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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
64,364 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.

1998 Toyota Camry steering problems

steering problem

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1998 Toyota Camry Owner Comments

problem #11

Feb 152017

Camry

  • 129,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Camry. While driving 5 mph and making left or right turns, the steering wheel shook and felt loose. The contact was able to pull the steering wheel up towards her while the vehicle was being driven or while parked. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 99V307000 (steering). The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 129,000.

- Montebello, CA, USA

problem #10

Dec 142013

Camry 4-cyl

  • miles
Car began "going out of control" unable to steer the vehicle. As if I had no control over the car. Car continued straight instead of turning with the road, into a fence/tree and caught fire and burned up. Air bags did not deploy. Passenger received facial trauma, chest trauma, and multiple lacerations and contusions, requiring surgery.

- Irvine, KY, USA

problem #9

Feb 062006

Camry

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 1998 Toyota Camry. While driving at speeds of 35 mph and higher, the steering wheel would lock and become extremely hard to control. The failure occurred frequently and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for further inspection. The dealer however could not duplicate the failure. The contact was concerned with his safety while driving a vehicle he potentially could not control. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 116,000 and the current mileage was unknown.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #8

Mar 192009

Camry

  • 169,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Problem with sticky gas pedal off and on for 1 year. Have been pressing hard to get pedal to work properly. So far, no parts have been repaired or replaced on 1998 Toyota Camry. Also steering problems in 2008; took to dealer who added power steering fluid.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #7

Oct 022008

Camry

  • 150,000 miles
I bought 98 Toyota Camry 3mos ago, the car pulls across road, I figured needed alignment and I knew it needed struts, , I had struts, axle replaced then new tires and brought to rusty wallace for alignment. They did alignment, I left car still pulls I brought back and they rechecked still pulls said there nothing else they can do.. I have rotors replace and brakes checked and nothing, I seen recall bout steering on my year Camry but Toyota says not my car! I seen it on NHTSA web page but the 800 # tells me there's nothing they can do what am I suppose to do>" sounds like the problem im having why will the car not drive straight"

- Jefferson City, TN, USA

problem #6

Nov 072005

Camry 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
My mother just had an accident this morning and from her describing that 98 Toyota Camry was out of control and break seemed not working at all. So I started looking for vehicle recalls and defects then I realized this accident my mother had could be caused by defects. If you just look, you could easily find many others complaints. She was driving at 55 mph and trying to change lane then next thing she know was car started to swerving so she tried to regain control then hit the break which did not function. I will have to look for legal advise within next couple of days and see what they say. By the way air bags were not activated. Please let me know if there was any lawsuit or compensation for this kind of fatal accident. Thank you.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #5

Mar 012005

Camry 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Consumer mechanic found a problem with the column post about to come loose so that the driver could not control vehicle. The mechanic also discovered that both air bags were not completely assembled. Parts were on top of the air bag but not installed.

- Richardson, TX, USA

problem #4

Jan 222005

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,000 miles
While making a slight turn, the steering continued to turn right and the front wheels locked without warning. As a result the consumer lost control of the vehicle and collided into a stone wall. The dual airbags did not deploy and the consumers seat belt did not lock. The driver sustained chest and back pain due to hitting her chest on the steering wheel. The cause has yet to be determined. Please provide additional information.

- Stow, MA, USA

problem #3

Mar 212004

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 90,000 miles
While traveling at 40 to 55 mph consumer lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. Upon impact none of the airbags deployed. The driver suffered a fractured left shoulder, minor injuries on the left side of his head and bruising to his left hip. The consumer believes that an antilock brake failure may have also contributed to the accident.

- Louisville, MS, USA

problem #2

May 251998

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I bought my car new in May 1998. I had the brakes replaced at least 3 times the first time being 11/8/99. I have complained several times of front end noise, car drifting, and steering vibrations. Each time I was told it was either incorrect tire pressure, out of balance or alignment. Most of the time I was told the noise is normal road noise and the drifting is normal drifting. I think something needs to be done about this. My car is no longer under warranty. I bought a new car to avoid having to pay for all these expensive repairs and because I had a 7 month old baby. I now have two children and sometimes I am afraid to drive them in my car. My car still makes the noise, drifts, steering wheel vibrations. I have even reported clunking noises from the bottom of the car and was told it needed to be greased or the bolts tightened. It seems Toyota has known about this problem all along and decided to do nothing about it. Toyota should be forced to fix all the vehicles with this condition. It shouldn't take someone's death before something is done. I am a first Toyota buyer and very disappointed. I can not afford to fix a suspension system that was defective at the time of purchase, nor should I have to for a $20,000 car that is barely 5 years old with only 53,000 miles on it. I thought the mechanics were right about normal noise until I saw all the complaints about the suspension system. Please help. Thank you.

- Stanton, CA, USA

problem #1

Aug 241998

(reported on)

Camry

  • miles
While driving at 60 miles/hour or above vehicle very quickly changes lane from right to left

- Franklin Park, NJ, USA

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