1996 Toyota Camry

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY EQUIPPED WITH MICHELIN RADIAL TIRES. THE DRIVER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH WHEN ONE OF THE REAR TIRES BLEW OUT. THE DRIVER PULLED OVER AND PUT THE SPARE ON. TWO DAYS LATER, THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON THE SECOND REAR TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE MANUFACTURED 17 YEARS AGO. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 133,664. UPDATED 1/25/11 *CN UPDATED 04/18/11

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH COOPER DEAN ALPHA 365 TIRES, SIZE P195/70R14. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH HE HEARD A LOUD POPPING SOUND AND THE VEHICLE SPUN 180 DEGREES AND CRASHED INTO A CONCRETE WALL. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A BURN TO THE LEFT INSIDE FOREARM CAUSED BY THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAGS. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVABLE AFTER THE CRASH. NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 05T015000 IS RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 160,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,900. THE DOT NUMBER AND VEHICLE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

DRIVING DOWN THE STREET ONE EVENING WHEN I HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE. PULLED THE CAR OVER TO SEE THAT THE TIRE HAD VIOLENTLY BLOWN OUT RELEASING THE HUB CAP AND ACTUALLY BENDING THE RIM. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THE TIRE WAS SHREDDED AS IF SOMEONE HAD PUT EXPLOSIVES UNDER IT. I PLACED THE SPARE ON THE WHEEL WELL AND ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE. HOWEVER, THE ALIGNMENT MADE SUCH DIFFICULT. THE CAR WAS TOWED, AND THE MECHANIC SAID THAT AS A RESULT OF THIS TIRE EXPLOSION I WOULD NEED A NEW AXLE, STRUT, KNUCKLE, MUD FLAP, AND OBVIOUSLY A TIRE. HE ALSO SAID I WAS LUCKY THAT I WAS ON THE RODE ALONE AT THE TIME AND AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT I COULD HAVE HIT AS A RESULT OF LOSING CONTROL OF STEERING . CAR IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPLACED. AND I HAVE SAVED THE DAMAGED TIRE, AS WELL AS HAVE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE SENT TO THE INSURACE COMPANY. *AK

IN AUG 26, 2004 I PURCHASED FOUR NEW GOODYEAR ALLEGRA P205/65R15 FROM SAMS CLUB IN PEARL CITY, HI. I STARTED TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY TIRES IN JANUARY 2005 AND TOOK IT BACK TO SAMS CLUB TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT MY TIRES AND FIND OUT WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM. THEY WENT ON TO TELL ME THAT MY RIM WAS BENT AND THAT WAS THE PROBLEM, I TOOK MY CAR TO A GOODYEAR SHOP IN EWA BEACH TO HAVE MY RIMS CHECKED AND I WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH MY RIMS. SO I TOOK THE TIRES BACK TO SAMS CLUB THE FOLLOWING WEEK ON 02/16/2005, AND I WAS INFORMED THAT I INDEED DID HAVE THREE DEFECTIVE TIRES ON MY VEHICLE. SO SAMS CLUB REFUNDED MY MONEY AND I BOUGHT ANOTHER BRAND OF TIRES IN PLACE OF THE RECALLED TIRES.*AK

CONSUMER'S VEHICLE RPMS WENT TO THE RED ZONE. CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND PARKED, AND DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW WOULD NOT GO UP. AAA ARRIVED, AND VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE IT WAS REPAIRED AT CONSUMER'S EXPENSE. CONSUMER FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE WEBSITE.*AK THE VEHICLE SPUN IN A 360 DEGREE TURN ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS BEFORE IT REACHED 24,000 MILES. CONSUMER CHANGED TIRES FROM THE TIRES TOYOTA PROVIDED TO A MICHELIN TIRE AND THE SPINNING STOPPED. ON JULY 12, 2004 THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING AND HAD TO GO IN FOR SERVICE. . IN 2002 THE REAR SEATBELT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS STUCK. THE CONSUMER HAD IT REPAIRED AT HER EXPENSE. THE CUSTOMER WOULD LIKE TOYOTA TO REIMBURSE HER FOR THEIR SHARE OF THE EXPENSES OCCURRED DUE TO THIS PRE-MATURE DEFECT. * TC

