Problems with 1999 Toyota Camry ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Headed south on interstate when burst into flame. *tr

While driving my 1999 toyota camry onto the on ramp to the veterans expressway, the engine made a loud bang and smoke came out of the engine.the engine stopped! i had bought this car new in 1999,and it only has 44,000 miles on it. it is in super condition, except now it has a hole in the engine. if this had happened on the expressway, i would have been killed!!! a certified mechanic said that the piston rod cap bolt had broken and the rod blew a hole in the engine. the toyota dealer and toyota national said that i must pay to have this fixed. it needs a whole new engine!!i feel that it must be a defect or this would not happen at 44,000 miles.i have always had all of the maintenance requirements done. this is certainly a dangerous defect, because if your car seizes up and stops in traffic, you do not stand a chance. i've read where others have had the same problem. why hasn't toyota recalled this? it is certainly just as dangerous as the problems that they did recall cars for. *tr

1999 toyota camry. while traveling, the driver claimed to have heard a noise and lost the ability to steer the vehicle. *bf the driver went off the left side of the road, struck a median barrier, came back across three lanes, went off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail and then came to rest partially in the right lane. according to the wrecker the driver, there was nothing wrong with the steering. however, there was damage to the engine that was not a result of the crash and that could have possibly caused a problem with the steering. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0359-90)*jb updated 08/05/10 *bf

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 toyota camry. the contact was driving approximately 40 mph approaching a stop sign when the engine stalled without warning. the vehicle began to roll suddenly as well. when the brakes were engaged, the vehicle failed to slow down so the contact shifted into neutral and then into park which resulted to the vehicle coming to a complete stop. the engine restarted and the vehicle resumed normally. the failure occurred when driving 40 mph and above. the vehicle would not accelerate over 60 mph. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic for diagnosis. the eor sensor, eor solenoid and eor module were replaced on the vehicle. the failure continued. the failure mileage was approximately 65,000. updated 4/4/11 *cn the mechanic cleaned the throttle. updated 06/03/11

I bought my camry brand new and have always kept up with the regular maintenance scheduled. however, over the years i've had to have the charcoal canister replaced at least three times and valves replaced twice. on oct. 4th while driving on the freeway, with no forewarning, i heard a loud noise and followed by a plume of white/blue smoke. the engine immediately shut off and i was able to pull over on the shoulder in time to avoid and accident. the resulting total engine failure caused me to have to have the car towed. now i'm discovering that this has been an ongoing problem with my kind of engine and it was quietly settled with those who have the 2000 year engines. the same problem existed in the 1999's and has been totally ignored. this is awful! *tr

At about 3 pm i was driving north on the on ramp of route 15 north at mira mesa. suddenly my car accelerated and would not stop. i moved to the right where there was room. and despite pushing hard on the brake, i could not stop the car. i moved to the guard rail hoping to slow the car, which il did, but the car bounced off the rail and side swiped a white lexus. then the car came to a stop. a workman saw the accident and confirmed the pattern of what occurred. he checked with me and the driver of the other car and we both said there was no injury. he refused to identify himself. both cars were able to drive away without difficulty. when i got home i checked that the floor mats were in the proper place and not near the accelerator. i feel that there was a defect in the operating system of the car to cause this sudden acceleration. *tr

When i tried to start the car it made a loud noise and the engine was dead so my car had to be towed. the block of the engine has hole due to major engine mechanical failure. i had to have the engine replaced. i was told that the same kind of problem occurred on the same model year 2000 toyota and they were recalled. *tr

Engine blew out on freeway. engine failure diagnosed as sludge build up leading to thrown rod and crankshaft. rod busted through crankcase. my 1999 toyota camry was one of toyota's flawed engine designs suffering from a known oil gel build up problem - *5s-fe four cylinder and 1mz-fe v-6 engines. *tr

