The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph downhill. The engine surged at a much higher rate of speed. The brakes failed and the contact was unable to control the steering. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle until she crashed into an embankment. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were approximately 108,000. Updated 3/14/13 the consumer stated she had not control over the vehicle. It continued approximately 3/4 of a mile all over the road and surrounding areas, until it finally hit an embankment and the front end of the vehicle went into the ground. And then stopped.

- Morrison, IL, USA

After entering a parking lot my mother-in-law was turning into a spot when the car suddenly accelerated thru the spot and was heading for the concrete wall. She was able to turn it to the left, run over the curb and in to a snow bank. She was unable to back the car out and had to be towed out. There was damage to the front end, but the airbags did not deploy. The tow truck driver said that she could drive it home and she managed to do so, but she was scared to do so. It is now sitting in the driveway and will not be driven until we are satisfied with the repairs to the acceleration problem. I am still waiting to hear from the dealer?.

- Ogden, UT, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that there was an abnormal splashing water noise sound coming from under the hood area. The check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle began to overheat. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was advised that the engine bolts were stripped, which allowed fluids to mix with the engine. The dealer advised the contact that the engine would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 104,000. Updated 12/14/12 the consumer stated the mechanic the bolts could be retreaded, engine rebuilt, or to trade the vehicle in. None of the repairs are guaranteed to repair the vehicle. Updated 12/17/2012

- Tampa, FL, USA

On Oct 18, 2012, my car started to overheat. We had it towed to our mechanic. On Friday, Oct 19, 2012 our mechanic stated he could not fix it and looks like it is an engine coolant leak. He further stated we needed to take it to the dealership that we bought it from to confirm the engine was none repairable. On Monday, Oct 22, 2012, the service department called us and confirmed the bad news. Our 2004 Camry 2.4L engine is leaking coolant inside the engine and the engine bolts are stripped. They gave us some options. The dealer could try to repair the bolts by retreading them (no guarantee it world work). Replace the engine (rebuilt and not guarantee it wouldn?T happen again). And finally, trade in the car (not enough to pay off my loan). After further research, this issue has been happening to Camry since 2002. One post stated it was fixed with the 2004 models, but in 2004 the same engine is in the highlander and the Camry. The highlander also has several posts to the same issue. When will Toyota take responsibility for this problem and fix it without coming after the consumer! I have contacted Toyota at 800-331-4331 and filed a complaint and was told the same thing the dealer told me, not their fault. I am really hoping the government takes these complaints and forces Toyota to recall these cars and fix the issues.

- Tampa, FL, USA

I noticed that white smoke was coming from my exhaust pipe, therefore, I took it to a mechanic to get it checked out. The mechanic simply told me it was due to a bad head gasket. Later on, in the middle of the fix, he told me that the engine was unrepairable, that I needed a new engine. I asked him, "why"" he told me that the bolts that keeps the engine in place can no longer be tighten. The engine can no longer be held in place. He called it, "stripped head bolts." According to the mechanic and his colleagues, it is a design flaw by Toyota. The mechanics went on stating that, "even under normal driving conditions, these bolts will come loose causing coolant to leak in. Which caused the white smoke coming from tail pipe. So, I called up Toyota to see if they can correct their problem. They told me that I needed to replace the engine. If Toyota can't fix it, how would a mechanic fix it? I asked Toyota if there were a recall for this, they simply said, "no." The government needs to step in and take care of this awful problem. It turns out that every 2003-200" Camry owners have or will have this awful problem. Is not just a reliability problem, but is also polluting our home planet. There are thousands of Camry on the road ranging from these years and all of them are or soon will be spewing out foreign smoke. No mechanic out there can fix the problem. All they can do is replace it with the same engine that will soon have the same exact issue. Please step in and make Toyota fix this awful issues with the "stripped head bolt." [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Anaheim , CA, USA

Head gasket screws are stripped. Engine lost coolant but no leak was evident. After numerous repairs to cooling system, eventually head gasket blew and had to replace the engine with a rebuilt one. Coolant loss continued with second engine. Radiator was replaced. Coolant loss continues with new radiator. Now we know that the head gasket screws are stripped, the original and only source of the leak. Design flaw causes stripped head bolts in this model.

- Clemson, SC, USA