2000 Toyota Camry

I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY XLE, WHICH HAS 51.565 MILES. ON JULY 31, 2004 THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALER AND BROUGHT THE CAR IN TO BE CHECKED ON AUGUST 04, 2004. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME IT WAS THE FUEL EVAPORATOR VALVE THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AND WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $220, BUT THEY NEED TO ORDER THE PART, SO WE SET ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED ON AUGUST 10, 2004. I PICKED THE CAR UP TODAY (JULY 31, 2004) AND PAID $114.50 FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS (I AM HOPING MY NEXT BILL WILL BE AROUND $110 SO I DO NOT GO TO FAR OVER THE ESTIMATED PRICE, BUT LOOKING AT THE BILL THEY ARE ESTIMATING $99.07 TO INSTALL AND 48.85 FOR THE PART SO I AM GUESSING I WILL BE WELL OVER THE $220 PRICE QUOTED). MY INVOICE SAYS THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE IS "P0446 WAS PRESENT FOR EVAP SYSTEM TRACE TO VENT CONTROL MALFUNCTION SPECIAL ORDER VSV CONTROL APPROX 99.07 TO INSTALL". I THEN WENT OUT TO THE WEB TO DETERMINE EXACTLY WHAT THIS PART IS AND I DISCOVERED MANY COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE ON THE WEB. MOST OF THEM WERE TOLD THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE VALVE AND CANISTER FOR A PRICE AROUND $550. BY LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB RELATING TO THIS ISSUE (MOST OF THEM WHEN THE CAR REACHES APPROXIMATELY 55,000 MILES) I DECIDED TO FILE THIS IN THE HOPES THAT THIS PART WILL EVENTUALLY BECOME A RECALL, SINCE THERE SEEMS TO BE SO MANY ISSUES. *AK

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY WIFE'S 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY LE, 4 CYLINDER. DEALER CHARGED $72 FOR DIAGNOSIS AND RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF CHARCOAL CANISTER DUE TO EMISSIONS VENT CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, CODE PO 440. I DIDNT GET IT DONE. DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND SEE DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM TOYOTA USERS. CANT TOYOTA CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, AS ITS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN OR MANUFACTURING FLAW? *AK

I PURCHASED A 2000 TOYOTA CAMRY CE (VIN # 4T1BG22KOYU962183) WITH A 4 CYLINDER ENGINE, 5 SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN FEBRUARY OF 2000. FRIDAY, JULY 3, 2004 AROUND 6:15AM I WAS DRIVING THIS CAR TO WORK ON RTE 495 SOUTH IN HUDSON, MASS. WITHOUT WARNING, I HEARD A POP UNDER THE HOOD AND SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD EXPLOSION. WHITE SMOKE WAS POURING OUT THE REAR AND DARK SMOKE FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I WAS DRIVING 65 MPH DOWN A STEEP GRADE, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. I QUICKLY BEGAN PULL INTO THE BRAKE DOWN LANE. I APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS ALSO TO THE FLOOR. I SLOWLY APPLIED THE PARKING BRAKE AND MANAGED TO GET THE CAR STOPPED. I HAD FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD AND SMOKE COMING INTO THE DRIVERS COMPARTMENT. THE TRAFFIC THAT WAS BEING BLINDED BY THE SMOKE AND THE ROAD HAD GUARDRAILS SO I COULD NOT PULL COMPLETELY OFF THE ROAD. I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING OUT OF THE CAR INTO TRAFFIC BUT I HAD TO GET OUT QUICKLY. I GOT AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE AND CALLED THE AUTHORITIES. BY THE TIME THE FIRE TRUCKS ARRIVED THE FRONT OF THE CAMRY WAS FULLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR WAS A TOTAL LOSS. WHAT OCCURRED THAT MORNING HIT ME LATER. I REALIZED THAT I COULD HAVE BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. THANKFULLY I DID NOT PANIC AND CAUSE A BAD SITUATION TO BE WORSE. I THOUGHT WHAT IF SOMEONE ELSE HAD BEEN DRIVING THIS CAR, MY PREGNANT DAUGHTER OR MY WIFE. WHAT IF A FAMILY WITH A CHILD IN A CAR SEAT, A NEW YOUNGER DRIVER OR AN ELDERLY PERSON WAS DRIVING? I CONSIDER MYSELF LUCKY TO WALK AWAY UNINJURED. SOMEONE ELSE MIGHT HAVE BEEN ANOTHER STORY. I DONT KNOW WHAT CAUSED THIS TO OCCUR, I TOOK GOOD CARE OF THIS VEHICLE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY, TRAVELERS CASUALTY COMPANY OF CONNECTICUT, IS HANDLING THE SETTLEMENT. I THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO LET YOU KNOW OF THIS FAILURE. I HAD FOUND THAT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION INTO CAMRY FIRES A WHILE AGO. PLEASE CONTACT ME IF YOU NEED MORE DETAILS. WILLIAM HOVEY. *NM

UPON SLOWING DOWN TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. THEN SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND FLAMES WERE UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CONTACTED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THEY ARE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *AK *SC

WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH IN CRUISE CONTROL CONSUMER KEPT FEELING AN ABNORMAL SHIFT IN THE ENGINE. GEARS WERE SHIFTING, BUT THEY WERE DOING SO ROUGHLY. CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISABLED ,AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. HE EXAMINED THE ENGINE, DROVE THE VEHICLE, AND CLAIMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS WORKING NORMALLY. VEHICLE WAS GETTING VERY LOW GAS MILEAGE CONSIDERING THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS SUPPOSE TO GET HIGH GAS MILEAGE. *AK

VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION UPON PULLING INTO A SPACE IN AN OPEN PARKING LOT. THIS RESULTED IN VEHICLE JUMPING THE CURB, GOING THROUGH GRASS, OVER THE MEDIUM, AND LANDING ON A PARKED VEHICLE ON THE LOWER LEVEL. DEALERSHIP PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST, BUT NO FAILURE CODE WAS FOUND. *AK THE CONSUMER PULLED INTO THE PARKING SPACE, THE VEHICLE DID NOT MOVE FORWARD, THE CONSUMER LIGHTLY PLACED HER FOOT ON THE GAS AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD. *SC *JB

MYSELF ALONG WITH MY 16 YEAR OLD BROTHER, SON 9, AND DAUGHTER 5 WERE DRIVING SUNDAY MORNING ON OUR WAY TO SAN DIEGO TO ATTEND THE PADRE GAME WHEN SUDDENLY ON THE HIGHWAY 15 WE HEARD A LOAD POP, SO I PROCEDED TO GET OFF ON THE ADAMS OFF RAMP, WHEN MY LIL. BROTHER SCREAMED IT'S A FIRE! AND HE DASHED OUT GETTING MY DAUGHTER OUT WHILE I STRUGGLED TO GET MY SON OUT THE CAR THEN SOMEONE PULLED OVER TOLD US TO GET IN THE CAR AND AS WE DROVE TO THE TOP OF THE OFF RAMP MY CAR EXPLODED, NO CRASH NOTHING HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR MY LIL. BROTHER THINKING FAST WHO KNOWS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPED, MY CAR WAS AND IS STILL UNDER TOYOTAS WARRANTY. I'M WAITING TO SEE WHY THIS HAPPENED THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED!! MY FAMILY SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO GO THROUGH THIS. I HOPE THAT TOYOTA AND MY INSURANCE COMPANY HANDLE THIS ASAP!*AK