1999 Toyota Camry

TOYOTA HAS LONG IGNORED SAFETY IN FAVOR OF SHOW. OUR 1999 CAMRY HAS A KEY FOB WITH THREE BUTTONS, ONLY ONE WORKING. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THE 'SECURITY' SYSTEM (1) KEEPS THE ENGINE FROM STARTING AND, (2) MORE OMINOUSLY, LOCKS US OUT OF THE CAR. MY DAUGHTER, WITH HER BABY, STARTED THE CAR, STEPPED OUT TO LET IT COOL IN THE PHOENIX SUMMER, AND WAS LOCKED OUT. FORTUNATELY, I WAS CLOSE AND, FORTUNATELY, SHE TOOK HER BABY OUT WITH HER. OVER THE YEARS, I'VE ASKED TOYOTA TO FIX ITS SECURITY MESS. NOTHING BUT MILD APOLOGIES. THIS ENDANGERMENT HAS PLAGUED ME AND MY FAMILY FOR 10 YEARS. TOYOTA'S RECKLESSNESS AND ALOOFNESS SHOULD BE PUNISHED SEVERELY AND THE COMPANY MUST BEGIN TO PRODUCE NOTHING BUT RELIABLE CARS THAT DON'T ENDANGER ITS CUSTOMERS. *JB

MY FIRST COMPLAINT IS THE CRUISE CONTROL ON MY VEHICLE. WHEN I SET IT TO OVER 50MPH AND THEN TRY TO TURN IT OFF, MY PEDAL STICKS A LITTLE AND ACTS LIKE IT DOESN'T WANT TO RELEASE. THE SECOND COMPLAINT IS THE BURNING OF OIL SMELL THAT COMES WITH THE PEDAL STICKING. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THE ONLY THINGS THEY FOUND WAS A LOOSE HOSE. IT WAS RETIGHTEND. I AM ALSO HAVING ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRICAL PARTS ON MY REAR VIEW MIRRORS. THEY ARE ALL OPPOSITES. UP IS DOWN RIGHT IS LEFT ETC. I HAD GOTTEN A VEHICLE CAR FACTS ON THE CAR AND ONLY ONE OWNER AND REAR ACCIDENT WAS REPORTED. ALSO I HAVE ALREADY REPLACED MY FRONT TWO TIRES WITHIN A WEEK OF PURCHASE AND IT MAKES A SCRAPING NOISE WHENEVER THE CAR IS IN MOTION. *TR

ON MARCH 9, 2007 THE TOYOTA CAMRY ERUPTED INTO A FIRE DURING MY NORMAL DRIVING. ON NOV 28, 2006, I REPAIRED MY VEHICLE AT TOYOTA AUTHORIZED SERVICE STATIN, FITZGERALD TOYOTA, M FOR CHANGING WATER PUMP AND TIMING BELT. *AK MY ODO METER READING WAS AROUND 93.213 MILES AND WITHIN 800 MILES (CLOSE TO 94100) THE VEHICLE MET WITH FIRE ACCIDENT. REPEATED LETTER TOYOTA CORPORATION IS BEING IGNORED AND TOYOTA SERVICE STATION IS YET TO REPLY BACK MY LETTER.

ON THE AFTERNOON OF FEBRUARY 13, 2007 MY WIFE DROVE OUR 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY LE 20 MILES FROM OUR HOUSE TO A GOVERNMENT FACILITY WHERE SHE VOLUNTEERS AS AN INCOME TAX PREPARER FOR THE IRS THROUGH THE CITY OF PHOENIX. AS SHE WAS WAITING TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN INTO THE PARKING LOT OF THE BUILDING THE CAR STALLED BUT SHE MANAGED TO GET IT STARTED AGAIN WITH THE GEAR SHIFT IN NEUTRAL AND PROCEEDED INTO THE PARKING LOT WHERE THE CAR STALLED TWICE AGAIN. SHE WAS ABLE TO PARK THE VEHICLE IN A PARKING SLOT AND SHE WENT INTO WORK. AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES MY WIFE WAS CALLED OUT TO THE PARKING LOT WHERE SHE WITNESSED THE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHING A FIRE COMING FROM THE ENGINE OF THE CAMRY. THE FIRE COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND MELTED THE ENTIRE ENGINE. A PHOENIX POLICE OFFICER WAS PARKED IN THE LOT PRIOR TO THE FIRE AND TOOK A STATEMENT FROM MY WIFE AFTER THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. WE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO OUR RESIDENCE. THE CAMRY HAD ABOUT 65000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER AND WAS RUNNING IN GOOD CONDITION BEFORE THE FIRE. I HAD ROUTINE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE A FEW MINOR PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR; THE DRIVER DOOR PUSH BUTTON LOCK, THE STEREO AND THE PARKING BRAKE INDICATOR WERE INTERMITTENT. NO OTHER INDICATOR LIGHTS CAME ON. THE CAMRY WAS PURCHASED FROM A TOYOTA DEALER IN AUGUST OF 2002 AS A TOYOTA CERTIFIED USED VEHICLE. THIS DEALER DID NOT DISCLOSE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT ENGINE GEL, THE SECURE KEY LOCK AND WIRING HARNESS DEFECTS IN THE VEHICLE. WE RESEARCHED THE INTERNET AND FOUND SIMILAR CASES OF ENGINE FIRES IN 1999 CAMRYS THAT STARTED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SOME WHILE THEY WERE DRIVING. WE ONLY HAD LIABILITY COVERAGE ON OUR CAMRY. WE ARE DOWN TO ONE VEHICLE AND WE HAVE SUFFERED A TOTAL LOSS. *NM

