IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 70 MPH AND WITHOUT WARNING ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN HEAD-ON COLLISIONS. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED; HOWEVER, DID NOT HAVE SOLUTION FOR OCCURRING PROBLEM.*AK
1997 Toyota Camry
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Toyota Camry do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 295.
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: 131 of 555 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 100 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 96 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 70 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
79 crash reports27 fire reports50 injury reports
What owners actually said
555 reportsBRAKES FAILED WHILE PARKING. VEHICLE JUMPED FOWARD AND CONSUMER HIT A METER. TOOK VEHICLETO DEALER, AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS RECALL 97V156000 FOR BRAKE VACUUM HOSE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
ON 4/16/01 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM ON 4/19/01 AND REPLACED AIR FUEL RATIO (AFR) SENSOR. ON 6/26/02 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM ON 6/29/02 AND AGAIN REPLACED AFR SENSOR. IT COST OVER $700.00 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ARE THERE PROBLEMS WITH AFR SENSORS? --- ABOUT …
Read full complaint
ON 4/16/01 ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM ON 4/19/01 AND REPLACED AIR FUEL RATIO (AFR) SENSOR. ON 6/26/02 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED PROBLEM ON 6/29/02 AND AGAIN REPLACED AFR SENSOR. IT COST OVER $700.00 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ARE THERE PROBLEMS WITH AFR SENSORS? --- ABOUT MAY, 1999, THE VEHICLE STARTED PRODUCING VISIBLE EXHAUST SMOKE AT START UP. THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TODAY. THE PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS WHEN STARTING A COLD ENGINE (WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS NOT RUN FOR FEW HOURS). VEHICLE RECENTLY PASSED A SMOG CHECK. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED. ARE THERE KNOW PROBLEMS WITH VEHICLE PRODUCING EXHAUST SMOKE WHEN STARTING A COLD ENGINE? IS THE EXHAUST SMOKE RELATED TO AFR SENSOR FAILURE?*AK
CONSUMER STATES FRONT END RATTLES AROUND THE TIRE AREAS ON BUMPY ROAD, DEALER REPLACED STRUT MOUNTS. *YD
CONSUMER STATES THAT IN A FRONTAL COLLISION NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED.*JB
WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE 60 MPH, ENGINECHECK LIGHT CAME ON. OWNER EVENTUALLY PULLED OVER TO FIND THAT ENGINE HAD SEVERE OIL LEAKAGE AND BEGAN TO SMOKE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK
UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES AT ALMOST ANY SPEED, THE DRIVER'S SEAT SLIDES FORWARD AS IF IT IS NOT LOCKED INTO PLACE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, ALTHOUGH THE SEAT HAD BEEN LOCKED INTO POSITION. AFTER AN OCCURENCE, I HAVE TRIED TO SEE IF THE SEAT WAS LOCKED BY SCOOTING FORWARD MANUALLY (WITHOUT USE OF THE LEVER). IT …
Read full complaint
UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES AT ALMOST ANY SPEED, THE DRIVER'S SEAT SLIDES FORWARD AS IF IT IS NOT LOCKED INTO PLACE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, ALTHOUGH THE SEAT HAD BEEN LOCKED INTO POSITION. AFTER AN OCCURENCE, I HAVE TRIED TO SEE IF THE SEAT WAS LOCKED BY SCOOTING FORWARD MANUALLY (WITHOUT USE OF THE LEVER). IT DOES NOT SLIDE AFTER DOING THIS, GIVING ME THE IMPRESSION THAT IT IS LOCKED. THE SEATBACK OF THIS SAME SEAT DOES NOT STAY LOCKED WELL EITHER. SOMETIMES, JUST GETTING IN THE VEHICLE AND LEANING ON THE SEAT, CAUSES IT (SEATBACK) TO SLIP OUT OF POSITION (BACKWARDS).*AK
CONSUMER STATES AFTER STARTING VEHICLE A LOT OF SMOKE COME OUT FROM THE EXHAUST.*JB
FUSE THAT CONTROLS THE BRAKE LIGHT/ REVERSE LIGHTS AND SPEEDOMETER HAS BLOWEN OUT SEVERAL TIMES, CAUSING VEHICLE PARTS TO NOT WORK. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
MY 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY MAKING NOISE FROM ALL FOUR INDIVIDUAL SUSPENSION AND NEED HELP. *AK
Official recalls
399V307000 · Steering: Steering Wheel/handle Bar
Nov 1, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.
97V213000 · Electrical System:ignition
Nov 20, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A POSSIBLE JAMMING OF THE LOCK PIN OF THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY EVEN WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN THE "PARK" POSITION.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: UNDER SUCH A CONDITION, SHOULD A DRIVER FAIL TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER TO "PARK" POSITION AND ALSO FAIL TO ACTIVATE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY DOWN A SLOPE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID.
97V156000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist
Sep 17, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN,MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NOTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. A CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHERE ACCUMULATED MOISTURE CAN TEMPORARILY FREEZE IN THE BRAKE VACUUM HOSE IF THE VEHICLE IS USED IN EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN RESULT IN THE ELIMINATION OF VACUUM ASSIST TO THE BRAKES THAT CAN INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES AND COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN BRAKE VACUUM HOSE.
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
3PE02079 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Oct 22, 2002 · Closed Mar 18, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
ODI'S DATA ANALYSIS FOUND THE FIRES RATES TO BE CONSISTENTLY LOW AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG SIX MODEL YEARS AND SIX DIFFERENT ENGINE CONFIGURATIONS.ODI EXAMINED A VARIETY OF ROOT CAUSES, THOSE BEING DETONATION (RESULTING IN OIL PAN PUNCTURE FROM CONNECTING ROD), STARTER FIRES, VARIOUS FUEL RELATED FIRES, LEAKING OIL FILTERS, WIRING ISSUES, IMPROPER REPAIRS AND BRAKE FLUID LEAKS.NONE OF THE ISSUES EXAMINED HAD REPORTS THAT INDICATED A TREND WHEN NORMALIZED FOR POPULATON AND EXPOSURE.SEE ATTACHED REPORT FOR FULL DETAILS.
DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.
PE97034 · Ignition Interlock Failure
Opened Jul 16, 1997 · Closed Nov 28, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train
No summary supplied.