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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16,437 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 stated while driving 25 mph depressing the brake pedal the vehicle accelerated. This occurred four times. The first 3 times the vehicle was stopped with excessive pressure to the brake pedal. The last time the vehicle struck a pole. There was a police report taken at the scene of the accident. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for body repairs caused by the crash. When the vehicle was inspected the first three times diagnostic testing did not identify any codes. Also, while carrying 125 pounds of bird seed in the trunk, the vehicle began to veer to the left on a slushy road. When the bird seed was moved to the front passenger seat the vehicle operated normally. The manufacturer was alerted. Updated 7/11/2006 - the consumer reported these incidents to the dealer but they told the consumer that nothing was wrong.
2003 Camry SE makes "thumping" sound over even the slightest of bumps. On some paved road conditions the vehicle bounces and bucks so much it is difficult to control. Dealer states this is normal for the SE since it has a sport-tuned suspension.
- Waterford, MI, USA
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- South Russell, OH, USA