My 1999 toyota camry started blowing blue smoke out of the tail pipe. this was after regular oil changes at 3,000 miles. finally, while on a business trip and after oil was changed, my engine started making a loud clanking noise. i immediately pulled off the road and turned off the engine. i had a local mechanic look at the engine, who state the engine would need to be replaced. i then paid to have the car towed 200 miles to my house where my mechanic also stated the engine was blown. i have been searching the internet for over a year to find a cost effective engine when at last i found a web site that explains thousands of people have had the same problem i had with sludge oil problems causing engine failure. why has the nhtsa not issued any recall? i can not believe that the nhtsa is not looking out for the consumer? what is it going to take to get some help for the hard working consumer against the auto giants who know good and well they had a very silent class action notification which did not make it to the majority of the consumers. that action might be good for the board members and stockholders but isn't the nhtsa supposed to look out for the consumer. *tr

My camry showed the exact 3 signs of oil gel list in settled class action suit: excessive oil consumption, blue smoke, & engine light on. settled class action settlement says toyota should fix/pay. toyota inc. denied claim. class action settlement clearly includes my 1999 toyota camry 4cyl. toyota should authorize the $3000 of repairs needed on my camry and should pay for the repairs as they were directed to by a court of law. i'm just glad i noticed the 3 signs of oil get & brought it to a nearby dealership service department before something terrible happened to my family. in minnesota last week, one camry-owning family was not as fortunate: during rush-hour on one of minnesota's busiest highways, a toyota camry came to a full stop and was rear-ended by a semi. as a result of injuries sustained when the family's camry was rear-ended, a 4 year old girl died. i don't know if that camry was one of the camrys covered in the oil gel lawsuit. i do know that if it's one of the toyota camrys that has engine damage that, if undetected by owner, will cause the engine to seize at highway speeds. these camrys do come to a complete stop on freeways. *tr

Re: toyota camry engine failure on 12/21/07 1999 toyota camry le december 31, 2007 dear sir, on december 21, 2007 at 11:30am pt, my wife kim ly nguyen drove our 1999 toyota camry le on the 405 south freeway. as she was about to pass the bristol st. exit in costa mesa, my wife suddenly heard an unusual noisy sound and detected the strong scent of oil and gasoline leaking from the engine. immediately, my wife maneuvered our car to the right-hand shoulder of the freeway. once my wife pulled over to the side of the road, the car engine suddenly experienced complete failure and would not re-start. our car was towed by 21st century insurance to accu auto service (23253 madero #a-104, mission viejo, ca 92691) for repair. since we are heavily dependent on our car to commute to work every day, it was crucial that we received immediate service on our car. after a diagnostic exam, accu auto service determined that the engine experienced sudden and total failure (please see attached pictures) and was completely replaced and serviced. since we bought our toyota camry le on 4/10/99, it is still under warranty through the ?gold seal mechanical breakdown services contract limited, and we are hoping that you can help us with a reimbursement of our repair costs. due to the dependency on our car for survival, we had to authorize an immediate repair. through the life of our toyota camry le, we have maintained a good maintenance schedule and upkeep, which can be verified through lew webb's irvine toyota, inc. (30 auto center dr., irvine, ca 92618) at 949-768-0688 or accu auto services at 949-859-9637. we hope that you understand our situation and are able to honor our warranty by granting us a reimbursement for the repair of the defective car engine. thank you for your help and time. sincerely, liem ngo & kim ly nguyen *tr

1999 toyota camry with engine failure. consumer stated that the vehicle made a loud noise and oil and gasoline odor was present. consumer then pulled over and engine failed and would not restart. *kb

Problem with 1999 toyota camry: in trying to pass a vehicle on a country road, the engine literally blew a hole. the rpm was just a little over 4,000. thankfully, there was no vehicle coming from the other side and the other drivers on my side quickly slowed down to let me come back to my side of the road. otherwise there could have been a major accident. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1999 toyota camry. the contact stated that her vehicle caught fire without warning. she parked the vehicle and one half hour later, the police arrived to find that the fire department had extinguished the fire. the dealer stated that they have never heard of this before. a police report was filed. the engine size and powertrain were unavailable. the current and failure mileages were 42,000. updated 06/08/07. *jb

On march 9, 2007 the toyota camry erupted into a fire during my normal driving. on nov 28, 2006, i repaired my vehicle at toyota authorized service statin, fitzgerald toyota, m for changing water pump and timing belt. *ak my odo meter reading was around 93.213 miles and within 800 miles (close to 94100) the vehicle met with fire accident. repeated letter toyota corporation is being ignored and toyota service station is yet to reply back my letter.

