2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. BEGINNING ON AUGUST 14, 2007, THE VEHICLE'S GEARS WOULD SHIFT INTO REVERSE, BUT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE OVER 15 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. A NEW BATTERY WAS INSTALLED WITHOUT THE OWNER'S CONSENT, KNOWLEDGE, AND NEED FOR A NEW BATTERY. THE COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS $4,432. IN DECEMBER OF 2007, THE VEHICLE WOULD OCCASIONALLY NOT SWITCH GEARS OR ALLOW THE CONTACT TO DRIVE ABOVE 10-15 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON DECEMBER 13, 2007 AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AGAIN. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPAIRED ONCE MORE UNDER THE MANUFACTURER WARRANTY FOR THE PREVIOUS TRANSMISSION. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE DUST BOOT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE CONTACT HAS THE DUST BOOT AVAILABLE. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 147,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,083.

PASSENGER INSIDE VEHICLE WENT TO EXIT VEHICLE AND INSIDE DOOR HANDLE CRACKED AND BROKE. HANDLE WAS REPLACED BY DEALER AT COST OF $78.00. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 EVENFLO DISCOVERY, MODEL NUMBER 4791255P1 CHILD SEAT. WHENEVER THE CONTACT PLACES THE CHILD SEAT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BACK SEAT, THE BASE IS VERY UNSTABLE. SHE DOES NOT LIKE TO PLACE THE CHILD BY THE WINDOWS AND FEELS THAT THE MIDDLE OF THE SEAT IS THE SAFEST PLACE. UPDATED 02-19-08 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED HER MOM OWNS THE CAR AND JENNIFER ROMERO IS THE COMPLAINANT. UPDATED 02/20/08 *TR

BRAKES HAVE A LONG STOPPING DISTANCE; EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP SEVERAL TIMES FOR THIS. MECHANICS CAN'T FIX IT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE IT WAS BROUGHT NEW. *TR

INSIDE DRIVER DOOR HANDLE BROKE OFF. PASSENGER INSIDE DOOR HANDLE DID THE SAME THING IN 2003. *TR

JUST AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED (5 YEARS, 4 MONTHS) THE ?CHECK ENGINE? LIGHT CAME UP WITH THE GENERIC P0770 CODE OF WHAT SEEMS TO BE A FREQUENT TRANSMISSION/SOLENOID FAILURE PROBLEM FOR FEW TOYOTA MODELS. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CANADA FOR SUPPORT IN THIS MATTER TO ONLY EXPERIENCE MORE DISAPPOINTMENT. AFTER BEING ASSURED THAT A RESPONSE TO MY REQUEST WOULD NOT TAKE LONGER THAN SEVEN TO TEN BUSINESS DAYS, I HAD TO FOLLOW UP WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE ON FEW OCCASIONS, BY E-MAIL AND PHONE, UNTIL FINALLY RECEIVING A RESPONSE AFTER SIX WEEKS ? A NEGATIVE ONE. MY CURRENT DISAPPOINTMENT IS NOT SO MUCH DUE TO THE FACT THAT TOYOTA TOOK SUCH A LONG TIME TO REPLY, BUT TO THE INFLEXIBILITY PROVEN BY THOSE WHO ANALYZED AND ?SOLVED? MY CASE. ALSO, THEY SEEM TO SEND "CANNED MESSAGES". BUT, TO BE MORE SPECIFIC, HERE ARE THE QUICK FACTS ABOUT MY CAR AS ALSO PRESENTED IN MY CORRESPONDENCE WITH THE CUSTOMER SERVICE: 1. THE SOLENOID FAILURE WAS FIRST REPORTED AT 43,000 KM (25,000 MILES) WHEN THE CAR WAS 4 YEARS OLD, WELL UNDER WARRANTY. AT THAT TIME INSTEAD OF DEALING WITH THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM, A TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS PERFORMED AND THE CODE RESET. BUT THE CODE REAPPEARED WHEN THE CAR WAS FIVE YEARS AND FOUR MONTHS OLD, AND ONLY 67,000 KM (40,000 MILES). JUST 4 MONTHS OUT OF THE OFFICIAL WARRANTY. 2. THE PROBLEM MY CAR HAS IS COMMON FOR TOYOTA CARS. ALTHOUGH THE P0770 CODE I GOT IS A GENERIC CODE, A GOOGLE SEARCH RETURNS ONLY TOYOTA REPORTED ISSUES IN THE FIRST 40 RESULTS. MY CAMRY HAS TRANSMISSION U140E WHICH IS SHARED WITH OTHER TOYOTA CARS. LEXUS RX300 (USING U140E) HAS A SERVICE BULLETIN (1999-2002): PROPER IDENTIFICATION OF THE 5 SOLENOIDS USED IN THE U140E/U140F TRANSMISSIONS (NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 10009396) THERE ARE ALSO NUMEROUS TSB FOR SOLENOID PROBLEMS WITH THE FOLLOWING TOYOTA CARS: TUNDRA, HIGHLANDER, MATRIX, CAMRY, LEXUS RX300, SIENNA. THEY SEEMED TO BE PLAGUED BY THIS PROBLEM. EVEN SIENNA 2004 (5 YEARS LATER AFTER THE FIRST TSB IN 1999) STILL HAS THAT PROBLEM. *JB

