Problems with 1999 Toyota Camry ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Consumer states that while she was driving heard a popping sound, then saw white smoke, soon after that she saw black smoke.she got out of car, and saw sparks coming from under the vehicle, then fire started coming from the engine (front of the auto) part. the fire department was called, and when the fire was put out, the fireman said that it might have been a mixture of oil getting on the hot motor which started the fire.*ak

Oil sludge problem. engine makes noise

Blue exhaust smoke and odd engine noice during ignition. i took the car in to cobb county toyota in kennesaw, ga. i took all of my maintenance records and some articles i'd printed out regarding oil gelling, in case they gave me any hassle. i told them i didn't want them to do a flush - he said that toyota wouldn't allow them to do that anyhow, and that they would be taking it apart. he wouldn't even speculate whether or not it was gelling until they took it apart. as such, they wouldn't agree to pay for a rental car until they they confirmed it was gelling. they did take it apart and found that the gelling was limited to the head. without asking for maintenance records (even though i'd had most of my oil changes done by 3rd parties), and completely free of cost to me, they cleaned the head, and replaced the valve stem seals, oil pump, pick-up screen, pvc valve, and valve cover. runs smooth as the day i bought it now (though i did replace the timing belt as well, which i'm sure contributed slightly to the improvement). no rental car was necessary as they had it back to me by the end of the day (i'd taken it in the previous evening). incidentally, i took it in 4 years to the day since i took delivery of it.

I purchased a 1999 toyota camry in january 01. approximately, 18 months later, my vehicle suffered engine failure. i was advised by the toyota dealership that the damage was due to excessive sludge in the engine. i completed regular oil changes and maintenance on this vehicle. additionally, the warranty only partially paid for the damage. i was forced to pay about $2400. even though my warranty should have covered everything less the $500 deductible. i have been informed that toyota recognized this problem and said that it would pay for these damages. i am interested in investigating if i can have the funds i paid refunded to me.*ak

April 30, 2003 on sunday, april 27, 2003 - my 1999 toyota 2.2l 4cyl camry le vin number [xxx] ceased to operate at jfk international airport. the engine with a very loud noise (such has gears under pressure that just gave way) stopped abruptly while smoke came out and the oil spilled all over the place. after having the car towed back to rockland toyota the next day i later was informed that there was a significant sized hole on the engine and was shown broken the pieces. the car was always serviced at rockland toyota since its purchase from toyota north (all based in new york). my camry has had symptoms relating to oil sludge in the engine. persistent drifting/pulling to the left or the right, uneven wear of tires with need for early replacement, premature brake component wear, including rear brake drums, and vibrations, esp. at speeds above 50 mph since its purchase in 1999. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Initial symtoms: engine lights came on; car ran very rough, as if misfiring; white smoke billowed; engine was completely void of oil; response: mechanic flushed oil through engine; refilled engine with 4 quarts oil; changed front 3 sparkplugs; 1 week later same symtoms above returned; engine was completely void of oil again;

The engine stalled. *jb

Sludge

My engine seized. i've received 2 letters from toyota dated 2/2002 and 6/2002 regarding oil gel. car was towed to dealership- dealership had car "inspected by a no name toyota district rep" dealership said not oil gel rep agrees contacted corporate they agreed with dealership. sight unseen by customer. napervile toyota 1st goodwill repair included 50% of parts and service. after persuing they agreed to labor cost. toyota mass produced an engine with small valve and learned it was a problem. corrected it and thousand of consumers are being accuse of low lubricant and not manitenance there automobile correctly .

The vehicles engine siezed due to oil gel. *nlm

While driving on a downward incline, the consumer switched the gears to down shift when the vehicle completely shut down. all systems failed. the dealer was notified. ph scc

engine oil sludge buildup at 107000 miles. other manufacturers don't have this problem. toyota wants maintenance receipts/oil purchase receipts, proof of ownership. toyota wants to reimburse, if there is an oil gelling related problem. how many do-it-yourselfers keep oil receipts? with today's oils, sludge should not be a problem.