The car was bought brand new. this is the history of the 1999 camry (problem: engine light comes on each time): 1/24/2007 goodyear auto--replaced charcoal canister and control valve $549.19 7/12/2007 goodyear auto--replaced purge valve $134.24; charcoal canister replaced under warranty 11/8/2008 toyota dealership--replaced charcoal canister and purge valve (toyota says they still have to charge for this repair, even though it was replaced earlier) $656.75 2/9/09 toyota dealership--replaced control valve--$142.34 in summary, charcoal canister was replaced 3 times, purge valve replaced 2 times, control valve replaced 2 times--all in a span of 2 years. toyota service representative justifies it by saying it is a "revised" part. *tr

I have a 1999 toyota camry. i changed my oil consistently before every 2500 miles or 3 months, however the oil in my engine still "slugged" or "gelled". i visited my local toyota dealership to have it fixed and they informed me that the problem was common amongst toyota camry's and that they could not cover the engine damage for me unless i provided receipts as proof that i changed my oil every 2500 miles or 3 months since the day i purchased the car. i had not been keeping my receipts as my fiance would often change my oil for us. needless to say, i had to spend over $2,000 replacing my engine only to later find out that the problem was much more common and severe than i had been told and that toyota does in fact recognize the defect and offers to fix it complimentary. i learned this while i was out car shopping (at a different dealership) since i no longer feel safe on the road in my unsuitable toyota camry. my old engine has been replaced but the new one is not working properly. my mechanic told me it's because the defective part that caused the engines to gel up has now been removed from replacement engines. there is now a noticeable banging noise coming from my engine. i am completely disgusted with the way i was treated by my local toyota dealership. i was sold a car with a known history of defective engines and the car manufacturers refuses to fix it for me. what type of scam is this? *jb

Dt: while driving the vehicle threw a rod. this caused the vehicle to catch on fire on september 23, 2005. there was a report taken by the fire department, but the consumer was unsure if a police report was taken. there was no previous warning before this occurred. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic. they did not tell her what they thought caused it, only that it was not due to sludge build up in engine. there were no injuries. *ak *nm

Getting check engine light too frequently on a toyota camry 1999 model. had to replace charcoal canister and the problem still persists

Car overheated. drove to toyota dealer where it was diagnosed as a radiator problem. this car has 51000 miles on it.

Emissions components failure. i have replaced two oxygen sensors and now i need to replace the evap canister (charcoal). all breakdowns have occured before 65,000 miles

The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for a tune up and after the tune up the dealer took the vehicle for a test drive and the engine blew out. the dealer informed the consumer they would replace the engine. *ak there was knocking, the vehicle would not run. the original motor rod had come apart. there was no sign of misuse. the oil was okay and there was no sign of why the rod had come apart. *sc *jb

On march 21,2005 i gave my tyota camry ce 1999 with 103,000 miles on it for tune up to door's auto speed shop. the next day, after the tuneup was comleted the mechanics took the car for a test drive. during the drive below 40 miles per hour the engine blew up. mr. keith door, the owner and manager of the shop, called the local toyota of slidell and informed them that the engine blew up because of the accumulation of the sludge in the engine. they agreed to change the engine free of charge. later, however, they demanded $4,000 for the new engine claiming that the cause of the blowup was not the sludge.they could not tell, however,why the engine blew up.

