2002 TOYOTA CAMRY Complaints

DEFECTIVE STRUTS, FRONT END AND REAR END NOISE, SEVERE SHUDDER WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. *JB

DT: CONSUMER OWNS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE SEAT TRACK WORE OUT. SHE FELT THAT THIS MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE IT ALLOWED THE SEAT TO MOVE FREELY. THE DEALER TOLD HER THE SEAT REPAIR WOULD COST $350 FOR LABOR AND THE PART WAS $1304. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER, AND THE MANUFACTURER LEFT HER A MESSAGE SAYING THAT THEY WOULD MAKE HER A ONE TIME OFFER OF REIMBURSING $1000. *AK

DT: THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHILE IN REVERSE FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE MADE J LIKE TURN AND HIT AN ELECTRICAL BOX WHICH CAUSED THE POWER TO GO OUT IN APPROXIMATELY THREE HOMES AND DAMAGED THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST DELIVERED IN APRIL 2002 THIS HAPPENED. BUT THE CONSUMER THOUGHT IT WAS BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW VEHICLE. ON JULY 5, 2005 A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND WAS TAKEN TO BELL TOYOTA . WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE IT CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. *AK *SC

THE INSIDE FRONT SEAT PASSENGER DOOR HANDLE (THE OPENER) BROKE (SIMPLY SNAPPED IN TWO) AND BECAME INOPERABLE IN MY 2002 CAMRY. WHEN I WENT TO GET A REPLACEMENT, THE PARTS OFFICE TOLD ME IT HAPPENED EVERY DAY, IT WAS PLASTIC AND TO BE EXPECTED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IN AN EMERGENCY, THE RIDER WOULD HAVE A DIFFICULT TIME EXITING THE VEHICLE. I HAVE/HAD TWO OTHER CAMRYS- ONE A 1987 MODEL AND THE OTHER A 1996. NEITHER HAS HAD THE PROBLEM AND HAVE HAD FAR MORE USE OF THE DOOR HANDLE THAN THIS NEWER CAR. *JB

DT: ON JUNE 29, 2005 CONSUMER'S VEHICLE WAS REAR ENDED, AT 65 MPH, AND THEN IT HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT KNOW WHY THEY DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER'S DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. SHE SUSTAINED WHIPLASH AND WA SSEEING A CHIROPRACTOR. THIS HAPPENED IN A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED, AND A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN.*AK

DT: CONTACT STATES THE SPEEDOMETER FLUCTUATED WHILE DRIVING AND THE RPM GAUGE FLUCTUATED ON ITS OWN. THE FIRST THREE TIMES THIS HAPPENED THE CAR SLOWED DOWN . CONSUMER FELT THE SHIFT CHANGE WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING. THIS LAST TIME THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE WENT UP TO 60 MPH WHILE SHE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, AND WHEN SHE ACCELERATED THE SPEEDOMETER SHOT UP TO 80 MPH. SHE TOOK VEHICLE TO A DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES, AND THEY TOLD HER THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG. SHE TRIED TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER, BUT HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO REACH THEM. THIS HAPPENED SINCE JUNE 2004. THEY CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION, AND THE SPEED SENSOR IN JUNE -2004 AFTER THE FIRST 3 TIMES THIS HAPPENED. CURRENTLY, THEY TOLD HER NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE CAR.*AK

ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR AND THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE CRACKED AND BROKE. UNABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE INSIDE - THIS COULD POSE A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. PART WAS REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE - INFORMED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT IT IS CONSIDERED "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR."

OUR CAR IS A 2002 TOYOTA CAMRY LE WITH THE 4-CYLINDER ENGINE, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND CRUISE CONTROL BUT IT DOES NOT HAVE ABS. I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER IN OCTOBER 2003 AND, AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, HAD ABOUT 35,000 MILES ON IT. BASED ON THE ORIGINAL OWNER''S RECORDS AND MY OWN, NO ELECTRICAL WORK HAD EVER BEEN DONE ON THE CAR AND THE BATTERY WAS THE ORIGINAL. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED ON JULY 22, 2004 IN MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA IN BROAD DAYLIGHT AND IN CLEAR WEATHER. COLLEEN WAS ALONE IN THE CAR AND WAS NOT HURT. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WAS ABOUT $3,500 IN DAMAGE. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED AS MY WIFE WAS PARKING THE CAR WHEN SHE ARRIVED AT HER DOCTOR''S OFFICE FOR AN APPOINTMENT. AS SHE MADE A LEFT TURN INTO A PARKING STALL, SHE SLOWED TO ALMOST A STOP HALF WAY INTO THE PARKING SPACE. THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN THE NORMAL DRIVE POSITION AND HER FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. SUDDENLY, THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD JUMPING OVER THE CEMENT PARKING SPACE BUMPER, OVER THE CURB AT THE END OF THE PARKING SPACE, AND SQUARELY INTO A BLOCK WALL JUST A FOOT BEYOND THE CURB. THE SURGE IN ACCELERATION MUST HAVE LASTED LESS THAN A SECOND SINCE THE TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED WAS ONLY ABOUT 6 TO 8 FEET AND YET RESULTED IN $3,500 DAMAGE. MY WIFE WAS REALLY SHAKEN BY THE INCIDENT AND HAS DRIVEN VERY LITTLE EVER SINCE. SHE SWORE HER FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE ALL THE TIME. LATER, HOWEVER, SINCE THERE SEEMED TO BE NO OTHER POSSIBLE CAUSE, SHE CONVINCED HERSELF THAT HER FOOT MUST HAVE SLIPPED OFF THE BRAKE AND ONTO THE ACCELERATOR. EVENTUALLY, SHE ACCEPTED BLAME FOR THE ACCIDENT AND, AS A RESULT, OUR INSURANCE COMPANY RAISED OUR RATES CONSIDERABLY. AFTER THE CAR WAS REPAIRED, I TOOK IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE ACCIDENT. I ASKED THEM TO CHECK FOR ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE ACCELERATOR AND THEY FOUND EVERYTHING OPERATING ''NORMALLY''. NO PROBLEMS WERE EVER IDENTIFIED WITH THE TRANSMISSION OR THE ACCELERATOR.

I PURCHASED MY 2002 CAMRY NEW [XXX]. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES (4 JAN 03 WAS REPAIR DATE), THE FRONT BRAKES BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND SHAKE, CAUSING SOME CONTROL PROBLEMS WHEN BRAKING. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND THE FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED AND NEW PADS WERE INSTALLED. NOW, AT APPROXIMATELY 50,000 MILES, THE SAME PROBLEM DEVELOPED. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE AND THAT HE BLAMED POOR DRIVING HABITS ON THE FAILURE. AGAIN, THE FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED AND NEW PADS WERE INSTALLED. EVEN THOUGH I HAD PAPERWORK FROM THE FIRST REPAIR, AND I HAD PURCHASED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, THIS REPAIR WASN'T COVERED. AFTER CONDUCTING SOME RESEARCH AT THIS WEBSITE, I FIND THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT BRAKES, BUT TOYOTA IS EVIDENTLY NOT OWNING UP TO THE PROBLEM. THERE IS A TOYOTA SERVICE BULLETIN (00602), BUT I CAN'T SEEM TO GET THE DEALER TO FIND OR ADMIT TO THAT BULLETIN. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

DRIVER'S SIDE INSIDE DOOR HANDLE BROKE AND DOOR CANNOT BE OPENNED FROM THE INSIDE. HANDLE IS MADE OF PLASTIC. I HAVE HAD TO SPECIAL ORDER A REPLACEMENT PART FROM THE DEALER AT MY OWN EXPENSE.