Well, at high speeds on the highway, the front end shakes and vibrates like it's off-balance or something. I've taken it back to the unhelpful dealer 5 times in this one year to have it looked at, and each time they say they've fixed it, but it starts doing it again. Also, there is something loose in the front end that makes a horrible knocking, rattling noise that I've never been able to find. Dealer is useless, they just tell me that
I'm imagining things, and that nothing could go wrong with Toyota's "flawless" cars. Well, I think Toyota is getting so swelled up with pride that they're starting to slip up. I wish they would actually look into my concerns.
The car is bulky and difficult to maneuver. The rear windshield is just placed way too high up, making it hard to tell if I'm going to back up into something or not.
Engine runs a little rough, sometimes making little pinging noises like a diesel engine.
Other than these things, the car is reliable and good quality.
I expected a great, reliable car when I purchased my camry. Toyota has an excellent history of quality, and my friends have all said they're excellent. So I decided to get one. But I didn't think that it would be this aggravating. It's a good car, but the workmanship and value is a little dissapointing. It's still better than my old Ford Aerostar, but at least my Aerostar didn't make all these mysterious noises. I think I may have gotten a dud, because these cars are usually very good.
I had a 2000 Saturn LS2 with similar problems with the steering. After the 4th time on taking the car back to Saturn, they finally determined that the Rack & Pinion steering was faulty and replaced it with a whole new one. It was all covered under warranty at the time, so there was no out of pocket expenses. I'd suggest taking your car to a different dealership or just taking it too a good mechanic. Obviously it's not your imagination and someone will recognize the problem.
"What happened to Toyota's Quality?"
I guess it's gone.
I wouldn't judge Toyota based on one car.
Take it to a different Toyota dealer and see if they can find out what's wrong with it.
In my opinion Toyota builds the finest vehicles on the road. And no I don't sell them, nor do I own one.
I am in the auto business and I do know a quality product when I see one.
Do a search of the last five years on many vehicle makes, they all seem to be slipping. Very sad that I can't buy a new car for fear it will fall apart.
I don't think the problem is with the car, but the dealer. I can't imagine why you would go back to the same place 5 times.
Lowell Nigoff
www.lowellstoyota.com.
Good one, dealer boy. Do you think that idea has crossed the owner's mind by now? I would've hoped so by checkup 3.
Maybe the next closest Toy dealer is a few hours away? It's not impossible.
Finally a Dealer that has the guts to respond on some of these postings :o)
I have read many and noticed that along with the faults a car my have the biggest headache is the different dealers and the way they give advice or do repair jobs.
I really don't like to go to them for any service. My worst experience was the day I wanted to get a diagnostic on a faulty traction control on my Olds Aurora. They told me that I should NOT repair it, the better choice would be to trade it in and simply getting another car!!! On the long run it would be cheaper for me...well, that dealer died right there in front of me. Actually I sold that car later and got another one - from another lot of course.
A dealer has only one thing in mind - selling cars! If they do repairs, usually selling you expensive spare parts and charging horrendous labor hours!
No more dealers for me...
Recently, Consumer Reports ranked Toyota as one of the worse in Service. Customers have had hard time getting the Service Dept to admit a warranty problem. Personally, they've lost my credibility. Now, I always ask for 2nd opinion from another Service Dept.
Toyotas aren't made for high speeds?
I know my, my Toyota Camry is so slow. One time, I tried to get in front of a truck, when I got in front of him he almost hit me, because the Camry was going so slow. They are not built for speed.Maryland.
I was quite amused after reading these comments, a car no matter what the make or model weather it is new or used is not going be "perfect" even a new Toyota which prides themselves on building quality reliable cars is gonna have some factory defects it happens and should be expected. But personally I would have thought something was amiss if I took the car to the dealership and the problem was not corrected the first time around.
Regardless, toyotas are better than the butt-ugly new generation hondas. better quality, ride, fuel consumption. dad bought a corolla for driving school in 1999, it now has about 500 000km and it had no major problems. the problems that he did receive were due to poor maintenance.
Did the dealer even bother to test drive the car in the exact same conditions that you experienced the problem? They definitely should do this, but if not, insist that you go with them to diagnose the problem. Once they "get it" and admit there even is a problem, they will have fix it under warranty.
I don't know what's wrong with Toyota dealers, but my Mazda dealer will bend over backwards for my needs.
Dealers are independent business people who are in the business to make a profit. It doesn't matter if one sells Toyota's or another sells Fords, they all have the same focus in mind.
You, the customer, can make a choice. The car buying experience goes beyond merely choosing a make and model, it includes every aspect of the purchase that affects the buying experience.
High volume high pressure dealers are an indication of their mission statement. "Profit before anything else"! Just like the car, you get what you pay for when choosing a dealership.
Traditionally, the dealers parts and service departments operate on incentives. If the dealers management could generate more profit by purposely avoiding your concerns and by treating you badly, they would. And in some instances, this is the case.
So, if you spent as much time evaluating the dealer as you did the car then perhaps you'd look at other makes and models with a different bias. Just remember, the dealer wants your money, nothing else.
Our 05 Camry does the same shaking on highway too, around 120km/h one can feel the slight shaking/vibration from the steering wheel, but not really a big deal, and my dad didn't notice at all.