1999 Toyota Camry LE from North America - Comments

We own a 2000 Camry CE, we purchased it brand new in Sept of 2000. I have always boasted about how much I like my Toyota, at 55,000 miles (we are very faithful at changing our oil and doing maintenance) the check engine light went on. The codes Po440, PO441, PO446 were diagnosed by the local Toyota dealer. They told us our gas cap did not hold a seal anymore and it should be replaced. After the diagnostic fee and the gas cap $109.11 the check engine light went out for 1.5 days, the codes remained the same, but now we are told the problem is with our Charcoal Canister Sensor, this needs to be replaced, After reading some of the comments I am concerned! Has anyone else encountered this problem? Toyota says we are out of warranty?

To the person with the $400 + O2 sensor change. I have a 1989 Pontiac Firebird (really reliable despite what you are all probably thinking) and I had to have my 02 sensor changed (just cause of high mileag, no light or problems). I suggest you go to an independent (but good) mechanic. The cost would probably be at least $200 cheaper han the dealers.

I am having the same problem.

I have a 2001 Camry -4 cylinder with 56,000 miles. Recently,

my check engine light came on and they ran the codes at the dealership and said that the charcoal cannister and vacuum switching valve needed to be replace at the grand sum of $585 and was not covered under warranty (not even under the extended warranty I purchased). I haven't fixed the problem yet.

Here's another concern! I had the oil changed the same day, and

after driving 120 miles checked the dipstick and noticed the oil was reading way above the dipstick because the dipstick popped out and oil was all over -under my hood!

I called the dealership because I thought they overfilled the oil and they promised to rechange the oil and clean the engine, which they did. A week later, I check my oil and it's now about an eighth of an inch above the fill line-AGAIN!! I am worried now-- sounds like something big is ready to happen. Anyway, I am sending the extra oil I drained out of my car the 1st time to Herguth Lab in CA.

(888-437-4884) they can tell if your engine is frying or if fuel contaminants are getting into the oil.

If I get back a bad analysis, I am getting rid of the darn car. I still have 2 years on a car payment. After reading all of these complaints- and my troubles, I will never buy a Toyota again!!

My 99 Camry went to the dealer for battery replacement. We were told during service that the water pump was leaking and we should replace it and the timing belt at the same time (since it was cheaper to do them together?) We have not seen evidence of leakage on the garage floor and wonder, "how do you know this work needs to be done?" There is only 44,000 miles on the car.

I have a 1999 Toyota Camry, purchased from a used car dealer with 51000 miles on it. Now it has about 90000 miles after 18 months since I drive on highways.

Past January it had a check engine light and I called the Toyota dealer. He suggested me to tighten the gas cap, which I did and the check engine light was gone. After about a month the check engine light came back, this time it was due to the bad right rear light bulb. I replace it and the light was gone. Again it came back after two months. This time the rear left light bulb was blown. I replaced it and the check engine light saw gone. Yesterday I changed the engine oil and the oil filter. This morning it has check engine light. Any suggestions please?

I have a 1999 Toyota Camry LE 4cl and I can identify with a lot of the previous posts. The car had been essentially perfect till 77,000 miles. While driving down the freeway the engine shuttered to a stop and wouldn't start. After checking the engine I found antifreeze running from under the timing belt cover. The dealership replaced the timing belt and water pump under the extended warranty. they said the water pump failed and caused the timing belt to go also. They also replaced the valve seals under warranty, to address a blue smoke from the tail pipe after startup concern. The extended warranty also covered the tow truck and car rental as well. So far, so good.

Two months later after filling with fuel the check engine light came on. After a trip to Autozone and after a new gas gap the light was off. A few miles later the light is back on. I went to the dealer and say the code indicates a bad gas cap. $60 later with a OEM gas cap I am on my way. The next day the check engine light is back on. A test of the gas caps at the vehicle emissions inspection shop showed that both Autozone's as well as Toyota's new OEM gas cap are bad, so it back to the dealer. After another visit to the dealer, I get another gas cap. However 14 miles later the check engine light is back on. Autozone's diagnostic tester still shows it is the same evaporative emissions gas cap code. I am at a loss, is it the $400 charcoal canister, the vacumm switching valve or something else? I can't find the location of the charcoal cannister. Any help is appreciated.

I also don't understand why this problem is not covered under the 100,000 mile federal emissions warranty.

Previously the dealer did replace the drivers rear seat belt that wouldn't retract, under warranty.

Lastly, the driver door electric lock button will not always lock. The alarm will set with the keyfob, but you can open the door from the exterior (which sets off the alarm). The dealer says that a new lock mechanism is $350+ so I am being sure to manually lock this door before setting the alarm.

Bought a 1999 Camry le in 2000 with approx 28,000. never have had any clearance on this car, bottom out every where, terrible. front suspension rattles like a freight train, shop says everything looks good and its just the sway arms, you bet! now with over 110,000 miles the accelerate sticks all the time when starting out, dealer says they can find nothing wrong! help someone. I'll never buy another Camry again...

I bought my 1999 Camry LE in August of 2003 and have had no problems with it... until this summer.

