2004 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

CAR SITTING AT IDLE POSITION SUDDENLY LAUNCHED FORWARD. VEHICLE WAS GOING 2-3 MPH WHEN IT SUDDENLY LAUNCHED FORWARD AND SMASHED INTO A WALL AT A TOP DONUT DRIVE THRU.

EXITED FREEWAY AND HIT BRAKES TO SLOW AND STOP AT TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE MOTOR ACCELERATED, THE BRAKES WERE TOO WEAK TO STOP THE VEHICAL, AND I CRASHED INTO THE STOPPED CAR AT THE TRAFFIIC LIGHT. IT SEEMED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT TURN OFF WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL. THEY FAILED TO TURN THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF.

A SMELL OF GASOLINE INSIDE THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE WAS NOTICED AND INTENSIFIED OVER THE SPAN OF 2 DAYS. VEHICLE WAS ONLY DRIVEN DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS THE ONLY VEHICLE OWNED BY THE FAMILY AND HAVING A CHRONICALLY ILL SON TRANSPORTATION WAS NEEDED TO TAKE HIM TO HIS DOCTORS APPOINTMENT. BEFORE USAGE OF THE VEHICLE A VISUAL INSPECTION WAS DONE BY THE FATHER TRYING TO LOCATE THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL WITH NO AVAIL. AFTER THE SONS DOCTORS APPOINTMENT THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC WHO HAS OVER 25 YEARS AUTOMOTIVE EXPERIENCE AND AN ASSOCIATES DEGREE IN AUTOMOTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WITH THE ENGINE BEING AT OPERATING TEMPERATURE FROM BEING DRIVEN TO THE LOCATION AND THE ENGINE BAY WAS VISUALY INSPECTED WITH THE ENGINE OFF WITH NO SIGNS OF FUEL LEAKAGE. BEING SAFETY CONSCIOUS, THE MECHANIC OBTAINED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND WATER HOSE INCASE OF A FIRE. THE MECHANIC THEN TURNED ON THE ENGINE AND NOTICED A SMALL LEAK AT THE FUEL DAMPER. HE PROCEEDED TO REMOVE THE TOP PLASTIC COVER OF THE DAMPER WHICH LED TO FUEL SPRAY WITH FORCE ENOUGH TO SPRAY ON THE MECHANIC WHO WAS LOCATED AT THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE FUEL OBVIOUSLY SPRAYED OVER THE HOT ENGINE AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING IGNITION OF THE GASOLINE. A FRIEND WHO WAS WITH THE MECHANIC QUICKLY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE WHILE THE MECHANIC QUICKLY DOUSED THE FLAMES PREVENTING DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. UPON RESEARCH, THIS FUEL DAMPER WAS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT FROM MOST CAMRYS OF THIS GENERATION. THE DAMPER DIDN'T EVEN HAVE TOYOTA PART NUMBERS AND SEEMED SUSPICIOUS. FURTHER RESEARCH FOUND THAT THIS UNBRANDED FUEL DAMPER WAS FOR CA EMMISIONS STANDARDS WHILE ANOTHER STYLE WAS FOR FEDERAL STANDARDS. OTHER CAMRYS THAT WERE MADE FOR CA DID NOT USE THE STYLE FUEL DAMPER AS MY CAMRYS. IT SEEMS LIKE TOYOTA BOUGHT AFTERMARKET DAMPERS AND INSTALLED THEM ON AN UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF VEHICLES.I THINK THEY RAN OUT OF OEM DAMPERS

THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE STOPPED MOVING ONE DAY AND ANOTHER DAY IT MOVED ERRATICALLY. A FEW DAYS LATER, THE SHIFTING BECAME REALLY HARD, WOULD TAKE A LOT OF PRESSING OF THE PEDAL TO INCREASE SPEED. FINALLY, IT WOULDN'T EVEN GO ABOVE 20-30MPH ON HIGHWAY NO MATTER WHAT. LATER IT WAS FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR HAS GONE BAD. REPLACING THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM BUT STILL THE CAR HESITATES BEFORE SHIFTING, ESPECIALLY IN LOW GEARS (<550MPH).

