2002 Camry SE. Nothing But Problems!

Vehicle purchased new. Went out of my way to locate one with the letter "J" as the first digit in VIN number (Assembled in JAPAN).

Problem No. 1: Had the less than two (2) weeks when, while on a highway, a plastic piece fell off from under driver's side of dash and onto my foot. The piece that fell off was part of the A/C's air flow duct system. According to Toyota, wrong type fasteners used.

Problem No. 2: Brake pedal "sinks" slightly while stopped with foot on brake. Toyota dealer service dept. findings? "System [brake] working as designed."

Problem No. 3: Recall notice regarding side air bags. Replaced at dealership.

Problem No. 4: Driver's side power door window switch malfunctioned. Corrected by dealership.

Problem No. 5: During Hurricane Charley, front passenger door window shattered. Because vehicle was assembled in Japan, had to wait weeks for "special order" door glass to arrive. Apparently, Camrys assembled in USA used different parts from those assembled in Japan.

Problem No. 6: Had to replace "Toyo" tires after only 14,000+ miles and --

Problem No. 7: Now noticing a noise whenever I turn the steering wheel.

SCREW TOYOTA!

some people order a car from japan because they think they are better made. I have seen nothing in forums to indicate that there is any real difference.

The brake pedal is sort of soft but that is the way they are. They work just fine. The airbag recall affected 1% of the cars.

My Camry LE 2002 also make noise when steering is turning too.
Steven, did you ever get this problem fix?, If so, how?.
Regards/Van N.

Our 2002 Camry (4 cylinder) has just been diagnosed with a loose head bolt and needs a new Short Block. Est. repair cost $6000. Although I've had other Toyotas, because, from my research, this seems to be a regular problem, I won't buy another Toyota.

Hey Mike, what kind of noise did you hear? My 2005 Camry has this very high pitch noise that won't go away. I've brought my car to my dealership 3 times already, but they have not found the problem. I am so frustrated with my Toyota, I'll never buy Toyota again as well.

Guys:
The noise coming from steering wheel while turning is nothing but a little "grease hungry". I recently bought a used 02 Camry and had it fixed before I bought it. Everything else is working fine btw.

I have an '02 camry with 77k miles and have not had any problems with it..yet, just routine maintenance (when i remember to bring it in). After 5 1/2 years, I would not mind something sportier - but this car is just too damn good to give up just yet.

My only complaint is the OEM tires are very cheap...generally do not last long. My wife's '05 Sienna with 15k will likely need new tires next summer because the OEM Dunlops suck.

Anyhow - I have driven 2 Chryslers that were lemons. Quality is not guaranteed regardless of where you buy your vehicle. However, certain manufacturers have a better track record of good quality. Toyota is one of those companies. They're about to pass GM as the #1 car manufacturer in the world, breaking GM's run of 80+ years...you don't just become the #1 manufacturer by fluke.

Some people just run into bad luck - never a bad idea to get extended warranty if you can afford it.
My 2 cents.

Happy Holidays.

Mike wrote:

Our 2002 Camry (4 cylinder) has just been diagnosed with a loose head bolt and needs a new Short Block. Est. repair cost $6000. Although I've had other Toyotas, because, from my research, this seems to be a regular problem, I won't buy another Toyota.

I have a 2002 Camry SE four cylinder that had a blown head gasket. Dealership has just called me to inform me that I have 3 loose head bolts and that I need a new engine after 69,000 miles. I think this is ridiculous. My previous Camry went over 200,000 miles with no engine issues.

my 2002 Camry 4 Cyl, is making some strange noise, when the car is in neutral or in park, it make no strange noise when I depress the gas pedal, but once the car in in gear, no matter D or reverse, it starts with a noise like I have put in a "street muffler that makes loud low noise",but when the car pick up some speed, the noise goes away. I won't even hear it when driving with speed over 10MPH. Please help

I have had the same problem, plus fuel injectors gone bad, moon roof broken early on, the list goes on. Buy a toyota is all I heard NEVER again!!!!!!!!!!

Mike wrote:

Our 2002 Camry (4 cylinder) has just been diagnosed with a loose head bolt and needs a new Short Block. Est. repair cost $6000. Although I've had other Toyotas, because, from my research, this seems to be a regular problem, I won't buy another Toyota.

Mike,
I too have that same year and problem among other things but I can't seem to find where they say this is a problem can you point me in the right direction to where to find this as being a problem because I want to go back to toyota to have this fixed. Thanks

Mike wrote:

Our 2002 Camry (4 cylinder) has just been diagnosed with a loose head bolt and needs a new Short Block. Est. repair cost $6000. Although I've had other Toyotas, because, from my research, this seems to be a regular problem, I won't buy another Toyota.

hey I am working on a toyota camry 2003 4 cylinder with headgasket problem. I found three lose bolts.

GOOGLE 07 camry transmission problem

Loose Head bolts- There is a way to fix loose head bolts without replacing the motor. I have a great (non Toyota) mechanic who did my work. The way to do so it to use a heli-coil insert. Basically you drill larger holes in the engine block with a special tool. The coil then threads into the new (larger) engine block holes. Doing so means you can now bolt the head back on. Instead of doing just the two that came loose I asked to have all ten done to prevent the issue from occurring again. I also asked that he put two coils in each hole to ensure more threads to bolt into. This job costs approx $1500 (instead of $6000 for a new motor). The end product is much better then the factory because these are steel inserts not aluminum. Fingers crossed I'll have no further issues.

Jason wrote:

Loose Head bolts- There is a way to fix loose head bolts without replacing the motor. I have a great (non Toyota) mechanic who did my work. The way to do so it to use a heli-coil insert. Basically you drill larger holes in the engine block with a special tool. The coil then threads into the new (larger) engine block holes. Doing so means you can now bolt the head back on. Instead of doing just the two that came loose I asked to have all ten done to prevent the issue from occurring again. I also asked that he put two coils in each hole to ensure more threads to bolt into. This job costs approx $1500 (instead of $6000 for a new motor). The end product is much better then the factory because these are steel inserts not aluminum. Fingers crossed I'll have no further issues.

Who was it in Waterloo- I have the same issue.

Given estimate from Toyota dealership for rear brake service on 2003 Camry SE:$80 pads,$49 shim kit,$181 rotors, labour $150. If calipers sliders are seized then it's $224 to replace calipers and sliders. Worst case it could cost about $700. Is this reasonable?

Google 07 camry transmission problems.
B 4 u buy, u will b glad u did!!!

Well, I've had my 2002 toyota Camry SE for more than 6 years already, it has 140k miles, and is running like a king, the only problems untill now is the suspension and the clutch, but nothing else, I just do regular maintenance to it.

Just took my 02 camry xle to a mechanic I trust. He said I need to replace head gasket. Parts and labor will cost around $1,600.00 - is it worth it? And will it last. I have 92k miles on it. Obviously not happy about my "reliable" camry.

Wow, I am shocked by all of the problems on here. I bought my '02 Camry SE (Japan version 4 cyl) and am thrilled with it. I previously drove the orginal model year (1983) for 375,000 + miles (one engine change out at 284,733 miles). My biggest complaint is that one of my brakes is squeaking when I brake and I haven't figured out why yet. It has 107,000 miles on it. As for all of the a/c filter problems, you do need to regularly change that out - it is listed in your maintenance book. Otherwise, I would skimp on buying a new compressor and buy an aftermarket one instead.