general problems of the 2003 Toyota Camry - part 1

Almost at end of exit ramp from i264 to bardstown rd near gardiner lane intersection. Had green light. My vehicle was going approx 25 mph with no car in front of me to exit onto bardstown rd (hwy 31?). Only myself, driver. I was in left hand lane to exit to westbd (?) bardstown rd. Toward downtown and a smaller car whipped right in front of me from right hand kane (two exit lanes going in same direction. Perhaps, this car wanted to cross over three lanes on bardstown rd to get to fat left turn lane at gardiner ln. This light is often backed-up. Even though I applied my brakes, they were not stopping my car in time and I hopped curb to left to smsll triangular median. Airbags deployed. I could not make wise decisions without seeing and I was hit by airbags, bruised in face, etc. I was wearing my seatbelt. I viewed that there was no traffic coming toward me as I was now perpendicular to traffic into teo lanes of bardstown rd. I could have turned right and avoided hitting any othrr vehivle if it were not for airbags blocking my view. I had not hit any object or vehicle at this point. I kept applying pressure to my brakes on which I had spent thousands in repair. The brakes still did not stop me. I never saw why I stopped. Airbag blocked view. The car I was driving finally hit something (later found out) another car in turn lane to get onto I 264 it finally stopped. My hearing aid in my right ear was ejected when airbag deployed. I found it later on passenger mat in rear. The airbags had to be defective to deploy from jumping one small curb. No airbag I am able to turn right whether brakes work or not. No accident.

Drivers side power seat is stuck in forward. Emergency brake does not work. Engine requires 1 gallon of oil every 2 thousand miles.

Coming to red light car would not stop I pressed harder on brakes asb came in then the car went into high rpms,and stopped sounded like it would blow up?. . I quickly put the car in neutral, from my experience to slow rpms you press gas petal hard until the rpms slow, I do not have floor maps, never had them. . .

On December 7,2017, I was in a parking lot in florida. As I started going into a parking space, the car began to surge. I had a loss of steering and braking. I almost hit the car next to me. Luckily that did not happen. I kept pressing down on the brake, but it took time for the steeering wheel to respond to me. I shut off the car because it seemed like the car had a mind of its own. I had 2 witnesses in the car. Who saw that my car was in drive, and that my foot was on the brake pedal. The passenger checked the floor mat, and it was lying completely flat. I do not know why I had this loss of control. This also happened to me in 2010, when I had unintended acceleration,and my car hit a tree. I am now afraid to drive my car, and willl not do so because I feel it is unsafe.

I was coming to a stop pressing the brake the car accellarate up to 70 to 100 speed and kept pressing the brakes the more I press the faster it went I had to run lights to avoid hitting cars finally it decided to stop when I swirl into a walgreens it did this 4 times that daythank god I need to know what is going on with this car that is scary it acelllarate fast and wont stop . . . .

I have owned my 2003 Camry since it was brand new. During all that time, I have noticed that whenever I brake as the car travels over small bumps, cracks or other imperfections in the road (especially if I brake hard), the abs system kicks in and appears to pump the brakes (though it does not actually stop the car) and does not shut down until I lift my foot off the brake thereby preventing a proper stop and significantly lengthening the stop. Note that this occurs on dry roads. This also seems to occur if there is a need to stop hard just as I am accelerating, such as an unexpected short stop by the car in front. It has not led to any serious accidents (though a couple of light rear-ends), which I credit to my being able to compensate for the problem, until last week when the problem caused a more serious rear-end collision. All the other cars in four car chain managed to stop short, not my Camry even as I maintained my foot on the brake, as it seemed to barely slow down, causing significant damage. The car is probably better off without the abs braking system altogether than with this defectively deploying system that doesn't really even seem to stop the car, but just lightly pumps the brakes, preventing proper braking.

Today I pulled over to drop off child at school, was already to park and car accelerated and hit the car in front of me. My foot was clearly on brake as I was already going no more than 5 miles an hour to park. It was not driver error. That feeling of the car thrusting forward when my foot was on brake was something I never felt before. I called Toyota and checked the recall list the car is not listed. I am sending it tomorrow to Toyota for service. The impact was so hard, my body is completely tense even 5 hours later. The thrust was not driver error, thank god for the car in front of me that I hit or else would have been worse. All I could do out of panic was put the car in park but I think it stopped because I hit the car in front of me.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving making a left or right turn the vehicle makes a clicking noise. In addition the contact states when applying the brakes the pedal goes through the floor and once the vehicle is in park the vehicle goes into reverse gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where it was diagnosed that the lower steering shaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage 33,705. Ng.

