Problems with 2003 Toyota Camry ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

2002 altima 2.5s catalytic converter backfired into the engine causing high oil consumption and other problems requiring the engine to need replacement in my car at 107,000 miles there was not an accident but a failure on the car and nissan refusal to do anything about it financially warranty gone. *tr

A serpentine belt pulley detached from the engine disabling the power steering making turns difficult. this happened at low speed, so there was no accident, but at high speed would have been a real problem. *tr

My toyota camry 2003 became noisy a few weeks ago. yesterday, i sent the car to toyota dealer. the dealer told me that intake manifold should to be replaced. i spend ~$600 to replaced the manifold. now the noise is gone. after i search internet, same problems have happened in lots of toyota camry 2003. thus, i have to believe that this intake manifold problem is a deficiency from manufacture. toyota should recall this problem. *tr

Vehicle engine oil sludge and associated problems caused vehicle to stop coming off bridge overpass on busy street. though the engine is covered under extended warranty, claim was denied. *tr

A crack is developed in 'oil sub pan' at the bottom of the engine body on my toyota camry 2003, which have only 51000 miles on it. an independent auto technician told me that a crack in the oil pan is unusual and it might have been there at the time of manufacture. a mechanic at the toyota dealership in metairie told me the same thing along with the fact that such a crack is hard to detect. i am lucky that this fault was detected early and fixed before a fatal breakdown could have occurred. i have fixed this problem at toyota dealer's ship and it cost $3100, when i raised this issue they agreed to split cost fifty fifty and still it cost $1532 and that is too much for me seeing as how none of this was my fault. the old part is still with toyota dealer ship they didn't hand over to me. i regularly change oil at the toyota dealership, and i was surprised to learn that they failed to notice this fault earlier. please investigate this problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. the contact stated that the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was running hot. the vehicle then stalled and was towed to the dealer. the vehicle was inspected yet the dealer was unable to determine the exact cause of failure. the dealer stated that the failure could have been caused by a faulty thermostat or the headers. the contact was advised that the engine was destroyed and would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 160,000 and the current mileage was 169,668.

The intake manifold of my 2003 toyota camry is faulty from the time the car was built. toyota is saying that they won't cover as its not in warranty. how can a part that was faulty from the date it was installed not be covered. it is clearly a factory issue in their own admission. how can they not be responsible for fixing? *tr

the car was idling, with the transmission in park, for about three minutes. i placed my foot on the brake in order to shift the car from park into drive. the instant the shift lever went into drive the car engine roared, the tires squealed, i was pushed back into the seat and the car shot forward heading toward vehicles on a busy street. i seemed to have no control of the vehicle, except for steering, from that point on. to avoid a broadside collision with vehicles the street i followed the contour of the banks drive through lane which was a 90 degree turn to the left. nothing i did seemed to have any effect on the motion and operation of the car. in making the turn the right front wheel climbed over the driveway curb. in correcting for that i over steered the car and climbed the curb on the left side of the driveway striking a wells fargo sign on the property adjacent to the left side of the driveway before advancing into the main bank parking lot. the car proceeded forward where, just after entering the parking lot, it struck the right front fender and bumper of a usps mail truck. the car ricochets off the mail truck and proceeds into and almost through the adjacent cvs pharmacy parking lot before coming to a stop. the gasoline tank was gutted when the car ran over the sign resulting in gas being dumped on the bank driveway. the vast majority of the gas was spilled on the bank driveway just after the sign. the gas continued to spill but diminished as the car proceeded through the cvs parking lot to the point where there was no gasoline spill at all where the car came to a stop. it is my belief the car stopped for no other reason than it ran out of gas. nothing i did or tried to do appeared to have any effect. *tr

While driving home one day i began to smell antifreeze in my car. my husband took the vehicle to a local garage who informed him that it was the head gasket. my car has only 77,000 miles on it. i took the car to my mechanic who confirmed that it was the head gasket. while repairing my vehicle the mechanic noticed that all four screws popped out. it cost me over 1700.00 to repair. my mechanic reported this to be unusual for any car's head gasket to go with such low mileage. "it's unheard of". toyota claims i am not covered because i'm over the mileage and would not help me. clearly this should be a recall. *tr

