2004 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

2004 CAMRY VIN EXPERIENCED UNINTENDED ACCELERATION (SURGING) AFTER APPLYING BRAKE TO COME TO FULL STOP. I EXAMINED THE POSITION OF MY FEET AFTER STOPPING, AND TURNING OFF IGNITION TO CANCEL SURGING. LEFT FOOT WAS ON FOOTREST IN DRIVER FOOTWELL. RIGHT FOOT WAS ON BRAKE. THIS IS THE SECOND INSTANCE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION IN APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS. MILEAGE WAS 45960. NO PARTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED YET. I WILL CONTACT A DEALER TO DETERMINE IF THERE IS A RECALL. PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS HAVE LED TO "NO DIAGNOSIS" BY DEALERSHIPS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE WHEEL BALANCING LEAD WEIGHT DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS ALUMINUM ALLOY RIMS. THE WEIGHT DETACHED FROM THE RIM AND BECAME LODGED BETWEEN THE BRAKE CALIPER AND THE WHEEL. THE DEALER RE-BALANCED THE WHEEL. IF THE WEIGHT HAD ENTERED INTO THE CALIPER, THE BRAKES WOULD HAVE COMPLETELY FAILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000. UPDATED 05\19\09 *BF THE BALANCING WEIGHTS THAT WERE INSTALLED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL HAD COME OFF. IT WEDGED ITSELF BETWEEN THE BRAKE CALIPERS AND THE WHEEL. UPDATED 05/20/09.*JB

THROTTLE BODY FAILURE ON A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY, FOUR CYLINDER AUTOMATIC WITH ABOUT 62,000 MILES. ENGINE SHUTSDOWN WHEN FOOT LIFTED FROM ACCELERATOR, POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKES DID NOT WORK. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION SINCE STEERING AND BRAKING BOTH BECAME VERY DIFFICULT IN TRAFFIC. THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT FAILURE WAS IMMINENT. HAD TO HAVE CAR TOWED TO DEALER. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. REPORTEDLY (ON INTERNET WEB SITES) THIS IS HAPPENING WITH MANY TOYOTA CAMRY'S ,MANUFACTURED FROM 2002 TO 2006. DEALER SAID THEY WERE ABLE TO GET THE LAST THROTTLE BODY AVAILABLE IN HOUSTON WHICH MIGHT INDICATE THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD. *TR

2004 V6 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH 60,911 MILES: TOTAL LOSS OF POWER UPON ACCELERATION. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. CAR WAS TOWED TO TOYOTA AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY AND GASKET FOR $1176.12. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS FOR A CAR WITH THIS MILEAGE AND ALL TOYOTA PERSONNEL I DEALT WITH STATED IT WAS EXTREMELY RARE. RESEARCH I HAVE DONE ON THE INTERNET INDICATES THERE ARE MANY OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I RECENTLY HAD TO PUSH MY CAR ALONG A DANGEROUS HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF RUSH HOUR BECAUSE IT BROKE DOWN. I BOUGHT THE 2004 CAMRY BECAUSE I BELIEVED IT TO BE ONE OF THE SAFEST AND DEPENDABLE VEHICLES ON THE ROAD... SAFE, WAS NOT ONE OF THE WORDS I USED AS HUNDREDS OF CARS RUSHED BY ME AT 70 MILES PER HOUR WHILE I PUSHED MY CAR ACROSS THE HIGHWAY! WHEN I CALLED TOYOTA AND TOLD THEM MY PROBLEM, THEY SENT A TOW TRUCK TO GET MY CAR. TWO HOURS LATER THE TOE TRUCK ARRIVES. ANOTHER TWO HOURS GOES BY AND I GET A PHONE CALL FROM THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TELLING ME THAT BECAUSE I DIDN'T CLEAN MY THROTTLE BODY REGULARLY, IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED... THEY SAID THAT THEY "HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS IN 25 YEARS.." WHICH AFTER I DID A BIT OF RESEARCH, I KNEW WAS A LIE. BEING AS, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF BLOGS COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS VERY ISSUE. BUT I FIGURED THE MECHANICS WERE TRYING TO SCARE ME SO I WOULD PAY THE OUTRAGEOUS PRICE FOR THE NEW PART. THE SERVICE MANAGER, JASON, TOLD ME THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS SO DIRTY HE COULD HARDLY GET IT OPEN AND IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED IMMEDIATELY! AFTER I PAID THE $250 FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC AND THE TOE, (WHICH I WAS TOLD WOULD BE COVERED BY THE DEALERSHIP) I TOWED THE CAR BACK TO MY HOUSE WHERE I WAS GOING TO CLEAN THE THROTTLE BODY MYSELF. WHEN I GOT IT OUT IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES (THE SERVICE ENGINEER DESPERATELY TRIED TO CONVINCE ME TO LEAVE IT WITH HIM BECAUSE IT WAS AND I QUOTE "A HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS FOR SOMEONE WITHOUT MY EXPERIENCE") I GOT THE THROTTLE BODY OUT AND HAD MY CLEANER IN HAND, BUT IT DIDN'T SEEM VERY DIRTY. I WAS PUZZLED, BECAUSE THE MECHANIC SAID IT WAS TO GRIMY TO EVEN OPEN UP?? AND THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO CLEAN IT. I HAD BEEN LIED TO. (SHOCKER... A MECHANIC LIED TO SOMEONE TO SELL AN EXPENSIVE PART!) I READ IN MY CHELTONS MANUAL HOW TO CLEAN AND REASSEMBLE THE PART AND DID SO. ONLY... THE PART STILL DID NOT SEEM TO WORK RIGHT. THE PROBLEM WAS INTERNAL, AND NOT EXTERNAL. IT IS A FAULTY PART. *TR