"takata recall" - I am experiencing a clicking noise from the steering wheel when turning the wheel to the left & right, the whole dash board shakes when the ac or heat is on, brakes pedal goes all the way to the floor & making sounds, and when you put the car in park it will move forward.

I sas dribbling in mano road n e ben I santi to use the break to make a chance line bevande I attive to my appartamento I round tenere sas no break in seconda at thatcher time I dependance on udine hanbreak to stop the car n thai challenger erice with in 15 minutes.

On October 21 I was return to my home my speed was 40 on a main street and when I start to slow my speed using the break I shocked there was no break n I tried then I used the hand break to stop the car . All that happened in seconds . . . . And when I tried to go to the nearest mechanics the same things happened . . . . The 2 things were within 15 minutes . . . I still terrified what I will do if that happened and I usually pick my special need child with me . . . The mechanic check the car n he did not find any series thing. . . . So what is going on???.

The night before the incident had slight rain during. Early morning, iwas driving it keeping it in mind that it has some problem. . . . Driving at 35-40 m/hr. The car before me stops on the stop sign and try to stop following 3 seconds rule, hit the brake all the way but heard grinding sound and didn't stop and need to go to another incoming lane on the left to avoid hitting the car infront of me. This is the third time I hade the similar problem. . . . . One in 2010 one in 2011. I went to jay wolfe Toyota of west county mo after the first incident. It was their closing time. . . . Met with one of the maintenance manager . . . . Explained but was told that it should be because of abs. I told him that I had Honda 2002 and never have to scare about these type of incidents but why it is happening with Toyota. He insisted that it shouldn't be . Later during regular oil change I asked to check brakes and they didn't find any fault there. I told them the incident they didn't take it seriously. . . . The next time it happened again. One day was driving with fear on interstate at 60 mph. The same thing happende and I was able to change lane. Afger that I rarley take the car for interstate driving. If do I alwaya scare and start using brakes before 1/4th of the mile. At this point I would like to get help from Toyota company why it is happening and fix the problem. I don't want to sue them later when something happened. If they are serious about safety of their customer, take my car and fix it.

I was approaching a stop sign getting ready to stop when I realized I was unable to stop. Finally after really pushing hard I got stopped in the middle of the street and I heard the gas accelerating. I almost hit a back end side of a car without the people even knowing what happen.

I got in the car and attempted to move it from the garage to my driveway. When I stepped on the accelerator the car surged and spiraled out of control. The accelerator 'locked' and I was unable to stop the vehicle as the brake would not work. The car crashed in my neighbor's yard against his tree.

I have a 96 and 03 Toyota Camry and my wife was driving and she hit the brakes and could not stop. She continued hitting the brakes and lost control of the car and hit a beam under a bridge. I am glad she didn't get hurt but the front of the car was badly damaged. This has been going on for a while. I have had different car mechanics tell me there was nothing wrong with the brakes. I would like to know if anybody has an answer on what I can do.

When I apply my brakes on ice, my abs system immediately activates and slows my 2003 Toyota Camry down. When I apply my brakes on dry roads, (coming up on a red light for instance), and hit a bump or pothole in the road, the brakes immediately release. After a 1-2 second delay, the abs system activates. Those two seconds have nearly caused numerous crashes over the life of this vehicle.

For over four years I have been asking Toyota dealer to look at the brakes on my 2003 Camry. The brake pedal depresses over half way before it grabs. I had to stop fast two months ago and the pedal was to the floor and I skidded to the side before the brakes grabbed. The dealer inspected the brakes and they were fine, they said that the pedal was working just fine and they could not adjust the pedal free play. I feel that this is a dangerous situation and they won't do any thing about it. They said there is no recall regarding the brakes or pedal on a 2003 Camry.

I was driving my 2003 Toyota Camry on highway with cruise control on interstate I-40. I was driving 55 mph along a construction zone when it suddenly speed up, became uncontrollable and crash into the wall. I was unable to stop the vehicle by pumping on the brake and it was finally stopped when the vehicle was deep in the sand on the side of the highway. The vehicle was a total loss due to its severe damages.

