Problems with 2002 Toyota Camry SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. the contact was driving 25 mph when the anti-lock braking system malfunctioned with the illumination of the anti-lock brake warning light. when applying the brakes, the pedal would go further into the floorboard than usual. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic for a diagnostic test. the mechanic stated that the rear driver side and both front speed sensors would need to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer regarding the failure and was advised that there were no recalls for the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 65,869.

I have a 2002 toyota camry which has faulty brakes. earlier in the year i was using this car for long distances due to school and work. i thought this car would be safer because of its larger body and smoother drive. i noticed that the brakes had a slow response time and that if i had to stop hard, i could end up hitting the car in front of me. i had to deal with the stop and go of rush hour every day and one day i was driving my friend home and there was a sudden stop in traffic and if i hadn't stopped in the emergency lane to stop, i would have ran into the car in the front of me. later, on my graduation day from college, my father was driving the car home and there was a car turning left in the oncoming lane and due to the brakes slow response time we ending up hitting the car at a speed that could have been controlled if the brakes had worked better. because of this accident i have injuries that bother me still to this day. we have had several tune-ups and brake checks to see if they are working correctly and have never heard once that the brakes have an issue. i looked on a blog and realized that a lot of other owners of 2002 camry's have the same problem. they have gotten them tightened and checked and fear that an accident could occur, which in my case happened and could have been even worse if we were driving at an ever faster speed. *tr

2002 toyota camry. consumer states problem with brakes *tgw the consumer stated when he applied the brakes to slow down, there was no brake response and the vehicle continued to accelerate. consequently, the consumer rear ended another vehicle. the consumer and his wife suffered minor injuries. *jb

I was rear-ended on the highway while driving my 2002 toyota camry. when i tried to slow down and move into the breakdown lane, the car accelerated. i ended up going down an embankment hitting several trees. the car was eventually spun around and crashed rear end into a tree. the car was totaled. my passenger and i experienced concussion syndrome along with muscle spasms in the neck, back, and ankle. we were taken by ambulance to the new britain general hospital where we were treated and released . we are both receiving follow-up medical care. *tr

I bought a brand new 2002 toyota camry in august 2002 and have since noticed the brake pedal is somehow softer than other cars. it takes more time to fully apply the brakes. this might have led to a rear collision in october 2008, at a time few were aware of toyota brake problems. as toyota recalls got more media exposure, i became more concerned about my 2002 camry and started driving more carefully and stopping my car early and staying in more distance from other cars. however, my caution did not overcome the brake problem when i was parking the car in my garage on february 13, 2008. my foot was on the brake pedal and pressed down slowly when the car was in the garage. the time i felt i pressed the brake all the way down, the car accelerated suddenly and hit the garage wall. i had to pull the emergency brake to stop it. the airbags were not triggered. neither my wife nor i were explicitly injured. the front bumper fell apart. i am waiting for my insurance company to exam the damages. *tr

As i was driving my vehicle, my front brakes engaged and locked up my front tires completely and suddenly and would not disengage. ii had not pushed on my brake pedal when this happened. had to have my vehcile towed to a repair facility because it would not move forward. smoke was pouring out of the tire well due to the heat on the brakes. the repair facility stated that the brake pads were welded to the rotars from the amount of heat generated. the repair facility stated they had corrected the problem by replacing the master cylinder. as i drove my vehicle home, the same problem occured again and i was very close to being in a serious accident. my front tires once again suddenly locked and would not turn due to the front brakes engaging and then would not disnegage. i was not pushing on the brake pedal when this occured. the mechainc at the garage stated that he watched the brakes engage themselves when he was attempting to repair my vehicle. i picked the vehicle up once again and drive 2 blocks and the brakes began locking up once again. i took it back to the repair facility who then had to take it to toyota for repairs. *tr

i drive a 2002 toyota camry xle 4 cylinder car. ever since we bought it, it had problems braking when over an irregular surface like potholes, manholes etc. recent reports on toyota prius braking issues sounds very similar to what i experience on my car. i read on blogs online that other 2002 camry xle owners reported the same. i thought this was pretty normal at first, but not anymore. the car jerks for couple of seconds when i try to brake over irregular surfaces, the abs kicks in and you lose control for couple of seconds. please investigate this matter with seriousness. i think this is a very important safety issue. thank you. *tr

