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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:
153 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
51 / 4
Average Mileage:
38,621 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2003 Toyota Camry Owner Comments (Page 7 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #111

Oct 172008

Camry

  • 60,399 miles

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

This morning I filed a safety complaint about my 2003 Toyota Camry xle due to the sudden acceleration without warning problem. At that time I gave incorrect failure mileage as 50,000 miles. When I checked my records of mileage at gas fill ups I found the following: 24 July 2008: Mileage at time of incident was between 58026 and 58444. 28 Aug 2008: Mileage was between 59090 and 59463. 17 Oct 2008: Mileage was between 60257 and 60540. Mileage at time of accident was approximately 60399. 14 Oct 2009: Mileage was between 64205 and 64532. That is as close as I can pin down the failure mileage. I used the 10/17/2008 date for approx. Incident date because that was the one time that our car hit the vehicle in front of us. The other three times we did not have an accident. I trust you can put this information with the report I filed this morning. Note: My E-mail address may change within the next week or so as I am planning on hooking up to high speed internet access. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Charles & algene ashworth

- Richmond(Henrico), VA, USA

problem #110

Oct 172008

Camry

  • 50,000 miles
Sudden acceleration without warning: 2003 Toyota Camry xle: Four incidents to date: While driving car it began to accelerate rapidly without warning. Taking foot off accelerator and putting onto brake did not get the car slowed down. Had to cut off ignition at the key switch. The only thing in common was that each time this occurred it had been either damp, misty, raining or raining hard. This is not an accelerator pedal/floor mat problem. It is a throttle problem! our floor mat was locked down and did not get near the accelerator pedal but we removed the floor mat anyway. Incidents as follows: 24 July 2008 - traveling to roanoke va South on I-81. Female owner driving. Cruise control on. Daytime. Raining gently. Car made a roaring sound (like revving the motor while in neutral) and suddenly increased speed rapidly. We got the car stopped without an accident. 28 Aug 2008- traveling to roanoke va South on I-81. Female owner driving. Cruise control on. Night. Raining very hard. Car suddenly made the roaring sound and the car accelerated rapidly. We got the car stopped without an accident. 17 Oct 2008 - on a city street in lynchburg va. Male owner driving. Cruise control off. Daytime. Had been raining hard all day. Driving slowly in heavy traffic. Car made roaring sound and accelerated rapidly. Car hit vehicle in front of it. No serious damage. 14 Oct 2009- traveling on city street in henrico va. Male owner driving. Cruise control off. Slowing down to make a left turn. Morning and just starting a misty rain. Car made roaring sound and car accelerated rapidly. No accident. Mcgeorge Toyota, broad St., henrico(richmond)va has made every effort they know to try to find out what caused these incidents, without results. They kept the car and drove it in good and rainy weather and did not duplicate the problem. They called the engineers in California who don't have answers.

- Richmond (Henrico) , VA, USA

problem #109

Sep 192009

Camry

  • 30,000 miles
I was slowly pulling into a parking spot at the mall and the car suddenly accelerated and I crashed into a tree. The engine sounded like it was driving 100mph. I called the Toyota dealer and they said it was probably due to the car mats. I don't believe that because my mats were in place after the crash. There was major damage to the car and the tree.

- Skokie, IL, USA

problem #108

Jun 202009

Camry

  • 84,900 miles

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

2003 Toyota Camry involved in an 8 car accident on 6/20/09. Car accelerated uncontrollably and driver was unable to stop car.