On march 2, the engine on my toyota camry threw a rod, and resulted in a terminal failure of the engine. i have maintained this car since i bought it, supposedly "certified used" from roseville toyota, in august 2002. i pleaded with toyota motor corporation for assistance but they said that my warranty had expired 2 months prior to this incident. due to extreme strains on my time, i had the engine rebuilt for nearly $3700. upon driving the car for less than 200 miles after having the engine rebuilt, the transmission has failed and needs to be replaced at an estimated $1500. i do not have time or money to continually repair this car and have asked for assistance from both roseville toyota and toyota motor corporation both. it was recently brought to my attention that the toyota that i purchased from roseville toyota was never certified to begin with. they misleadingly sold me a car under the false impression that it was certified when it was not. i place the blame for the recent failures and resultant repair fees on roseville toyota. if i had known that this particular car was not a certified toyota vehicle, i would never have taken it off the lot and consequentially experienced any of the problems described above. however, i was falsely mislead to believe that i was getting a certified vehicle and drove off happily. none of the parts repaired or replaced are available. *ak

The check engine light came on, due to a faulty gas cap. *bf the engine light was intermittent. the light went off and did not come back until 31,602k miles. *sc when the light illuminated again, the consumer was told the emissions canister needed to be replaced. *jb

I have a 1999 toyota camry with approx. 89,000 mile and the check engine light came on and i am told that the charcoal canister needs to be replaced at a cost of $ 294 parts and 190 labor. upon checking the internet to see if this was a legitimate repair it seems this problem is prevalent on many toyota models including mine. *nm

Defective part on toyota camry 1999. charcoal canister. malfunctioned, causes oil to gel, resulting in blown motor.*ak

Defective automobile, ranging from transmissions problems to paint problems. engine stalls. *bf *tc

I have a 1999 toyota camry le v6 and check engine light is coming on. toyota dealer tells me it's that the charcoal canister needs replacement, so i did and the light is back on again. i know there are lots of people with this issue and we need to have toyota address the issue asap.*ak

1999 toyota camry check engine light came on. the consumer had the oil changed, air fuel ratio sensor replaced, front brake pads and rotors replaced but none of those repairs solved the problem. *ts the dealer suggested that since the consumer 's vehicle wasn't driven much that carbon may have been building up in the valve area. the dealer cleaned the valve area and cleaned the throttle body and fuel injection but the check engine light came on again. *nm ***no ans required***

This complaint involves two vehicles; the first was with a 1992 toyota camry vin#[xxx] purchase date: 7/16/1992 mileage at the time of the incident: 125394 in which the vehicle was idled in the consumers driveway and after two minutes a loud noise was heard along with smoke coming from under the hood; there was motor oil and metal pieces from the engine underneath the vehicle and at 91386k miles the timing belt was replaced; the second vehicle was a 1999 toyota camry; the vehicle stalled while being driven on the freeway at 60 mph, the vehicle was towed to the dealership and the consumer was informed that the water pump had frozen. the consumer requested reimbursement for repairs but the request was denied. a detailed description of problems (vehicle unspecified) : connecting rods#1 and #4 broke and punched holes in the side of the engine block, one of the connecting rods broke off at the piston as well as the crankshaft, the other connecting rod broke off of the crankshaft, but remained attached to the piston, piston #1 and #4 impacted into the cylinder head, when the connecting rods broke, parts of the engine punched a hole in the oil pan, allowing oil to leak out, it was noted that the left cv boots were torn, the broken connecting rod #1 caused the a/c compressor to be broken away from the engine and the a/c belt to be thrown free, and the extent of the damage was consistent with the engine turning at moderate or high speed at the time of the failure. *ak *sc information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Vehicle consistently dies on the road. *mr there were more than four attempts made to repair the warranty problem. *sc *jb