Fatal car accident. *tr

I was not getting heat if my car was stopped at a light. upon examination by my mechanic he found there was a gap between the head and the engine block. it became apparent that the screws that hold the head to the aluminum engine block had stripped and the head was separating from the block. . first the mechanic tried to drill new holes with new bolts. he didn't feel that it would hold in the obviously defective block so i had to get another engine which costs me $3215.78. i had no car for over a month. i am very upset with this issue. if the head detached, the car would have lost power. what if i was traveling at high speed and got hit from behind. also with the head separated there is the possibility that the fuel could have exploded or started a fire while driving. please let me know if there are others with this problem. there are a lot of 2003 toyota camrys on the road today. *tr

The intake manifold was making alot of noise. apparently toyota was aware of the problem because they replace it for free on low mileage vehicles (within the 3 yr, 36k mile factory warranty) or on higher mileage cars up to 70k miles. my vehicle has 114k miles so it was not covered. i will be issuing a complaint with toyota as well. *tr

Due to anti freeze leak the mechanic found leak to be coming from cylinder head gasket, when head was removed found 3 center bolts were loose, threads were stripped and damaged. i was told this is a defect in 2003 4 cyl toyota camry engines. dealer would not cover, as it was repaired elsewhere. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle overheated. the contact filled the vehicle with water and drove to a mechanic. the mechanic stated that the engine coolant leaked water between the cylinder head and the block. it was also discovered that three cylinder head bolts were loose. the vin was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 100,000. updated 10/16/08. *lj updated 10/17/08.*jb

There is clattering noise in the intake manifold. the noise started about 6 months ago and has gotten continually worse. i took the car to a local dealership and was told they had no idea what the noise was. the manufacturer claims it is not a defective part. *tr

Vehicle started making a loud rattling/vibrating noise that started around 57,000 miles. it sounded like there was no oil in the car, though oil change had been done less than 1,000 miles prior to noticing this. sound got worse and worse over the next week or so and was usually loudest when the car was first started up in the morning or after it had been sitting all day. heard mostly when it was idling in park and when you first started driving. once you got going, the sound wasn't so bad. took it back to the oil change place and they said it sounded like a lifter problem. did some research at http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/toyota-camry/t9mgd2f66frtckkid and various other places on the internet and found out many people are having the same problem. it's actually the intake manifold. i called toyota and was told warranty was 5 years or 50k miles. since car was purchased used i had them research date of first use and, of course, my 5 year cutoff was 2 months prior to my phone call. the sound got so bad by 58,000 miles i took it to our local repair shop and without telling them what i had found out, they told me the intake manifold had to be replaced for a cost of $600. vehicle is in the shop being replaced at my expense as i write this. toyota should be made aware that this is a big problem and recall this part since it is clearly defective. *tr

It began with the rushing sound of fluid (coolant) somewhere in the dash. shortly thereafter the engine overheated and it was determined that the head gasket blew. the dealer said the bolts in the engine were stripped out and they replaced the short block. it was replaced and within a year this is occurring again. *tr

i am the owner of 2003 toyota camry . and i would like to file a complain due to the engine defects in my vehicle . in april 2008 , i discovered the engine coolant was leaking and it was so severe that i had to take to the mechanic shop for inspection and repair. the mechanic did the pressure test cooling system test and found coolant leak coming from cylinder had by the intake manifold . the mechanic removed valve cover and found 2 head bolts loose .my vehicle was only 56000 miles at that time. i was told by the mechanic it was not safe to drive because the car could overheat any minutes. so the engine needed to be replaced .it costs me $2700 to replace the engine .so i report the incident to the toyota manufacture /dealers in torrance . they respond to me that they were not responsible for this problem. i requested new motor vehicle board from california to help me to resolve the matter . the toyota still insisted that they were not responsible for it . *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. every time the contact drove the vehicle at various speeds, he noticed a noise coming from the engine, which he believed to be the valve. he took the vehicle to the dealer and a technician stated that there was excessive sludge damage in the engine. he further stated that the engine needed to be rebuilt at the contact's expense because the warranty expired. he has had the oil changed routinely at 5,000 miles; therefore, the sludge build-up was abnormal. the contact has a copy of each time the vehicle was personally serviced. he also has a sample of the sludge taken from the vehicle. the failure mileage was 36,949. update 05/13/08 *bf after a breakdown of the engine, huge amounts of gel oil sludge was visible in the engine cylinder head. updated 05/13/08. *jb

