2018 Toyota Camry

My car started to have issues while driving, especially when I slow down. It wants to die while I’m driving or waiting for traffic so I can turn or entering roundabouts. I recently waited for traffic and found myself turning in front of a semi. I had plenty of time, but through my turn realized that if my car had died that semi would have hit me at 45 mph. There are 2 lights on, check engine and master warning light. I have tried to have the issue fixed twice already and it was better for about 20 miles and then I have the same issue. These issues seem identical to the ones as described in the recalls for the same year make and model of my vehicle, but my specific vin is not part of the recall. I am concerned it is also part of the same issue. (It seems to have the same symptoms as the recall for the fuel pump issue or the incorrect sized pistons)

Around 47k miles the steering shaft failed and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The wheel would also not return to center on its own after turning and had to be forced back in order to drive the vehicle straight again. It was almost as if the power steering went out altogether. The dealer was aware of the issue and said that some of the steering column bind and need to be replaced. Causal research such as doing a Google search for "Toyota steering shaft binding" shows that this has been an issue for several years. The fact that the dealer knew about it shows that Toyota is simply ignoring the issue.

I am not sure why Toyota decided to set the front bumper quite low compared to other similar sized sedans from different brands out there. In the almost 4 years since I've owned this car I have had multiple scratches and scrapes on the underside of the front bumper; it's ridiculous. A very small dip in the road most of the time leads to scratches which I can feel while driving. The only way to not feel this scraping sound is to approach the dip extremely slow at around 5 mph, which is a safety concern because I don't want anyone ramming into my car from behind. Certain roads I need to pass when I get home have truly terrible construction to the point where I feel like I'm driving my car across a rocky road. I've driven other similar sedans and I don't even feel scraping along the bottom side of the front bumper when approaching a steep dip. I just can't believe how someone in the designs team at Toyota could possibly OK such a poor design. No scratches are visible on my car until you reach the front bumper which is a total disaster. In fact, much of the paint has been scraped off clean and you can see the graphite colored body color.

After owning this vehicle for almost 4 years, the "Jerky" feeling that other individuals have faced is still there, although not as severe now after I figured workarounds. However I do not like having anyone else in my vehicle as they tend to get visibly uncomfortable once they feel that jerk while the vehicle is in motion. It is nearly impossible to have a smooth transition when the vehicle has to slow down and accelerate immediately. There is almost always a significant 2-3 second delay when you have to accelerate quickly into moving traffic. If I let my foot off the gas while in motion I can feel the gears thud while in motion to accommodate for the loss in speed. Dealerships I've went to have reset the 'software' multiple times and say that the jolts are something I have to get used to and that the car 'learns' from your driving habits. A Toyota dealership rep also told me that Lexus's have this problem too. Clearly this is something that Toyota has not paid attention to since they overhauled and completely redesigned their 2018 lineup. A vehicle is NOT a pet and should not have to be trained. I am unsatisfied with how Toyota does not seem to be addressing this common transmission issue and offering repair services. The only workarounds I have experimented with myself and found some degree of success is 1. turning off eco mode 2. NOT using the cheapest gas (if located in SoCal use #89 when financially able. COSTCO gas seems to deliver good results). 3. fully warming up the car before operating for the first time 4. accelerating gradually (DO NOT STEP ON GAS PEDAL HARD) 5. avoid braking hard (do not tailgate others and allow proper distance between yourself and other drivers) These steps only lessen the severity of the jolts felt but does not totally eliminate them. I don't feel 100% safe while driving this vehicle and am planning on selling it as soon as payments are done.

After 4.5 years of owning and operating this vehicle I have noticed some major issues with headlights. Positioning of headlights is very awkward. I avoid driving at night because of this. Even when headlight setting is on the last position I can hardly see a thing in front of me. I have had other drivers flash their lights on me when approaching from the opposite direction because my lights are apparently too bright, but I am not using high beams. I keep my headlights clean and free of debris but problem is still there. I get that blinding another driver/pedestrian is not safe but I have had many instances of driving at night and larger cars (namely SUVs and pickups) swerve into my lane almost causing an accident because they cannot see my car due to the low placement of my car's headlights. When I do turn on my high beams I can see everything that the normal headlight settings refuse to show, from the stop signs that are several hundred feet away, to pedestrians crossing the street several blocks away. On normal setting I'd be lucky to even spot a pedestrian jaywalking across the street before it's too late. I have driven other sedans before and the difference is quite large, how is it that with older cars I can see more without the high beam setting on but with the 2018 Camry I need to bump it up to high beams just to see better at night? Toyota still has not even fixed this even now with their current Camry lineup. At this point having an SUV/pickup serves to be a great advantage.

During the summer months when temperatures were extreme, my car suddenly had that infamous orange triangle light up and a warning about the tire pressure. I had to avoid taking the freeway home and instead had to take a 30-minute long trek home along the streets. When I went to inspect my tires I saw several large bulges along the sides of multiple tires, especially the front two tires. I immediately took them to the nearest reputable tire shop and they told me that most likely a nail may have caused the issue, but they did not find a single nail nor any holes in the tire that may have been leaking out air. Repair process was difficult as the first tire shop I went to did not carry the tires my car comes with (apparently they are very hard to come across where I live) but offered to replace all tires with used ones for $70 and strongly recommended I get new ones as soon as possible. The second shop told me that I was lucky to spot the issue quickly and seek repair or else the car tires would have exploded while in motion. Whatever manufacturer stock tires Toyota is using should not even be approved at all. Why not use strong, sturdy tires from a reputable brand instead of settling for cheap ones? Since replacing the tires I have had no issues whatsoever.

Since I have purchased this vehicle when it first came out, I have noticed that the steering is very stiff, particularly when driving along curvy, windy roads (ex. certain freeway exits/entrances that require you to follow along a curve). I did not realize how stiff the steering wheel was until I was forced to get a rental car following several car accidents over the course of 2 years. At times the steering was so stiff I actually almost dislocated my shoulder joints several times, or tore muscles/ligaments deep within my shoulder which would take at least a month to fully heal. Other cars I have driven (including a 2019 Toyota Sienna AWD have excellent steering fluidity and show no signs of stiffness). I understand that this "stiffness" is a safety feature (Anti-Lock steering) but there needs to be a way to lessen the stiff feeling as for individuals with weaker joints like me this can cause pain and injury and temporary immobility.