the radiator was empty, and here were traces of antifreeze on the inspection plug on the timing over. as i explained upon our intial meeting, this indicated that there was a definite loss of antifreeze, with a definite possibility of water pump failure and corresponding timing belt failure. however, when i did the initial tear-down of the timing area, i found a rather surprising scenario. the timing belt was intact. there were none of he usual oil leaks from the cam/crank seals. the belt was in excellent shape. the water pump had suffered a catastrophic bearing failure. in fact, i found pieces of metal in the timing area, as well as a few of the ball bearings from the water pump shaft bearing. the timing area also had traces of antifreeze (oem antifreeze) from where the water pump had been leaking prior to the failure. as per our discussion, i proceeded to tear the engine down further to inspect for other possible damage. at this time, we were simply expecting to find a warped/possibly cracked cylinder head. upon removing the necessary components required to remove the head, and removing the head itself, i inspected the block, cylinders, and pistons. the inspection revealed that the pistons had suffered severe damage. there is over thirty thousandths of clearance between the top edge of the piston and the cylinder wall. the top piston ring is clearly visible. therefore, i must declare the engine a loss. in fact, i have made the observation that toyota vehicles using the oem antifreeze usually had far fewer cooling system problems of any kind. in their vehicles. i have two toyota pickups. one has a reman engine. it has oem antifreeze and an oem oil filter. to make a long story short, i feel in my opinion, and my experience, that this problem is a manufacturer defect. what the manufacturer can and will do for you i do not know. *ak

The engine light came on, the dealer discovered, the charcoal canister needed to be replaced. *jb the consumer stated that this was a defect part that is covered under federal emissions control. *tc

While driving a loud banking noise was heard from the front. consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. then, vehicle stalled. consumer restarted vehicle, and pulled over. consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that the engine needed replacement due to a blown gasket. *ak

While pulling inside of a parking space the vehicle stalled. the driver tried to restart the vehicle but was only able to start the vehicle by applying the accelerated and brake. then the vehicle started. the driver was able to drive it home. the driver contacted the dealer for an appointment. please provide any additional information. *nm

As i was driving to work, at 7:30 am on thursday april 22, 2004, i noticed a clicking sound coming from under my auto's hood. the auto was a 1999 toyota camry, with about 90,100 miles on it. the clicking noise reminded me of a spinning roulette wheel. after a few minutes, the noise increased in intensity. at that point, i decided that i needed to go to a repair facility to have it examined. as i was doing that, there was a loud, explosion-like noise and the engine started smoking very heavily. i pulled off the road, at which point, i gathered up some important items from my car, and exited the vehicle. by this time, there were flames coming out from under the hood. i called 911 and advised the dispatcher of my circumstances and location. the connecticut state police arrived within three minutes of my call. they tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher, but were unable to do so. by the time the fire department arrived, 10 minutes later, the engine compartment was completely engulfed in flames and smoke. they were able to quickly extinguish the fire, but by that time, the car was ruined. a few minutes later, a tow truk removed the vehicle to a nearby garage. i called my insurance company and filed a claim. they have since declared the vehicle a total loss and are in the process of remitting my settlement.*ak

While driving on the road and heard loud clanging sound and then saw lots of smoke. service engine light came on and i pulled over. i turned the car off and opened the hood. there was a hole in the side of the engine and oil was all over. car had 66,000 miles on it and was 400 miles over the extended warranty. took to toyota dealer and they determined that there was no sludge or gel in the engine. car was well maintained and there was nothing i could have done to cause this. warranty company is fighting us on fixing the vec. and toyota will not do anything either. this happened on april 15, 2004 and it is now july 7, 2004. toyota dealership still has my car. *ak

While driving a loud bang noise was heard and a clanging sound was made from the car. consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood and immediately pulled over to the side of the road. vec. was towed to dealership for inspection on 4/15/04. consumer was 400 miles over ford warranty. warranty company has an adjuster come out and look at the vec. 6 or 7 times. ford knew in the middle of may that the vec. was over mileage and they continued to lead the consumer and the dealership that they would fix it. ford dealership and the ford warranty company adjuster both confirmed that the engine failed. 2 bolts that held the piston in place busted and threw a rod through the side of the engine. the same dealership had another camry with 61,000 miles come in while this car was there and had done the exact same thing had happened with it. the vec. needs a new engine and not toyota nor ford will help us. i have done several searches over this vec. and have found that there has been over 5,000 camrys that have done this exact same thing....1999. they have all been around the same mileage also. *ak