2003 toyota camry-mileage about 101,000. unbelievable that my 2003 needs a new catalytic converter. i have had more trouble with this 2003 toyota then any other toyota i have ever purchased. i have purchased several toyotas over the years and was going to get a new 2008 or 2009 toyota camry but not now. also the catalyst converter is on back order and the dealer is not sure when it will be in - it was ordered 02/12/08 and not due in until may be 02/21/08. didn't know i had a problem until i went for an emission check. this piece is very expenses and i'm just wondering is it not usual for this converter to go bad so early. i do not pull any heavy loads or anything like that. *tr

Have a 2003 toyota camry, the intake manifold is broken. toyota won't help even though it seems to be an occasional problem with the camry. *tr

Getting a large chatter or rattle from the plastic intake manifold, which after reviewing internet info appears to be a common problem that warrants a defective issue. this has been occurring for almost a year. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. while driving approximately 40 mph, the check engine light illuminated. the vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and he stated that there was sludge in the engine. the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. the dealer stated that the failure was impossible and accused the contact of not using the recommended amount of oil and inspecting the vehicle. he filed a complaint with the manufacturer. the vehicle is unable to be driven. the current and failure mileages were 42,000.

Began to hear rattling noise shortly before taking car to dealer for 90,000 mile servicing. advised by dealer that intake manifold was broken and needed to be replaced at a cost of $600. had manifold replaced under extended warranty. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. the contact heard water moving from one end of the vehicle to the other when she attempted to make turns or when she started the vehicle. when the failure occurred, the contact noticed the vehicle was leaking coolant. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. in august 2007 with 98,000 miles, the engine was replaced by a private mechanic yet the failure persisted. the manufacturer was aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since there were no recalls for the vehicle. the current mileage was 167,000 and the failure mileage was 89,000.

The dealership states that the manifold has a problem causing a very lour rattling and needs to be replaced. many many individuals have this same problem forums on this site: http://www.topix.net/forum/autos/toyota-camry/t9mgd2f66frtckkid. *tr

2003 camry le, 39,000 miles. the car completely shuts itself down while driving. luckily, this happened in a parking lot of a dealership when we brought the car in for a seemly unrelated issue. should this happen outside, it could be deadly. this should be a recall item given its dangerous failure mode. the car initially had start issue a day earlier. it only started after the hood has been opened for a few minutes. brought the car to the dealership next day. the start issue happened a few more times in the dealers lot. after it finally started, it had a power window failure, followed by the shutting down of the car by itself while the car was physically moving. the dealer could not pin point the problem but suspected the body ecu (engine control unit) because of the power window failure. they replaced an ecu and that solved the problem. *tr

Engine noise caused by intake manifold crack as diagnosed by a toyota service dealer. *tr

Toyota dealer advises replacement of intake manifold on 2003 camry 4-cylinder due to loud rattling noise. technical service bulletin addresses this issue. many similar complaints noted. *nm

03 camry manifold at 45k took car to dealer with complaint of knocking/vibration coming from engine. dealer replaced water pump under warranty and recommended tensioner be replaced, out of warranty item, to fully correct noise. noise persisted and i learned to deal with it since it wasn't harming the engine. progressively got more annoying and at 58k took back to dealer. sservice rep listened to it for 2 minutes and said it was the intake manifold which would cost $591 for parts and labor. i decided not to leave car and have work done again since it was not harming the engine and more of a nuisance than anything. at 60,500k i e-mailed toyota and asked about the emissions warranty coverage and was told the intake manifold was covered up to 60k or 5 yrs. i only have self to blame for not being proactive sooner, but toyota should own up to this rather common problem. please note that i was told by toyota that "the warranty coverage for the intake manifold is 5 yrs or 60,000 which ever comes first from the vehicles date of first use..."*jb

