Toyota Camry Complaints (2003)

782 consumer complaints on file.

#11771666October 16, 2026
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, SERVICE BRAKES
Sudden Unintended Acceleration: I had been out doing errands in the morning. I returned home, pulling up in front of my townhouse which is on a cul de sac. After gently coming to a stop, I planned to back up just a bit to park my car along the curb. (I did not have my foot on the accelerator, as the car normally goes gently backwards when you put it in reverse.) When I put it in R, the car accelerated backwards and crashed into a car that was parked along the curb about 15-20 ft behind me. I instinctively put the car in D to stop going uncontrollably backwards. The car shot forward; the brakes did not work. The car was out of control, making very loud revving sounds and loud screeching sounds from slamming on the brakes. Somehow, it did finally come to a stop by itself ¾ of the way around the cul de sac. Wanting to get out of the middle of the street, I instinctively turned the car back on and drove it slowly to my driveway. The car functioned normally. I could have badly injured or killed someone; in my cul de sac, there is often a lot of activity involving people of all ages, including children and babies. A police report exists. The car I hit was totaled. I had the car towed to my mechanic. He said the car didn’t throw any codes. He inspected it, but did not find anything wrong with it. The local Toyota dealership refuses to touch it because it’s been in an accident. I called Toyota (Plano TX) on 10/5: filed a claim with them on 10/7. A 3rd third-party inspector from Engineering Analysis Associates inspected the car and did a Bosch download from the black box on 10/14. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I don’t absolutely know which component or system failed or malfunctioned. I am wondering if it’s a "ghost" software glitch (see Bookout vs Toyota litigation). Something similar happened to my husband in April 2025 when he was parking in a parking lot. The car is available for inspection upon request.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11768872October 4, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I am reporting a serious nighttime visibility and roadway-safety concern involving excessive glare from modern LED headlights while driving my 2003 Toyota Camry. When vehicles equipped with extremely bright LED headlights approach from the opposite direction or follow behind me, the glare can temporarily impair my vision and make it difficult to see the roadway, lane markings, pedestrians, hazards, and other vehicles. The effect is especially severe when the headlights are very high intensity, have a high color temperature, or are mounted on taller vehicles such as SUVs and trucks. This is not simply a complaint about brightness or personal preference. The glare creates periods of significantly reduced visibility while I am actively operating the vehicle. At nighttime driving speeds, even a brief loss of clear forward vision presents a meaningful safety risk.My 2003 Toyota Camry was designed in an era when vehicle lighting was substantially different from today's increasingly common high-output LED systems. I am concerned that current federal lighting standards and testing procedures do not adequately account for the real-world glare experienced by drivers of older, lower vehicles. I ask NHTSA to investigate whether current headlamp standards adequately control glare from modern LED lighting, including headlamp intensity, color temperature, aiming, mounting height, and the effects on drivers of lower/older vehicles. I also ask whether existing testing accurately reflects real-world nighttime conditions. The purpose of this complaint is to bring attention to a growing safety issue: lighting intended to improve one driver's visibility can, when excessively glaring to others, reduce another driver's ability to see the road safely.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11736032May 6, 2026
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle would suddenly accelerate or lunge forward and had done so several times, both while idle, pressing the brakes, and while driving at various speeds. Suddenly accelerated downhill, and when approaching the inner section, the contact immediately turned the vehicle to avoid hitting another vehicle and ended up crashing into a nearby residence's garage, causing the vehicle to stop. The air bags did not deploy. The garage door was damaged, and the contact's vehicle's front-end was damaged. A police report was filed. The contact had stated they had experienced sleep issues and a fear of driving the vehicle since the incident. The vehicle was able to be driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle had not been driven since. The contact spoke with a certified mechanic who informed them it was a known issue and of NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V388000 (Vehicle Speed Control), which related to their experienced failure. The mechanic did not repair the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V388000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and they too confirmed that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11676738July 28, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 127,888, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 165,064.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11615552September 20, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
No incident. But it's a problem with the ABS. Dealership says it's nothing wrong with the brakes. But it is. Had a diagnostics done at Auto Zone, and it came back showing a code for the ABS system. But showed the service dept the code that it showed something is wrong with ABs. They still say nothing is wrong.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11523677May 24, 2023
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for service and the mechanic informed her that the subframe, muffler, the brakes, and the gas tank were extremely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 206,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11495086November 28, 2022
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
48 degrees outside, sitting in my car waiting a few minutes for it to warm up, after about one minute of sitting in it, the rear driver side window just cracked everywhere and shattered. Glass all over. Not happy, no reason why this should have happened. No cars were around, nothing hit it, it just shattered with no warning or no reason. I always loved Toyotas but this is really discouraging.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11488229October 6, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2003 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that oil was leaking from the vehicle onto her driveway. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine bolts had sheared off. The contact stated that the bolts were replaced and torqued to specs however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure however, no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 215,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11471000June 26, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Having purchased w 2003 Toyota Camry 2.4l, (with good paint, no rust, great interior, and new clear headlights) 3 days prior, the previous owner reported no current issues. The check engine light come on the 3 rd day as I drove away from the DMV having just titled it. AC was blowing cold, no other dash lights were on and I couldn't feel any apparent issues driving, so I proceed to my place of employment, where a friend whom is an independent mechanic had the machine to read check engine codes. I never made it. Had driven approximately 25 miles and came to a full stop for a red light. Upon turning green and beginning to accelerate, my Camry's engine died and would not start. When the key was turned it made no noise at all. Towed to a mechanic shop, I was asked if it had overheated, it had not. Without investing further and me acquiring a diagnostics charge, he said one apparent issue was the fact that there was absolutely no coolant in the engine. Dumfounded I had ittowed home where another Mechanic friend (licensed) was going to see about reapiring it. One of the code//errors read, was that the was no combustion, the radiator was full, but there was no traces of coolant in the engine, when took of the engine mainfold right away he noticed 3 cool packs that were damaged, as well as what appeared to be a used head gasket poorly installed, and worse if all the timing chain had jumped and made a mad mesh nightmare to the engine...so previous owners obviously sold me their night mare, I now am stuck with either replacing the engine (not) or bring carless once again.✔️✔️ Note: Contacted the acclaimed christian, God fearing sellers, whom I paid $4000 and they kindly refunded me $1000, as they stated it was no fault of theirs ..
