1999 Toyota Camry

ADDITIONAL INFO TO ODI NUMBER 765034 - SHOP MENTIONED THAT THE WATER PUMP DAMAGED CAUSED SCRAPPING ON THE ENGINE BLOCK. SINCE THE ENGINE BLOCK IS MADE OF AN ALUMINUM BASE HIS CONCERN WAS THAT THE MARKS MIGHT CAUSE A CRACK TO OCCUR. HE SAID NO LEAKING WAS SEEN AT THIS TIME BUT I WANT TO PUT ON RECORD THAT DAMAGE WAS MADE TO THE ENGINE THAT MIGHT CAUSE PROBLEMS IN THE FURTURE. THIS SCRAPING WAS DUE TO THE WATER PUMP FAILURE THAT WAS NOTED IN THE ODI NUMBER 765034 QUESTIONNAIRE. THIS INFO WAS ALSO MENTIONED TO TOYOTA IN A CERTIFIED LETTER BUT I HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY RESPONSE YET FROM TOYOTA.

ON 9/8/2001 I HAD THE 30,000 MILE MAINTENANCE PERFORMED ON MY 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY. ON JULY 7,2002, THE WATER PUMP FAILED AND DAMAGED THE TIMING BELT. I HAD TO REPLACE THE WATER PUMP, TIMING(CAMSHAFT BELT) , SEVERAL ADDITIONAL BELTS, IDLER , TENSIONER AND ANTI-FREEZE. LABOR AND PARTS TOTALED $710.44. THIS IS THE 5TH OCCURANCE OF A WATER PUMP FAILING ON A 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY WITH UNDER 45,000 MILES THAT WAS REPORTED ON THIS WEB SITE ALONE. THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY COVERS THE WATER PUMP FOR 60 MONTHS OR 60,000 MILES. I HAVE SENT A CERTIFIED LETTER TO TOYOTA , WHICH THEY HAVE RECEIVED BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE FROM THEM. THE WATER PUMP SHOULD LAST MORE THAT 45,000 MILE AND WITH THE NUMBER OF FAILURES THAT HAVE OCCURED, THERE IS A TREND THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS PART.*AKI

01/2001 - 03/2001 4 WHEEL ABS. INTERMITTENT OCCURRENCE OF THE FOLLOWING: ABS FUNCTIONING OR BRAKES OPERATING WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT DEPRESSED. NOTICE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, CAR STARTS TO VIBRATE EXCESSIVELY FROM UNNEEDED BRAKING. THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AS DRIVING CONTINUES. AFTER 1 INCIDENT TOOK CAR TO A REPAIR STATION BECAUSE I NEEDED TO APPLY THE GAS PEDAL TO GO DOWN HILL TO KEEP CAR GOING AT SPEED LIMIT (WHERE USUALLY CAR WILL ROLL AT SPEED LIMIT). CAR PUT ON RACKS AND FOUND BRAKES WERE EXTREMELY HOT. ALL WHEELS COULD NOT BE HAND TURNED. AFTER BRAKES COOLED PROBLEM WAS ABLE TO DRIVE CAR NORMALLY. HAD 4 OCCURRENCES OF THIS IN LAST 3 MONTHS. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR. DEALER SAID THERE WAS NO SENSE IS TAKING THINGS APART WHEN THERE WERE NO SYMPTOMS. 03/2001 TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER 3 WEEKS LATER. LATEST EXPERIENCE WAS THAT BRAKES WERE NOW FAILING. PEDAL WENT LOW WHEN APPLYING BRAKES. DEALER SAID BRAKE FLUID WAS CONTAMINTATED AND WARRANTY IS NOW VOID. DEALER MENTIONED THAT 1 WEEK EARLIER ANOTHER CAR CAME IN WITH CONTAMINATED BRAKE FLUID. DEALER SAYS THAT DUE TO CONTAMINATION, THEY NEED TO REPLACE ALMOST ENTIRE BRAKING SYSTEM (CALIPERS, LINES, MASTER, ABS SENSORS) THIS WAS ESTIMATED AT OVER $3,000. TOLD DEALER TO TRY AND ONLY FLUSH BRAKE FLUID. HE SAID COULD DO THIS BUT THEY WOULD ALSO NEED TO REPLACE THE MASTER SINCE BRAKE PEDAL WAS GOING LOW. DEALER ALSO SAID THAT THEY (TOYOTA) WOULD NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY BRAKE FAILURE THAT OCCURRED FOLLOWING THIS COMPROMISED REPAIR ALTERNATIVE. DEALER CALLED LATER AND SAID FRONT ROTORS ALSO NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THEY ARE BEYOND TOLERANCE FOR RESURFACING. AGREED TO THE CHANGE. (TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS: $1,000) 09/2001 THE CAR OPERATED FINE FOR ALMOST SIX MONTHS. NOTICE THAT AT AROUND THE 60 MPH RANGE, VIBRATION STARTS TO OCCUR. APPEARS TO BE THE EARLY SYMPTOMS OF THE ABS STARTING TO FUNCTION WITHOUT DEPRESSING BRAKES (AGAIN). IMO PROBLEM IS THE ABS STARTING TO FUNCTION BY ITSELF. PROBLEM STOPPED *

THERE IS A SQEAK COMING FROM THE FRONT END WHEN I GO OVER SMALL BUMPS/DIPS IN THE ROAD. TOYOTA RECOMMENDED THE REPLACEMENT OF TIE RODS, WHICH DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. THE NOISE CONTINUES AND HAS INCREASED IN SEVERITY. THE AIR CONDITIONER SMELLS WHEN USING IT. IT SMELLS LIKE MOLD. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER, BUT ALL THEY DO IS SPRAY IT WITH FRIGI-FRESH, WHICH ONLY MASKS THE SMELL FOR A SHORT WHILE.*AK