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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:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
66,765 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 cooling system problems

cooling system problem

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2003 Toyota Camry Owner Comments

problem #6

May 202011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 52,150 miles

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

I have a 2003 Toyota Camry 4cyl car with 52,000 miles, that has a coolant leak from the back of the engine next to the intake manifold. On further inspection and research, it was revealed that the leak is coming from the head gasket area, due to stripped out block/headbolt, as a clear sign of manufacturer defect indicated and substantiated by the amount of similar cases found on internet forums such as: www.tundrasolutions.com/forums/Camry/148454-Camry-with-stripped-head-bolts-2/. I called Toyota headquarters to report this problem, seeking help with this $6,000 issue and was told "nothing we will do". it seems car makers will not do the right thing unless they are forced to and this is why I am trying to do my part to jolt a vehicle recall for this design failure, by a company claiming to put costumers first, but instead snubs so many of us the first chance they get. Consumers need help with this issue with Toyota; please help us. The best fix so far reported is purchasing another Toyota 4cyl motor with the same flawed engineering and Toyota wants no part of being responsible for their short coming. I've own a few Toyota's, this is absolutely the most disappointing experience with them and to know there are so many instances of the same problem and yet this company refuses to do the responsible action and issue a recall to fix their failure. Any and all the assistance in this matter is needed. Thank you

- North Lauderdale, FL, USA

problem #5

Mar 292011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 130,938 miles
While driving on the freeway in a construction area with very few shoulders the car steering suddenly became very difficult and the battery warning indicator came on. My wife was able to pull over to a short shoulder area and called the auto club for a tow. The tow truck arrived with the highway patrol. She had to wait in a very dangerous location with many high speed heavy trucks passing a few inches away. Our mechanic said that the belt tensioner failed causing the belt to fail then the power steering and engine cooling to fail.

- Ca, CA, USA

problem #4

May 242010

Camry

  • 116,503 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. While the contact was driving approximately 25 mph with the air conditioner on she smelled a burning odor throughout the vehicle. The failure occurred five minutes after the vehicle was turned on. There were no warning lights on the instrument panel prior to or when the failure occurred. The contact added water to the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician stated that the engine overheated and caused the head gasket to malfunction. Through further inspection it was determined that the failure was due to damaged bolts that were connected between the head gasket and the engine block. The technician confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced at an estimated cost of $4,000 minus the cost of labor. The vehicle had not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was approximately 116,503. Updated 11/03/10.

- Katy, TX, USA

problem #3

Jun 212009

Camry

  • 32,000 miles

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

03 Camry 4 cyl. 2.4L. Only 32000 miles. While driving to work in the morning, coolant leaking from a hose attached to the throttle body. Engine became overheated. No warning light was on. Had to stop the car several times on the way to work. Throttle body needs to be replaced at such low mileage. It costs more than $1200 to replace.

- Woodside, NY, USA

problem #2

Apr 012005

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,000 miles
I bought a brand new Toyota Camry xle in May 2003. About 1 1/2 years after purchasing it, I began to hear a sloshing sound under the dash board. The producing of the sound wasn't consistent because some days it wasn't present at all. When the sound first started it was very faint and the passenger could not hear it even when I pointed it out. I checked for leaks but I could not find any. Today, the sound is a lot more noticable; however, it still does not presnet itself everyday. I tried to observe if it only happens when it is cold out side or hot, but the sound is not consistent. When the sound is present, I would have to turn my music up a little to ignore it. My car's performance does not seem to be hampered by this sloshing or splashing noise so I thought my fluids weres just circulating. But it has become quite embarassing and annoying having to deal with it. I read another consumer had the same problem and Toyota could not resolve the issue so they bought their car back. I am now inquiring to Toyota about the issue, but I wished I had when my car was still under warranty and the problem first arised at the 20,000 mile mark.

- Houma, LA, USA

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problem #1

Nov 122006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles
Intake manifold leaking only 51000 miles 2003 Camry. Toyota dealers est. $675 to repair. I noticed on line a number of people having this problem with 2003 Camry.

- Norton, MA, USA

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