general problems of the 2002 Toyota Camry

The components or systems that have failed are (catalytic converter, exhaust manifold, air bag control module, engine including head gasket) my safety is at risk due to catalytic converter not functioning properly producing harmful carbon monoxide that can be smelled through air vents, air bag control module not functioning which will not able to initiate the deployment of airbag in the event of a wreck/accident could lead to fatality. Engine not functioning properly due to blown head gasket which could lead to overheating amongst other things. Vehicle has been inspected by dealership. Yes there are warning lights prior to failure (check engine light).

The electrical/switch inside the passenger side door caught on fire, with out warning, while driving. There was a passenger in the vehicle at the time. Driver pulled over when smoke was visible. Flames were soon visible, driver poured water on the flames in effort to extinguish the fire. Flames were reduced but the door began to melt and the window shattered. Emergency services arrived at the scene shortly after calling 911. State police, fire, and ambulance arrived shortly after. Thankfully there were no injuries. The insurance was also called and a claim was filed. An adjuster was assigned to the claim to inspect the cause of the fire. After reading numerous reports of the same incident it sounds like this is a known issue that Toyota has not taken responsibility for. Serious injury could have occurred to the driver and passenger if quick action was not taken.

I was sold an bad car.

The vehicle accelerated and would not stop. The accelerator stuck.

Every time I tried to use the ac air conditioner in the car it makes the car shut off if I use the cigarette lighter outlet to charge up my cell phone it drain the battery and that will cause the car to shut off also my front passenger door opens by itself even when I'm driving it will unlock and open on its own.

The car is burning a quart of oil a week and no visible signs of a leak. The door locks do not work only the drivers side door opens withe the key and fob. ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.

During recent work under the hood the hood support rod (support cylinder) became noisy and retarded motion when raising or lowering the hood. A serious engine compartment fire occurred when the when the hood support rod became disengaged at the lower end shorting the battery to the rod attached to the hood. The vehicle was parked and the fire was observed upon returning to the vehicle from the auto parts store. .

Please help me. I purchased my car from Toyota superstore in hartford CT February 9,2005 new. The car shuts off while in drive. There are 3 light that comes on; check engine light, the battery and the gas light . This problem has been going on since the first Wednesday of 2013. Ti was an intermittent problem . Now it 21016 and it a frequent annoyance. They did not try to help me with any recall issues. My car has 5 recalled items on this vehicle but all of these were issues that I address out of my pocket. You issued those recall after my monies were spent to carry on diagnostics, and the changing of parts that had no bearing on the problem. While customer like myself spend and spend and spend. This car was $30,000 and because I had done a trade in unfairly good condition. I was able to to get it for $2000 less. I need your intervention in the matter. I am certain I am not the only one in America with this issue. It is appalling that Toyota make these defective vehicles and sell them with the hopes that at 100,00 miles you are going to have to get rid of the vehicle because it begins to break on you. No one in America is willing to drive a car like mine, but I cannot do any better. My family keeps saying I should get rid of the car because the money I am spending on it come buy a new one but I cannot afford car payment right now. My economics is not the best. When I purchased this vehicle I did so believing that this vehicle would last a considerably long time. My confidence was based on the reputation of a company that had integrity and wholesome family values. I am reliant on a car to get me from point a to b. I take my client to see houses and I need a good functioning car to conduct business. I need a good functioning car to make money. I need a well functioning car to take care of my safety on the roadway at nights. Please intervene in this matter.

The car now has approximately 80,000 miles on it - for at least the last 35,000 miles, it's had a problem with either stalling or not restarting after the engine's turned off (often, several incidents will occur in rapid succession, after which the car will function properly for months). Stalling tends to occur when the car is decelerating and coming to a stop - if adequate speed can be maintained, the engine will sputter but won't shut down. In my opinion the stalling and failure to restart problems are connected and I've read of other Camry owners who've been confronted with this issue. Unfortunately, after an incident nothing registers on the car's computer, so mechanics really don't where to start in diagnosing the problem and formulating a possible fix. My car's been meticulously cared for and I've put a lot of money into trying to solve this problem, but nothing has worked so far - the car has been taken to a Toyota dealer and to an independent mechanic. I've contacted Toyota headquarters about the problem, but they're unwilling to address it, even though I've told them my online searches have revealed other owners with the same problem. I've also told Toyota that were I to explore trading-in the vehicle (with full disclosure), I have no doubt a dealer would accept it and pass it on to an unsuspecting buyer. I'm convinced there's a fairly widespread problem Toyota's unwilling to address.

Components on vehicle dash not operating. Instrument panel stopped working. No temp. Gauge, no fuel gauge, no tach or speedometer. Light on instrument panel not working. Have been to three mechanics who diagnosed but cannot repair. Contacted Toyota and quoted excessive price of $780. 00 plus tax and diagnostic time to repair.

Vehicle is a convertible. The air bag light remains on whenever the car is running. Car has never been in a collision. Many others have reported same problem for same make/mode/year. Where collisions have occurred with vehicles displaying this condition, air bags fail to deploy.

2002 Toyota Camry. Consumer writes to request a full investigation against a local dealer for fraudulent and deceptive business practices related to their vehicle not starting.

