2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT TENSIONER DOES NOT RETRACT. THE FAILURE BEGAN APPROXIMATELY 6-8 MONTHS AGO. THE DEALER STATED THAT IT WOULD COST $400 TO REPLACE THE TENSIONER. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THE VIN AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT CRASHED THE VEHICLE INTO A WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS MODERATELY DAMAGED. ONE WEEK LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED IN EITHER CRASH. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND A REPRESENTATIVE CONCLUDED AFTER INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE THAT NOTHING CAUSED THE SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000. SEE ALSO 10286930 *DSY

MY 2002 CAMRY LE CHECK ENG. LIGHT CAME ON FROM A COOLANT LEAK WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP I NEEDED A NEW MOTOR AT THE COST OF $3,500 THE CAR WAS ONLY THREE YEARS OLD IT WAS A LEASE CERTIFIED BUY BACK ALSO WHEN I BOUGHT IT THE WINDSHIELD WASHER WENT BAD LESS THEN A MONTH WAS TOLD I HAD TO FIX ON MY OWN THEY THE MOTOR RAN HOT BUT THE COOLANT GAGE NEVER INDICATED THE PROBLEM. *TR

THE SEAT BELT LATCH RELEASE ON MY 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY FAILS TO "POP OUT" AFTER UN-FASTENING (RELEASING) THE SEAT BELT. THIS COULD LEAD TO AN UN-SAFE CONDITION SINCE IT COULD APPEAR THAT THE SEAT BELT WAS LATCHED WHEN IT WAS NOT. I WAS TOLD BE THE DEALER THAT IT WOULD COST $140. TO REPAIR THIS CONDITION. I SAID THAT I THOUGHT THIS WAS A SAFETY MATTER AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED AT NO COST. I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OTHER CAR MANUFACTURERS WARRANT SEAT BELTS FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR AND MAKE SUCH SAFETY REPAIRS AT NO CHARGE. WHY DOES TOYOTA CHARGE FOR REPAIR OF SUCH SAFETY DEVICES? THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR REPLY. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 CAMRY. IN 2006 I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE ACCELERATION OF THE CAR. I WOULD BE DRIVING AND THE CAR WOULD START TO STALL, I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO TOYOTA ON 6 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. EVERYTIME I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.. SO THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. I NOTICE THE PROBLEM WHEN I CAN NOT ACCELERATE BETWEEN 30-50 MPH IN THE FIRST 5 -10 MIN OF DRIVING. THE CAR WILL THEN START TO STALL. ALL LIGHTS COME ON AND I HAVE TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IF I LET THE CAR SIT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO WHAT EVER THE PROBLEM IS RESETS ITS SELF. I AM AFRAID ONE DAY THERE WILL BE NOWHERE TO PULL OFF THE ROAD AND I WILL GET HURT VERY BADLY. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS OR HOW TO FIX IT. RECENTLY MY VSC LIGHT AND TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT CAME ON, I TOOK IT TO DEALER TO BE FIXED AND REP TOLD ME IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND NOT A BIG DEAL. WHEN THE ROAD IS WET THE CAR DOES NOT SEEM TO GET THE TRACTION CONTROL. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GET DEALER TO RESET. *TR

PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT ON 2/8/2008 AT 8:55PM THERE WERE 2-3 EPISODES WITHIN A 6 YEAR PERIOD WHEN ANA LOPEZ FELT THE VEHICLE MILDLY ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN FOR ONLY A FEW SECONDS. THE EPISODES WERE SO MILD THAT SHE QUESTIONED HERSELF WHETHER THE CAR TRULY ACCELERATED AND SO SHE NEVER HAD THE CAR INSPECTED. HOWEVER, ON 2/8/2008 AT 8:55PM WHILE DRIVING HOME HEADING SOUTH ON THE VETERANS EXPRESSWAY IN TAMPA SHE EXPERIENCED WHAT SHE DESCRIBES AS THE MOST FRIGHTENING EVENT IN HER LIFE. THE FIRST SIGN THAT SOMETHING WAS GOING WRONG WAS THE DASH LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLICKER ON AND OFF SO SHE MADE AN ATTEMPT TO PULL OVER SO SHE COULD CALL HER HUSBAND AND MAKE HIM AWARE OF HOW THE CAR WAS PERFORMING. AS SHE BEGAN SLOWING DOWN AND VEERING OFF THE ROAD ON THE OUTSIDE LANE, WHICH WAS WITNESSED, THE VEHICLE MAD A VERY POWERFUL ACCELERATION ACCOMPANIED BY A LOUD ACCELERATION SOUND AND LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY AS THE CAR BEGAN TO STEER TO THE LEFT GOING BACK INTO TRAFFIC LANES. SHE FELT AS THOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS NOW CONTROLLING ITSELF AND SHORTLY AFTER BEGAN TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE STRUCK THE BARRIER WALL AND CAME TO A FINAL REST ON THE RIGHT SOUTHBOUND LANE. ANA LOPEZ SUFFERED MULTIPLE FRACTURES TO HER RIGHT LEG AND SPENT 2 MONTHS IN THE HOSPITAL AND REHAB UNIT WHERE SHE SUFFERED GREATLY WITH PAIN AND CONTINUES TO SUFFER FROM PAIN AND DEBILITATION. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A PROFESSIONAL INSPECTOR AT HER HOME AND NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. BUT THE INSPECTION WAS A PRELIMINARY INSPECTION AND SHE FEARED THAT A MORE THROUGH INSPECTION WOULD BE TOO COSTLY FOR HER. HER STORY ABOUT THE INCIDENT HAS NEVER CHANGED AND STILL IS TRAUMATIZING TO HER. THIS COMPLAINT WAS TRANSLATED AND WRITTEN BY ALBERTO LOPEZ, HER SON. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE VEHICLE HAS SUMITOMO TIRES. WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR DRIVING UP TO 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD HYDROPLANE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE TREAD WAS BALD ON THE ONE YEAR OLD TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A SEARS REPAIR SHOP FOR A ROUTINE TIRE ROTATION THREE TIMES WITHIN ONE YEAR. ON EACH VISIT, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE NOT DEFECTIVE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE DOT NUMBER, TIRE LINE, AND TIRE SIZE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 142,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 136,444. UPDATED 03/12/09. *LJ UPDATED 03/13/09. *JB

AT SUBZERO TEMPERATURE (BELOW 0) CAR STARTS WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON (ERROR CODE P1128), TRACTION CONTROL AND VSC DISABLED. IDLE AT 600-800 RPM. ENGINE DOES NOT RESPOND TO ACCELERATION PEDAL, SO CAR IS NOT DRIVABLE. AFTER WARMING ENGINE UP AND ERASING ERROR CODE FROM ECU CAR DRIVES NORMALLY. *TR

WHEN IT IS BELOW 32 DEGREES F. OUTSIDE THE CARS THROTTLE BODY WILL FREEZE SHUT. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO NOT OPERATE AND THE CAR NEEDS TO BE PLACED IN A WARM ENVIRONMENT TO WARM IT TO ABOVE FREEZING, AND THE CAR WILL OPERATE WELL. THIS HAS BEEN ADDRESSED IN A SERVICE BULLETIN PUT OUT BY TOYOTA AND TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM IT WILL COST APPROX $1200. THIS IS A DEFECT ON THE PART OF TOYOTA. IT IS NOT BECAUSE OF AGE, AND IT IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. *TR

FAILURE TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY ( 1 OR 2 SECOND HESITATION) I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER FOR 2 YEARS AND THEY RESET THE COMPUTER EACH TIME BUT THAT FIX ONLY LASTED ABOUT 1200 MILES EACH TIME. DEALER SAYS ENGINE FALLS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS AND REFUSED TO DO ANY MORE TO FIX THE CAR UNDER WARRANTY - I HAVE NOW 34,000 MILES AND I GET SCARED WHEN I PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR TEMPORARY STALLS THE SLOW ACCELERATION. *TR