2005 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

I AM AN OWNER OF A 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY. I PURCHASED MY CAR BRAND NEW. THE FIRST WINTER SNOW FALL, WHILE DRIVING I EXPERIENCED A HESITATION WITH MY BRAKES. I CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS INFORMED THE BRAKES WERE FINE. THIS CONTINUOUSLY HAPPENS WHEN THE ROAD CONDITIONS ARE SLIPPERY AND WET. IN CHICAGO, WE RECEIVED APPROX. 10 IN. OF SNOW AND AS RECENT AS TODAY, MY CAR ALMOST DID NOT STOP! I ALMOST RAN INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER CAR AND I NEARLY HAD AN ACCIDENT. THE BRAKES SORT OF THROTTLED WITH HESITATION. I AM CONCERN THAT MY TOYOTA IS NOT ONE THAT IS BEING RECALLED, HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE! *TR

I GOT INTO MY 05 TOYOTA CAMRY 4CYL AND AS I BACKED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY I NOTICED A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING. I TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT RATHER SHARPLY AND THE CAR REMAINED TRAVELING STRAIGHT. I PULLED BACK INTO THE DRIVEWAY AND TRIED AGAIN - THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I WAS AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR SO I HAD IT TOWED TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY CHECKED IT FOR THE BETTER PART OF THE DAY AND SAID THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND COULD NOT GET IT TO REPEAT THE PROBLEM. SINCE THEN I HAVE HAD A FEW MINOR INCIDENTS OF THE CAR NOT TURNING TO THE DEGREE THAT IT SHOULD WHEN I TURN THE WHEEL. I HAVE HAD IT CHECKED AN NO ONE CAN FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR. *TR

VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD WHILE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED ON TO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. *TR

PURCHASED A 2005 TOYOTA SOLARA IN THE FALL OF 2004. WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH BETWEEN DALLAS AND HOUSTON ON I45 SOUTH AFTER THE BRAKES DID NOT LOCK AND I HYDROPLANED DURING A RAINSTORM. WAS HIT BY A TRUCK AFTER MY CAR SKIDDED INTO THE RIGHT HAND LANE. I HAD ADJUSTED MY SPEED FOR THE WEATHER AND WAS UNDER THE SPEED LIMIT. WAS NOT TICKETED BUT MY INSURANCE PAID BOTH CLAIMS. STILL NOTICE BRAKES LOCKING WHEN I PUMP THEM SO I TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE COMPLETELY BEFORE REAPPLYING PRESSURE OR I MASH THEM TO THE FLOOR. *TR

I'M CONCERNED THE TOYOTA BRAKING ISSUES GO DEEPER THAN LATE MODEL PRIUS. MY 2005 CAMRY LE V6 EXHIBITS SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS AS BEING DESCRIBED TODAY - BRAKE FAILURE WHEN DRIVING OVER UNEVEN, IRREGULAR OR ROUGH PAVEMENT. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THE BRAKE PEDAL STIFFENS AND BRAKING ACTION CEASES. I'VE LEARNED TO PRESS DOWN V-E-R-Y HARD ON THE PEDAL DURING THIS INTERMITTENT BEHAVIOR. HAD TAKEN TO THE DEALER MORE THAN ONCE. THE COMPLAINT ALONG WITH HARSH SHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION WHICH MANIFESTS IN THE ENGINE OVER-REVVING WHILE NOT ACTUALLY ENGAGING INTO ANY GEAR, THEN THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY ENGAGES MAKING THE VEHICLE GO FURTHER/FASTER THAN DESIRED/ANTICIPATED. TOYOTA INDICATED THE ISSUES WERE "AN OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE", BEING DISMISSIVE IN THEIR RESPONSE DEMONSTRATING A CORPORATE CULTURE OF ARROGANCE. HAVE SPOKEN WITH TOYOTA SERVICE MANAGERS IN HENDERSON, NV, SANTA MONICA AND THOUSAND OAKS, CA RE: THE TRANSMISSION AND THEY ALL HAVE SIMILAR RESPONSES... ROLLING THEIR EYES TOWARD THE SKY AND LAMENTING, "OHHH, THAT V6 CAMRY TRANSMISSION" AS IF SOME SORT OF FACTORY 'INSIDE JOKE'. THESE ARE CLEARLY KNOWN ISSUES THE FACTORY HAS CHOSEN TO DO NOTHING ABOUT, THUS THE SERVICE MANAGER'S HANDS ARE TIED. (HAD BEEN EXTREMELY PLEASED WITH MY FORMER '95 CAMRY TO THE TUNE OF 300,000 MILES.) IT'S DISAPPOINTING TOYOTA HAS CEASED TO BE THE HONORABLE COMPANY THEY ONCE WERE. *CN

