CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware of the NHTSA complaint data for the 2004 Camry. It is almost certainly misleading.
The problem with NHTSA data for the 2004 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 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 2004 Camry, our data for the Camry is a far more statistically accurate representation of the Camry's reliability than what the NHTSA data shows.
The fuel tank air filter on the 2004 Camry is under the car by the left rear wheel, where dust can easily get in. If one drives on gravel roads, as we do, expect to replace the fuel tank air filter ($550) every 20,000 miles, because Toyota won't take responsibility for their design flaw. Whoever decided the location for the filter must think everyone drives only on pavement!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The fuel tank air filter on the 2004 Camry is under the car by the left rear wheel, where dust can easily get in. If one drives on gravel roads, as we do, expect to replace the fuel tank air filter ($550) every 20,000 miles, because Toyota won't take responsibility for their design flaw. Whoever decided the location for the filter must think everyone drives only on pavement!
- Linda L., Osceola, NE, US