MY WIFE UNKNOWINGLY DROVE ON A FLAT TIRE. AFTER I COLLECTED HER AND THE CAR, I TOOK THE TIRE TO SEARS AND THEY SAID THE VALVE STEM FAILED. THE TIRE WAS REPLACE BUT I HAD TO PAY FOR IT. MONTHS LATER, SHE HAD A NAIL IN A TIRE SO I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO SEARS. THEY PATCHED IT, AND A WEEK OR SO LATER IT WAS FLAT AGAIN. WHEN I TOOK IT IN, I NOTICED ANOTHER TIRE WAS FLAT AND THAT HAD A BAD VALVE STEM. SO, NOW 3 OF THE ORIGINAL VALVE STEMS HAD BEEN REPLACED. LAST NIGHT, SHE HAD ANOTHER FLAT TIRE, I CHANGED IT, AND IT WAS THE REMAINING VALVE STEM. I BOUGHT THE TIRES AT SEARS AND COMPLAINED AFTER THE SECOND VALVE STEM THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. THE MANAGER SAID THAT MY WIFE MUST BE DRIVING UP ON CURBS. I CHECKED THE DATES AND THE TIRES WERE INSTALLED RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RECALL PERIOD. SEARS IS NOT HANDLING THIS PROBLEM WELL--THEY ARE PUTTING PEOPLE ON THE ROAD WITH DEFECTIVE VALVE STEMS. I DID NOT KNOW OFFICIALLY THAT THERE WAS A DOCUMENTED PROBLEM UNTIL I RETURNED FROM SEARS THIS MORNING AND DID SOME CHECKING ON THE INTERNET. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL LIGHTLY AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ABNORMALLY. THREE MONTHS LATER, THE FAILURE RECURRED AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MODERATE DAMAGE, BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE SENSOR ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE SENSOR WAS REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED A VERBAL APOLOGY, BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 63,000. UPDATED 03-30-09 *BF UPDATED 03/31/09*JB

SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER : 00905 1. NO SPECIFIC LEAD TO THIS FAILURE. DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF OCCURRENCES ACROSS THE INTERNET, I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT RELATING TO THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. 2. PASSENGER AIRBAG FAILURE, PLACES PASSENGER AT RISK DUE TO FAILING AIRBAG ECU. 3. PARTS NEED TO BE REPLACED IN THE AMOUNT OF $700-1000. NHTSA ITEM NUMBER : 10019153 SUMMARY: OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM: DTC B1785. THE SRS AND PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR LIGHTS REMAIN ON. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 1/29/09 AFTER CAR HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 5 HOURS. UPON STARTING THE CAR, I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR DOWN, BUT DID NOT GET ANY RESPONSE FROM THE VEHICLE. IT WARMED UP. I TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED. ACCELERATOR WAS NOW WORKING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO CHECK THE DIAGNOSTIC CODE. THE CODE READ THAT THE THROTTLE BODY COULD BE FAILING. I STARTED DRIVING TOWARDS TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. A FEW DAYS WENT BY WITH NO PROBLEMS. THE NEXT TIME IT FAILED, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A MAIN ROAD AND HAD TO COAST TO A SIDE STREET. CAR DID NOT STALL, BUT WOULD ONLY IDLE. AGAIN NO RESPONSE WHEN PUSHING ACCELERATOR. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE BODY FOR OVER $1000 FOR A NEW PART. THEY GAVE ME THE OPTION TO REPLACE THE PART USED FOR $150. I DON'T WANT THIS PROBLEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN A YEAR FROM NOW, SO I OPTED TO GO WITH THE NEW PART. AFTER SEARCHING ONLINE, THIS PROBLEM IS MUCH MORE WIDESPREAD THAN TOYOTA WILL ADMIT. IT IS A CLEAR DESIGN FLAW THAT NEEDS TO BE CORRECTED BEFORE THERE IS A SERIOUS ACCIDENT CAUSING MAJOR INJURY OR EVEN DEATH. THERE ARE AT LEAST 50 ACCOUNTS OF THIS OCCURRING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AND THE RESPONSE FROM TOYOTA APPEARS TO BE THE SAME IN ALL INSTANCES. *TR

I HIT A DEER BETWEEN 55 AND 65MPH. I STRUCK THE ANIMAL WITH THE LEFT FRONT, IN THE HEADLIGHT AREA. I WANT TO KNOW WHY THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF. THE CAR WAS A 2004 CAMRY. I AM THANKFUL THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T GO OFF, BUT WONDERING -WHY NOT. OVER $3600 IN DAMAGES. THANK YOU FOR ANY INFO YOU CAN GIVE ME. *TR