1999 Toyota Camry Solara

PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON FREQUENTLY. WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR, THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. THE DEALERSHIP INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A FAILURE WITH THE AIRBAG ASSEMBLY AND REPLACED THE ENTIRE PASSENGER SEAT AND ASSEMBLY. SINCE THEN, THE LIGHT JUST COMES ON RANDOMLY AND STAYS ON UNTIL I TAKE IT TO A DEALERSHIP. EACH TIME, THEY FIX "SOMETHING". SEVERAL OF THE TIMES, THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT THE WIRES UNDERNEATH THE SEAT COME DISCONNECTED OVER TIME. THEY THEN PROCEED TO "FIX" IT. HOWEVER, IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN AGAIN WITHIN SEVERAL MONTHS. ONE TIME, THEY SAID IT WAS A LOOSE CONNECTOR FROM THE STEERING. ALL TIMES, THE DEALERSHIP HAS FIXED THIS WITHOUT CHARGING ME. THIS LAST TIME, THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE LOOSE CABLE UNDER THE SEAT AGAIN, BUT BECAUSE THE PRIOR PROBLEM WAS NOT THIS SAME THING (E.G. THE STEERING CONNECTION), IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTLY AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $200 TO HAVE IT FIXED. I AM VERY DISSAPOINTED. THIS IS OBVIOULSY A RECURRING ISSUE. AND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THESE KINGS OF PROBLEMS. WHEN WILL THEIR BE A RECALL OF THIS? IT IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE. THE DEALER IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ABLE TO PERMANENTLY FIX THIS PROBLEM (AFTER 6 TRYS, YOU'D THINK THEY WOULD FIGURE IT OUT). I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO PAY EVERY TIME I NEED IT FIXED.

WE WENT TO THE DEALER TODAY, ARMED WITH AN AMAZING ARRAY OF INTERNET INFORMATION. WE WERE INITIALLY SENT TO THE MAIN RECEPTIONIST WHO WHEN ASKED WHO'S HANDLING THE SLUDGE PROBLEMS? AT FIRST DIDN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF THE WORD, THEN WHEN MY FIANCE PULLED OUT A WHOLE PACKET OF INFORMATION AND PUT IT IN FRONT OF HER AND SAID THIS PROBLEM, WHICH I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE OF SHE THEN AID, YOU TOOK ME OFF GUARD AND THEN STOPPED THE GSM OR SM AND ASKED HIM TO TALK TO US. WHEN IN HIS OFFICE, WE SAID, WE BOUGHT A CAR FROM YOU AND HAVE SLUDGE AND THE CAR HAS SAT A MONTH, HE REFERRED US TO THE REPAIR DEPARTMENT. WE WALKED THOUGH THE HALL AND OVER TO REPAIR AND SPOKE WITH THE MANAGER OF THAT DEPARTMENT. HE ASKED FOR THE VIN AND THE MILEAGE, AFTER WE SAID WE HAVE A BAD SLUDGE PROBLEM. HE PULLED THE VEHICLE UP IN THE COMPUTER THEN ASKED IF ANYONE HAD REMOVED THE INTAKE TO SEE IF IT WAS SLUDGE. WE ANSWERED THAT OF COURSE WE HAD TAKEN IT TO TWO DIFFERENT MECHANICS, FIRST BECAUSE WE THOUGHT IT WAS AN OIL LEAK, BURNING AND CAUSING ALL THE SMOKE. BOTH MECHANICS KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT IT WAS SLUDGE, ALTHOUGH THE ONE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS TO PROVE THERE WAS NO LEAK. WE WERE TOLD THE CAR COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. AFTER TELLING THE MANAGER THAT TWO MECHANICS HAD SEEN IT, HE ASKED IF IT COULD BE DRIVEN TO THE DEALERSHIP. WE TOLD HIM, SINCE IT IS SHUDDERING AND SMOKING LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN, BOTH MECHANICS ADVISED THAT THE WHOLE ENGINE WOULD SEIZE UP, AND WE WOULD NOT DRIVE IT. HE THEN GAVE US A NUMBER TO A TOWING COMPANY FOR THE DEALERSHIP THAT WOULD TOW AT NO COST TO US TO THE DEALERSHIP AND AGREED TO LOOK AT THE CAR TOMORROW. WHEN I ASKED WHAT IT WOULD COST ME, HE SAID NOTHING, IF IT IS SLUDGE. WE'LL SEE. IF THIS MAN IS AS HONEST AS HE SEEMS, HE'S NOT ONLY RARE, BUT AMAZING. OF COURSE, HE COULD CALL IN A DAY OR TWO AND SAY IT WAS MY FAULT AND WANT OIL CHANGE RECEIPTS. UNFORTUNATLLY FOR THE DEALERSHIP, I HAVE THEM.

SLUDGE BUILD UP IN ENGINE CAUSED ENGINE FAILURE. MY ENGINE IS GOING TO BE INSPECTED BY TOYOTA AT THEIR GRIFFIN GA OUTLET ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2003. I ANTICIPATE THE RUNAROUND AND I AM GETTING ALL THE INFO I CAN TO ARGUE MY CASE. MY ENGINE SUDDENLY IS USING ONE QUART PER 300 MILES AND WHEN I TOOK IT FOR AN OIL CHANGE I SUDDENLY DISCOVERED IT WAS SO GUNKED UP IT WOULD NOT ACCEPT OIL UNLESS POORED IN VERY SLOWLY.