Since the car was new it has had strange sounds in the steering column. The local Toyota dealer dismissed it as normal sounds related to the weather [it is cold out or it is hot outside]. The sound progressively became worse. I had the power steering fluid changed and was told by the repair shop that it had the wrong fluid. The fluid was the product the car was delivered with. I am the original owner of the vehicle. After changing the fluid and having a wheel alignment done- the sounds (loud squeaking) persisted. I took the car recently to a different Toyota dealership and they "greased" the steering column which eliminated the squeaking, but now clunking can be heard from the steering column. The mechanic at the Toyota dealership cautioned me to "keep my eye on this" because it sounds like the steering column is bad. This Toyota only has 28,000 miles on it, has never been in an accident, and has been dealer maintained. I find it suspicious that no mention of a bad steering column was made while the car was under warranty. I drive the car as little as possible because I am frightened to use it. I have also had problems with the brakes on this car. The brake problems date back to the day I drove the car home (new) from the dealership. The steering problems started almost immediately. This car should be recalled and repaired at the manufacturers expense for the steering problems.

The accident occurred on the 5 freeway going from northern California to southern California, on the grapevine. It was rainy out and during the time of the incident the rain was just softening up. In the far left lane I driven my vehicle at about 55 - 60mph, speed limit was at 65mph. I begin to slow down, and while doing so the car begins to swerve and not react to my brakes. It then turns out to the next lane and begins spinning about 4 times while I pull up the emergency brakes. No car collision happened, but it was headed straight towards the guard rail, where it then hit the left front of the car and then the side left of the car and back left of the car. The car finally braked, with damage to the front, side left, and back of vehicle, blown out both back tires, wouldn't turn on, & no air bags deployed. The accident caused damaged to the vehicle and cracked pavement as well as moved guard reel affected area about a foot in. Passenger had head, neck and back injuries, nothing to serious, just enough to get checked up and sent to the hospital. I believe the speed of the car should have caused the air bags to deploy. Its a 2003 Toyota Camry, I've been the owner for about a year and a half, no accidents prior to this one.

Car accelerated, could not stop in 5 different incidents. The latest one was on backing out of garage. Pressed hard on brake and car stopped just short of hitting another car.

After reading the recent description of the potential problem with the brakes on the 2010 Toyota prius I realized that the description is identical to the problem I have on my 2003 Toyota Camry. This has happened on several occasions. When the brakes are applied and at the same time I happen to hit a pothole or a rough or uneven surface the car will lose braking ability and it is often accompanied by the chattering sound like you hear when anti-lock brakes are engaging, except in this circumstance the brakes do not seem to have any effect. Although I have not had an accident it is very much a sense of lost of control when it happens, and most recently when this happened I had to shift lanes suddenly to avoid hitting the car in front of me. As stated this phenomena has occurred on more than one occasion.

I watched the cnn evening news coverage yesterday, February 9 on the prius recall due to a brake problem. The cnn news reporter actually owns a prius and was relaying her experience. Her story resonant with me because I have continually had the same problem with my 2003 Camry. Though I have taken it back to the dealer a number of times and the technician has examined the vehicle, including road tests, no mechanical problem is found.

Twice last year the car just took off accelerating on its own and when I tried to use the brake to stop the car it just kept going. The first time I could not control the car by using the brakes and it finally stopped after it went down the street a ways and over a curb. The car had been parked and I had just started up the car putting my foot on the gas pedal when the car went out of control. The second time I had entered a parking garage, stopped to take a ticket from a machine and when I applied the gas it took off. I applied the brake and tried to steer the car out of danger. It finally hit a cement block, bouncing back going forward again before it stopped. Both times I took it to the Toyota dealer and they checked it out and could not find anything wrong. The second time in December 2009 they told me of the problem regarding the gas pedal and the carpet, which they said was ok on my car and told me if it happened again to put the car in neutral and the wheels would stop turning. They also said they were working on a recall but that my car would not be a part of it as the problem did not exist until 2005 on Camrys.

I was pulling into a space in a parking lot in my 2003 Toyota Camry, when my car surged forward. I hit and damaged 2 parked vehicles as well as sustaining significant front-end damage to my own car, but no one was injured. I called the police and reported the accident, but I could not swear that my foot had not partially covered the gas pedal. It was winter and I was wearing heavy boots. I purchased the car new in 2003. Twice since then, in may 2006 and March 2008, my car surged on the highway. I took my foot off the gas pedal but the car did not slow down for about 30 seconds. I put my foot on the brake, but there was a delay before the car slowed down. In none of these incidents did I have a floor mat riding up under the gas pedal. I have called several Toyota dealerships, but when I leave a message to talk to a service manager I have not received a call back. A few days later I receive a trade-in offer from the dealership.