My son was making a left turn off brown rd onto amber glen dr in charlotte, nc when the cars steering wheel locked up causing the car to go out of control. When he tried to press the breaks to stop the car it would not stop. The car hit a tree that cause major damage to the vehicle. Thank god no one was hurt/injured or killed. But my 2002 Toyota Camry is totaled and cannot be repaired. I just bought this car in April 2012 from the Toyota scion dealership in huntersville, nc and was not made aware of any problems or recalls with the steering wheel locking up. This is a very serious issue that could have caused someone to lose their life. I feel like I have been mislead and cheated out of my money to purchase the vehicle. This car should not have been sold to anyone and why was the dealership not aware of the problem and made the customer aware or did they just not care. Toyota has left a bad memory that I will never forget and that is definitely a bad way to run a business. I have not even had the car for 3 months and this is what happens. . Read more...

On Tuesday, December 28, 2010, at approximately 8:30 pm, (az-gmt) I was driving my 2002 Toyota Camry se 4-dr in a road construction zone at 15 miles per hour. I came to a stop at a red signal light when I smelled the odor of an electrical fire. I started checking the dashboard for any warning lights on, which there were none lit. A/c and heater switches were in the off position. As the light turned green, I went through the intersection and pulled over immediately. I started looking around the interior to see if something was burning. As I was checking the back seat, I saw black smoke billowing out of the rear bottom of the car, thinking that it was something burning in the trunk. I used the trunk lever to open it, got out of the car and noticed that nothing was burning there, and went back to the drivers door. I then noticed flames coming from the bottom of the engine compartment. I realized that the engine was still running. I turned the car off and ran a safe distance away from it. I dialed 911 to report the fire. I was less than a half mile from home and called my husband, who responded in less than 5 minutes with a large fire extinguisher. He did not open the hood, but tried to extinguish the flames from the front end, but was unsuccessful. The fire spread rapidly into the front seat area before the fire dept arrived. The car was a total loss. There was nothing wrong with the Toyota as it was in good operating condition and serviced regularly. Previously that day, I had driven the car approximately 10 miles without any issues or problems. Just before the fire, I had driven the car for approximately 4 miles on surface streets at 25 miles per hour. The car was running just fine, and there were no indications of problems like a loss of power, and no warning lights had come on at all. I was the second owner of the car. My mother bought the car brand new in 2002 in mesa, az from superstition springs Toyota. The car was always maintained.

On driving, smoke and fire from passenger side door, 2002 Toyota Camry le.

I have a Toyota solara 2002, and since I owned it back in 2006, I've been fixing electrical problems (all kinds of electrical issues), and it never ends. Recently, I've had a problem with the gas pedal, it got stuck and I hit a wall in the garage parking, I took it to the dealer and they said since this is not a part of the recalls, they won't fix it, and they won't even check it. Please have 2002 Camrys and solaras investigated, I believe they have a lot of safety issues as well.

2002 Toyota Camry xle comes to a stall (engine stops running and car does not restart for a few minutes) on red light and stop sign. Many parts have been replaced or fixed but does not fix the issue. The car automatically restarts in a few minutes in most cases. It is very dangerous for a car to stop suddenly at red light or stop sign.

On 12/31/05, during a rainstorm, the hazard lights on the vehicle started flashing while the vehicle was parked at our home and not running. The only way to turn off the hazard lights was by removing the fuse. The next day, while driving the car, we found that we had no turn signals as the fuse removed also controlled them, and we discovered there was about an inch of water on the floor on the driver's side of the vehicle. We replaced the fuse, and although the hazard lights were no longer constantly flashing, when a turn signal is activated both lights go on causing a driving hazard. At our earliest convenience (on 1/17/06), I drove the vehicle to the closest Toyota service and dealer (modesto Toyota, and hour and a half drive from our home). After checking the vehicle I was informed that there was a leak in the firewall near the driver's side door and that water damage had caused the electrical damage. Furthermore, they (modesto Toyota) could not repair the damage; we would need to take the vehicle to an auto body shop. We next took the vehicle to the dealer where it was purchased, merced Toyota, on 1/25/06. The results were the same, and we were also informed that there was a technical service bulletin regarding this problem (although no one ever offered to give us a copy, or even allow us to read it). We were also told that Toyota would not fix this problem, although they know about it, because we were past the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. The possibility of a water leak that can cause major electrical damage is a hazard. Because of this problem, we have been driving our car, with our 5 year old and 2 year old daughters in the back, with no working turn signals for almost two months. Toyota is aware of this problem as evidenced by the TSB (I believe it is #b001503, NHTSA# 1000348), yet they have not made consumers aware of this potential hazard and the need to have this seam repaired before it leaks.

2002 Camry le,50k miles always pulls to left. Has been to dealer and various shops. Steering wheel shudders and vibrates at any and all speeds. Problem is structural. Brakes are constant problem. Sunroof will not seal correctly therefore rear floor is now wet. Now experiencing electrical problems. Would have been better off buying a 1950 studebaker! and gm is in trouble? last Toyota for me. Car is unsafe.

My car alarm goes off during the night and will not reset. This has happened periodically.