO THE CAR IT REPORTED "NOT READY" CODES IN ALL TEST CATEGORIES AND THE INSPECTION COULD NOT BE COMPLETED. I TOOK THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC AND HE COULD CLEAR THE COMPUTER AND GET IT TO RESET BUT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY THE CODES WOULD START TO DROP OFF TO "NOT READY" AGAIN. HE WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO SET LONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE INSPECTION THAT PASSED PROPERLY AND THEN THE CODES BEGAN TO DROP OFF AGAIN. CALLS TO TOYOTA HAVE RECEIVED NO INFORMATION ON WHAT TO DO TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, HE NOTICED THAT THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE INCREASED AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. HE PULLED OVER AND OPENED THE HOOD AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS NO COOLANT IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO ADVISED THAT THE HEAD BOLT WAS STRIPPED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000. UPDATED 08/05/11*LJ UPDATED 08/15/11