I have a 2002 toyota camry xle with a 4 cylinder engine. the anti lock brakes have never really engaged properly when braking even moderately on any uneven surface, such as rippled pavement, railroad tracks or smaller pavement irregularities. the pedal feel is very light and you need to really brake quite hard to get the brakes to engage. this situation cases a very long stopping distance and with a very weak and dangerous braking effect. it is almost as if there is very little braking action when trying to stop on the uneven road surface. the braking effect is better, but not as strong as it should be on normal road conditions. i have always maintained the car to the manufacturer's recommended level and have asked about this braking issue on several occasions. the dealer has said that the brakes perform properly. i think this may be a computer related system issue and needs to be examined. please note that this is not a single instance occurrence. this has happened at least 5 or 6 times since i purchased the car new in june 2002. it is a very disconcerting feeling when trying to brake and the car just doesn't respond as it should. we have 4 other cars in our family, two hondas (accord and odyssey), a toyota corolla and a nissan altima. none of those cars have any such braking issues. i can get you the vin ,but do not have it as i am filling out this form. *tr

This is an ongoing problem with my 2002 toyota camry with the abs system. the abs system engages much too easily. this system engages on sand, leave or any loose surface. and when it engages my car essentially has no brakes. recently i was on a wet slushy road approaching an intersection and upon applying brakes the abs engaged. the system shuttered at a very high frequency and had no braking function. i had to turn the car into the snow bank in order to stop the vehicle before crossing the line of traffic at the intersection. i did inform the dealer of what i thought to be a weird way that an abs should operate, but they mealy instructed that it is was operating as design. i am only recently becoming aware that this is a faulty design, especially in light of the recognition that prius and lexus having similar problems. since i bought the car i always thought that this is the way abs operates and was my argument why i don't think the abs is a good idea. but now i know it a poor design. *tr

I have had problems with the braking system in my 2002 camry since purchase, but no one has been able to diagnose it. upon sudden braking on hills, uneven ground and other conditions, occasionally, the brakes are jerky like they are not catching and it is difficult to stop. it has been difficult to reproduce the problem at the shop and so no one has been able to correct it. there is no particular date (since 2002) although i am putting in a date so i can get through the form. *jb

Last year, 2009 on dec. 6th, 10th, and 12th, my brakes failed at very low speeds and could not stop my 2002 camry xle purchased new at the toyota dealership.. finally stopped by running into heavy bushes. car never speeded up. took to dealer with no results. then took to a garage, entire system checked. their diagnosis was the master cylinder. this was replaced and worked fine from 12/23/09 to 2/23/10. then on this date i turned from the street to enter a restraint parking lot. everything was fine as i slowed to turn straight into a parking. my speed could not have been but 3 to 4 miles per hour.the brakes did not stop the car and i ran into the side of the building. the four times this happened was twice in reverse and twice going forward . the car never accelerated at any of the four times. the speed was always under 4 to 5 mph. i was able to drive to my home and the camry has set in my garage since then. *tr

2002 toyota v6 se; front brake discs caused severe steering wheel shaking when slowing from 40 to 35 mph. dealer originally replaced all front brake system at about 15000 miles under a toyota bulletin. at 60,000 miles began to have same problem which became uncontrollable at about 75,000 miles. out of warranty, so owner replaced front rotors and problem seems to be corrected.... no toyota recall..... *tr

2002 toyota camry. the abs has always let go when i brake on a road with a series of rough pot hole type pavement. also when braking on rail road tracks. it catches again when i am over the rough spots. i had the brakes checked by a certified tech and they tell me nothing is wrong. seems very similar to the prius problems to me. *tr

