2002-2006 Toyota Camry & other models with 4 cylinder engines ( 2az) engines blown head gasket / stripped head bolt problem.

- Springfield, IL, USA

Vibrations in the intake manifold - vehicle became sluggish and noisy due to intake manifold issue -it is broken and has to be replaced.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

I was slowing down to make a signaled left turn into a paking space at cvs pharmacy. As I braked and turned, the car lurched forward hitting a stacked stone pillar and came to a crashed stop. The air bag did not deploy and I had a scrape on my scalp from the sun visor.

- Acworth, GA, USA

We found coolant on our garage floor. We took the Camry to our Toyota dealer and was informed that cylinder head bolts were stripped and coolant was leaking out of the bolts. We were told that a used engine replacement was needed to correct the problem, and that Toyota would not cover any of the cost. Apparently, Toyota had issued service bulletins to their dealers about the problem some years before, but when I called Toyota's 1-800-331-4331 number I was informed that there were no recalls or warranty extensions for this problem. Based on what I found on the internet, this is a common problem with the 2003 Camry.

- Maryville, TN, USA

In November 2012, I was told by my the dealer that there was a leak in my water pump in my 2003 Toyota Camry. I got a second opinion and I was told that my water pump had a slow leak and that I should get it repaired. In December 2012, my car ran hot and was smoking really bad. Dealer stated that my I needed a new engine. I asked what was the issue and they stated that my head gaskets were blown. I asked the dealer could they repair the head gaskets and the answer was I needed a new engine. Got a second opinion who then told me that I had stripped head bolts and car could be repaired. Had car repaired and the car is running fine 173,000. I started doing research on the internet and literally I found hundreds of people with this same issue. I proceeded to call Toyota (twice) and the second call did admit that there was a service bulletin issued in Nov 2011 alerting the dealers how to repair the stripped head bolts. I could not believe how many people were having this issue and the fact that this is a defect in the construction of the 2.4 engine for the 2003 Toyota Camry. Toyota will not acknowledge that there was a major defect with this years Camry. And what is further more disheartening is that the representative at Toyota said that I should expect to make repairs on my car with the type of mileage I have. And I do agree but I should be able to get more without the defect. Is there any way I can get Toyota to acknowledge the defect by filing this claim and in addition to the other claims on this website.

- Mableton, GA, USA

It was an unusually cold day for October and I was driving my son to school with my three year old daughter in her car seat when the heat would not work. Only cold air came out of the vents. The windows were fogged up and would not defrost. I then noticed that the temperature gage was in the red zone. It kept climbing up and down. I could not see out of the windshield at all and had to pull over for safety reasons. Thank god I was not on the highway as usual, but on a local road. I stopped and I wiped off the windshield and windows manually. This was a terrifying ordeal. The next morning I took the Camry to the cooper tire garage here in findlay. After inspection I was told that the head gasket pulled out of the block and that it was because it was an aluminum block. They are not made out of steel anymore. Previous to this incident, I experienced absolutely no symptoms that my Toyota's engine was going to malfunction. My Camry's engine is shot. I contacted Toyota customer service center and was told there is nothing they could help me with. I was actually crying when I spoke with the representative. I have been a proud owner of two Camry. My daughter drives a 1995 Camry that is still running very well and my mother is driving a 1999 Camry that she has had no engine issues with. Apparently, this is a newer model defect. My Camry has been paid off since November of 2011. I was looking forward to having another 100,000 miles of use out of it. The reputation that Toyota Camry's have states that if I regularly maintain my Camry I should have that opportunity. I now have the urge to warn all Camry drivers to be aware that they could very well experience engine failure with no symptoms at all and even if they regularly maintain their Camry. This is an extremely dangerous issue. My Camry still looks and did run like new.

- Findlay, OH, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the temperature gauge warning lamp illuminated. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that all of the coolant fluid had leaked out of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the bolts became detached from the engine base. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 86,000.

- Glendale , CA, USA

Intake manifold noise. Documented problem. No recall available.

- Wheatridge, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while making a left or right turn there was a noise coming from under the hood. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle was leaking coolant fluid. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who inspected the failure and stated that the engine head bolt strips itself causing the coolant to leak out and blew the head gasket. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 135,000.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

Car smokes during start up. Started last winter. Research indicates stripped head bolts. Pull and clean the plugs about once a month due to fouling. Waiting for it to blow. Will not take it out of town or the highway.

- Sparks, NV, USA

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. While parked, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician replaced two oxygen sensors. After the repair the check engine light illuminated intermittently and the contact noticed that the interior lights, radio and the mileage on the instrument panel continued to illuminate after the key was removed from the ignition. The contact replaced the battery but the failure continued. On another occasion while driving approximately 10 mph the vehicle stalled without warning. There were no further repairs performed to the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

- Mclean, VA, USA

I have a 2003 Toyota Camry 4cyl car with 150,000 miles, that has a coolant leak from the back of the engine next to the intake manifold after replace most of the cooling system such as fan, thermostat trying to correct the problem on further inspection and research, it was revealed that the leak is coming from the head gasket area, due to stripped out block/headbolt, as a clear sign of manufacturer defect indicated and substantiated by the amount of similar cases found on internet forums such as: www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/Camry/148454-Camry-with-stripped-head-bolts-2/. it seems car makers will not do the right thing unless they are forced to and this is why I am trying to do my part to invoke a vehicle recall for this design failure, by a company claiming to put costumers first, but instead ignores so many of us the first chance they get. Consumers need help with this issue with Toyota; please help us. The best fix so far reported is purchasing another Toyota 4cyl motor with the same flawed engineering and Toyota wants no part of being responsible for their short coming., this is absolutely the most disappointing experience with them and to know there are so many instances of the same problem and yet this company refuses to do the right and responsible action and issue a recall to fix their failure. Any and all the assistance in this matter is needed.

- Deleon Springs, FL, USA