2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 75,000 MILES EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SERVICED AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS FLUSHED AT 30,000 AND 60,000. THE TRANSMISSION LOCKED UP ON THE FREEWAY DOING 70 MILES AN HOUR. *JB

I HAVE A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH 42,608 MILES. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON YESTERDAY. TODAY I HAD THE CHARCOAL CANISTER, HOSE AND VACUUM SEALED VALVE REPLACED AT GREAT COST. NOW I HAVE READ THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE 96-98 CAMRY'S AND THAT THE EPA REQUIRED TOYOTA TO EXTEND THE EMISSIONS WARRANTY TO 14/150000. *JB

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE PLASTIC DOOR OPENING LEVER ON THE INSIDE AT THE RIGHT CORNER OF THE DRIVER'S DOOR BROKE OFF, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR WITHOUT LOWERING THE WINDOW AND REACHING THE OUTSIDE HANDLE OF THE DOOR TO OPEN THE DOOR. THIS WAS AN ENGINEERING PROBLEM , AND DID NOT RELATE TO THE MILEAGE OF THE CAR. THE CONTACT FELT IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. IF HE HAD AN ACCIDENT AND THE POWER WAS OFF HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET THE WINDOW DOWN. *AK

ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM IS ENTIRELY TOO SENSITIVE. THE BRAKE SYSTEM KICKS IN AT SPEEDS BELOW TWENTY, ON DRY UNEVEN PAVEMENT, IRON GRATES AND ANY SOUGHT OF BUMP IN THE ROAD. THE HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS. WAS TOLD BY A SALESMEN THIS IS A PROBLEM ON 2002 CAMRY'S. HAVE HAD BRAKES CHECKED ON NUMEROUS OCCASION BY TOYOTA SERVICE TECHNICIANS BUT NO PROBLEM IS EVER FOUND. *NM

I WAS DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY SOUTH BOUND ON I-5 WHEN WE EXITED THE FREEWAY AND PULLED INTO THE TILLICUM CHEVRON STATION. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ON BUT DISENGAGED. I TURNED RIGHT INTO A PARKING SPOT AT A LOW RATE OF SPEED (3 TO 5 MPH). I WAS ALMOST AT A COMPLETE STOP AND HAD JUST ENOUGH TIME TO REALIZE THAT I COULD NOT STOP!!! I COULD HEAR THE CAR'S ENGINE ROAR AND A MOMENT LATER FOUND THAT I HAD DRIVEN OVER A CONCRETE CURB, UP A TWO FOOT CONCRETE RETAINING WALL, AND THROUGH A CHAIN-LINK FENCE. I DON'T KNOW HOW A CAR COULD DO THIS!! THE TOTAL SPACE FOR THIS TO HAPPEN WAS ONLY ABOUT 3 LINEAR FEET!! I WAS NOT PUSHING THE ACCELERATOR!! THERE WAS INDEED AN ACCELERATION SURGE IN MY 2002 CAMRY V6. THE CAR STOPPED, STRADDLING THE CONCRETE WALL, THE FRONT DRIVE WHEELS WERE OFF THE GROUND. I GOT OUT OF THE CAR AND ASKED THE MECHANIC ON-SITE IF THERE WERE ANY RECALLS ON THE 2002 CAMRY. I SWEAR THIS IS THE VERY FIRST THING I SAID BECAUSE I KNEW THAT I DID NOT CAUSE THE ACCIDENT. THE ACCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY A DEFECT IN THE TOYOTA CAMRY. A TOW TRUCK REMOVED MY VEHICLE FORM THE RETAINING WALL. I THEN DROVE THE CAR DIRECTLY TO THE TITUS-WILL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE AND INDICATED IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE. DAMAGE TO THE CAR INCLUDED THE FRONT BUMPER, SEVERAL MAJOR SCRATCHES, AND SEVERAL SMALL DENTS. I EXPLAINED THAT WE WERE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY AND ASKED ABOUT RECALLS. THEY INDICATED THAT THERE WERE NONE FOR MY VEHICLE. THEY DID ADMIT AFTER SOME QUESTIONING THAT THEY WOULD NOT KNOW HOW MANY TIMES THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE DEALERSHIPS DO NOT SHARE INFORMATION AND TOYOTA CORPORATE DOES NOT SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH THE DEALERSHIPS. THE YOUNG LADY (EMPLOYEE) AT THE PAYMENT DESK VOLUNTEERED THAT SHE HAD ALSO HAD UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WITH HER TOYOTA CAMRY. I REQUEST THAT A FORMAL INVESTIGATION BE LAUNCHED AND A RECALL PLACED FOR 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY'S. *JB