2002 camry xle v6...at 138,000 miles while waiting at a traffic signal during rush hour the engine stalls and after 4 attempts finally restarts. the car continued to not idle the rest of my trip home - stalling every time i slowed down to stop or turn a corner...very unsafe...didn't trust the car to make it to mechanic. car was towed, mechanic could find nothing wrong. it happened again 3 more times within a week. same scenario, towed to mechanic, found nothing wrong because the check engine light does not come on and therefore the computer does not register any issues. mechanic cleaned all sensors, idle valve, dealership and independent mechanic find nothing wrong. car was fine until july 4, weekend and did the same thing twice again. mechanic finds nothing because it so random. same situation in november while turning car stalled because it would not idle, lost power steering and brakes and almost hit another car while turning. 3 mechanics and no one can find anything wrong. have also experienced the issues mentioned with brakes and rotors which have been replaced 3 times. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. while driving 25-30 mph, the brake pedal extended to the floorboard when he depressed the brake. as a result, the stopping distance increased. the mechanic stated that the master cylinder caused the failure. as of february 7, 2008, the mechanic had not repaired the vehicle. the current and failure mileages were 53,000. updated 3/1/08 *cn updated 03/11/08 *tr

Sudden acceleration while backing out of driveway. brought under control by intensive braking at the time it was thought to be an isolated incident - so no remedy was sought aprox. 5 mph. 9-26-08 sudden acceleration and brake failure when pulling out of gas station and making right hand turn within 100 feet of gas station-finally under control within 12" of home aprox. 15 mph. diagnosis - abs sensor failure complete braking system replaced. 5-21-09 sudden acceleration and brake failure while trying to slow down from 5 mph resulting in citation by ma state police for driving 87 mph. court records available (i've never had a citation ever in 45 years of driving.) 8-31-09 sudden acceleration & brake failure aprox 15 mph. brake failure - completely new brake system installed. toyota doesn't return calls. dealership says it's not on recall list so they refer me to toyota. i have less than 59,000 miles on this car it is a 2002. we do not drive it much since the second incident on 9-26-08. updated 04/28/10.*jb

Brakes have a long stopping distance; even though it has been in the shop several times for this. mechanics can't fix it. this car has been like this since it was brought new. *tr

Toyota camry le 2.4 l winter weather cause to vvt on auto to fail and stall engine. stalled engine caused lost of controls, steering, brakes, etc..parts replaced were oxygen sensors, cat.convertor, etc.. the vvt is variable valve timing control along with ocm, pcm, throttle sensor, mass air sensor which regulates the engine performance. *tr

Applied brakes to make a sudden stop at 25 mph. the brakes went all the way to the floor(spongy) and also abs got activated but did not stop. it hit vehicle in front and stopped without any damage. this happened couple of times earlier, but not involved any accident. before this accident, got the brakes adjusted 3 times at dealer for low pedal. after the repair was done, the brakes still remained the same. on bumpy roads abs gets activated directly. i paid fine for the accident for toyota flaw. will get rid of this camry if toyota does not recall. *nm

I was driving my wife's 2002 camry se v6. traveling at approximately 45-50 mph applied brakes to make a right turn at traffic light (light was red) and brakes continued to travel to floor without stopping vehicle. i quickly released brake pedal and pumped brake. car then slowed but i had to make a very aggressive tire squealing right turn. if i did not think to pump brake i don't feel that car would have slowed at all. if i was not making a right turn, by the time the brakes activated the vehicle would have entered or passed the intersection before coming to a complete stop. this happened at approx. 5:30 am. i took vehicle to toyota dealership at 8 am the same morning. the dealership said they "could not duplicate concern". *nm

I have a 2002 toyota camry - every year i replace the rotors and break pads. now i have a bigger problem, my calibers froze, causing the(front) breaks to lock, and now my master cylinder is gone - we are talking a $700.00 repair job, on a car that is 4 years old, with less than 60k miles. with all the complaints i just read, how come toyota hasn't done a recall?????????????????? why do "we" need to replace the rotors, and pads every year? *nm

1. the vehicle in the front made a sudden stop at the traffic light. 2. brakes failed to stop at a safe distance from the car in the front as they were too soft. 3. brakes and assembly was checked and nothing was changed as they are as per the standards. *jb

Dt: the contact stated due to the design of the accelerator and brake pedalthey were too close together. as a result, the vehicle crashed into a cement bird bath. the police were not notified of this incident. *ak updated 01/05/06. *jb

