Well, like many others on this forum (and dozens of others I've read), my Toyota Camry LE 4cyl, 2.4L started losing coolant rapidly out of the back of the engine recently. I took it to a very reputable repair shop here in town and they told me that the head bolts had likely stripped the thread out of the back of the engine block. They also told me that the only repair would be to replace the engine! My vehicle is no longer under warranty, so this isn't something that I can have fixed without paying a fortune to do so. The repair shop quoted me $4800 to put a new engine in it, and because I'm still making payments on it (I bought it used a few years back) I am out of luck. I think Toyota needs to step up and handle this problem by issuing a recall. Like a previous post mentioned, this could potentially be a safety issue due to poisonous vapor coming into the cabin and also the fact that smoke rolls out of from under my hood now any time I drive it - a major visibility hazard! I used to think I would own Toyotas for the rest of my life, but I now think this will be my last. I refuse to buy from a company that won't own up to it's mistakes and make things right for it's loyal customers!

Purchased my car new. Regular oil changes. Oil changed 12/13/11. A few weeks later, my 2003 Camry was no longer heating the inside of the car even with the heat on ‘high.’ Then I realized the thermostat was in the 'red.' I had antifreeze added and it worked fine for 24 hours. Then, it happened again. Since I was driving, I turned the air conditioner on and the thermostat went down to 'normal' range. I took it back to the mechanic, who added more antifreeze. It worked fine until the next morning. Then, it happened again: no heat in cabin and thermostat on ‘red.’

I cooled it down and took it to another mechanic who said the head bolts are stripped, causing coolant to leak and the engine to overheat. He said the bolts were not put in properly during manufacturing.

I see many customer complaints on the internet. I called Toyota (1800 331-4331). The Rep says Toyota has not issued a recall about this, leaving me SOL (simply out of luck).

Right now, I’m looking at having to spend at least $1600 to repair a car that is supposed to be reliable. Remember, ‘Toyota tough?’ I’ve been a loyal Toyota owner for years – but I believe this will be my last.

– Signed, Disappointed in MD

My wife purchased the 03 Camry from her father at about 60,000 miles in 2006. The car ran great and was the best thing we have ever driven, until! last week while waiting outside a hospital I heard this loud water gushing sound running across the front of the car, and I went to check under the hood, smoke was coming out the back end of the engine! I took it to a local auto shop to check it out ($120.00) and he had some bad news! The engine block blot was backing taking the thread along with it!!!! The only best fix was to get a used engine for $2300 from a junk yard and the cost of installation is $1300.00 (but it will soon happen again with a used Toyota engine). I called a Toyota dealer in South Attleboro, MA (where her dad had purchased many cars including this one) and they wanted between $3000-$6000 to replace the engine! Called Toyota customer service (1-800-331-4331) and the rep said he can't do anything about it because it is unusual for a car with that many miles and not many people has complained about it (BS! Want proof: NHTSA #10021542). So I did some extra research and Toyota had issued a new part number for the short block assembly back in April 6, 2007 ( TSB Ref #EG015-07). I questioned the rep. at Toyota Customer Service about the new part number and why Toyota had issued a new part number for an item that already exist and "so call" doesn't have an issue and his reply was that they issued a new part number for the different years of cars(but what I don't understand is why a new part number when they were all the same part number at one point, so there must have been a change) so I asked "why?" Same answer.... This is clearly a Toyota quality issue and I believe it will be a health issue too with the coolant leaking on to the engine and turning it into vapor, and then the vapor entering the cabin thru the heat/ac vent.

Please contact the NHTSA (www.nhtsa.org or 1-888-327-4236) and let them know if you are having the same problem, if you don't have it yet it will soon, so print this web-page and let your local state representative know as well about the hundreds of complaints you have read, print it out and mail those along with your concerns and the health issue with having to breath in the anti-freeze vapor from the vent. Toyota will not issue a recall if it is not a safety issue! but I strongly believe that it is! This is an uphill battle to have Toyota fix but united we can! please email me @ toyotaengineproblem@hotmail.com if you want to start a patitshion to have toyota repair the engine, we'll need some good numbers so don't be shy! Remember replacing the engine will not fix the problem it will only be a short term fix at a very high price.

My 2003 Camry XLE has been babied by the Toyota service dept since I bought it new. It started running hot, and I had it towed to the dealership who determined there was "air in the coolant line". They flushed the coolant, replaced it, and sent me on my way. An hour later, it was running hot again. Back to the dealership. Two days later while looking for engine damage due to overheating, they discovered two of the back side head bolts were loose. They thought it night be caused by "engine vibration." The engine was not warped from overheating and looked great. When they tried putting the engine back together, they discovered those bolts were stripped. No known explanation. There is no reliable repair for this. The only fix is a new engine. Used and rebuilt engines run the high risk of the same problem. Anyone else having the same trouble?