THE TRUNK RELEASE ON THIS CAR FAILED. THIS IS BAD ENOUGH, BUT WHEN IT FAILS THE EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASE THAT IS LOCATED IN THE TRUNK NO LONGER FUNCTIONS EITHER. IF A CHILD GETS TRAPPED IN THE TRUNK, THEY PROBABLY WON'T BE ABLE TO GET OUT. SINCE I HAVE SMALL CHILDREN, I AM REALLY CONCERNED. I CALLED A TOYOTA DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE TRUNK RELEASE IS REPAIRED FAIRLY OFTEN. I WAS TOLD THEY HAVE TO TAKE THE TRUNK APART TO GET ACCESS TO REPAIR THE PART. I WOULD SAY THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. I AM AWARE OF THE TRUNK LOCK FEATURE THAT PREVENTS ACCESS TO THE TRUNK UNLESS YOU HAVE A KEY. REGARDLESS OF THIS FEATURE, THE TRUNK SHOULD BE ABLE TO BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE TO PREVENT POSSIBLE DEATH TO SMALL CHILDREN. THIS HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED YET. *JB

2ND TIME IN A YEAR THAT MY 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY ACCELERATED AND JUMPED THE CURB. THIS TIME THE CAR HIS ANOTHER VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED. *NM

TERRIBLE SMELL FROM HEAT/AIR VENTS,KIDS HAVE ASTHMA AND CAN'T STAND THE SMELL, TOYOTA DEALER JUST SPRAYED VENTS AND POURED FRESHNER IN OUTSIDE VENT, PROBLEM KEPT COMING BACK AND POLLEN FILTER KEPT PLUGGING, NOTHING DONE TO CORRECT IT, NOW IN 2005 MY WATER PUMP WENT BAD. I KNOW THAT THE SMELL IS SOME KIND OF MILDEW OR MOLD FROM SOMETHING NOT BEING FIXED, WHICH COULD LEAD TO SEVERE HEALTH CONDITIONS!

1) FRONT BRAKES KEEP GOING BAD 4 TIMES IN 25,000 MILES 2) WARPING OF THE DISC BAD VIBRATION 3) KEEP REPLACING FRONT ROTORS AND PADS. *JB

2002 TOYOTA CAMRY LE-WHILE ON VACATION ON 8/3/2005, I ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND THE HANDLE CRACKED. I COULD NOT EXIT THE CAR FROM THE INTERIOR CABIN. SOMEONE HAD TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE, OR I HAD TO ROLL DOWN THE WINDOW AND OPEN THE DOOR MYSELF. UPON RETURNING HOME, MY 6 YEAR OLD SON ATTEMPTED TO EXIT THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE REAR PASSENGER DOOR. THAT DOOR HANDLE CRACKED IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE. THIS POSES A SAFETY ISSUE IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY IN THAT WE ARE UNABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE FROM THE INTERIOR CABIN OF ON THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SIDE. I PLACED A CALL TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR AND ADVISED THERE MUST BE SOME DEFECT ON THE DOOR HANDLES OF MY CAR. I WAS TOLD THEY WOULD CHARGE ME $41.00 TO COME IN AND DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I SUBSEQUENTLY CALLED THE CONSUMER HEADQUARTERS FOR TOYOTA AND ADVISED OF THE PROBLEM AND OBTAINED A CASE NUMBER. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO NATIONAL RECALL AND I SHOULD CONTACT THE CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER AT THE DEALER. THIS PERSON TOLD ME THAT BECAUSE THE CAR "WAS SO FAR OUT OF WARRANTY," THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I DO HAVE 95,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND IT IS 3 YEARS AND 5 MONTHS OLD. I AGAIN CONTACTED THE HEADQUARTERS FOR TOYOTA AND EXPLAINED THAT THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DOOR HANDLES. I WAS TOLD THAT THE MILEAGE SHOWED THAT IT WAS "FULLY USED." I NOTED THAT BOTH OF THE HANDLES BROKE OFF WITHIN 8 DAYS OF EACH OTHER IN THE SAME PLACE. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS A SIGN THAT IT WAS RELATED TO THE WAY THE CONSUMER USED THE DEVICE. I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD HAVE TO REPAIR BOTH HANDLES AT MY OWN EXPENSE. I DO FEEL THIS IS A DEFECT AND I SHOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR. PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH ANY DATA YOU HAVE ON THIS. *JB