IllustrationTHE CAR SIMPLY WON'T START. I'M NOT SURE WHY, BECAUSE THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR SEEM TO BE WORKING. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE STARTER RECALL. I HAD THAT REPAIRED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. BUT IT'S NOT THE PROBLEM. THE CAR JUST WON'T START, AND IT TURNS OVER TO TRY TO START.
1985 Toyota Camry
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Camry years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 1 of 13 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
0 crash reports2 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
13 reportsWHILE DRIVING VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE AND CHATTER. CONSUMER PULLED UP INTO A SERVICE STATION AND CHECKED TIRES. SHE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG, THERE WERE NO PUNCTURES OF BUBBLES IN THE TIRES. SHE THEN CONTINUED ON HER WAY, BUT ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY , VEHICLE SHACKED AND CHATTERED. ONLY THIS TIME WHEN SHE GOT OUT O…
Read full complaint
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE AND CHATTER. CONSUMER PULLED UP INTO A SERVICE STATION AND CHECKED TIRES. SHE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG, THERE WERE NO PUNCTURES OF BUBBLES IN THE TIRES. SHE THEN CONTINUED ON HER WAY, BUT ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY , VEHICLE SHACKED AND CHATTERED. ONLY THIS TIME WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT RIGHT TIRE SEPARATED BECAUSE THE TREAD PEELED OFF. THERE 9800 MILES ON THE TIRES. DOUGLAS TIRES , P185 70R13. VEHICLE DID NOT RUN OVER ANYTHING, OR HIT ANYTHING.*AK
TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AND TIRE BLEW OUT ON INTERSTATE.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE CONSUMER WAS SMELLING SMOKE INSIDE VEHICLE. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDER. AND TRUNK AREA WAS IN FLAMES.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THERE IS A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY WHEN THE CONSUMER IS MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWICE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND CONSUMER HAS TO TAKE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SHOP SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
SUDDEN ACCELERATION, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/CRASH.
FUEL/BRAKE FLUID LEAKED FROM CORRODED METAL TUBING.
BRAKE PEDAL GOES DOWN TO FLOOR. *SD
ENGINE FIRE. *DH
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE87057 · Igniter Assembly Failure
Opened Sep 10, 1987 · Closed Mar 30, 1988
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System
SUMMARY: TOYOTA RECOVERED SOME FAILED IGNITION CONTROL MODULES FROM THEFIELD. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT A SOLDER JOINT IN THE POWER TRANSISTOROF THE MODULE WAS SUBJECT TO FAILURE. BECAUSE THE PART IS AN EMISSIONRELATED COMPONENT A VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS CONDUCTED.THE PREDOMINANT MODE OF FAILURE IS AN INABILITY TO START THE ENGINE,ALTHOUGH A STALLED CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.SINCE THE REPORTED OCCURENCE OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS SMALL, AND THEREPAIR IS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN, THELIKLEHOOD OF FURTHER ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS REMOTE.===