2006 Toyota Camry

DRIVING HOME FROM WORK I HIT A LARGE DEER, APPROXIMATELY 200 POUNDS, AT 45 MPH, DIRECT FRONT END CONTACT, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE WHOLE FRONT HOOD, GRILLE, BOTH FRONT FENDERS, RADIATOR, HEADLIGHTS, AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM. AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, NO INJURY TO ME. RECEIVED MY CAR FROM THE BODY SHOP OCTOBER 25TH AND EVERYTHING LOOKED GREAT. AFTER DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 800 MILES NOTICED A LITTLE BODY MISALIGNMENT AND ON THE 18TH OF OCTOBER I DROVE TO THE BODY SHOP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE ALIGNMENT PROBLEM AND CHECK THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT. THEY ARE WORKING ON THE BODY ISSUE, WHICH I COULD CARE LESS ABOUT, HOWEVER, AFTER DOING A SCAN OF THE CAR SYSTEMS, WITH THE HAND HELD SCANNER, THE AIR BAG WARNING IS NOT A SENSOR ISSUE DUE TO THE COLLISION WITH THE DEER, BUT IT IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR/WIRING WHICH SHOULD BE A TOYOTA ISSUE. I HAVE RESEARCHED THIS AND THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE, BUT I HAVE NOT SEEN A RE-CALL FROM TOYOTA, THE FIX FOR THIS SITUATION IS TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT AT A COST OF ABOUT $3400.00. MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS WHY DID THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOY AND NOW IS THE TOTAL AIR BAG SYSTEM NOT FUNCTIONING? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING 45 MPH AND ABOVE OR WHEN ATTEMPTING A TURN, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN ABNORMALLY LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED HER TO REPLACE THE STEERING KNUCKLE AND WHEEL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. IN ADDITION, SHE NOTICED THAT THE HEADLIGHT COVER APPEARED TO BE EXTREMELY FOGGY. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO CLEAN THE HEADLIGHT COVER WITH A SPECIAL CHEMICAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 63,000.

BRAKE LAMP FAILURES FOR 2002-2006 TOYOTA CAMRYS. SINCE 2002, I'VE SEEN HUNDREDS OF THESE MODELS WITH BURNED OUT BRAKE LIGHTS. JUST TODAY ON MY WAY TO WORK, I SPOTTED THREE. ONE ONLY HAD IT'S THIRD BRAKE LIGHT WORKING AND IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS WHEN COMING TO A STOP! TOYOTA NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. THESE NEWER VEHICLES SHOULD NOT BE BURNING THOUGH LIGHTS AT THIS LEVEL. THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD TO PUBLIC SAFETY. *TR

MY MOTHER HAS A 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY. AT NIGHT, I NOTICED HER DRIVING WITHOUT HER HEADLIGHTS ON. I STOPPED HER, AND WE GOT HER HEADLIGHTS ON. LATER, I WAS DRIVING HER CAMRY AT NIGHT, AND I NOTICED THE INSTRUMENT LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT THE HEADLIGHTS WERE OFF. THE ONLY SETTING TO GET THE HEADLIGHTS ON TURNED OFF THE INSTRUMENTS LIGHTS. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. I WENT TO THE HUNTSVILLE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. A MECHANIC JIGGLED THE SWITCH, AND EVERYTHING WENT BACK TO NORMAL. IT IS OBVIOUS THE TOYOTA MECHANICS KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND KNOW HOW TO FIX IT. NOW, I HAVE TO WORRY EVERYTIME I OR MY MOM DRIVE THE CAMRY THAT WE DON'T JIGGLE THE SWITCH TO CAUSE THE ABOVE PROBLEM. IT IS A MAJOR INCONVENIENCE AND A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE ONE DAY WE MAY FORGET AND ACCIDENTALLY JIGGLE THE SWITCH AND DRIVE AT NIGHT WITH THE INSTRUMENTS LIGHT ON AND THE HEADLIGHTS OFF. THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH MUST BE RECALLED!!!! *TR

DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL TONE IS VERY LOW AND EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO HEAR. DEALER TELLS ME THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO INCREASE THE VOLUME. SAFETY ISSUE IS WITH THE FACT THAT IT IS VERY EASY TO LEAVE THE SIGNAL ON IF YOU DO NOT MAKE A WIDE TURN. THIS DISTRACTS OTHER DRIVERS WHO ARE EXPECTING YOU TO MAKE A TURN. I REALIZE THAT THE SIGNAL FLASHES ON THE DASHBOARD BUT IT IS NOT ALWAYS EASY TO SPOT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *TR UPDATED 01/09/08. *LJ UPDATED 12/12/07 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT ACTIVATED THE TURN SIGNAL, BUT THE CLICKING SOUND WAS NOT LOUD ENOUGH. THE CONTACT IS ALSO UNABLE TO SEE THE TURN SIGNAL FLASHING ON THE DASHBOARD OR INDICATE WHEN THE FLASHING STOPS. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WERE UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. A COMPLAINT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED SINCE MARCH OF 2006. THE VEHICLE WAS ALIGNED AND THE TIRES WERE ROTATED ON TWO OR THREE OCCASIONS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 29,800 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14. UPDATED 02/01/08 UPDATED 02/01/08 *TR

THE 2006 TOYOTA CAMRY USES THE HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS FOR DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS. THE CONFIGURATION OF THE LAMP ASSEMBLY PLACES THE TURN SIGNALS IMMEDIATELY INBOARD OF THE DRLS. ACCORDING TO FMVSS 108, S 5.5.11(A).4: "IF NOT OPTICALLY COMBINED WITH A TURN SIGNAL LAMP, IS LOCATED SO THAT THE DISTANCE FROM ITS LIGHTED EDGE TO THE OPTICAL CENTER OF THE NEAREST TURN SIGNAL LAMP IS NOT LESS THAN 100 MM" THE DRL IMPLEMENTATION ON THE 2006 CAMRY APPEARS TO BE IN VIOLATION OF THIS STANDARD. A QUALITATIVE OBSERVATION OF THE CAMRY AT AN INTERSECTION SHOWS THAT THE TURN SIGNAL IS SIGNIFICANTLY MASKED BY THE ADJACENT HIGH BEAM DRLS. NHTSA ISSUED A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM WITH THE TOYOTA CELICA A FEW YEARS AGO: NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER : 04V566000 RECALL DATE : NOV 23, 2004 RECOMMENDED ACTION OF NHTSA: INVESTIGATE COMPLIANCE OF 2006 CAMRY DRLS WITH SPEC IN NO. 108 AND ISSUE RECALL IF CAMRY IS NON-COMPLIANT. RECOMMENDED ACTION OF TOYOTA: IF DEFECTIVE, DISABLE ALL DRL FUNCTIONALITY. THE BENEFITS OF DRLS ARE NOT PROVEN, AND DRLS ARE NOT REQUIRED IN THE US. *NM