1997 Toyota Camry

ON 3/21/07, I PURCHASED 4 NEW TIRES FROM MERCHANTS TIRE IN WILLIAMSBURG VA WHICH INCLUDED NEW VALVE STEMS. IMMEDIATELY AFTER I DROVE AWAY FROM THE SERVICE FACILITY, MY RF TIRE WAS FLAT. AFTER FURTHER EXAMINATION BY THE SERVICE WRITER AT MERCHANTS, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT A LEAK HAD DEVELOPED FROM A CUT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE VALVE STEM. IT WAS THE SERVICE WRITERS THEORY THAT THE VALVE STEM WAS NOT REPLACED DURING THE TIRE SERVICE. THE VALVE STEM WAS REPLACED AND NO PROBLEMS OCCURRED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING YEAR. ON 3/11/08, I COMPLAINED TO THE SAME FACILITY ABOUT ANOTHER PROBLEM WITH A CUT VALVE STEM BUT NO LEAKAGE OCCURRED. PROMPT REPLACEMENT WAS EFFECTED ON REQUEST AND AS OF THIS DATE, I HAVE NOT NOTICED ANY FURTHER PROBLEMS. *TR

I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT ON ROUTE 93 SOUTH IN MASSACHUSETTS BEHIND A SEDAN. THERE DRIVING CONDITIONS WERE NOT GOOD; IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY. THERE WAS A TRUCK IN FRONT OF THE SEDAN AND IT HAD JUST PASSED ITS EXIT. THE TRUCK THEN WENT IN REVERSE TO GO BACK TO THE EXIT. THE SEDAN WAS UNABLE TO STOP IN TIME AND REAR ENDED THE TRUCK. BY THE TIME I HAD REALIZED WHAT WAS HAPPENING IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO STOP. I SLID ON THE WET ROAD STRAIGHT INTO THE BACK OF THE SEDAN. I WOULD ASSUME THAT BECAUSE I CRASHED INTO A CAR GOING OVER 40 MPH, STRAIGHT ON, THAT MY AIRBAGS WOULD DEPLOY BUT THEY DID NOT. SINCE MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, MY NECK WAS THROWN FORWARD AND ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT BREAK IT HAS CAUSED SEVERE DISCOMFORT. EVERYONE WHO SAW MY CAR AFTER THE INCIDENT WERE AMAZED THAT THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING 32 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED, THE BRAKES FAILED, AND ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THERE WAS NO WARNING PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE LOST COMPLETE POWER. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE ENGINE FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS AND THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED THREE TIMES. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 74,000.

REFERENCE: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 06T016000. COOPER TIRE RECALL# 147 A STARFIRE FLITELINE IV TIRE CAN APART ON MY CAR DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE. I TOOK TIRE AND CAR TO A COOPER TIRE STORE (CORNER TIRE STORE PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA) AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL (COOPER RECALL# 147). I FEEL THAT THE SCOPE OF THE RECALL NEEDS TO BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OTHER STARFIRE FLITELINE IV TIRES. THIS TIRE IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS, IF IT HAD COME APART AT HIGH SPEED, NO ONE WOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS TIRE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ILLUMINATING INTERMITTENTLY SINCE AUGUST OF 2002. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THREE DIFFERENT TIMES FOR THIS FAILURE. ON THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT IT WOULD COST $5,000 TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE LIGHT CURRENTLY REMAINS ILLUMINATED, HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE IS STILL BEING DRIVEN. SPEED WAS NOT A FACTOR BECAUSE THE LIGHT ILLUMINATES AS SOON AS THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 68,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,000. THE FRONT BRAKES WERE CRACKED AND THE ROTORS NEEDED TO BE MACHINED. THE TAILLIGHT BULB WAS REPLACED, THE HEAD GASKET WAS LEAKING. THE TIMING BELT WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 10/10/07. *JB

WITHOUT ANY LIGHTS OR INDICATION OF A PROBLEM, WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN CALIFORNIA, SMOKE BEGAN BILLOWING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. WITHIN SECONDS, FLAMES WERE SEEN, BY THE TIME HE REACHED THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE ENGINE WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FIRE. BY THE TIME HE GOT OUT OF THE CAR, MINUTES, THE DASH WAS ENGULFED. IT TOOK 15 MINUTES FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO PUT IT OUT. THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD REGULAR SERVICES PER MANUFACTURERS REQUIREMENTS, PLUS A SAFETY AND ENGINE EXAMINATION APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS AGO. NO EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM OF ANY KIND WAS FOUND AT THAT TIME. *JB

WHILE DRIVING ON I-95 APPROACHING BALTIMORE, MD I BEGAN TO FEEL A SHAKING IN THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY, AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A LOUD KNOCKING LIKE SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE. I THOUGHT I HAD A BLOWOUT. I STEERED THE CAR TO THE NEAREST LOCATION ON THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND FOUND THAT THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE CONTINENTAL - SPORTIVE METRIC 195/ TUBULES RADIAL TIRE. THIS TIRE COMPLETELY RIPPED OFF AND BENT THE EXTERIOR CAR PANEL RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE BIDDER AND TO THE LEFT AND BELOW THE HOOD WHICH COVERS THE WHEEL WELL AND RIPPED UP MY WIRING HARNESS. A COURTESY VEHICLE STOPPED TO ASSIST ME AND CALLED IT IN TO AAA WHO SENT TOW TRUCK TO BRING ME TO A AUTO REPAIR SHOP. I STILL HAVE NOT THE DAMAGE REPAIRED. HOWEVER, THE REPAIR MAN WAS ABLE TO RECONNECT THE WIRES THAT POWERED THE ELECTRONIC FUEL PUMP, POWER STEERING, LIGHTS, ETC AND REPLACED THE FUSES THAT BLEW. HOWEVER THE CAR WILL NEED SOME BODY/ELECTRICAL WORK TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE TIRE. I KEPT THE TIRE AND THE PIECES IN THE TRUNK.*AK