SUBJECT:2005 CAMRY LE STEERING SHAFT PROBLEM I WANTED TO FIND OUT WHETHER THERE'S BEEN ANY CONSUMER COMPLAINTS OR PROBLEMS REPORTED IN REGARDS TO A CLUNKING, POPPING OR KNOCKING NOISE REPORTED IN TOYOTA'S 2003-2006 CAMRY'S AND THE 2004-2006 SOLARA'S STEERING COLUMNS WHEN TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL LEFT OR RIGHT, OR GOING OVER BUMPS IN THE ROAD. MY 2005 CAMRY LE BEGAN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM BACK IN EARLY 2008 AND IT IS PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE. I TOOK MY CAR INTO MY MECHANIC AT HARBOR AUTO CENTER IN COSTA MESA, CA ABOUT A YEAR 1/2 AGO TO GET THE PROBLEM CHECKED. (I DON'T TRUST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP REPAIR SERVICE OR THEIR PRICES). UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION HE WAS ABLE TO DISCOVER WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND EVEN FOUND A TOYOTA TECHNICAL SEVICE BULLETIN TITLED "STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT NOISE", REFERENCE # ST001-06, DATE OF ISSUE 2/16/06 THAT OUTLINED THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH MY STEERING COLUMN. I THEN CALLED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, BUT SINCE MY CAR WAS PAST THE 72,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THIS WAS NOT A RECALL ITEM, THEY WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE ME. OBVIOUSLY TOYOTA CORPORATION IS VERY AWARE THAT THERE IS A MECHANICAL PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING SHAFT ON THESE TWO MAKES & MODELS, SINCE EVEN THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE SERVICE BULLETON. EVEN THOUGH MY MECHANIC THOUGHT MY CAR WAS PROBABLY OK TO DRIVE, I AM VERY CONCERNED, BECAUSE THE CLUNKING NOISE IS GETTING MORE PRONOUCED THE LONGER I DRIVE THE CAR, ESPECIALLY WHEN I TURN THE WHEEL, GO OVER SPEED BUMPS OR BRAKE AND TURN. I'M NOT SURE WHAT RECOURSE I HAVE TO GET THIS FIXED, BUT WITH ALL THE CURRENT PROBLEMS TOYOTA IS EXPERIENCING, IT MAKES ME VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE DEPENDABILITY OF MY OWN CAR. FROM NHTSA WEB SITE. *CN

I HAVE A 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY. I HAVE EXPERIENCED A FEW TIMES, THE LAST IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR, SUDDEN ACCELERATION. I T WAS ENOUGH FOR ME TO SAY "WHOA;" I FELT IT SHOULD BE REPORTED IN LIGHT OF THE TOYOTA ISSUES.

MY PARENTS WERE BOTH KILLED IN A 2005 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE INVESTIGATING OFFICER INFORMED ME THAT MY MOTHER HAD NOT SLOWED DOWN AND WAS TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WHEN LEAVING THE ROAD. THERE WAS NOT ANY INDICATION THAT SHE TRIED SLOWING DOWN. AT THE TIME I ASKED FOR AN INVESTIGATION OF THE VEHICLE BUT WAS TOLD THE DAMAGE WAS SO SEVERE THERE WAS NO WAY OF DETERMINING IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I DO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE CAR TAKEN 2 DAYS AFTER THE ACCIDENT UPDATED 02/13/10 *BF UPDATED 02/16/10. UPDATED 03/10/10 *BF UPDATED 07/12/10*JB UPDATE 9/19/2011*CW

WHILE DRIVING MY CAMRYLE 2005 INTO THE APTOS POST OFFICE PARKING AREA, I APPROACHED A PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR JUMPED THE CURB, HIT A SMALL LIGHT POST AND STOPPED IN THE SOFT WET DIRT PLANTING AREA. THE POST OFFICE PERSONNEL TOOK A REPORT AND PICTURE AND I WAS PULLED OUT BY AAA. I HAD SOME OF MY CAR DAMAGE REPAIRED A FEW MONTHS LATER, NOT KNOWING WHAT THE REASON OF THE MALFUNCTION WAS.

2005 CAMRY AT LOW THROTTLE POSITIONS 35-40 MPH RPMS JUMP 200 AND THEN RETURNS. THIS HAPPENS CONSISTANTLY. I HAVE WRITTEN TOYOTA THREE LETTERS AND THEY HAVE BLOWN ME OFF EACH TIME. I STILL HAVE COPIES OF THE LETTERS. NOW THAT TOYOTA IS FESSING UP, PERHAPS THEY WILL FIX THIS CONDITION AS IT UNNERVING IF NOT DANGEROUS. I AM PUTTING IN A DATE AS YOUR FORM WILL NOT LET ME CONTINUE ALTHOUGH THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.