I RECEIVED LETTERS WHERE I WAS INFORMED THAT MY VEHICLE HAD THE TOYOTA DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. I WOULD NOT HAVE NOTICED BECAUSE IT IS AN INTERNAL DEFECT OF THE CAR, BUT THE CONSISTENCY AND URGENCY OF THE DANGER I DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO REPAIR I MADE THE APPOINTMENT FOR NOVEMBER -15-2018 @ 7:00 AM TO 1-888-663-8613. FROM THAT DAY NOVEMBER 15, 2016, I LEFT MY VEHICLE AT THE CAMELBACK DEALERSHIP AT 1550 E. CAMELBACK RD. IN PHOENIX, AZ, TOYOTA, AND TO DATE THEY HAVE NOT REPAIRED OR RETURNED ME. I HAVE MADE MANY CALLS BUT THEY DO NOT GIVE SPECIFIC ANSWERS .TODAY IS 12-05-2018

MY HUSBAND WAS REPLACING DOOR HANDLE WHEN HE TOOK OFF THE LEFT FRONT DOOR PANEL, HE FOUND THAT THE AIRBAG SENSOR HAS DISINTEGRATED FROM THE INSIDE OUT. WE TOOK PICTURES TOOK IT INTO DUBLIN CA TOYOTA. THEY WILL NOT REPAIR THIS. I THEN HAD SOME REPAIR WORK DONE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY CAR AND THE OWNER OF THE SHOP ALSO REPORTED THAT THE SAME THING ON THE RIGHT SIDE . HE STATED THAT THIS IS A DEFAULT AND IT COULD VERY LIKELY CAUSE THE AIRBAG TO GO OFF PREMATURELY OR NOT WORK IF THERE WAS AN IMPACT , THAT THIS WAS A DANGER TO WHO EVER WAS DRIVING MY CAR. I HAVE PHOTOS AND ALSO A REPORT FROM DUBLIN TOYOTA . I'M NOT ONLY IN FEAR FOR MY SAFETY BUT THE FACT THAT TOYOTA SHOWS NO CONCERN FOR MY SAFETY AND HOW MANY OTHERS COULD HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL, BUT IT BOUNCED BACK. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT REAR ENDED THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO OAK LAWN TOYOTA (4320 85TH STREET, OAK LAWN, ILLINOIS 60453), BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,150.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SHIFTED TO A LOWER GEAR; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,906.

HEADBOLTS STRIPPED EVEN WITH REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND COOLANT FLUSHES DONE BEFORE RECOMMENDATION AS PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE THESE BOLTS STILL STRIPPED OUT OF MY MOTOR AND CAUSED A HEAD GASKET TO LEAK/BLOW. CURRENTLY LOOKING AT A $750-1500+ REPAIR OR A NEW MOTOR. DISSAPOINTED WITH THE 2AZFE CAMRY MOTOR NOW.

WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 40 MPH I HEARD A LOUD BANG UNDER THE CAR, LIKE SOMETHING HIT THE UNDERSIDE OF THE CAR. THEN I HEARD RATTLING WHEN I RODE OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD. TOOK IT TO A SERVICE CENTER RIGHT AWAY AND THEY FOUND A BROKEN COIL SPRING ON THE FRONT SUSPENSION. FORTUNATELY, THE SPRING BROKE CLOSE TO AN END OF THE SPRING, SO THE HEIGHT OF THE CAR DID NOT DROP NOTICEABLY. IF THE BREAK WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SPRING, THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD HAVE DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY, PERHAPS RESULTING IN A CRASH. THE CAR'S MILEAGE WAS 114,990. THE REPAIR COSTS FOR TWO SPRING/STRUT ASSEMBLIES, TWO STABILIZER LINKS AND A WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS $920.