MY CAR HAS 135,000 MILES ON IT AND I WAS RECENTLY NOTICING THAT IT WOULD RUN HARD AND NOT SWITCH GEARS AS SMOOTHLY AS IT ONCE HAD. I TOOK IT IN TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO BE EVALUATED AND WAS TOLD IT HAD SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE PROBABLY DUE TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES I WAS THEN INFORMED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND THAT IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $5000-$6000. I INFORMED THE ADVISOR THAT I ALWAYS HAD MY OIL CHANGED AS PER THE OWNER?S MANUAL, AND I REQUESTED A WRITTEN ESTIMATE AS TO THE EXACT DETAILS THAT FORMED THE BASIS FOR THIS PRICE QUOTE. I WAS ULTIMATELY DENIED THAT INFORMATION. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD ME HE WOULD CALL ME BACK AND/OR FAX IT TO ME, AFTER WHICH I RECEIVED NOTHING. I CALLED AGAIN, GOT HIS SUPERVISOR INSTEAD OF THE SERVICE ADVISOR, AND HE EXPLAINED THAT ENGINE SLUDGE WAS THE DIAGNOSIS AND THAT I COULD NOT GET A WRITTEN ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE EXACT PARTS NEEDED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE LOOK FURTHER INTO THE ENGINE'S PROBLEM TO GIVE ME THE ESTIMATE IN WRITING. I ASKED WHY THIS HADN'T BEEN DONE PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF THE DIAGNOSIS THAT I ORDERED, AND HE THEN BEGAN STAMMERING AND INFORMED ME THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE MY FILE IN FRONT OF HIM AND HE COULD CALL ME BACK AFTER LOOKING INTO IT FURTHER. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK ME IF I WAS REALLY WILLING TO PAY THAT MUCH FOR AN ENGINE?. WHEN I ASKED WHAT MY OTHER ALTERNATIVES WERE, HE OFFERED TO TRANSFER ME TO A SALESMAN! I NEVER RECEIVED ANY FURTHER PHONE CALLS. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT IF I AM NOT WILLING TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE I RECEIVE DECREASES DRAMATICALLY. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN MY CAR TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT SHOP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, WHERE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET AN EXPLANATION BOTH IN WRITING AND BY THE ADVISOR IN CONVERSATION AS TO WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG AND WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

UPON STARTING VEHICLE AT IDLE SPEED, THE CONTROL VALVE STICKS. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN EXAMINED BY DEALERSHIP, AND CONSUMER HAS BEEN TOLD THAT THIS WAS NORMAL. *AK BRAKES EXPERIENCE GRINDING, SQUEAKING, AND VIBRATION, ROTORS WERE WARPED AND BRAKE PADS WERE GLAZED, BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED, HOWEVER PROBLEM CONTINUES. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A SUSPENSION PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING UNEVEN TIRE WEAR. VEHICLE EXPERIENCES SEVERAL ENGINE RELATED PROBLEMS, MOTOR MOUNTS WERE WEAK CAUSING STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION, 16 VALVE SEALS CAME APART DUE TO BEING INSTALLED INCORRECTLY, WATER PUMP LEAKED, TIMING BELT FAILED, VALVE COVER LEAKED, AND CAM SEAL WAS REPLACED. VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TRANSMISSION RELATED PROBLEMS, RIGHT OUTER AXLE BOOT WAS SPLIT AND LEAKING GREASE, CV BOOTS FAILED TWICE, SHIFTER WAS HARD AND WAS MAKING NOISES, DEALER FOUND THE SHIFTER LEVER PLATE WAS BROKEN, TRANSMISSION PAN GASKET WAS REPLACED, THERE WAS A CLUNKING NOISE IN THE REAR WHEN GOING IN REVERSE. THE CAR JACK WAS MISSING FROM THE TRUNK AND THE ANTENNA WAS INOPERABLE. DEALER FOUND AN OPEN CIRCUIT IN THE BATTERY. CONSUMER NOTICED A RATTLING NOISE UNDER THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT, DEALER SECURED SEAT SLIDE ADJUSTER HOOK, TEMPERATURE GAUGE DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. OVERDRIVE LIGHT WAS INOPERABLE. VEHICLE HAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL FUEL RELATED PROBLEMS, THE EGR VALVE ASSEMBLY, EGR MODULATOR, IDLER CONTROL VALVE, IDLE AIR SPEED CONTROL, DISTRIBUTOR O-RING, IDLER BEARING, ISC VALVE, AND VACUUM SWITCHING VALVE HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED, BLUE SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST, DEALER CLEANED THE THROTTLE BODY, FUEL INJECTION, AND RECALIBRATED THE FUEL SENSOR, VEHICLE WAS RUNNING ROUGH AND STALLING DUE TO FAULTY EGR VACUUM MODULATOR, DEALER STATED THAT THE VALVE WOULD DEFAULT IF THERE WAS TOO MUCH OIL ADDED, THE VALVE IS TOO SMALL SO IT WILL STICK OR BECOME CLOGGED UP WITH CARBON BUILD UP. *SLC