1999 Toyota Camry

ON 2 SEPARATE DAYS, THE BRAKES HAVE SEMI-FAILED, IE., WHEN DEPRESSED, THEY DID NOT STOP THE CAR IN THE NORMAL DISTANCE, BUT DID EVENTUALLY BRING THE CAR TO A STOP ABOUT 2-3 CARLENGTHS BEYOND EXPECTED STOPPING POINT. NO OTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTED, IE., PAVEMENT WAS DRY, CIRCUMSTANCES ORDINARY. VERY FRIGHTENING, LUCKY TO HAVE AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT, PARTICULARLY THE SECOND OCCURENCE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC! BETWEEN INCIDENTS, ALL WORKED NORMALLY. HAVE HAD CAR IN TO A DEALER (AFTER SECOND INCIDENT), BRAKES WORKED ON, CERTIFIED AS SAFE. CONCERNED BECAUSE FOUND SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON NHTSA WEBSITE THAT WERE NOT RESOLVED BY DEALER REPAIR! *AK

THIS CAR IS A LEMON. I HAVE HAD FIVE INTEGRATED RELAY'S REPLACED AND NOW IT IS OUT AGAIN. THE HEADLIGHT OR THE DASH LIGHTS WILL WORK, BUT NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. TOYOTA SAID IT WAS BECAUSE I HAD A NON-FACTORY ALARM INSTALLED. THEY REPLACED THE ALARM WITH A TOYOTA ALARM AND REPLACED THE RELAY AND IT BURNED OUT THE FOLLOWING DAY. THEY CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. THE AIR CONDITIONER HAS HAD A MUSTY SMELL SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW. THEY SPRAY THE VENTS WITH "FRIGI FRESH" AND IT'S FINE FOR A FEW DAYS AND THE SMELL RETURNS. THEY TOLD ME TO SPRAY SIMPLE GREEN IN THE AIR INTAKE ONCE A WEEK. THAT'S A PRETTY POOR REMEDY. THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT HOLD ON ANY INCLINE. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL PULL INTO THE GARAGE BY IT SELF AND OTHER TIMES IT WILL ROLL INTO THE STREET. IT DEPENDS ON IT'S MOOD. THE CAR LACK POWER. SOME DAYS THE CAR IS PEPPY BUT MOST DAYS IT'S A OLD MULE. I WENT THROUGH ARBITRATION AND TOYOTA JUST KEEPS REPLACING PARTS INSTEAD OF REPLACING THE CAR. IT'S SITS IN THE GARAGE NOW BECAUSE IS NOT DEPENDABLE. I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE AN IN-DEPTH INVESTIGATION AND RECALL OF THE 1999 CAMRY.*AK

THIS PROBLEM INVOLVES THE BUILDUP OF OIL SLUDGE IN THE 1998-2001 TOYOTA V6 PRODUCTS. APPARETNLY THEY REDESIGNED THE V6 ENGINE SO THAT IT WOULD FIT IN THE SIENNA VAN. IN DOING SO THEY CREATED A DESIGN FLAW THAT CREATES SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. APPARENTLY THE DESIGN FLAW CAUSES THE ENGINE TO RUN TO HOT ALSO CAUSING VALVE SEALS TO LEAK. THE RESULT IS A FAIRLY NEW CAR THAT SMOKES, BURNS 1 QUART OF OIL A WEEK, AND BUILDS UP SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE WHICH I AM TOLD WILL RUIN THE ENGINE IF I KEEP DRIVING WITH SLUDGE BUILD UP BECAUSE THE ENGINE WON'T BE LUBRICATED PROPERLY. MANY OTHERS ARE REPORTING THIS SLUDGE PROBLEM. IN THE 1999 OWNERS MANUEL IT SAYS YOU CAN CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 7500 MILES. WHICH PEOPLE DID. THESE CUSTOMERS THAT FOLLOWED THIS GUIDE LINE INSTEAD OF THE 3000-5000 MILE OIL CHANGES WHICH SHOULD BE RECOMMENDED NOW HAVE OIL SLUDGE. I CALLED MY HONDA SERVICE REP WHO TOLD ME TOYOTA HAS A FIX FOR THE OVERHEATING PROBLEM WHICH THEY DO NOT WANT THE GENERAL PUBLIC TO KNOW ABOUT BECAUSE THAN THEY WILL HAVE TO FIX THOUSANDS OF CARS. HE SAID THE ENGINE DOES NOT BREATH PROPERLY AND THAT THEY HAVE AN UPGRADE TO THE BREATHER - THE POSITIVE CRANK CASE?? HE SAID IF I CAN PROVE TO TOYOTA SUCH AN UPGRADE IS AVAILABLE THEY WILL FIX IT BUT WILL DENY ANY KNOWLEDGE OTHERWISE. I SUBMIT THAT TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TO REPAIR THE VEHICLES THAT HAVE GOTTEN SLUDGE FROM THIS DEFECT WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT TOYOTA SHOULD BE FORCED TO DO A RECALL AND INSTALL THE UPGRADED PART SO THAT THEIR ENGINES BREATHE PROPERLY. TOYOTA REFUSES TO HONOR MY WARRANTY ON REPLACING THE VALVE SEALS AND RINGS WHICH WILL COST ME ABOUT $3200. THE LEAST THEY COULD DO IS INSTALL THE FIX INTO MY ENGINE SO IF I DO GET IT FIXED IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN. TOYOTA HAS CHANGED THEIR 2001 OWNERS MANUEL TELLING PEOPLE TO CHANGE THE OIL EVERY 5000 MILES SO THEY KNOW THE DIRECTION TO CHANGE IT EVERY 7500 MILES WILL NOT WORK FOR THEI ESITB BECAUSE I HAVE SLUDGE AND T OF LYD THGIT OTHERWISE. ISIENOICE LKHE HASPD SATOYOTA EVEN HAS.