The check engine light came on so I took it to the dealer for an oil change. They told me to make sure that I click the gas cap after filling up to prevent the light from coming on again. A week later, the light came on again. I took it in and the service desk manager told me that my gas cap looked like it had been "run over by a truck". I asked to see it and the mechanic came out with it and it looked fine. He simply explained to me that it was not threading in completely. They charged me $24 for the gas cap (which I now know I could have gotten at Auto Zone much cheaper) and tried to charge me a second time for $44.50 Labor & to clear the codes. I refused to pay the $44.50, so they waived it. Two days later, the light came on AGAIN!! I took it in the following weekend and they called me to say that they had "bad news", the charcoal canister had to be replaced and it would cost $341 for the part and $178 for labor, but they would give me 10% off.

At this point I am extremely angry and disappointed that what I thought was a reliable car that would last a long time is having such serious problems. From reading this site, I am not confident that this will fix the problem. I am not willing to spend over $500 if it is not guaranteed to fix it. Any suggestions as to how to proceed from here?

Evelyn - Stamford, CT.

I have a Toyota Camry, purchased new in 2003. It has been very reliable and a pleasure to drive, with one exception. I hear break noise in back (driver's side) when applying my breaks. It's an annoying high pitched squeal. The car only has 13,000 miles so I'm not ready for new breaks. I've noticed it for quite a few months now, hoping it goes away, but it hasn't. It happens 9 out of 10 times I apply the brakes. Any idea what is causing this? Thanks!

Sounds like you need a BRAKE job to me. $25.00 for pads or $32.00 for drums. Good luck.

Well, here we go. I've got a 1999 Camry CE with 58k on it. Last week, the light came on telling me I have a brake light out. It doesn't come on until you press the brake. With my sister pressing the brake, I checked and have no lights out, brake or tail. I figured in the near future, I'd buy some new bulbs and play around a bit to see if I can get it taken care of. Today now, my check engine light came on. I drove home, checked all the fluids, which were fine, and got out my owners manual. It states the light will come on if you are out of gas, which I'm not, the gas cap is loose, which it wasn't and isn't, or there is a problem somewhere in your engine or transmissions electrical system.

After reading everything everyone's writing here, I'm pretty worried that I'll be joining the ranks. I called the dealership---$80 to put on the diagnostic machine. A few other car repair shops, and I found a price of $50 to hook it up. I found one more place, and they'll hook it up for free just to see what the problem is. What's a guy to do? I'm going for the freebie tomorrow. Really, the only problem that I'm noticing about the car is that with the cold mornings now, the car really hesitates to change gears around 35mph, which is about all the faster I get to go with my short drive to work. It'll get up to about 2800 RPM, and I'll go just a little faster, then release the gas pedal, expecting it to drop into the next gear, but it doesn't unless I get it going around 40mph or so. After it's warmed up, no problem. I was planning a fluid change at 60K, but maybe won't wait that long. I do oil changes every 3000K, which is always less than 3mos.

I'm curious what the outcome will be tomorrow, and will be sure to update you here.

I have the same problem as everyone above. Toyota Camry 99 LE with 66k miles. My Check Engine Light came on yesterday and yet there is no problem with my car. I hear no weird noises, I never have filled gas in my car while it was on, I get the expensive oil changes from Jiffy Lube which say they are good for 6 months, and am wondering if I should pay to have a diagnostic done?

Please Help!

Well, here's my update from the 15th December... went to auto shop yesterday... power outage...story of my life. Anyway, went back today... they indeed put the car on the diagnostic machine free of charge. It showed it was a signal coming from the evap. system... they said it may be nothing much, and they cleared the computer, but that it may show up again later, and will probably be the same thing. They said its not as expensive as things such as the charcoal canister, but does cost a bit. I didn't get a price on the evap system. I guess I was just glad it wasn't anything overly expensive at this time. I'll sure let you know if anything else comes about from it. As for the brake light warning, I've got an aftermarket rear spoiler on the car, and all lights working fine, but, turns out the original 3rd light, the one in the back window, is out. Hope that's not a job and half to replace. Best of luck to everyone with their Camry's.

I have a 99 Camry 4 cyl. approx. 125,000 so far so good I have no complaints except for the front suspension, it recently started a clunking noise when going over bumps.

I have been planning on replacing the front struts for a while now, but the thing is I recall talking to someone in the past with the same problem and new struts didn't fix the clunk, something about a bad mount or bushing?? has anyone else had this problem or heard of it.

Member of the P0446 Toyota problem club.

I have a 1999 Camry 4 cyl with 40,000 miles it has been parked for 6months since it is a 2nd car and has had too many problems. The Camry did not pass emissions the check engine light went on. The code PO446 was diagnosed. gas cap was replaced and am concerned about spending money on a canister if it does not fix the problem. Sounds like this is an advocate issue with all the other Toyota owners that are seeing the same problem. Interesting how Toyota's defect has become Toyota Camry Owners problem.

Any suggestions on what is the Max I can spend to get the P0446 Fixed at a Toyota Dealer.

Any comments on any success stories on a correct diagnosis and repair for P0446 will be greatly appreciated.

Frank.