2000 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

MY SOLARA PULLS LEFT EVEN AFTER ALIGNMENT, ROTATION ETC! NOT A VERY SAFE FEATURE! I PARTICIPATE IN EDMUNDS SOLARA FORUM, AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM. NEVER RESOLVED BY THE DEALER. THE SOLARA MAY SHARE PARTS WITH TOYOTA SIENNA, THAT HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM. I UNDERSTAND TOYOTA RECENTLY CHANGED A PART # FOR SOLARAS STEERING ASSEMBLY.

FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT HAS BROKEN THREE TIMES IN TWO MONTHS. BELT JAMS WHEN PASSENGER LEANS FORWARD WHILE WEARING THE BELT (THE BELT THEN HANGS LOSE). BELT SEEMS TO TWIST OR FOLD OVER AT THE POINT WHERE IT COMES OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE CAR. SPEED DURING FIRST INCIDENT - ABOUT 40 MPH AND BRAKING, SECOND INCIDENT 55 MPH, THIRD INCIDENT 0 MPH (AT A STOP LIGHT). DEALER INITIALLY REPLACED THE BELT, BUT ONLY "UNTWISTED" IT THE SECOND AND THIRD TIMES. SERVICE TECH AT DEALERSHIP TELLS ME IT'S A "DESIGN FLAW" AND IS GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING IF I'M NOT "CAREFUL" WITH THE SEATBELT. SERVICE DEPT SAY THEIR HANDS ARE TIED, CAN'T DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN FIX IT WHEN IT DOES BREAK - AND THEY SAY IT WILL PROBABLY WILL BREAK AGAIN. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I CALL TOYOTA CUSTOMER RELATIONS IN CA - THEY SIMPLY MADE A REPORT AND TOLD ME TO WORK THE PROBLEM OUT WITH MY DEALERSHIP. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT THE SEATBELT WILL FAIL DURING AN ACCIDENT.

WHEEL VIBRATION AT 60-65 MPH. TIRES BALANCED 3 TIMES AND CHECKED FOR RUN OUT. ORIGINAL TIRES REPLACED WITH MICHELIN. PROBLEM IMPROVED BUT STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES SIDE TO SIDE. SUSPENSION NOISE FROM RIGHT FRONT END WHEN GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS, ACCELERATING FROM A STOP AND AFTER MAKING LEFT TURNS. HEAR GAS MOVEMENT FROM FUEL TANK WHEN TANK IS FULL AND ACCELERATING FROM A STOP OR GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS. DEALERS SAY CAR PERFORM TO SPECS. CURRENTLY IN THE PRE-ARBITRATION STAGE WITH TOYOTA.

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE BETWEEN 60-70 MPH, THERE WAS A LOT OF SHAKING AND VIBRATION IN FRONT END. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING BRAKES IT PULLED TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO TWO DEALERSHIPS 5 TIMES. ALL THE TIRES HAVE BEEN CHANGED TWICE, BALANCED 5 TIMES, BRAKES ADJUSTED TWICE AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS DONE TWICE. PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE CONTINUES. *AK

I HAVE CALLED AND LEFT MESSAGES ON THE DEALERS MANAGERS PHONE WITH NO RETURN CALL, HAVE WENT TO DEALERSHIP AND HE IS NOT AVAILABLE. AIR CONDITIONER IS VERY SMELLY, PASSENGER FRONT DOOR HARD TO OPEN-SOMETIMES DOESN'T, BRAKES SOUND AND FEELS STRANGE TO ME (MECHANIC DOESN'T THINK SO), WHEN KEY IS TAKEN FROM IGINTION IT IS HOT, TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED W/A REBUILT ONE.

ON 21 JUNE 2000 MY WIFE AND I OPENED THE TRUCK OF THE CAR IN ORDER TO OFF LOAD A BUCKET OF SUPPLIES. SHE WAS LEANING INTO THE TRUCK WHEN THE TRUCK CAME CRASHING DOWN ON HER HEAD. BLOOD BEGAN POUR DOWN HER FACE AND SHE ALMOST PASSED OUT FROM THE FROCE OF THE BLOW. I TOOK HER TO THE HOSPITAL AND THEY CLOSED THE CUT USING 4 STAPLES. I INFORMED THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIDN'T SEEM TO CARE. "SAYING IT IS NOT OUR PROBLEM". MY WIFE SUFFERS FROM HEADACHES DUE TO THAT INCEDENT. SHE WILL UNDERGO FURTHER TESTS.

I WAS VERY SUPRISED TO SEE THAT WHEN I DID HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME THE AIR BAGS DID NOT COME OUT OR DEPLOY, OUR SEATBELTS DID NOT LOCK. NO ONE WAS HURT. GOD FORBID THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF THE AIR BAGS WILL COME OUT THE NEXT TIME OR THAT THE SEATBELT WILL LOCK UP. I WAS GOING ABOUT 75 MPH ON INTERSTATE 45 BETWEEN PARKER AND CROSSTIMBERS, THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT THAT OCCURED ON THE SHOULDER-I WAS IN THE LEFT LANE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYONE STARTED BRAKING. I FELT I STOPPED IN ENOUGH TIME. I SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND SLID A GREAT DISTANCE BEFORE HITTING THE MINIVAN IN FRONT OF ME. A SCRATCH ON THE BLACK BUMPER IS ALL THAT HAPPENED TO THE MINIVAN. IF I PRESSED ON THE BRAKES, WHY DIDN'T THE SEAT BELTS LOCK, WHY DIDN'T THE AIRBAG COME OUT? I DON'T KNOW.

WHEN BRAKE WERE APPLIED UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS THEY LOCKED UP, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK

0WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS VEHICLE SHAKES VERY HARD WHICH MAY CAUSE A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND THEY BALANCED THE TIRES TWICE. THIRD TIME, THEY REPLACED ALL 4 TIRES AND CHANGED 2 WHEELS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WHILE BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE, A SECOND VEHICLE COLLIDED INTO BACK PASSENGER SIDE. THE COLLISION WAS LESS THAN 5 MPH AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO BACK BUMPER OF THE VEHICLE. *YH