I purchased my 2002 camry new [xxx]. after approximately 25,000 miles (4 jan 03 was repair date), the front brakes began to vibrate and shake, causing some control problems when braking. i went to the dealer and the front rotors were resurfaced and new pads were installed. now, at approximately 50,000 miles, the same problem developed. i was told by the dealer this has never happened before and that he blamed poor driving habits on the failure. again, the front rotors were resurfaced and new pads were installed. even though i had paperwork from the first repair, and i had purchased the extended warranty, this repair wasn't covered. after conducting some research at this website, i find that there is a problem with the front brakes, but toyota is evidently not owning up to the problem. there is a toyota service bulletin (00602), but i can't seem to get the dealer to find or admit to that bulletin. *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)

The brake of my toyota camry was not function. the car was crashed with road side barrier. *tr

Dt contact stated the vehicle surged forward on two different occasions. when putting the foot on the brakes to slow the vehicle down and to come to a stop, the vehicle surged forward. the first time this happened it caused the contact's vehicle to rear end another vehicle. the vehicle is at the dealers now. at this point the dealer is not sure what is wrong with the vehicle. *ak

Defective struts, front end and rear end noise, severe shudder when applying brakes. *jb

Dt: 2002 toyota camry having an issue with the brakes and accelerator. when both owner and the spouse drove the vehicle, they felt the placement of the accelerator and the brake was a safety issue. there were no accidents and no other problems with the vehicle. this only occurs when both accelerator and brake are pushed. the consumer felt it was a design flaw or defect. *jb *sb

Failure of abs on 2002 toyota camry. *bf this problem caused an accident. toyota blamed the incident on worn tires. *sc

Toyota camry 2002 brake problems. *bf the consumer stated the dealer graciously fixed the brake and requested that the file to be closed. *jb

I believe that the antilock brakes on the toyota camry 2002 are too sensitive. they engage way too early when applying the brakes. when there is a little snow on the road and i am traveling even at a snails pace and try to stop, the brakes engage causing the car to skid through the light. every other car i drove slowed to a stop. *nm

When applying the brakes pedal preceded to the floor, resulting in extended stopping distance. *ak

The consumer is experiencing problems with the brakes. when the brakes are applied, the pedal will go to the floor. the owner took the vehicle to the dealer and the dealer says "the brakes on this vehicle is normal". provide further details. *jb

Have very serious concerns with abs system on this automobile. these brakes on numerous occasions over the ownership of this car, including today (my wife driving), have acted extremely erratically, with excessive pulsating and chattering performance that i would not qualify as a rotor issue. this problem has occurred a minimum of 30-50 times since the car was new, has been reported on at least two occasions to the dealer (bernardi. framingham, ma) during routine service, and has been discounted as a non-problem. i disagree, and am to the point that i feel this problem could lead to a serious automobile accident if not corrected. *jb

Sudden vehicle acceleration while pulling in to a parking space, resulting in a crash into a tree, despite the fact that the anti-lock brake system was activated. significant vehicle damage, but no injury. a second occurrence while stationary; no vehicle damage, just very discomfited owners. additional details in cc'd correspondence addressed to toyota, dated 6-dec-04.*ak

While parking the vehicle, the brakes failed and the vehicle proceeded forward until it hit a building. the frontal air bags did not deploy. *nm the sheriff stated by the position of the wheels he knew the brakes failed. *tc before the accident, the consumer complained to toyota about the brake going to the floor when it was applied. *jb the consumer stated she was sure that the high acceleration that occurred with her vehicle was the result of the gas pedal sticking. the consumer stated she knocked down a 4 foot metal parking light, proceeded and hit one wall, ran over numerous shrubbery, a tree and hit the entrance of a brick wall at a bank. updated 04/19/10

When the brake pedal was depressed to slow down or stop the vehicle the anti-lock brakes engaged. this made it difficult to stop or slow down the vehicle; which almost causd several accidents. the dealership has performed a diagnostic test , but no failure code was found. the dealership indicated that that was the way the abs was suppose to operate. *jb

After having the oil changed and the tires rotated, the consumer drove home, making several stops. when driving in to the garage, the brakes failed and the vehicle crashed into the consumers home. *jb

After having the vehicle serviced for an oil change. upon arriving home the vehicle had no brakes and the consumer went through the garage door, then proceeded into the home. the vehicle was totaled. *nm.while turning into consumer's driveway vehicle experienced brake failure, resultin gin loss of control. vehicle went through the garage door, through the kitchen, and came to a halt at the rear wall of consumer's house.ems treated the driver at the scene. *ak