- Warrington, PA, USA

problem #107

May 052008

Camry

  • miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. When the contact started the vehicle. Suddenly, an unintended acceleration occurred without application to the brake and accelerator pedals. The engine RPM's began to increase. The contact could not stop the vehicle with applying pressure to the brake pedal. The identical failure occurred on a separate occasion while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact had concerns of the safety risk involved. Failure mileage was unknown. The current mileage was 81,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #106

Aug 312009

Camry

  • 34 miles
I purchased a 2003 Toyota Camry in the fall of 2002. One week after the purchase I was at a stop sign, with my foot on the brake, and the car suddenly accelerated. I tapped the accelerator but the engine continued to accelerate with the tachometer reading nearly 9,000 RPM's. I turned the engine off with the ignition. The next day I called my dealer (fitzgerald Toyota, chambersburg, pa.) and reported the incident and it was suggested I had stepped on the accelerator vs. The brake. I didn't argue the point and the car performed fine up until two weeks ago when the same thing happened twice within three days. I spoke with fitzgerald Toyota yesterday (jay newcomer) to ascertain if anyone else had reported a similar problem. I was told "fitzgerald hadn't heard anything about a problem with sudden acceleration. This morning I checked on the internet and found this problem was fairly common with Toyota's of that year plus other year's models. Is the NHTSA aware of a problem with Toyota's and sudden acceleration?

- Waynesboro, PA, USA

problem #105

Aug 152008

Camry

  • 37,335 miles

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

I backed out of my driveway, and while stepping on the brake, preparing to shift to drive, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and the car backed at high speed into my neighbor's driveway, and would only stop after crashing into a brick wall. The car was towed to a body repair company, and was repaired at great cost. Toyota inspected it and found no defect. Since then the car has started accelerating several times, when my foot was not on the gas pedal, but I was able to slow it down.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #104

Aug 152008

Camry

  • 130,000 miles
My wife was pulling into our daughters daycare to drop her off as she does every morning and while pulling into the parking spot and when applying the brake the vehicle surged forward at a high throttle speed jumped the curb and went crashing into the building. Even pumping the brakes didn't stop the car. The only way to get the vehicle to stop going forward was to jam the gear selector into reverse and then the vehicle went backwards at a high rate of speed (brakes still didn't work) and then had to jam the gear selector to park to stop the vehicle. Update as of today. Our vehicle is currently at a Toyota dealership and service center and the service manager said there is no problem with the brakes, and we are scared of the through of driving this vehicle again. It seems to be a electronic issue and connected to the speed control. I have found a message board on the internet where 97 other similar incidents have been reported. And Toyota does a recall on the floor mats? hmm I smell a cover-up and a possible class action lawsuit.

- Saint Johns, FL, USA

problem #103

Jul 202008

Camry

  • 30,500 miles
Wife turned into our driveway which slopes down (10 - 20 degrees) as she has been doing for the last 20+ years with her foot on the brake. The pavement was dry. The brakes failed to stopped the car. She veered left to avoid going over a 20 foot embankment at the end of our driveway and crashed into a stone wall. Based on the angle of impact the car rolled over onto its roof. Air bags did not inflate. My wife remained suspended by the seat belt upside down until emergency forces arrived. She sustained multiple bruises and chest pains attributed to the seat belt. If she had gone over the embankment only god knows what the extent of her injuries would have been. New tires had been installed on the car (front wheels) during June 2008 at which time the front brakes were also checked for wear by an auto mechanic. The car was "totaled" as a result of the accident. Subsequently I checked the brake fluid in the car (after the accident); the brake cylinder was full. Further, the Toyota Camry is equipped with brake wear indicators. No indication (sound) of excess wear was given prior to the accident. My wife is adamant she had her foot on the brake pedal. I surmise two things could have happened: 1. the brakes failed completely and gravity acceleration down the driveway contributed to the car's speed and subsequent impact; or 2. the car surged due to a failure of the electronic throttle control (etc) in which application of the brakes was inadequate to stopped the car. Based on prior NHTSA complaints/actions (ref NHTSA action numbers PE04021; DP05002; and DP06003) and the similarity of circumstances, I believe the etc failed. I recommend the NHTSA and Toyota take action to remedy this unsafe situation.