I am finding that the brakes on my 2003 Camry le do not slow the car when I hit a pot hole or defect in the road. This has occurred more than 5 times in last year when I brake while going over a pot hole.

I have a 2003 Toyota Camry. I frequently experience excessive engine acceleration when initially putting the car in drive. Also, on occasion, the brake and accelerator pedals engage at the same time, which may or may not be an operator issue. I brought the car in for repairs to Toyota service center last year but they said it involved the electronic controls and there was nothing they could do. Seems that the Toyota repair people knew about the problem already.

2003 Toyota Camry discussion thread --------------------------------------------------------------- response (kwil) - 01/26/2010 04:26 pm we apologize for your concern with the performance of your 2003 Camry, and we appreciate you taking the time to let us know. Unintended acceleration involving Toyota and Lexus vehicles has been thoroughly investigated on several occasions over the last few years. None of these studies has found that an electronic throttle control system malfunction is the cause of unintended acceleration. Electronic throttle control, adopted in some form by nearly all automakers, has several fail-safe features and enhances safety by making possible functions such as traction control, stability control and adaptive laser cruise control. Toyota values the safety of our owners and the public. It is our utmost concern and Toyota has and will continue to take appropriate measures to address any defect trends that are identified. We have documented your email at our national headquarters under file. . Read more...

In July of 2007 or 2008 while attempting to park my 2003 Toyota solara in a kohl's lot the car suddenly accelerated while I had my foot on the brake. The acceleration was strong enough to cause my head to be thrown back but I didn't have time to check the odometer for the registered speed. I was pulling into a parking stall with one car directly in front of me and a car on either side of me. I stomped on the brake as hard as I could and was able to stop within an inch or two from the car in front of me. This was probably the scariest thing that has ever happened to me in an automobile. I checked the NHTSA website and found that other owners of solaras had experienced similar occurrences with their autos and had been told that it was possibly a problem with the electronic throttle. I filed a report and spoke with a woman from NHTSA who called me but I was never notified again. I brought my solara to the dealer where I had purchased it and was told that they could find nothing wrong other than the floor mat was pushed forward. This has happened on and off when I've been braking to turn left or am slowly coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign and always when I have the brake pedal depressed. It feels as if I've hit an oil slick in the road and the only thing I can do is press very hard on the brake to stop the car from going forward. None of these incidents has ever been as scary as when the car accelerated when I was parking but they've all occurred when I was stepping on the brake.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The driver stated that when she drove on uneven pavement, over a bump or down a hill she tried to apply the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle and was unsuccessful. The driver stated that it felt as if her wheels were bouncing. The driver also stated that it sounded as if it were coming from the right side of the vehicle. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 47,000. The current mileage was 60,000.

Cruise control did not disengage upon pressing brake pedal. Hydraulic brakes would not stop vehicle. Method used to stop vehicle included putting vehicle in neutral and applying emergency/parking brake. Narrowly avoided collision with other vehicles which had stopped by squeezing between them and the concrete medium. My vehicle was scraped on drivers side but no other vehicle was damaged (thank god!). Could not duplicate.

I recently purchased a 2003 Toyota Camry with abs brakes. The vehicle is Toyota certified with the 160 point inspection which includes brakes. The brakes are very spongy, I have to depress the pedal two inches before the brakes begin to engage and another three inches for the brakes to fully engage. The dealers service manager told me that this was a problem on the 2003's and a new brake design eliminated the problem on newer models. I asked what could be done to upgrade my brakes and was told that no improvements or adjustments were possible. They also told me that numerous customers had the same problem and had "learned to live with it". I have small children and I was upset at the prospect that a known defect that the dealer acknowledges should place lives in jeopardy. Those two inches could be the difference between life and death. I wonder how many accidents which involved 2003 Camrys could have been avoided. I feel this warrants a safety issue and possible recall. Thanks !!!.

I bought a Toyota Camry 2003 le in June 2006 and I found that it takes time for the brake to stop the car. . I went back to dealer 3 times the check the car and I was told that's how the car is designed they cannot help me, and they said that I will get use to it. But I never get use to it . It very scary when driving on highway.

2003 Toyota Camry has problems with brake equipment. The brake pedal went to the floor and the brakes faded while attempting to stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer three times but they didn't find anything wrong.

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. Whenever the contact attempted to apply the brakes at any speed he had to pump the brake pedal several times in order to slow down the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the vehicle was performing normally. The contact noticed the failure since the day the vehicle was purchased. The current and failure mileages were 90000.