IllustrationENGINE MAKES CLANGING SOUND BETWEEN 1500-2500RPM WHICH INCREASES IN FREQ ALONG WITH ENGINE SPEED THEN STOPS . HEARD IN PARK AS WELL AS DRIVING CAR? WHAT IS IT? HOW CAN IT BE FIXED? DT
1986 Toyota Camry
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1986 Toyota Camry do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 295.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →32Owner complaints
Model-year median: 295
0Recall campaignsView recall details →
1InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
1986 Toyota Camry
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 32 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 1 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Seat Belts: 10 reports
- Tires: 5 reports
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 4 reports
- Vehicle Speed Control: 4 reports
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 3 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
No recall campaigns in this snapshot.
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Camry years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 32 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Seat Belts. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
2 crash reports1 fire reports0 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
4 reportsTHIS IS A GENERAL RATHER THAN SPECIFIC COMPLAINT, ABOUT ONE OF THE GREATEST DANGERS ON THE ROAD: THE POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN BREAKAGE OF THE TIMING BELTS IN MANY CARS. THEY ARE PRONE TO BREAK WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING THE CAR TOTALLY WITHOUT POWER, POWER-ASSIST STEERING, OR POWER BRAKES, AS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE ABOVE CASE. FE…
Read full complaint
THIS IS A GENERAL RATHER THAN SPECIFIC COMPLAINT, ABOUT ONE OF THE GREATEST DANGERS ON THE ROAD: THE POSSIBILITY OF SUDDEN BREAKAGE OF THE TIMING BELTS IN MANY CARS. THEY ARE PRONE TO BREAK WITHOUT WARNING, LEAVING THE CAR TOTALLY WITHOUT POWER, POWER-ASSIST STEERING, OR POWER BRAKES, AS HAPPENED TO MY WIFE IN THE ABOVE CASE. FEW PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF THIS DANGER, OR OF THE NEED TO REPLACE THE TIMING BELT AFTER 50,000 MILES OR SO. THE MADDENING THING IS THAT UNBREAKABLE METAL TIMING CHAINS ARE AVAILABLE (AND USED ON THE SAME ENGINES IN PICKUP TRUCKS, I BELIEVE) BUT ARE NOT INSTALLED IN AUTOS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOISIER.*AK
VEHICLE WOULD LOSE POWER WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE ONTO THE FREEWAY. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT, BUT IT ONLY OCCURS WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE. *AK
THE TIMING BELT SNAPPED WHILE THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN. IT CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSS POWER. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
Recall campaigns
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Defect investigations
1PE87057 · Igniter Assembly Failure
Opened Sep 10, 1987 · Closed Mar 30, 1988
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System
SUMMARY: TOYOTA RECOVERED SOME FAILED IGNITION CONTROL MODULES FROM THEFIELD. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT A SOLDER JOINT IN THE POWER TRANSISTOROF THE MODULE WAS SUBJECT TO FAILURE. BECAUSE THE PART IS AN EMISSIONRELATED COMPONENT A VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS CONDUCTED.THE PREDOMINANT MODE OF FAILURE IS AN INABILITY TO START THE ENGINE,ALTHOUGH A STALLED CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.SINCE THE REPORTED OCCURENCE OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS SMALL, AND THEREPAIR IS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN, THELIKLEHOOD OF FURTHER ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS REMOTE.===
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.