Intake manifold leaking only 51000 miles 2003 camry . toyota dealers est. $675.00 to repair . i noticed on line a number of people having this problem with 2003 camry. *nm

My 2003 toyota camry, which i maintained in a normal manner, w/appropriate oil changes. the oil light came on, i put in 1 qt of oil, the light went off. a short time later, i drove the car and it started making a loud clacking sound, check engine light came on. i drove it home and parked it; called a mechanic to come take a look. he said it was the engine and needed to be taken to a toyota dealership, and we could not drive it at all. i towed it to the closest dealership, approximately 30 miles away. they checked it over couple of days, then called and said the engine had sludge in it, and needed a $7,000-$8,000 repair. they also said it was my fault, because the oil had obviously not been changed properly. when i purchased the car, the toyota dealer talked me into a $999 extended warranty plan, which he assured me would cover any major issues that might come up with a car -- their tender loving care package. now the warranty (which toyota is distancing themselves from, saying is an outside company, therefore not anything to do with them) company denied the repair. also, toyota denied covering the repair, even though i have researched and found tons of material online indicating that they've had an ongoing problem with the camry engines and sludge issues. it looks like thousands of consumers have had the same problem, and toyota always says it is the owner's fault. i had regular oil changes, and have some of the records. i do not have all of the receipts, but have well over half of them. the car has 96,000 miles on it, and the extended warranty is for 100,000 miles. toyota should fix the engine properly at their expense. a $7-8k repair is a monumental expense for our family. this may not seem like a safety issue, but i believe it is, as an engine locking up or stopping cold could present a serious driving issue, and certainly seems to be a very broad problem with the toyota camrys. *nm

Engine intake manifold failure. there is a tsb already for this failure, tsb-0034-08. they is very high failure rate that was caused by inadequate baffles in the intake that will break apart and possibly cause engine failure. the problem starts with a light tapping noise and gradually gets louder. this problem seems to be very widespread with toyota owners with the 2.4l 4 cylinder engine. *tr

Car makes clicking noise when idle and in first gear. i got a diagnostic test by toyota dealer and the problem is a broken airflow deflector in the intake manifold which is flapping around. this problem is reportedly common on camrys. *nm

Dt*: the contact stated a hissing noise was coming from the engine immediately after starting the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the local dealership, and the problem was diagnosed as an intake manifold leak, and the intake manifold was replaced .*ak updated 2/7/2006 - *nm

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. the contact stated the vehicle was at the dealer for an unrelated repair. when she received the vehicle back, there was an unusual grinding noise from the exhaust system. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where she was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired. the failure persisted. updated 07/30/10. *lj updated 09/30/10 the consumer stated he would like for someone to respond to her complaint. updated evoq 10/13/10*jb

Intake manifold failure on 2003 toyota camry 2.4 engine (toyota motor co.) will not replace. they know that they have a problem because they replaced them with a new type of intake manifold. my camry has 65000 miles. *jb

Dt: 2003 toyota camry. the engine i 2003 toyota camry caught on fire. had not contacted dealership or the manufacturer. did not notice anything unusual about the way vehicle was operating before the fire started. the consumer called the fire department. the fire department said it was up to the insurance company to investigate how the fire started. did not know if it was an electrical or fuel. the engine compartment was burned completely. vehicle was damaged by the fire. called the police department, they said it was the highway patrol department who needed to do the report. took pictures of vehicle at the junk yard. vehicle had all the original parts. there was no injuries or property damage outside of vehicle. *ak

