Five problems related to rear suspension have been reported for the 1998 Toyota Camry. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Driving at highway speeds with 2 children & luggage car "bottom outs" when going over highway dips.
Brakes continue to fail intermittently even though a brake kit was installed at 4,000 miles. New master cylinder was installed as well. At times brakes go all the way to the floor and car does not stop. Suddenly loud noise happens and car jerks and stops. All struts have been replaced and solved crunching noises. Relay switch installed to solve lock problem. Car is falling apart before my eyes!!.
I tried working with Toyota to resolve there issues, but becasue the warranty time is expired they won't assist in fixing there defects. I was told if I wanted to pay the $2,000. 00 bill they would be happy to order the parts. The head lamps are so dim I have nearly hit deers in the road on 5 seperate occasions I know these can't pass fmvss requirement. The drivers seat is loose in the track and rocks when accelerating and stopping. The front struts mounting brackets rattle, shake, vibrate and bang. The steering wheel vibrates while turning. The rear stuts are too weak for the vehicle so people can't ride in the rear or the car bottoms out. The car alarm somtimes works and somtimes doesn't. The burlwood dash is splitting,craking, fading and peeling. I was told by the asst. Service mgr. At the Toyota dealership that Toyota is aware of all these defects and it's a result of poor engineering and vehicle test validation. I then heard him tell a mechanic "what people think just because it's a Toyota it doesn't ever break" he then laughed and said these cars are the worst. I think we need some help in making Toyota fix there known defects because this is uncalled for.
Continuous noise from rear as if the car is going over a series of bumps. The vibration can be felt on the steering also.
Problems with rear suspension bottoming out going over dips, bumps, etc. Have become more pronounced over time. Anytime you have any passengers, even one small child, in rear seat, the car bottoms out and scrapes the street surface. Even backing out of our driveway, which is slightly elevated, causes the rear to bottom out and scrape the driveway. When driving at the speed limit, it will bottom out on slightly rough road. We have contacted the dealership's service department but they have advised us that there is nothing that can be done about the problem. They are very aware of the problem with the suspension but insist that Toyota built the car with a soft suspension for a soft ride. The result is a car that bottoms out continously if you have any passengers in the rear of the compartment or a load in the trunk.