2002 Toyota Camry XLE review from North America

Transmission fluid full one quart low of special auto lock differential transmission fluid at 7,000 miles (see general comments)

Brakes vibrate on application at 20,000 and 36,000 miles. Fixed under warranty.

Original Michelin tires at 36K miles had to be replaced for bad cracking of sidewalls.

Rubber molding around roof gutters had to be replaced. Done under warranty.

We have a 2002 Toyota Camry XLE 3.0 6 cylinder engine and 4 speed automatic transmission with 36,000 miles. The transmission fluid level was one complete court low at 7,000 miles. The car emanated smells like the fluid was burning at various times. The transmission only shifts after the engine is racing very fast. We have taken it to two different dealers and they say nothing is wrong. The problem is even worse in cold weather. They say that the special transmission fluid it requires (because of auto lock of both front wheels in slippery conditions) has to heat up past 50F to function correctly. They also said the loud grinding noise when the auto lock system locked in and out was normal. When stuck in snow we don't think the two wheels locked as advertised. They did check the electrical components of the transmission and all is well there. All this was done under warranty.

The brakes had to be redone at 20,000 miles and now for shimmy when brakes were applied. This was done under warranty.

The rubber molding at the roof gutters had to be replaced at 20,000 under warranty.

We just had to change my original Michelin high performance V rated mud and snow tires because the sidewalls had bad cracks in them. Note: the traction of the tires in snow is terrible. We got stuck twice. On the other side, the tires handle great at high highway speeds (great cornering).

On the positive side, we love to drive our car as you can tell by our high mileage. We especially enjoy the optional GPS (talking global positioning system), which we have used on our trips from Garrettsville, OH to Baltimore, MD (five times) ; Chesapeake, VA (once) ; Wytheville, VA (twice) ; Dayton, OH (twice) ; and Colorado Springs, CO (once). We would highly recommend the car to others. It has never broken down on us and we do consider it reliable and very comfortable to drive with the electric leather seats.

We have performed all the maintenance as required in the Passport Book. We purchased the Toyota Platinum warranty, which gives 100,000 miles or 5 years bumper-to-bumper guarantee for $1200.00. We think that was too high and unnecessary.

Unfortunately we will have to change the timing belt at 60,000 miles. Why a chain was

not used, we don't know.

Robert Lloyd, jr. 10/22/03.