Oil gel in engine and engine light constantly on. i have all oil changes made on time. toyota do not want to own up to problem with oil gel. i can be reached on (202)708-0614 x2454. i will send entire letter in mail to you immediately for your review. thanks. sandra edwards

While driving on interstate hwy water pump failed causing timing belt and idler to also fail and damage to oil pump.

While driving at 45mph and with no warning consumer could hear a loud noises coming from engine. then vehicle shut off, causing consumer to pull over. dealer notified.*ak

1999 toyota camry (vin # [xxx]).july 7th ,2002 , the water pump failed and caused the camshaft belt (timing belt) and other belts and pulleys to be damaged. the standard toyota water pump is warranted for 60 months or 60,000 miles. since my car is only 40 months old and has only 41,562 miles, it falls well within the coverage i have checked the internet page for the national highway traffic safety administration web page( www.nhtsa.dot.gov) and for this year and model. there are many reports of this same event occurring. i have contacted toyota case # 200208090013. i have contacted the customer center about 15 times to supply all the necessary paperwork and support documents they requested , but they refuse to document why the case was denied. this case also connects to odi number 765034. dt information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

On 9/8/2001 i had the 30,000 mile maintenance performed on my 1999 toyota camry. on july 7,2002, the water pump failed and damaged the timing belt. i had to replace the water pump, timing(camshaft belt) , several additional belts, idler , tensioner and anti-freeze. labor and parts totaled $710.44. this is the 5th occurance of a water pump failing on a 1999 toyota camry with under 45,000 miles that was reported on this web site alone. the powertrain warranty covers the water pump for 60 months or 60,000 miles. i have sent a certified letter to toyota , which they have received but have not received a response from them. the water pump should last more that 45,000 mile and with the number of failures that have occured, there is a trend that there is a problem with this part.*aki

Additional info to odi number 765034 - shop mentioned that the water pump damaged caused scrapping on the engine block. since the engine block is made of an aluminum base his concern was that the marks might cause a crack to occur. he said no leaking was seen at this time but i want to put on record that damage was made to the engine that might cause problems in the furture. this scraping was due to the water pump failure that was noted in the odi number 765034 questionnaire. this info was also mentioned to toyota in a certified letter but i have not received any response yet from toyota.

Engine makes loud clicking noise; dealership said it may be oil gel problem. *ak

The engine has been emitting a strong burning smell for almost a month. after driving, a have a headache and feel dizzy for several hours. my wife refuses to drive the car. two weeks ago, the dealer claims he removed a plastic bag from the exhaust system, but the smell continues with the same intensity. the smell exists in the passenger compartment while driving and standing in several places at the front hood with the ignition turned off. i took the car to the dealer again yesterday; they claim plastic is still burning its way through the exhaust system. not acceptable.*ak

I bought this car as a used "programed car" in february, 2000. it has approximately 35,000 miles on it. it has driven just fine up until february 24, 2002. it all of a sudden started to have clear liquid like smoke emit from the rear exhaust pipe. i had just filled the car up with gas. i was able to get the car to my mechanic the next day. my mechanic told me that i had a "blown head gasket". this is very, very unusual for toyotas. i have owned toyotas for over 16 years now, and have never had this type of a problem in a new car. after my mechanic has the opportunity to go over the car, he confirmed that it was indeed the "head gasket". i asked him what would cause a "head gasket" to go out on a fairly new toyota? i have always been very prompt with my general upkeep on my cars, regular oil changes, tire rotations, and other necessary filter changes. my mechanic said, it's a good posibility that the head gasket could have been defective. he asked me to check with someone to see if there has been a recall on any 1999 toyota camarys. is this the type of information that i can get from you, or do i need to contact the corporate headquarters for toyota? please call or e-mail me you response as quickly as possible. time is of the essence.*ak

While driving 5 mph, vehicle stalled. stopped vehicle and got out, and vehicle caught on fire. dealer contacted.*ak *jb

While driving 45 mph consumer noticed smoke coming from underneath hood, vehicle was towed to mechanic that indicated water pump had bursted. please provide further details.*ak

Evaporative control system: vehicle purchased new. at 43,219 mjiles check engine light came on. dealer test forund defective vacume contro valve. dealer replaced at a cost to me of $85.98. at 49,597 miles engine check light came on again. dealer test reveled leaking charcoal canister. dealer advised replacement would cost $438.54. dealer indicated part was not a warranty item.

