NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
600 reports95,000 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
DRIVING THE CAMRY DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN OIL LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN 2-3 MILES I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF AND AS I ROLLED INTO A GAS STATION THE ENGINE BEGAN KNOCKING. WHEN TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER THEY SAID THE ENGINE WAS RUINED BUT CLAIMED IT WASN\\'T RELATED TO THE WELL-KNOWN OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM. THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED EVERY …
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DRIVING THE CAMRY DOWN THE INTERSTATE WHEN OIL LIGHT CAME ON. WITHIN 2-3 MILES I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF AND AS I ROLLED INTO A GAS STATION THE ENGINE BEGAN KNOCKING. WHEN TOWED TO A TOYOTA DEALER THEY SAID THE ENGINE WAS RUINED BUT CLAIMED IT WASN\\'T RELATED TO THE WELL-KNOWN OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM. THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED EVERY 3000-5000 MILES AND NEITHER LEAKED NOR USED OIL. THE DEALER HAD NO EXPLANATION WHY THE ENGINE WOULD SO SUDDENLY BE ROBBED ON OIL THAT IT WOULD THROW A ROD AND BE RUINED. I HAVE SINCE LEARNED THE ENGINE HAS GIVEN SO MANY PROBLEMS THAT TOYOTA DISCONTINUED IT (THE 2.2 4LITER). SINCE I HAD TO HAVE A USED ENGINE PUT IN (TOYOTA WANTED $5300!!) I HAVE NO ASSURANCE THAT THIS ENGINE WON\\'T DO EXACTLY THE SAME THING!!
NHTSA ODI #10069994
Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
ENGINE FAILED DUE TO OIL SLUDGING.DEALER TOLD ME IT IS MY FAULT DO TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES.THEY SAY I NEED NEW ENGINE.I REPAIRED MYSELF SO IT IS DRIVABLE,BUT STILL HAS PROBLEMS.SOME KIND OF KNOCK AND OIL LEAK.I RECEIVED LETTER STATING TOYOTA WILL BACK THERE PRODUCT, BUT DEALER STILL WILL NOT HELP. DEALER IS TOYOTA ON NICHOLASV…
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ENGINE FAILED DUE TO OIL SLUDGING.DEALER TOLD ME IT IS MY FAULT DO TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES.THEY SAY I NEED NEW ENGINE.I REPAIRED MYSELF SO IT IS DRIVABLE,BUT STILL HAS PROBLEMS.SOME KIND OF KNOCK AND OIL LEAK.I RECEIVED LETTER STATING TOYOTA WILL BACK THERE PRODUCT, BUT DEALER STILL WILL NOT HELP. DEALER IS TOYOTA ON NICHOLASVILLE.
NHTSA ODI #10069796
98,000 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
MY CAMRY STARTED ACTING FUNNY. WHILE LEAVING WORK TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING NOISES SO I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WAITED FOR THE TOW TRUCK. THIS WAS WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2003. ON FRIDAY MORNING, MY HUSBAND WAS NOTIFIED THAT WE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE OF "OIL GELLING" OR "…
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MY CAMRY STARTED ACTING FUNNY. WHILE LEAVING WORK TO TAKE MY CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING NOISES SO I PULLED OVER, SHUT THE CAR OFF AND WAITED FOR THE TOW TRUCK. THIS WAS WEDNESDAY JUNE 25, 2003. ON FRIDAY MORNING, MY HUSBAND WAS NOTIFIED THAT WE NEEDED A NEW ENGINE BECAUSE OF "OIL GELLING" OR "OIL SLUDGING" AND IT WOULD BE $3,500. I TOOK ALL OF THE PAPERWORK WITH A COPY OF THE JUNE 2002 TOYOTA LETTER TO MY DEALER TO SEE IF I WOULD "QUALIFY" FOR THEIR SUPPORT PROGRAM. WHEN I ASKED THE SERVICE TECH WHY THE CARS HAD NOT BEEN RECALLED DUE TO THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE THAT COULD BE CAUSED AND HE TOLD ME IT WAS ONLY A SMALL NUMBER OF CONSUMERS. I HAVE FOUND THAT TO BE UNTRUE. I WOULD EXPECT FOR TOYOTA TO PAY FOR A NEW ENGINE PLUS A COMPORABLE RENTAL CAR UNTIL MY CAR IS FIXED ALONG WITH OFFERING A EXTENDED OR NEW WARRENTY SINE THE SAME PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE REOCCURRING.
NHTSA ODI #10069623
56,000 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO OIL GELLING.
NHTSA ODI #10069602
74,954 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
ENGINE BLOW UP AND BLEW RODS, ROD BARS, CRANK, OIL PUMP, RINGS, PISTONS, THRUST WASHERS, SHIMS.
NHTSA ODI #10069194
123,000 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM. MY TOYOTA DEALERSHIP HAS NOT COMMITTED TO TAKING CARE OF THE PROBLEM. WE ARE CURRENTLY STILL WORKING WITH THEM TO SEE IF THEY WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM.
NHTSA ODI #10068842
93,613 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
ENGINE FAILED DUE TO OIL GELLING OR SLUDGE.
NHTSA ODI #10068737
83,000 miles · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine Cooling
I EXPERIENCED A TEXT BOOK CASE OF WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THE TOYOTA SLUDGE PROBLEM. I WANTED TO BRING IT IN TO MY CLOSEST TOYOTA DEALER BUT WAS TOLD THAT IF I DID NOT HAVE PROOF OF OIL CHANGE EVERY 3000 MILES (MANUAL SUGGESTS 7500) NOT TO BOTHER BECAUSE HAD NO LEG TO STAND ON AND WAS BASICALLY SCREWED.
NHTSA ODI #10068716
Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 2004
Engine And Engine CoolingSeat Belts
WATER PUMP BURST AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. IN ADDITION, CONSUMER WAS AWAITING A REPLACEMENT PART FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT MECHANISM. *PH CC COPY TO NHTSA
NHTSA ODI #10056099
81,250 miles · Jan 13, 2004
Seat Belts
CENTER REAR SEAT BELT DOES NOT RETRACT. *AK THE FAILURE WAS UNEXPECTED AND SEEMED TO BE A DEFECT. THE CONSUMER WAS NOT ABLE TO USE THE CENTER BELT IN THE REAR SEAT. THE DEALER REFUSED TO COVER THE REPAIR COST. *SC
NHTSA ODI #10049838
NHTSA investigations
2PE02079 · Engine Compartment Fire
Opened Oct 22, 2002 · Closed Mar 18, 2003
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
ODI'S DATA ANALYSIS FOUND THE FIRES RATES TO BE CONSISTENTLY LOW AND EVENLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG SIX MODEL YEARS AND SIX DIFFERENT ENGINE CONFIGURATIONS.ODI EXAMINED A VARIETY OF ROOT CAUSES, THOSE BEING DETONATION (RESULTING IN OIL PAN PUNCTURE FROM CONNECTING ROD), STARTER FIRES, VARIOUS FUEL RELATED FIRES, LEAKING OIL FILTERS, WIRING ISSUES, IMPROPER REPAIRS AND BRAKE FLUID LEAKS.NONE OF THE ISSUES EXAMINED HAD REPORTS THAT INDICATED A TREND WHEN NORMALIZED FOR POPULATON AND EXPOSURE.SEE ATTACHED REPORT FOR FULL DETAILS.
DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.
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