Comments: 1-15, 16-21
The car pulls to the left and drifts constantly. It is also very sensitive to wind. The dealership was unable to remedy this problem in 4 visits and then suggested I request buy-back under the Lemon Law. Toyota prevailed in the arbitration and will not make further attempts at repair. I have gone to one independent garage for an alignment, but they have declined to attempt any corrective repairs as all the alignment specifications are within norms for the car.
This car is very tiresome on a trip. Constant steering correction make it impossible to take your eyes off the road for even a second.
Take a long test drive before you buy one of these cars. Treat is as if you were buying a used car, and you'll probably be okay.
Non-existent warranty support has made the purchase of this Toyota Camry a nightmare experience.
This is a follow-up to the review. Since the time of the post, I embarked on a letter-writing campaign. I was recently contacted by Toyota Customer Service. They requested the opportunity to make another attempt to fix my car. I was advised that they had discovered a problem with the upper spring insulator causing the car to handle badly and pull to the left. I happily agreed, and they have corrected the problem. I felt it only fair to inform the public that they have corrected the problem--albeit 5 months late. The car drives perfectly.
At least they fixed it. I would think Toyota would try not to spoil the Camry reputation.
We purchased a brand new 2003 Camry LE in August 2003 for our daughter. The car has the same problem of pulling to the left, especially extreme left pull when reaching speed of 55 mph & higher--We have taken it to the dealership in November and again this past week March 18 & 19 (she attends college 5 hours away, thus had to bring it in when she was home on holiday breaks) and it still has not been fixed. The car only has 7,000 miles on it. Thanks for posting the information--will contact the dealership & see what they say to this--
This is a follow-up on my March 21st comment. Contacted Toyota dealership to suggest a problem with the upper spring insulator and was told the technician had rotated them (not sure what this means). They told me they have addressed the problem all they could, but the technician would contact Toyota and try to find additional information for a solution to the drifting left steering problem. Have been trying to gather additional information and options elsewhere.
Before you guys send these Camry's that pull to one side to the shredder, try switching your wheels around. If that fails, try new wheels and tires.
"Non-existent warranty support has made the purchase of this Toyota Camry a nightmare experience."
You said it. This is my pet peeve with Toyota. It has been my experience when I have a problem, be it minor or major, I am on my own. No amount of nice talk, repeat business, etc. has changed that attitude.
Mine pulled to the left too. Had the same results with arbitration. (what a joke) They refused to fix it. For safety concerns I finally had to trade it off. Last Toyota I'll ever own!
My 1999 Toyota Camry check engine light goes on. Had it checked out and the mechanic advised us to drive for a while after we replaced the gas cap and see it that helped. He turned off the check engine light.. After a few weeks my husband drove my car and as he entered onto the freeway he accelerated and the engine light went on again. We took it back and they turned the light off again, but today it is back on again!!!Help.
My 2000 Camry V6 is now demonstrating the same symptoms IE: pulling to the left at speed and also being directionally unpredictable.
It is out of warranty and I am not interested in a tangle with Toyota over it.
Two wheel aligners have looked at it and cannot find any reason for it. The tires have been replace and rotated also with no improvement.
As previously said it is very annoying to drive and having to be constantly ready for any unpredictable diversion it decides to make.
This is my 2nd Camry and last I'm sorry to say.
I bought a used 2003 camry 4cyl. from a Toyota dealer in november of 2003. The car had 14500 miles on it and was a prior rental car. I noticed that although the front tires were brand new yet they were not original. The car otherwise was in a brand new like condition. Now after having put another 20k miles on it, I have come to know that why the front tires were replaced at a very low mileage. The car keeps pulling to one side and despite being rotated and balanced every 5,000 miles the tires are wearing out fast. I took it to an independent alignment shop and they could not fix the problem. It has 37000 miles on it and is no longer under bumper to bumper warranty. It will need new tires before the next oil change at 40000 miles. The steering needs to be held tightly on long trips in order to prevent the car from drifting fast.
FYI -- the pulling to the left issue has been well documented on Camry from 2003-2003 and Toyota has issued a Technical Service Bulletin on the issue. If your Gen 5 Camry is pulling to the left then take it to the dealer and tell them to apply the Technical Service Bulletin fix.
I purchased a new Camry, 4 cyl 3 months ago. This is the worst handling car I have ever driven during windy conditions (difficulty keeping it in my lane at highway speed). I now have approximately 4500 miles on it & am very disappointed in myself that I didn't stick with my first choice, Altima. I took it back to the dealer for re alignment & was told it was within specs and there was no caster adjustment on the Camry. First time & last time Toyota owner..
I purchased my 2003Camry XLE V6 in August 2003. It was not long before I noticed that the car has an annoying problem that Toyota dealers and Toyota customer service claim is NORMAL, and nothing can be done to fix it.
In some instances, there is a lag between the time you push on the accelerator pedal and when the engine responds. It does not occur when accelerating from a stop, however when you are traveling at speed (25mph, 45 mph, 55mph, etc.) and say you want to pull out and pass another car, you press the accelerator and the engine does not start revving for one to two seconds. Add to this the times when the car has to decide which gear it want to be in and you really have a wait. The other problem is when you are slowing to a stop and want to accelerate, there is usually not a smooth transition and the car lurches forward. I’ve been told that both problems are due to the “throttle-by-wire” system and it is normal. I find it infuriating, and I’ve finally had enough…. The car is for sale unless someone out there can help me.
Has anyone else had this problem?
I have a leased '05 Camry and after just 1200 miles, the check engine light has gone on, but doesn't flash. I have been driving round for the past week and the car is fine. When will the light go off and I can have a perfect car again?
I have a 04Camry and I thought it might be useful to share my experience with the left-pulling problem. After I purchased it brand new in 2004 I immediately noticed the obvious pulling on highway. Also the problem seemed worse on concrete highway than on black top.
I went to the dealership about 4 times and they made various adjustment such as alignment, rotation, etc. But it did not help. Then I found a service bulletin on this problem and went to see the dealership again. But they did not want to do it citing that all were within specs. I called the regional service manager, but he essentially was saying "Go sue me I don't care".
Well, somehow the car gradually drove better. After the first 5000 miles the front tires had uneven wear. Again I went to the dealership and was told that the car just needed a rotation. I took the car to another garage, and they said the same thing. Strange enough, after the rotation the car stopped to unevenly wear the front tires.
I have been a happy owner of the Camry for the last 1.5 years.
I guess what I want to say is that be patient, maybe it just needs some time to break-in.