I WAS DRIVING SOUNTBOUND WITH 2 OTHER PASSENGERS, WE WERE ALL BELTED IN. A CAR IN THE NORTHBOUND LANE CUT ACROSS TRAFFIC INTO OUR SOUTHBOUND LANE AT THAT TIME I HAD NO WHERE TO MOVE SO I APPLIED MY BRAKES HER CAR PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE TO APPRX 40-45 MPH AND HIT US HEAD ON. WE HAD INJURIES BRUISES, NECK INJURIES AND THE WORST A BROKEN STERNUM. AT KNOW TIME DID OUR AIRBAGS DEPLOY DURING THIS ACCIDENT. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATION AND THEY SAID WE WERE NOT HIT HARD ENOUGH FOR THE AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY END OF DICUSSION. TOYOTA HAS GIVEN US THE COLD SHOULDER AND MORE OR LESS NOT TO BOTHER THEM ABOUT THIS. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW COME IF WE WERE HIT SO HARD THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE POLICE AT THE SCENE ALONG WITH OTHERS WERE ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING AND ALSO THEY INFORMED NOT TO GET INTO THE CAR BECAUSE THE AIRBAGS COULD DEPLOY AT ANY TIME. THE AUTOBODY SHOP IS ALSO CONCERNED WITH THE AIRBAGS BUT TOYOTA WILL NOT RETURN THEIR CALLS. IF YOU COULD HELP IN ANY WAY IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, CYNDY PITASSI. *AK

AS WE WERE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, GOING APPX. 55 M.P.H., WE HEARD A LOUD BANG TOWARDS THE REAR END OF THE CAR. THEN, OUR CAR STARTED SWERVING FROM LANE TO LANE AS IF WE HAD NO CONTROL OVER IT. I COULD HAVE HIT SEVERAL CARS. BUT, SOON I GOT THE CAR INTO THE RIGHT SHOULDER. WE GOT DOWN TO SEE THE LEFT REAR TIRE'S STEEL BELT HAD RIPPED OFF AND THE TIRE WAS BALD. THE BALD TIRE CAUSED THTE WHOLE CAR TO SWERVE.*AK (DOT NUMBER: URMW-203 TIRESIZE: 19570R14S)

VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE, THE INITIAL INSPECTION INDICATED A FIRE OCCURING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE VEHICLE, THE FIRE ORIGINATED AT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD HEAT SHIELD, THE FIRE TRANSFERRED FROM THIS AREA TO THE FRONT AND TO THE INTERIOR PORTION OF THE VEHICLE, IT WAS FINALLY DETERMINED THAT THE LOSS RESULTED FROM THE SEPARATION OF THE AIR CONDITIONING SUCTION LINE AT THE EVAPORATOR, ALLOWING REFRIGERANT AND PAG OIL TO BE EXPELLED ON TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, IGNITING AND RESULTING IN THE DAMAGES OBSERVED.*JB

BROUGHT CAMRY NEW 1999 REPLACED REAR BRAKES AT 9776 MILES AS WELL AS REAR DRUM TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL, 17472 COMPLETE FRONT BRAKE JOB, AT 17472 MILES REPLACED COMPLETE DISC BRAKES, MOUNTED TWO TIRES AND HAD 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT, BROUGHT TWO MORE TIRES AT 13724 MILES, THEN 2 MORE TIRES AT 29054 MILES, ONCE AGAIN WEAR AND TEAR NORMAL MUST BE DRIVER, ANOTHER FRONT BRAKE JOB AT 29981 MILES AND CLEANED AND ADJUSTED REAR BRAKES, THEN AT 37738 MILES REAR TIRE WORN AND FRONT TIRES CHOPPED, AT 38685 MILES WARRENTED BRAKE PAD FRONT BRAKES AND MACHINED ROTORS AT 40230 4 TIRES BROUGHT AND INSTALLED, ADJUSTED STRUT MOUNTS, AT 44016 MILES ADJUSTED AND TIGHTENED FRONT CALIPERS AND WARRANTY FOR BEARING SET, CONN. THIS CAR IS A LEMON AND FEEL THAT YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE TO REPLACE TIRES TIMES 2 AND BRAKES TIMES 4 WITH ONLY 44016 MILES ON CAR TO DATE CLB. *AK

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 25MPH ON A SIDE STREET TRAVELING ONTO ANOTHER STREET,AND WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, VEHICLE TOOK OFF AND HIT TWO VEHICLES. CONSUMER HAD FEET ON BRAKES, AND VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED THIS SAME PROBLEM A YEAR AGO, HOWEVER WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER AND STOP VEHICLE, FOR THIS LAST ACCIDENT, DEALER REPLACED GASKET AND CLEANED THROTTLE BODY. *SLC