- Rockaway, NJ, USA

problem #102

Jun 052008

Camry 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. While backing into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and caused the contact to crash into another vehicle. He attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle would not stop. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to a local repair shop and is only being repaired for body damage. The failure has occurred approximately ten times. The speed was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 20,000. Updated 07/16/08.

- Pittsburg, PA, USA

problem #101

Jan 312008

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,390 miles

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

My wife was pulling into a parking lot the car accelerated on its own out of control. My wife was able to get stopped without hitting anything but she is so shook up she won't drive it anymore. Nothing has been done about fixing the problem it just happened today.

- Cambridge, OH, USA

problem #100

Aug 252007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,500 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. While pulling into a parking space between 3-5 mph, the engine began to rev. The vehicle surged forward when the contact applied more pressure to the brake pedal. The vehicle crashed into a concrete wall and the air bags failed to deploy. Her knees were badly bruised. The hood and front bumper were damaged, but the majority of the damage was on the passenger side of the vehicle. The side panels were moved and misaligned, which impacts the opening and closing of the doors. The purchase date was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 58,500.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #99

Feb 272007

Camry

  • miles
2003 Toyota Camry faulty acceleration customer states vehicle accelerated out of control and caused her to hit another car and a house* see also 10183782

- Stony Point, NY, USA

problem #98

Jun 192007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle accelerated automatically to 45 mph as she was pulling into a parking space. There were no warning indicators. The vehicle struck a cement block. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle sustained front end damage and was towed away. The body damage must be repaired before the dealer can attempt to diagnose the cause of failure. The current and failure mileages were 24,000.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #97

Jun 272007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,500 miles
Delayed response of engine and forward motion of the car when applying acceleration. For lack of better words, it seems to create a revving or surge in the engine...like something is out of synch. Other issues relate to persistent problems with the hydraulic brake and grinding in the steering column that have been dismissed by the dealership that works on my car. As of today, I cannot safely drive my car because I am not confident I will be able to stop the car. I am scheduled to bring the car in this week, but will need to expedite it given the rapid change in brake response in the last few days.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #96

Feb 282007

(reported on)

Camry

  • miles
2003 Toyota Camry. The consumer stated when she placed the vehicle in drive with her foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly surged forward.** see also 10181803.

- 999, DC, USA

problem #95

Feb 272007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
2003 Toyota Camry accelerated out of control and rear ended second vehicle and then a building before stopping. Operator attempted to stop the vehicle by fully depressing brakes, pumping brakes and shifting to neutral to no avail. Vehicle was brought to dealer for problem in 06/06 and again in 02/07. In 06/06 dealer stated there was a computer problem and an adjustment was made. In 02/07 dealer stated they could not find any problem. Operator state he had four failures before servicing in 2006 and only one failure before bringing it in in 2007. There was direct frontal impact that caused extensive damage, neither air bag deployed. See also 10196913

- Stony Point, NY, USA

problem #94

Feb 182007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,155 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact put the vehicle in reverse and it accelerated on its own without warning. The contact stated that his foot remained on the brake pedal and the vehicle continued to accelerate, it lunged forward over a curb and hit a tree. The rear axles were damaged. The vehicle was towed. There were no injuries. A police report was taken, and the contact had photos of the vehicle. The vehicle has not been diagnosed at this time. The vehicle lunged in reverse, onto a manin street, jumped the curb and hit a tree. Updated 03/19/07.

- Fairlawn, NJ, USA

problem #93

Feb 032007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,950 miles
Sudden acceleration of 2003 Camry with 27,000 miles on it. I was parked, had foot on brake, turned car on. Put car in drive while foot still on brake and car surged forward. This was so frightening as a mom and child were walking in front of my car. I smashed my foot on the brake, put car in park and turned motor off to make it stop. See also 10184772.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #92

Oct 312006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,610 miles
: the contact stated on three separate occasions the vehicle accelerated without warning when placed into gear. The vehicle was driven to the dealer both times however the problem could not be duplicated. Updated 01/30/07.

- Redding, CA, USA

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