Cam Cam, Fail Fail
Written by T-Rod
The Camry was a very reliable vehicle in its early years. As a matter of fact it was probably one of the most reliable cars on the road through the 80s and 90s next to the Honda Accord and Civic. The Camry started having reliability issues around 2002 and on. This website gives a complete list of recalls for the Camry for 2002-2011. http://www.toyotadeathwatchupdates.com/2012/06/complete-list-of-toyota-camry-recalls-2002-2011/ Recalls aside, the biggest issues the Camrys had through the 90s, were ignition cylinder lockups, valve cover leaks, sludge (1MZ-FE motor), and head issues (5s-fe motors after 150K miles). And the 2000s Camrys had even more issues. Many still consider the Camry a very reliable vehicle despite these issues and recalls. I am NOT one of those people. Problem? I have had many issues with my Camry which I will discuss below.
I currently own a 1998 Toyota Camry LE with the 2.2 DOHC L4 (5s-fe) motor with the craptastic, slow shifting A140E transmission. (4sp auto) This car has been far from reliable for me. Start off with a bit of history on the car. I am the 4th owner and I bought it a year and half ago with 113K miles on it. The dealer had replaced the front right strut and the EGR valve for me. Currently it has mid 131K on it. I bought the car in November of 2010; a bit later the brakes went out. (Not sure exactly when, Not sure when any of the issues happened miles and time wise) Both the front brakes crapped out on me. Nothing was left of the pads, the rotors were shot and the calipers locked up on me at 50mph and were done. Total cost to repair that, $500+. Next two things to go out, the transmission failed on me at around 119K miles I think. No forward gears on that. According to the tranny mechanic, previous owners never serviced it. Also both my rear struts went out and the car was sitting about 3 inches low in the rear. Car is currently sitting on 3 new struts and one factory. Cost for the tranny; $450+/- and the struts around $500. Also my exhaust had a leak, which was a $150 repair I believe. The car has had a valve cover leak since I bought it, and has gotten worse over time, but not crazy bad. Also my ignition cylinder locks up and I am unable to start the car. These last two issues are common on the 98 Camry. I will be able to save some money with these, as both repairs I can do myself with little effort. Other little things I hate about this car are the rattles. The front right side rocker panel in the wheel well rattles like crazy at low speeds. Also the car is very noisy; A LOT of wind and tire noise gets into the cabin. The interior is very cheap and crappy. It breaks easily. I broke the visor mirror cover by just flipping it up to hard and the center console cover broke off after I slammed on the brakes one time.
A few more things I despise about the car in conjunction to the above. Sluggish transmission, not enough power (though decent low end torque), factory sound system is crap, and the slope of the rear window is too steep. It is very difficult to remove and reinstall the rear deck brake light and also deal with the rear speakers. There is not much I like about the car, except for the comfortable seats and the accessibility of the engine bay. Also the size of the trunk, 14 cu. Ft. Overall the car has been generally good for me. I am thankful the motor has stayed the only reliable thing in the car. Though I have read the 5s-fe’s start having sludge and head issues starting around 150K miles, so I will have to hope that doesn’t happen. I hope to keep this car for at least another 2 years, and then ditch it for a Fox Body Mustang. So that is it, my Camry fail. I hope you hated it; I hope it filled you with rage and broke all your eggs, as you probably thought the Camry was a VERY reliable car. HA, you’re wrong. Problem? Mad?
11 comments:
You are probably going to hate this, I know I do, but you can't blame the car for the trans. going out. That was neglect by the previous owners and not the car's fault.
THAT is where Toyota and Honda fail. Their sheeple think the cars are bullet proof so they don't maintain them. It is amazing the Cam-Cam went almost 120k miles on a non-maintained transmission.
It is time for Toyota, the Brand, and Honda, the Brand, to say flat out... their cars need to be maintained at proper intervals. EVERY car will break when not maintained properly.
As far as the rest, I would wager it is in part due to neglect as well although the sludge problem would go away with regular 3,000 mile oil changes.
yes I understand the tranny went out because it was not maintained and all. The valve covers start leaking early and the ignition lockup I have seen on consumer reviews and on ToyotaNation start under 100K. But yes as much as I hate to, I agree with your comment. And the sludge issues happens regardless of how frequent the oil is changed according to reviews and TN posts I see.
T-Rod
I really thought that after three weeks or so, this place would get a little smarter. This Camry is old. It is 14 years old and was not taken care of at all. Expecting it to drive like a new car is silly. Accept it for what it is and move on.
My car is even older as it is a 96 Contour yet you don't see me whining about its faults.
Sok-Eye
I don't think there's enough bandwidth on the interwebz to document how much fail the Contour is...angry?
I agree. I never said I loved my car. The seats are too firm and they are not very comfortable. I want a Mustang. They are the best.
And you can bet if there's something wrong with it, I won't whine about it.
Do you some cheese for your whine?
I am so not whining, I couldn't be more not whining about it lol. Just simply stating my experiences with the car. Only half of what is wrong with it is the cars fault. The rest is the fault of improper maintance in the past lol. The ignition lockup happens as early as 60K miles I think and the valve cover leak somewhere around there. The sludge issue after 150K happens whether you change your oil every 1000 miles or 100K miles.
T-Rod
You may not be whining now but your article read like a woe is me type of thing. If you hate the car, sell it and get something better.
Sok-Eye
I would buy another car if I had the money. But school takes all my money. Also even if I were trade in or sell the car I still would not have the money to buy another.
T-Rod
Time for a $600 Bug!!!
I don't fit in them lol. And no offense, but not the car for me don't really like them lol.
T-Rod
$600 is too much money for a Bug. Those things are not good cars at all. If you are talking about the old ones, those are strictly weekend cars. Too little power to be safe on the highway and no crash protection when someone runs you down because 0-60 is more like 2 minutes long.
Rotten car.
Sok-Eye
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