When abs brakes are applied consumer can feel it, then it will disengage, and the vehicle will continue to move forward. consumer took vehicle to dealer numerous times and was told that the brakes were operating as designed. *ak

I was pulling into my driveway in my 2002 toyota camry. the driveway is about 80 feet long. i slowed down to about 5 mph and activated the garage-door opener when all of sudden the car sped up and i crashed into the brick wall at the back of my garage, demolishing it. i filed two insurance claims, under both my auto and homeowner's policy to clean up the mess. i had one of my kids in the car at the time but neither of us were hurt, though we were pretty shaken up. nobody has ever been able to explain that accident. i have been driving more than thirty years and have an impeccable driving record. (no moving violations in a lifetime of driving.) about a month later i was with my wife and was pulling into a parking space--again at a speed of about 5mph--when the car suddenly sped up. this time i was ready for it and i put on brakes in time to avoid an accident. *tr

While approaching a red light and attempting to slow down vehicle surged while applying the brakes. the brakes had to be depressed with great force. *ak see voq 10074340. *dsy

My abs brakes fade intermittentl but only with the a/c on. they fade occasionally during stops and light pressure on pedal. they also feel spongy all the time. dealer tells me that there is nothing wrong and, all the above, are normal operation.*ak

Dealer resurfaced the fronts rotors and replaced the pads. at 21,000 miles the front rotors were resurfaced and the pads were replaced again. at 23,000 miles the front pads were replaced for a third time and at 42,000 miles they replaced strut mounting. at 43,000 front and rear brakes were replaced for the fourth time. *jb

My wife was slowing for a stop sign off a highway exit ramp when"the brakes did not stick and the car lurched foreward' striking a stopped vehicle.she told the police she was only going 5-10mph at most, but the other vehicle suffered over $500.00 in damages.this was in good road conditions where she travels daily. prior to this i had told the dealer that the brakes felt mushy and rarely gave confidence. the service records state the following:complaint-brake pedal travels a long way to stop. reply-brakes function as designed. normal travel for this type of brake system. [3000 miles later] complaint-brake pedal feels like it loses pressure when stopping. worried car will not stop at times. reply-improper adjustment rear drum brake. obviously there is more wrong than an out of adjustment rear brake. either the brake system or a combination of the brake system and acceleration system are faulty in this vehicle.*ak

When applying the brakes on my 2002 toyota camry, the car continues to lunge forward. i almost hit a school bus this morning.*ak

While applying the brakes pedal went to the floor and vehicle suddenly accelerated. this caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and hit another vehicle. upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. consumer was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. however, mechanic was unable to duplicate the problem. *ak *nm

I have a 2002 toyota camry that i use for normal driving. at 12000 miles the car started vibrating when braking. the dealer determined that the front rotor was warped and replaced the front brakes and turned the rotors at my expense($250). now, at 29000 miles and a little over a year later, i am having the same problem.*ak

Consumer will provide details information on the abs brake system problem. *ak

02/23/04, dealer's invoice tocs12154: 04/19/04, dealer's invoice tocs14794. the cd and tape player went bad before the car was two years old. i did not discover this until there was 37,000 miles on the car. the warranty ran out at 35,000 miles. the cd/tape player part of the radio was not even used for a couple of months, so i was not aware there was a problem until after the warranty expired. the dealer charged me $250.00 for a "used" radio they ordered from the manufacturer (a new radio was going to cost $850.00). they were kind enough to not charge me for the installation. since toyota does not make the radios installed in their vehicles, toyota would not help me with my problem. 03-08-04, dealer's invoice tocs12900:i have a problem with the brake system that concerns me more than the radio malfunction. there is a viabration when i slow down to stop the car. i took my car to the dealer to have this checked. they recommended that the front rotors be turned (for $170.00) and that the rear brake drums be resurfaced (for $127.50) by the time the dealer checked this for me, the car had 38,363 miles. the warranty expired at 35,000 miles! neither the dealer nor toyota will do anything about the brakes. they considered it to be "normal" wear an tear. i have never had a radio go bad in any other car i have owned. my subaru imprezza is over 10 years old! the imprezze still had its original brakes!*ak