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469268June 14, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was going 45 to 50 mph and my car shut off in middle of highway and we barely got out of highway before getting hit there is recall on same kind of car for throttle body and that's what's wrong with mine so it has too be that they missed my car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11442751December 5, 2021
SEAT BELTS, SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
Driver seat belts releases on its own especiall while driving. I stop and push metal clasp back into position, sometimes with force to make sure it is engaged. Sometimes it stays in place, sometimes not. I also check to make sure nothing is in the way of metal clasp before pushing it into the slot. I never know when it will pop back again undtil the light on the dashboard starts to flash. This has been going on for about 2 months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441755November 26, 2021
ENGINE
I have a 2003 Toyota Camry le (4 cylinder, 2. 4 l) which began leaking engine coolant from around the engine block. My mechanic determined that the root cause of the leak was loose head bolts in the engine block. I was advised to either replace the engine or rebuild it both of which are cost prohibitive given the value of the car at 114,000 miles. I have come to learn that this is a very common problem with 2003 Camrys and Toyota has issued no recall for this issue. This particular car was well maintained by Toyota dealership service.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440194November 12, 2021
AIR BAGS
2003 TOYOTA CAMRY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS DISPLAYING A DEFECT IN THE DASH AREA WHERE THE AIR BAG IS LOCATED. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED INFORMATION ABOUT THE VEHICLE AND HOW TO PROCEED WITH REPAIRS.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434251September 24, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I started my car and began to back up, when the rear-view mirror burst into smoke, it began filling the car with smoke. I reached up and pulled the wires out of the mirror and the wires were arcing. After I pulled the wires out the smoke started subsiding. I opened the doors and aired out the car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432702September 13, 2021
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
After oxygen sensors were changed the VSC and track off lights came on and wouldn't turn off and it's using a lot of fuel consumption and it takes a second for the car to pick up after stepping on the gas pedal
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11430879August 28, 2021
AIR BAGS
Front passenger side collision at 30+ mph, NO airbags deployed
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11415494May 7, 2021
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, SEATS
DRIVERS SIDE POWER SEAT IS STUCK IN FORWARD. EMERGENCY BRAKE DOES NOT WORK. ENGINE REQUIRES 1 GALLON OF OIL EVERY 2 THOUSAND MILES.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11389759January 25, 2021
STRUCTURE:BODY, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AS I TURNED SLIGHTLY RIGHT INTO MY PARKING SPACE WITH MY FOOT LIFTING FROM THE GAS PEDAL TOWARD THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY TOOK ON A LIFE OF ITS OWN AND SPED UP THEN CRASHED RIGHT THRU THE GATE THAT DIVIDED THE PARKING SPACE FROM THE SIDEWALK. I WAS IN SHOCK AND THOUGHT THERE WAS A GHOST OF SOME KIND THAT JUST TOOK OVER THE GAS PEDAL AS IT SPED UP. MY FRONT BUMPER WAS DESTROYED AND FRONT GRILL ALONG WITH THE LOWER HEAD LIGHTS OF VEHICLE ALONG WITH THE HOOD OF THE CAR.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11377127November 30, 2020
ENGINE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE HER DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING 55 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TO SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN DRIVEN TO HER DESTINATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWICE. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED OR NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11363117October 6, 2020
SEAT BELTS
SEATBELT WONT CLICK INTO THE BUCKLE AND OR RELEASE ON THEIR OWN HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS AND THEN HAVE IT EVENTUALLY STOPPED WORKING COMPLETELY I CANNOT BUCKLE MY DRIVER SEAT BELT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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