CarComplaints.com Notes: How can we give the 2006 Camry our "Seal of Awesome" when the NHTSA data shows engine problems in the triple digits & multiple deaths/injuries/crashes etc?
The problem with NHTSA data for the 2006 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.
In other words, it's our opinion that the 2 deaths & other injuries/fires/crashes reported to the NHTSA are significant, but (unfortunately) not out of the ordinary for any vehicle, once you factor in the effects of the extended national media coverage of Camry unintended acceleration issues.
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 2006 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:
17 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,671 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.
My Toyota Camry 2006, purchased on 3/29/06 was involved in two major accidents and it was totalled after the second major accident which occoured on 3/30/07. On the first major accident, my wife who was driving the vehicle, tried to stop the vehicle at the signal, instead it raced forward on its own and hit another vehicle. On the second major incident, after stopping the car and allowing another car to pass on the same road in the opposite direction, she made a left turn and the car accelerated uncontrollably and hit a big tree standing at an elevated part of the road. By looking at the scene anybody can come to the conclusion that some kind of malfunctioning of the acceleration mechanism has happened. In both of these major accidents, none of the air-bags deployed. The same car had another similar incident but no property was damaged and therefore, that incident was not reported to police but a co-worker drove the vehicle out of the retaining pond. In this incident, my wife after parking the car, tried to pull it a little further and then the car jumped across the concrete bump and fell into the retaining pond. Luckly there was no water.
After starting the car the drivers airbag light stays on. When the car is started again the light may not be on. This went on for 3 days. The Toyota dealership hooked up the car to read any codes that were there. After 3 days at the dealership the field rep states that a new seat and floor wiring has to be purchased. There is a short in the floor wiring. Total will cost $3450. The drivers seat has to be replaced along with the wiring. If not replaced the airbag will not go off.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. While driving at various speeds, the air bag light would illuminate and then dim. Currently, the air bag light remains illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer six times. The first four times, the dealer reset the air bag light and the fifth time the dealer replaced the driver side air bag assembly. The air bag light remains dim in intervals of two to four months and then illuminates again. The air bag light has illuminated again two weeks ago. The current mileage was 36,700 and failure mileage was 9,000.
- the contact stated the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly while driving. The contact stated that most of the incidents occurred while the he was pulling into a parking space. The contact stated the he had four minor crashes due to the vehicle accelerating. In the latest incident the vehicle accelerated across a five lane highway and crashed into a utility pole. The weather conditions were dry, and was not aware of the vehicle's speed. The driver was injured, and taken in an ambulance to the hospital. The driver sustained burns from the seat belts. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that he had previously taken the vehicle to the dealer, and they could not find anything wrong. The contact has the repair order, and the police report. Updated 02/06/07.
- Clevland, OH, USA
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