Had i not gotten my family out of the car promtly and taken all appropriate actions, the results of the fire could have been much worse. fire investigator stated oil dripped onto exahust manifold after explosion causing fire. i wonder, could a drip shield have prevent the fire? i was feathering the accelerator when the engine blew-up. could the combination of feathering and higher speed have caused an control situation that caused the explosion? it looks like the part failed in a rotating part of the engine. what would have happened if the part failed in a different direction; would ther have been any risk to passengers or pedestrians?*ak

At highway speeds vehicle stalled out and died without warning. after inspection of vehicle mechanic discovered that engine locked up due to lack of lubrication.*ak

While driving, the vehicle caught on fire, no repairs have been done to the vehicle.*jb(claim#20-5411-606)

Engine seized up at 31,920 miles. dealer states car needs a new engine because sludge was found in the oil pan, indicating poor engine maintenance. i have complete maintenance records on the vehicle, but toyota is not interested in seeing them.*ak

While driving, there was a loud sound and vehicle lost all power, smoke began to come through the vents, the driver and passenger exited the vehicle, the fire started in the engine and burned to the back seat area.*jb(claim#48-5188-694)

On 6-16-01, i was on my way home when my car suddenly lost power. i wasn't able to stop the vehicle. in order to stop it, i had to apply the emergency brake. i had the vehicle towed to the dealership where i purchased it from. it has been there ever since. i found out today that the water pump froze up on it and broke the timing belt. the salesman who sold me my car told me that he has heard of many owners of the camry who have experienced the same problem that i'm experiencing. he told me that the car is pretty much unsafe, so i traded it in and bought a corolla today. i had no intention of trading in my car. i would like to know if toytoa knew about the failed water pump/timing belt in their camrys'. and if so, why didn't they let the public know about how dangerous this could be? i leased my camry and toyota is making me pay for remainder of the lease. therefore, i am paying two car notes. i would like for them to reimburse me for the money i lost in this deal.*ak

Consumer was traveling about 25mph on a side street traveling onto another street,and without prior warning, vehicle took off and hit two vehicles. consumer had feet on brakes, and vehicle continued to move. dealership was aware of problem.*ak consumer also experienced this same problem a year ago, however was able to pull over and stop vehicle, for this last accident, dealer replaced gasket and cleaned throttle body. *slc

While driving, the insured smell smoke, the insured then pulled over to investigate the smoke smell and discovered that flames were coming up to the windshield.*jb(claim#11-3646-015)

This problem involves the buildup of oil sludge in the 1998-2001 toyota v6 products. apparetnly they redesigned the v6 engine so that it would fit in the sienna van. in doing so they created a design flaw that creates sludge in the engine. apparently the design flaw causes the engine to run to hot also causing valve seals to leak. the result is a fairly new car that smokes, burns 1 quart of oil a week, and builds up sludge in the engine which i am told will ruin the engine if i keep driving with sludge build up because the engine won't be lubricated properly. many others are reporting this sludge problem. in the 1999 owners manuel it says you can change the oil every 7500 miles. which people did. these customers that followed this guide line instead of the 3000-5000 mile oil changes which should be recommended now have oil sludge. i called my honda service rep who told me toyota has a fix for the overheating problem which they do not want the general public to know about because than they will have to fix thousands of cars. he said the engine does not breath properly and that they have an upgrade to the breather - the positive crank case?? he said if i can prove to toyota such an upgrade is available they will fix it but will deny any knowledge otherwise. i submit that toyota should have to repair the vehicles that have gotten sludge from this defect while under warranty and that toyota should be forced to do a recall and install the upgraded part so that their engines breathe properly. toyota refuses to honor my warranty on replacing the valve seals and rings which will cost me about $3200. the least they could do is install the fix into my engine so if i do get it fixed it won't happen again. toyota has changed their 2001 owners manuel telling people to change the oil every 5000 miles so they know the direction to change it every 7500 miles will not work for thei esitb because i have sludge and t of lyd thgit otherwise. isienoice lkhe haspd satoyota even has.

