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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:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
82,136 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.

2003 Toyota Camry body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2003 Toyota Camry Owner Comments

problem #13

Jan 222021

Camry

  • 164,000 miles

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

As I turned slightly right into my parking space with my foot lifting from the gas pedal toward the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly took on a life of its own and sped up then crashed right thru the gate that divided the parking space from the sidewalk. I was in shock and thought there was a ghost of some kind that just took over the gas pedal as it sped up. My front bumper was destroyed and front grill along with the lower head lights of vehicle along with the hood of the car.

- Simi Valley, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 202018

Camry

  • 168,769 miles
My car went into a deep ditch and the driver of my car incurred a terrible concussion while banging her head on the steering wheel upon impact. Her seat belt was on. I want to know why the airbag did not deploy.

- Lilburn, GA, USA

problem #11

Jun 162006

Camry

  • miles
Takata inflators: Every time I fix my vehicle individuals cause hate crimes damaging my vehicle as I go to sleep or when I am not viewing my vehicle they must know exactly when I go to sleep because I cant catch them even though I think I know who it is I can not prove it so this is why I am complaining I remember checking my tires in the night noticing nothing wrong with them then checked in the mourning and noticed nails nailed in the tires then I noticed dried turtle wax all over the body of the car messing up the paint wheel alignment out of line right door power window malfunction trunk open power switch broken power sun roof sliding window broken vehicle was stationary this happened on different date in combination to the damage between 06/16/06 to 04/21/17.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #10

May 132014

Camry

  • 110,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. While the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed a bulge on the dashboard where the frontal air bag was located. In addition, the contact noticed that the seam had separated and there was a colored substance around the separation area. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the dashboard pads assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

- Peabody, MA, USA

problem #9

Apr 032015

Camry

  • 58,000 miles
The steering on my 2003 Camry shakes during high speed. At times, there is a whistling noise coming from the driver front side. I thought it was related to low air pressure or unbalanced tires, but that's not the issues. Secondly, the paint on my car is peeling off, mostly the clear coating layer. I can not verify if there is a recall on this issue or not. Someone had informed me there was a recall. I am unable to locate any documented information.

- Holliston, MA, USA

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problem #8

Apr 242015

Camry

  • 110,000 miles
I was in the process of parking the car in a parking lot when the vehicle accelerated on its own. When I attempted to apply the brakes there was no effect. In order to avoid traffic I had to steer the vehicle into a stone wall.

- West Boylston, MA, USA

problem #7

Feb 282015

Camry

  • 180,000 miles

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

Car had been driven to get gas 1/2 mile down road. When returned from gas station we pulled onto property, turned off car and there were flames coming from the hood. Fire dept arrived and put out the fire. Total loss for car.

- Hixson, TN, USA

problem #6

Sep 142014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 73,000 miles
Flooding of floor boards. Rugs, and the wells under rugs like a pool filling up with water about three inches deep, affecting front drivers area and the rest of the car floor boards front and back. Mechanic advises due to opening of body seams in three places. Cost to repair, and replacement of rugs that were unable to be dried $2,000. Not due to wear and tear. Auto in impeccable shape otherwise and maintained scrupulously. Owned by little old lady.

- Monroe Township, NJ, USA

problem #5

Jun 172009

Camry 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
I was involved in a crash where I was hit on the passenger side. Although the impact was severe enough to cause damage to the frame of the car, none of the six (6) air bags deployed. As mentioned in a previous complaint, there is now a gap on the dashboard around the area for the passenger air bag.

- Boynton Beach, FL, USA

problem #4

Jul 262013

Camry 4-cyl

  • miles
I was in the driver seat waiting to turn left, when suddenly I got hit from the rear right part of my car. From that moment the car could not drive.. the rear left part of the car body and the tire was totally damaged. The repair shop declared that the car could not be repaired any more. Only later of the incident did I remember that the airbags did not work at all.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #3

Dec 052012

Camry 4-cyl

  • 114,000 miles

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

I was slowing down to make a signaled left turn into a paking space at cvs pharmacy. As I braked and turned, the car lurched forward hitting a stacked stone pillar and came to a crashed stop. The air bag did not deploy and I had a scrape on my scalp from the sun visor.

- Acworth, GA, USA

problem #2

Apr 012004

Camry

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that he was unable to open the driver side door automatically. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred twice before. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the actuator was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 10,000 and the current mileage was 102,000.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #1

Nov 292003

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Rust spots appeared on 2003 Toyota Camry le, especially on trunk lid, throughout 2003-2006. Toyota denying any responsibility, stating it was environmental. My son' car axle of same year has same problem. He lives 60 miles from me.

- Ovid, NY, USA

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