AT ABOUT 105,000 MILES ON MY 2002 CAMRY V6, THE CAR EXPERIENCED HESITATING DRIVING WHILE DRIVEN AT SPEEDS ABOVE 40 MPH WHEN REMOVING SLIGHTLY THE FOOT FROM THE THROTTLE PEDAL. THE CAR IS BUCKING BACKWARD AND FORWARD FOR INDEFINITE TIME UNTIL THE THROTTLE PEDAL IS FULLY DEPRESSED OR FULLY PRESSED. THIS IS AN UNSAFE SITUATION SINCE ON THE HIGHWAY THE SPEED CANNOT BE DECREASED OR INCREASED ANY TIME. NOTIFIED DEALER AND TOLD THAT THIS CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED SINCE THERE IS NO ERROR CODE GENERATED (NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON). REPLACED ALL SPARK PLUGS AT 108,000 MILES ON AUG 24, 2007. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. SPOUSE NOTICED INCREASED BUCKING WHILE DRIVING DOWN HILL. WENT BACK TO THE DEALER. PERFORMED TEST DRIVE WITH TECHNICIAN IN THE CAR AND THE DIAGNOSE SYSTEM HOOKED TO THE CAR'S COMPUTER. DETECTED SOME MISFIRES ON CYLINDERS 5 AND 6. REPLACED SOLENOID IGNITION PACKS FOR CYLINDER 5 & 6 AND TEST DROVE AGAIN. PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT FUEL INJECTORS ARE CLOGGED. PERFORMED FUEL INJECTORS PURGE (CLEANING). PROBLEM NOT SOLVED. TECHNICIAN RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE ALL FUEL INJECTORS AND SOLENOID IGNITION PACKS. CAR WAS MAINTAINED PROPERLY DURING THE OWNERSHIP. OIL & FILTER CHANGED EVERY 3000 MILES, REPLACED AIR FILTER EVERY 30,000 MILES, REPLACED TIMING BELT AND BELT TENSIONERS AT 87,000 MILES, REPLACED WATER PUMP AT 87,000 MILES, FLUSHED TRANSMISSION FLUID AT 87,000 MILES. FROM READING VARIOUS CUSTOMERS COMPLAINTS, IT APPEARS TO BE A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM BUT DEALER DID NOT MENTION ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2002 CAMRY (NEW) AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS FRONT DOOR HANDLES DUE TO BREAKAGE, WERE NOT TALKING EXCESSIVE FORCE HERE. THIS IS THE PART YOU PUT YOUR FINGERS IN TO PULL OPEN DOOR LATCH. THEY ARE BREAKING AT THE PIVOT POINT, WHERE THE PIN GOES THROUGH. TOYOTA IS CHARGING $37.00 APIECE FOR AN ITEM THAT WILL GET YOUR VIRGINIA STATE INSPECTION STICKER REVOKED UNTIL REPAIRED, AS I JUST FOUND OUT. IN MY OPINION THE SAFETY ASPECT OF THIS( NOT BEING ABLE TO EGRESS THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY)CONSTITUTES A RECALL. THANKYOU, MARK GROSE *TR

2002 TOYOTA CAMRY INSIDE DOOR HANDLE FAILURE. CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE INSIDE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR HANDLES HAVE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. CUSTOMER BELIEVES THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD. *KB THE LEFT BRAKE LIGHT BULB WAS INOPERATIVE.

THERE WAS A VIBRATION SOUND ON THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER CHECKED OUT THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED AIR BAG MALFUNCTION PROBLEM, AND THAT IT MAY DEPLOY OR MAY NOT DEPLOY IN CASE OF ACCIDENT. DRIVING THE VEHICLE IS NOT RECOMMENDED DUE TO SAFETY ISSUE. *TR UPDATED 10/10/07 *TR