I purchased the 2003 toyota camry in september 2005. while i love my car i do have some concerns after hearing the other complaints. i hear sloshing sound under the dash. it is really loud when braking, accelerating, or parking. i asked the dealer about it several times, and was told it was normal for your car. also , hear a squeaky, grinding sound when turning the steering wheel to either side. this happens every time i turn the wheel, no matter hot or cold weather. the delaership could not find anything wrong with it the first time i took it them. they kept it 2 days, and said nothign was wrong. it continued for antoher week, and i returned with it to the dealership, and they kept it overnight and called me the next day, and told me they did not have time to look at it, but they were sure nothing was wrong with it. they will not return any phone calls or even talk to me when i go there. the las thing, was the paint continually chipping and peeling of in chunks on the hood, front bumper, and rear bumper. i have spoken to toyota about this several times, and they continued to say it was not their fault, and my car was not under warranty. so they could not do anything. this all started about 3 weeks after i bought the car and continued today. please advis me if therewas anything i could do to fix any of these problems. thanks. ak

The intake manifold failed, causing a rattle noise from the engine area. rattle was heard at idle speed and became louder when accelerating. toyota replaced the intake manifold at a total cost of over $500 (part + labor) because the failure occurred just outside the warranty period. this problem is described in tsb eg018-2004. *ak

I bought a brand new toyota camry xle in may 2003. about 1 1/2 years after purchasing it, i began to hear a sloshing sound under the dash board. the producing of the sound wasn't consistent because some days it wasn't present at all. when the sound first started it was very faint and the passenger could not hear it even when i pointed it out. i checked for leaks but i could not find any. today, the sound is a lot more noticable; however, it still does not presnet itself everyday. i tried to observe if it only happens when it is cold out side or hot, but the sound is not consistent. when the sound is present, i would have to turn my music up a little to ignore it. my car's performance does not seem to be hampered by this sloshing or splashing noise so i thought my fluids weres just circulating. but it has become quite embarassing and annoying having to deal with it. i read another consumer had the same problem and toyota could not resolve the issue so they bought their car back. i am now inquiring to toyota about the issue, but i wished i had when my car was still under warranty and the problem first arised at the 20,000 mile mark. *jb

When driving 30 mph rpms accelerated to 80 mph. this caused the consumer to go off the side of the road, causing damage to the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

The consumer parked the vehicle and the engine burst into flames. vehicle was totaled.*ak

While driving 55 mph vehicle stalled. consumer was unable to restart vehicle, and had it was towed to the dealer for inspection. mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced, and replaced it. however, the problem recurred. *ak

I was parking ,my foot was on brake but my 2003 toyota camry accelarate very quicly and jump forward uncontrollably.only luck prevented any deaths because nobody was on parking lot. it happened at west palm beach.i took my car to stewart toyota.i told them i read about this problem month ago which was on first usa paper (business section) they told me they have never heard of any complain before,kept my car for a day .next day,they told me they could not find any problem.i have to leave with it. it was very scary experience, i do not know what to do with my car.*ak

I purchased a 2003 toyota camry on 7/14/03. when my son rode with me on 3/18/04 and 3/26/04, he heard a clicking noise that i was unable to hear. i took it to the dealer on 3/26/04. the car has about 4000 miles. the problem was first diagnosed as a bearing in a rod. they received permission from toyota to pull out the engine and found another rod to be bad. they then determined the crankshaft was faulty. i have also read the comments on the brakes. although i have never had the pedal go to the floor, the pedal does depress further than with other cars. these are anti-lock brakes. *jb

Water pump failure,replaced 3 times 1st. time15months into new car warranty 2ndtime 13months later still under warranty 3rdtime after 5 year warranty toyota covered. *tr

While driving rotten egg smell came into the vehicle, it didn't matter whether the windows were closed or opened. consumer felt a burning sensation in the nose and the throat. dealership/ floor manager made an incredible statement, inquiring if president bush put sulfur in the gas, call him. *ak

Dt: the vehicle accelarated on its own and surged forward 6 or 7 times. contacted toyota and dealt with the liability department. and they didn't see anything wrong with it. this started happening on november 12, 2003. *ak see also 10055728. *dsy

Rotten egg smell for my 2003 toyota camry. it's been like this for the last 7 months, since i bought it new. i changed many different suppliers of grade 87 gas, and there is no difference. i have about 9000 miles on it.*ak my friend who bought a 2003 camry have the same problem as well.