Dt: the consumer believed the brake problem the problem concerned abs pump. while driving the brakes failed. every two-three months this problem occurred, at least twenty times. this problem first started in september 2001. the first documentation was for may of 2002. there have been several near accidents, but none as of yet. the dealer was unsure of the exact problem because they were unable to find it. they have told the consumer numbers possibilities, but still has not fixed the problem. also, there was also a problem with the engine. they changed the timing belt because of engine noise. they told the consumer that there was a problem with the water pump and it was changed. the consumer had a report from the dealership. but, not all of the times that vehicle was taken to the dealer was included in the report. the consumer believed that engine problem was with the valve and the lifters. *ak

1999 toyota camry 140,000 miles routine oil changes threw a rod for no apparent reason. dealer charged $127.00 to pull the valve cover. dealer told me they have no idea why the engine failed but it was not oil gelling. they denied my oil gelling claim even though i showed receipts for the oil changes. *ak

While at a stop consumer heard a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. consumer pulled over to check the problem, and saw that the engine malfunctioned. consumer had the vehicle towed to dealership, but dealership did not resolve the problem. *ak

Starting in dec. '03, i heard fluid circulating throughout the engine in my "99 toy. camry (v6), esp. from a stop. the toy. dealer told me my coolant level was low, but found no leaks, and added more coolant. several weeks later, the sound came back and became worse. the car began to idle rough and the temperature gauge ran high. i had the car towed to another toy. dealer, who informed me that i had a blown head gasket, which in turn caused severe engine damage. i had to have a new short block installed, along with a new oil pump and water pump. *jb

While driving approximately 25 mph heard loud noise coming from the engine. this forced driver to pull of the road. then, called triple aaa, and towed vehicle to the dealer. technician stated the need to replace the engine. consumer had navigated in different websites and found 5000 identical problems.*ak

While traveling on 287 north around edison, nj, my 1999 toyota camry caught on fire without any warning. the fire started from underneath the vehicle. at the time the firefighters responded, 60 percent of the vehicle has been engulfed on fire. *la

Failure of valve seals and engine varnish at only 62,000 miles. vehicle was properly maintained oil changes within mfg. specs. this engine runs too hot! only 2000 miles out of warranty toyota refused help, overcharged for repair, and charged for an oil change that was never done!!!! *la

While driving at approximately 65 mph going uphill on expressway, we heard a loud noise from the engine compartment, followed immediately by smoke and flame. by the time we go to the shoulder of the road, we had no brakes, no steering, nothing was working. car was totally covered in smoke and flames were intense. another vehicle stopped within seconds of our pulling over with a medium sized fire extinguisher. he proceeded to lay on his back and totally empty the extinguisher from under the car, which made no difference. by the time the fire trucks arrived (within 10 minutes), the entire engine compartment was totally burned. i notice that you have closed out pe02-079, but believe it to be related. the car is under investigation by state farm insurance. the car had a major service at 67,000 miles, including a timing belt replacement on july 24th, 2003. the car had approximately 70,000 miles at the time of the incident. *la

8/12/03 heard unusual noise shortly after getting on a highway. pulled the car to the side and stopped. found oil all over the place, inside the engine and outside on the ground. a toyota dealer examined the car and said that the "#1 connecting rod" was broken and that it is not customer's fault. we bought toyota camry (4 cylinders) in 1999. we have been following the recommended maintenance schedule at the same toyota dealer. even 3 weeks before the engine broke down, we had a major maintenance following the advice of the toyota dealer for preventing damage to the engine. as the mileage is over the warrante amount, toyota doesn't pay for the required engine replacement and we hope they do. it's not fair to let us pay as we haven't done anything wrong.

While driving at highway speeds, a clicking noise was heard and then smoke started to come from under the hood. the vehicle lost power. the consumer viewed flames under the hood. *ak *scc *jb

Vehicle's engine failed and caught on fire.*mr the consumer was traveling on the highway when the engine caught fire. dealership indicated the consumer was the one responsible for the fire. they stated the cause was: lack of oil, which caused the bearings to wear out. throw rod, #3 bearing rod spun and caused it to break the rod. it went through the block and allowed oil to cover the engine compartment and ignite, starting a fire and melting some of the compartments. *ph *jb