(18-0457-786) insured was driving and attempted to stop but brakes failed, trying again, the brakes locked up. *jg

Claim number 13-7035-944 - engine compartment caught on fire due to leaves and sticks that may have been put there by an animal. *tt

Driving from home when engine check light came on. car was purchased at 29500 and charcoal canister needed replacing with only 35000. *ak

Pushed the accelerator, no response from the engine. engine would spontaneously rev- without accelerator being touched. after a 2 hour rest period the car was again driven the same problem occurred. the rpm would rev without the accelerator being pushed, after about 50 feet the engine check light came on. the gas pedal would sometimes engage the engine so we were able to travel a short distance. it was unpredictable as to when the accelerator would work. it would sometimes kick in while the rpm's were reving and the car would jerk forward. i felt it was unsafe to drive. as we were shutting the car off to load it on the tow truck when thecar was shut off, and the keys were still in the ignition, the automatic door locks repeatedly went off- in a rapid motion about 20 times until the keys were removed. the car has been towed to a local dealer. *ak

Oil light came on, took to station added oil, had oil changed w/i 2 days told pcv valve bad, had changed, car smoked, took to dealer told oil in valves could have been antifreeze in oil or when told oil was changed it was not, maunfacture says improper maintance will only cover $1000 of approx. $4000 repair. oil changed at least every 7500 as recom. in manual. should be fully covered by warranty. *ak

This car is a lemon. i have had five integrated relay's replaced and now it is out again. the headlight or the dash lights will work, but not both at the same time. toyota said it was because i had a non-factory alarm installed. they replaced the alarm with a toyota alarm and replaced the relay and it burned out the following day. they can't find the problem. the air conditioner has had a musty smell since the car was new. they spray the vents with "frigi fresh" and it's fine for a few days and the smell returns. they told me to spray simple green in the air intake once a week. that's a pretty poor remedy. the transmission will not hold on any incline. sometimes the car will pull into the garage by it self and other times it will roll into the street. it depends on it's mood. the car lack power. some days the car is peppy but most days it's a old mule. i went through arbitration and toyota just keeps replacing parts instead of replacing the car. it's sits in the garage now because is not dependable. i think there needs to be an in-depth investigation and recall of the 1999 camry.*ak

Engine sludge issue continues even after repair and proper maintenance. *ak

Consumer stated brakes would make a grinding sound and pulsate after driving for awhile, vehicle has been to the dealership on several occasions concerning the hydraulic system, the dealer has replaced the front rotors, as well as front and rear brakes, due to them being worn.*jb

The insured stated that smoke was coming out from the engine area. claim number 18-0283-122. *yh

While driving on the highway consumer heard a loud ban. ,after pulling over consumer noticed there had been an explosion and fire. *ak

When the insured pulled the vehicle into the road, another vehicle hit the right front side of insured's vehicle, after the impact, a fire appeared to have started from the passenger side and started to smoke then ignited. claim number 52-2323-385. *yh

Consumer has to take vehicle into dealership for brakes every three to four months. there was a grinding noise at this point. dealer is aware of the problem, brake pads have been replaced several times due to premature wear, master cylinder was out of adjustment, rotors were replaced. vehicle stalled due to water pump failure the water pump came apart and broke the timing belt. *slc *ak

Excessive wear of brake pads and front rotors; at 10,000 miles dealer had to replace front rotors and pads. currently, at 21,000 miles, problem reoccurred. problem with headlight not aligned. dealer informed that vehicle met manufacturer's specification and nothing else could be done. also, water pump failure. dealer notified, and repairs being made. *ak consumer states that the transmission fluid is not good and toyota refuses to test the fluids. *slc

Service engine light illuminated due to a failed charcoal canister. *yh

The check engine light came on in may of 1999 they then replaced the transmission and the entired computer system. now the check engine light is on again.

Brakes have experienced grinding noise on several occasions, the dealer has replaced the pads but the problem reoccured, finally the consumer was told that a pin was off-shift and that the problem was resolved, consumer opened arbitration case. nlm

Dealer has informed me that the charcoal canister assembly has been a persistent problem. new parts are being manufactured. my car has been in the shop for 2.5 weeks already after three attempts to fix it. *ak