1. MY 1999 SE V6 SOLARA BEGAN SMOKING A LOT EVERYTIME I STARTED THE CAR AND WHEN I ACCELERATED. IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE "SLUDGE" PROBLEM AND THE DEALER DID ALL OF THE REQUIRED WORK TO FIX THAT. 2. I WAS IN A FRONT END ACCIDENT IN 1999 AND THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. 3. THERE IS A VERY LOUD, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WORD, CLUNKING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL AREA. THE DEALER SAYS THE STRUT TOPS ARE WORN OUT AND IT WILL COST $750.00??? PER SIDE TO REPLACE THE STRUTS. THE CAR ONLY HAS 35,000 MILES ON IT. SHOULDN'T THE STRUTS HAVE A LONGER LIFE THAN THAT? 4. THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW JUST FELL INTO THE DOOR PANEL ONE DAY AND HAD TO HAVE THE REGULATOR REPLACED. 5. ABOUT A MONTH AGO, IF I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR WHEN THE ENGINE WAS STILL WARM IT WOULDN'T CRANK. FIRST THERE WAS NO NOISE AT ALL WHEN I TURNED THE KEY OVER AND IF I WAITED A BIT, AS IT COOLED OFF, IT WOULD EVENTUALLY START. THEN ONE DAY ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK I STOPPED AT THE STORE AND WHEN I TRIED TO LEAVE IT WAS DEAD AND WOULDN'T START AT ALL. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHERE I HAD TO BUY A NEW BATTERY AND HAVE A THROTTLE BODY SERVICE BECAUSE THE WAS "CARBON BUILD UP IN THE INJECTORS". 6. THE CAR SHAKES LIKE IT IS GOING TO EXPLODE AT HIGH SPEEDS AND IT IS NOT THE TIRES BEING OUT OF BALANCE OR THE ALIGNMENT. IT ALSO SHIMMIES BADLY WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES FROM A HIGH SPEED. 7. NOW, I WENT TO HAVE AN EMISSION TEST DONE AND FAILED BECAUSE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. THE CODE WAS FOR THE O2 SENSOR. MY MOTHER HAS THE SAME CAR AND HAS HAD THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT PROBLEM FOR THE O2 SENSOR, WHICH SHE HAD REPAIRED AND WITHIN A WEEK THE LIGHT WAS BACK ON. I AM SO TIRED OF ONE THING AFTER THE NEXT WITH THIS CAR.

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1999 TOYOTA SOLARA (PURCHASED MARCH 1999).LAST MONTH WITH 34,825 MILES ON IT, I HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN JUNE 2001 WITH 22,125 MILES ON THE VEHICLE.*AK BOTH TIMES, THE DEALER BLAMES EXCESSIVE RUST AND RUNOUT ON THE ROTORS AS THE CAUSE OF SERIOUS STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING. THEY CLAIM I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR AND USE THE BRAKES ENOUGH. THE SOLARA IS GARAGE KEPT AND GETS AT LEAST AS MUCH USE AS ANY OTHER CAR I HAVE OWNED AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO HAVE ANY BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED FOR THIS REASON AND FOUR OF THE CARS I OWNED FOR A PERIOD OF NINE YEARS EACH. TWO OF THOSE SAT OUTSIDE THEIR ENTIRE EXISTENCE AND AVERAGED A GRAND TOTAL OF THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND MILES/YEAR. I HAVE TRIED DEALING WITH THE DEALER REP AND HE AND THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER TELL ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY SHOULD DO ABOUT IT AND I SHOULD EXPECT TO BE DOING THIS AGAIN EVERY TWO YEARS. THIS DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT TO ME AND SO FAR I HAVE GOTTEN THE RESPONSE FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THEY STAND BEHIND THE OPINIONS OF THEIR DEALER SERVICE TECHS. EVEN AFTER REPAIR, I GET SOME VIBRATION IN PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL AT TIMES. HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES. JUST TODAY I HAD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AS A CAR PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND ANTILOCK RELEASED BRAKING CAUSING A LONGER BRAKING DISTANCE THAN NECESSARY. ONE DAY WHEN STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS ON A SMOOTH SURFACE, ANTI-LOCK KICKED IN AND RELEASED BRAKING POWER. I WOUND UP WITH THE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE CAR IN THE INTERSECTION. I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 30-35 MPH AS I WAS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. I WAS LUCKY NO ONE WAS COMING. ANY TIME YOU TRY TO STOP ON A ROUGH SURFACE, IT CAN BE AN ADVENTURE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO REMEMBER TO KEEP EXTRA DISTANCE WITH THIS CAR. ANYTIME BROUGHT UP TO DEALER, THEY SAID COULD NOT DUPLICATE AND THIS IS THE WAY ANTILOCK BRAKES ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK.