Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | ||||||
| PE01024 | TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. | 07/18/2001 | 01/29/2002 | SUSPENSION COIL SPRING | ||
| Alleged that the left hand front coil spring can fail while either driving or stationary, potentially causing a loss of vehicle control. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 1 | |||
| The vehicle experienced stalling/starting problems, which was caused by the egr valve, the fuel pressure regulator and the idle speed control valve, which were all replaced, the tires experienced uneven tire wear, the brakes failed, there were transmission, driveline and steering problems, the o-ring was replaced, and also the vehicle began to exhibit engine oil sludge. *ak *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 07/18/2011 | 127510 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1996 toyota camry xle. the contact was driving 15 mph when the vehicle exhibited an abnormal noise from the rear, similar to a thump. the steering then became difficult and the contact began having difficulties steering the vehicle straight. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised that the sway bar and front end suspension failed. in addition, the springs and struts were fractured, an oil leak was discovered and the dealer recommended a front end alignment. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 127,510 and the current mileage was 127,555. kmj | |||
| 02/01/1996 | 5 | 10/04/1995 | |
| Upon starting vehicle at idle speed, the control valve sticks. this problem has been examined by dealership, and consumer has been told that this was normal. *ak brakes experience grinding, squeaking, and vibration, rotors were warped and brake pads were glazed, brakes have been replaced, however problem continues. consumer states there is a suspension problem that is causing uneven tire wear. vehicle experiences several engine related problems, motor mounts were weak causing steering wheel vibration, 16 valve seals came apart due to being installed incorrectly, water pump leaked, timing belt failed, valve cover leaked, and cam seal was replaced. vehicle experienced transmission related problems, right outer axle boot was split and leaking grease, cv boots failed twice, shifter was hard and was making noises, dealer found the shifter lever plate was broken, transmission pan gasket was replaced, there was a clunking noise in the rear when going in reverse. the car jack was missing from the trunk and the antenna was inoperable. dealer found an open circuit in the battery. consumer noticed a rattling noise under the right front seat, dealer secured seat slide adjuster hook, temperature gauge did not work properly. overdrive light was inoperable. vehicle has experienced several fuel related problems, the egr valve assembly, egr modulator, idler control valve, idle air speed control, distributor o-ring, idler bearing, isc valve, and vacuum switching valve have all been replaced, blue smoke was coming out of the exhaust, dealer cleaned the throttle body, fuel injection, and recalibrated the fuel sensor, vehicle was running rough and stalling due to faulty egr vacuum modulator, dealer stated that the valve would default if there was too much oil added, the valve is too small so it will stick or become clogged up with carbon build up. *slc | |||
| 09/01/1999 | |||
| The front end of the vehicle vibrates when reaching a speed above 55 mph, also on highway driving the vehicle pulls to right and/or left at times, dealership indicates no problem, because they will only test the vehicle on side roads, as opposed to highway driving which is what i bought the car for. the cruise control when engaged, if you hit the brakes, while the tires are still torqued makes an extremely loud bang, and the vehicle at times tends to speed up then slow down. *ak | |||
| When making a left or right turn the vehicle severely pulls to the right. cause unknown. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| 02/12/1997 | 1 | ||
| Vehicle misaligned. | |||
| 06/06/1996 | |||
| Leased vehicle. vehicle veers to the left then at about 500 ft it shoots violently to the right. this is an ongoing problem. *ak | |||
| While driving, experiences front suspension instability when vehicle wanders uncontrollably to extreme left, dlr has realigned several times, and replaced many parts, problem persists.*ak | |||
| While driving, experienced front suspension instability, when vehicle wanders uncontrollably to extreme left, dlr has realigned front suspension several times, and replaced many parts, problem persists.*ak | |||
| 09/01/1996 | 2 | 10/11/1996 | |
| Misalignment, causing vehicle to drift to left/right, also steering wheel croocked and replaced front tires. *ak | |||
| 03/19/1996 | 9 | ||
| Misalignment of front end, causing vehicle to pull. *sd | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM | |||
| 09/29/2003 | 14289 | 1 | 01/01/1999 |
| While driving 55 mph, the consumer lost steering control of the vehicle, when that occurred, the consumer applied the brakes, which caused the vehicle to spin around. the vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the consumer that the front control arm had snapped.*ak *ph *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - MACPHERSON STRUT | |||
| 03/30/2001 | 1 | 12/21/1995 | |
| While driving at approximately 40 mph felt a slight loss of power which was corrected by itself. a minute later, wheels locked up, and vehicle came to a stop. transmission repair shop informed consumer that transaxle cracked and it broke off where it was attached to the body. differential unit locking was torn up, and center support was wiped out. transfer case also broke where it went onto the body. *ak dealer also stated that there was chunks of metal found from the differential drain plug. consumer had electrical problems with vehicle including starting problems. strut failure. key and lock problems. windshield wipers faulty. interior and brake light failure. *slc | |||
| 02/21/1996 | 1 | 02/21/1996 | |
| Front strut assembly failed. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 09/01/1996 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| Shocks and pads failed. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - AIR SUSPENSION SYSTEM | |||
| 1 | 01/03/1996 | ||
| Design defect in front end suspension, eliminates camber adjustment, cannot bring alignment spec to legal requirements. | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - SPRINGS - COIL SPRINGS | |||
| 09/08/2004 | 1 | 12/22/1999 | |
| Vehicle's coil spring broke and punctured the tire. *mr when the consumer was in the parking lot, the coil spring suddenly broke and punctured the tire resulting in a blowout. *sc *jb | |||
| 07/20/2004 | 1 | ||
| The consumer stated when his daughter pulled into a parking lot, the front coil spring broke causing a blow out on the front passenger tire. *jb | |||
| 05/09/2003 | 200000 | 1 | 12/30/1995 |
| The front driver side suspension coil spring snapped while driving in reverse to move out of a parking space and fractured the end of the spring and scored the tire wall. *nlm *ak the microscopic observation of the fractured surface showed dark crystals embedded in the steel. *scc the air conditioner did not blow cold air, the dealer replaced the condensor and receiver dryer *jb | |||
| 04/02/2003 | 127655 | 1 | 03/18/1996 |
| The front coil spring snapped and punctured the front driver tire. *jb | |||
| 06/11/2001 | 0 | ||
| While backing out of driveway vehicle's left front coil spring broke, and went through left front tire, and tire deflated. consumer stated vehicle was hard to steer temporarily. consumer felt this was unsafe because it could happen on freeway. consumer has not contacted dealer. please provide any furthur information.*ak | |||
| 05/15/2001 | 1 | 05/01/2000 | |
| Consumer was parked in driveway getting ready to back up and front spring coil popped through tire on driver's front side. consumer didn't have any signs driving home from work. tire was taken off, and what was left had a big blotch in metal. it was broken in half, only top part was attached to vehicle. vehicle was towed to dealer, and warranty coverage was for 36,000 miles.*ak | |||
| 04/09/2001 | |||
| Left side front end coil spring broke while getting into parked vehicle. manufacturer notified, and informed consumer that the vehicle was out of its warranty, and not covered under a manufacturer's recall. feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak | |||
| 05/19/1999 | 06/02/1996 | ||
| Front left coil spring broke and fell onto the road, which could cause loss of vehicle control. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - MULTIPLE AXLE | |||
| 05/07/2000 | 0 | ||
| Left rear wheel is making a noise and leaking oil. right side is leaking oil also, but is not making noise. consumer feels wheel may come off. dealer replaced the hub and bearing that was making noise. *ak *ml | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 08/12/1997 | 9999 | 03/01/1996 | |
| Our 1996 camry was rearended on 8-12-97. the insurance company totaled at first then said it had to be repaired. we rejected the car due to the unsafe condition. i was forced by auction to go pick up car. (11000 dollars later) i towed it home. i also towed it to get an estimate from another toyota dealer. (that was 3000 more dollars of work) after paying for this car for 1 year and not being able to drive it we turned it in. (repossesed) toyota motor credit was notified of the work it needed. they auctioned it and now some unknowing person is operating that car. the car is very unsafe, i have written everyone i can think of about this and no one seems to care. if you can give me any help on this matter it would be greatly appreciated. randy mitchell 102 bermuda ln. moyock nc 27958 919-435-6826 | |||
| When vehicle accelerates or stops the back area moves forward and backwards. the dealer has been notified. *ak | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR - SHOCK ABSORBER | |||
| 09/01/1996 | 08/01/1996 | ||
| Shocks and pads failed. | |||