SIGNAL LIGHTS AND EMERGENCY FLASHERS DEFECTED (WON'T FLASH). REPLACE FUSES AND UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL PART (DON'T KNOW THE CORRECT NAME) SEVERAL TIMES AND IT WORK FOR MAYBE TWO WEEKS, THEN STOP. MECHANIC STATED ITS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM; ALSO HEAR LIKE A FRYING NOISE WHEN USING SIGNALS AND SOMETIMES WHEN JUST DRIVING. INSIDE CAR LIGHT WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TOO. REPLACE WITH RECOMMENDED FUSE AND WORKS FOR A DAY AND STOPS. *NM

AS I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY TO WORK, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE, AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. THE FIRE WAS PRECEDED BY A LOUD POPPING SOUND, WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY THE LOSS OF BRAKES/POWER STEERING, ETC. I STRUGGLED TO STEER THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD, COASTING TO A STOP. MEANWHILE, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FIRECRACKER-LIKE "POP," SMOKE BEGAN TO POUR INTO THE VEHICLE FROM UNDER THE DASHBOARD, AS WELL AS THROUGH THE VENTS ON THE TOP OF THE DASH. HEAVY SMOKE ALSO BEGAN TO POUR OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE CAR. AS I FINALLY BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A STOP ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, A MOTORIST STOPPED AND HOLLERED TO ME TO GET OUT OF THE CAR IMMEDIATELY AS, HE SAID, THERE WERE FLAMES VISIBLE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. I EXITED THE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY, AND WITHIN 3-5 MINUTES IT WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. I DIALED 911 IMMEDIATELY, AND EVEN THOUGH THE INCIDENT OCCURRED WITHIN 1.5 MILES OF THE LOCAL FIRE STATION, THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES BY THE TIME THE FIRE TRUCK ARRIVED. A PENNSYLVANIA STATE TROOPER ARRIVED WITHIN 10 MINUTES OF THE ONSET OF THE EPISODE, MOMENTS AFTER THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED. A TRAFFIC REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE STATE TROOPER. *JB

THE WIRING HARNESS POWERING SEVERAL REAR MOUNTED LIGHTS SEVERED COMPLETELY FROM ITS MASTER CABLE. THIS HARNESS RUNS ALONG THE LEFT HINGE OF THE TRUNK LID. THE RESULT IS THAT I LOST MY TAIL LIGHTS, REAR SIDE MARKER LIGHTS, BACKUP LIGHTS AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHT. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE INASMUCH AS I AM SUBJECT TO A CITATION FOR VIOLATION OF SAFETY REQUIREMENTS. I DON'T MIND REPLACING CONSUMABLE ITEMS, BUT A WIRING HARNESS SHOULD NOT FAIL IN NORMAL USE, ESPECIALLY IF IT AFFECTS SAFETY LIGHTS ON THE VEHICLE. REFERENCE # FOR MY COMPLAINT TO TOYOTA: 200601100356. *NM

DT: THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER PARKED VEHICLE AND PULLED THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN AND LATER STOPPED ON ITS OWN. A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD. AFTERWARDS, SHE INSPECTED UNDER THE HOOD AND DISCOVERED THE BATTERY CABLES MELTED BETWEEN THE BATTERY AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT AREA. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN SEEN BY A DEALER. THERE WAS NO OBVIOUS EVIDENCE OF A FIRE. *AK