2001 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

MY ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON SINCE I'VE HAD THIS CAR , 2001. NO ONE COULD EVER TELL ME WHY THE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON ALL THIS TIME UNTIL I TOOK IT IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE I HAD A SEVERE OIL LEAK. THIS CAR NOW NEEDS HEAD GASKETS. IT SEEMS TO BE A TOYOTA PROBLEM. *TR

I USED THE DATE OF 2/23/2013 BECAUSE THAT IS WHEN THE PROBLEM BECAME FULL BLOWN BUT ABOUT 2 MONTHS BEFORE THAT DATE THE CAR BEGAN SURGE WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AFTER BEING PARKED AND WHILE AT A STOP SIGN. IT SOUNDED THEN AND STILL SOUNDS LIKE A FLY WHEEL OR SOMETHING UNDER THE HOOD IS RUNNING AT A VERY HIGH RATE OF SPEED. IF I HAD NOT HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE IT FELT AS THOUGH I WOULD HAVE GONE FORWARD INTO THE CAR AHEAD OF ME. FINALLY ON 2/23/2013 THE CAR STARTED SURGING AND THEN HESITATING NON-STOP. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND BEGAN TO BLINK SO I CREPT BACK HOME WITH FEAR. WHEN THE CAR HESITATES IT FEELS AS THOUGH IT LOSES POWER AND THERE'S A BACKFIRING SOUND IN THE REAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO AAA, THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC ON THE COMPUTER AND I HAD THE IGNITION COIL AND SPARK PLUGS CHANGED BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. THE SURGING AND HESITATION HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS IN GEAR (BOTH DRIVE AND REVERSE) BUT NOT IN NEUTRAL OR PARK AND IT IS CONSTANT. I HAVE A FEAR THAT EITHER THE CAR WILL SURGE AHEAD WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AND I WILL CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR BE KILLED BECAUSE THE CAR MAY JUST COMPLETELY STOP. I CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICE ON 2/28/2014 TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND TO ASK IF THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID NO TO BOTH QUESTIONS, BUT I SEE THAT'S NO TRUE. *TR

MY CAR (VEHICLE 1) WAS STOPPED AT RED LIGHT WHEN VEHICLE 2 FAILED TO SLOW AND STRUCK THE REAR OF VEHICLE 1 AT 45 MPH. MY DRIVERS SEAT BACK FAILED AND THE SEAT EXTENDED BACK UNTIL IT STOPPED ON TOP OF THE REAR SEAT. THE SEAT FAILURE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY TO MY NECK AND SPINE WITH VERTEBRAE COMPRESSION AND POSSIBLE FRACTURE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING AS SMOKE EMERGED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE WAS CONTAINED BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED FOR THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000. *TR

SYMPTOMS: 1. REAR LIGHTS OFF WARNING COMES ON THE DASHBOARD 2. CHECK WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WITH CODE 1780. (NEUTRAL SWITCH ON THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A PROBLEM) 3. NO BRAKE LIGHTS OR REVERSE LIGHT ON IN THE TRUNK AREA ONLY WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. 4. BRAKES VIBRATE WHEN SLOWING DOWN AROUND 10MPH TO STOP LIKE YOUR TIRES ARE RIDING A VERY ROUGH SURFACES. 5. REVERSE LIGHT COMES ON IN THE SHIFT GEAR INDICATOR WHEN APPLYING BRAKES TO SHIFT FROM PARK POSITION. INITIAL ATTEMPT TO FIX THIS PROBLEM: CHANGING THE REVERSE LIGHT BULBS AND BRAKE LIGHT BULBS, BUT PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO REMAIN AS DESCRIBE IN THE SYMPTOMS. 2ND ATTEMPT BY MIKE GERBER FROM WEBSITE WWW:\\AUTOMOTIVEFORUMS.COM. HE REPORTED THERE IS A LOOSE WIRES CONNECTION OR FRAYED WIRES AT THE HINGE OF THE TRUNK ON THE DRIVER SIDE. AFTER CAREFUL INSPECTION ON THE WIRE HARNESS AT THE HINGE CONNECTION OF THE TRUNK, DISCOVERED AT LEAST ONE WIRE THAT WAS ABOUT THE BREAK OFF FROM OPENING AND CLOSING THE TRUNK OF THE CAR FOR MANY YEARS. AFTER FIXING THESE WIRES, ALL THE SYMPTOMS WERE RESOLVED. AMAZING!!! COULDN'T HAVE SOLVED THIS PROBLEM SO FAST WITHOUT THE READING THE ARTICLE FROM MIKE GERBER. THANKS!!!!! REASON FROM WRITING THIS COMPLIANT: TOYOTA MANUFACTURE SHOULD RECALL ALL THESE VEHICLES WITH THIS COMPLIANT WITHOUT ANY CHARGES TO THEIR OWNERS..... THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT AFFECTED THE PERFORMANCE OF THE BRAKING SYSTEM CAUSING A VIBRATION EVERYTIMES YOU APPLY THE BRAKES LIKE THE ABS SYSTEM IS ACTIVATED. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS AREN'T WORKING CORRECTLY EVEN AFTER CHANGING ALL THE BULBS IN THE TRUNK AREA. *TR

NOTICED A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL SINCE THE FIRST MONTH OF PURCHASE HAVE HAD MANY FRONT END ALIGNMENTS AND WHEEL BAL PLUS CHANGED TIRES THREE TIMES. STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM TO THIS DAY. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST ACCELERATION POWER. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS FOUND THAT THE SPARK PLUG HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM THE SOCKET. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SPARK PLUG SOCKET FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS SCHEDULED FOR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE GEAR LEVER FROM DRIVE TO PARK BUT WHEN THE BRAKE WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO DECELERATE AND CRASHED INTO AN UNOCCUPIED PARKED VEHICLE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WAS NO PERSONAL INJURY. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END BUMPER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY EQUIPPED WITH PRIMEWELL PS830 TIRES, SIZE: 205/65/15 (N/A). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 75 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE BLEW, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A CEMENT PILLAR AND WAS THROWN TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE BEFORE CRASHING INTO A SECOND CEMENT PILLAR. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION AND WHIPLASH. THE PASSENGER SUSTAINED CHEST INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED AND WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

PASSENGER WAS DRIVING APPROX 50MPH AND COLLIDED WITH A DEER WITH THE FRONT END OF THE CAR. EXTENSIVE FRONT END DAMAGE, HOWEVER NEITHER THE DRIVERS OR PASSENGERS AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. CAR IS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. *TR