CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware of the NHTSA complaint data for the 2003 Camry. It is almost certainly misleading.
The problem with NHTSA data for the 2003 Camry is that for months on end, the news media repeatedly told the public that several Toyota models had an unintended acceleration defect, & to go to safercar.gov (the NHTSA's website) to file a complaint.
So, the NHTSA received a disproportionate number of complaints about Toyota unintended acceleration issues because of the national news media attention, to the point where their data is unreliable taken in context with any other vehicle that did not receive national news attention.
CarComplaints.com typically receives more complaints per day about vehicles than the NHTSA does, but the news media did not repeatedly say "go to CarComplaints.com to report your Camry acceleration problems" like they did about the NHTSA -- so although we have less complaint data than the NHTSA for the 2003 Camry, our data for the Camry is a far more statistically accurate representation of the Camry's reliability than what the NHTSA data shows.
3.6
definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,797 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry le. When turning the steering column she heard a very peculiar noise. She called the local dealer and was advised that they would not provide assistance unless she paid for the repairs out of pocket. She has not spoken with the manufacturer. The current and failure mileages were approximately 76,000.
My 2003 Camry has had a popping sound/feel in the steering wheel. I first noticed it in 2004 and took it to the dealer several times before they could verify the problem. They replaced something in the steering column which solved the problem until about 4 months ago. When I got my car from the dealer I asked if this would be an on-going problem, and the shop manager told me it would not happen again. Well....4 months ago it started popping again. My car is no longer under warranty and I was told it would cost $900 to be repaired. I just hope it is nothing going on in the steering column that could cause an accident.
- the contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. A popping sound in the steering wheel occurred when turning the wheel in any direction. The failure happened since the vehicle was purchased. Toyota stated that there was an internal memo due to several complaints. The current and failure mileage was 83397. The vehicle was purchased on January 9, 2007.
When turning the steering wheel it makes a very awkward squeaking sound. I noticed the squeaking in the winter of 2004. It does it all the time most noticeably during cold weather. I took it to the local Toyota dealership around July 2006. They lubricated it and it stopped for a while. I had to take it back in December of 2006 to have it lubricated again. I don't know what the problem is, but I wish it could be corrected.
- Waycross, GA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
At about 40,000 miles, a knocking sound began to be audible when turning the vehicle in both directions. It is most noticeable when turning the wheels several degrees at low speeds such as in parking. The knock appears to be associated with a slight vibration of the same frequency as the knock and a slight looseness in the steering. The noise and slight jerk in the steering wheel gradually worsened with time, and the car was just beyond the general warranty period when the problem was reported to the dealer. The diagnosis by the dealer was "bad steering column; needs to be replaced". as it was not considered a drive train component, there was no warranty coverage. The cost would have been about $1000 at the time. No repair has yet been done. The knock has continued and at about 80,000 miles a squeaking noise began to accompany the knock. No difficulty steering at normal speed (e.g. drifting) has been experienced and no abnormal tire wear. The incidence date is the date the squeaking noise was first noticed.
At about 40,000 miles, a knocking sound began to be audible when turning the vehicle in both directions. I am not aware of any precipitating incident; no collisions or hard contact with curbing, pot holes, etc.. the knock could also be felt as a slight jerk in the steering wheel. There was (and still is) no noticeable difficulty controlling the car. The noise and slight jerk in the steering wheel gradually worsened with time, and the car was just beyond the general warranty period when the problem was reported to the dealer. Diagnosis by the dealer was "bad steering column; needs to be replaced". as it was not considered a drive train component, there was no warranty coverage. The cost would have been about $1000 at the time. No repair has yet been done.
The steering wheel was very loose and difficult to control when driving. I also heard a strange noise when turning to either direction. The dealership replaced the whole steering column shaft assembly for $1016.57.
2003 Toyota Camry experiencing problems with hesitation upon acceleration.** answer required*** this would occur as the consumer would attempt to pass other vehicles. There was a break and or chatter in the left front wheel. The hesitation would occur at all speeds and there was a rubbing noise in the steering column.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mount Pleasant Mills, PA, USA