Since the Toyota Camrys debut each redesign was basically the same leading up to the sixth gen Camry. It was larger, more powerful, and just a bit better equipped to stay competitive in the market. This was the bestselling car in America since 2002 and for good reason. The Camry hit its peak in 2007 selling 474k cars, however, that was also the Camrys worst year. The XV40 Camry is overall a solid car but there are a few issues that do pop up.
Welcome back,
Today will be talking about common issues that may arise with the 2007-2011 Camry to better educate you about your ride or to better inform you on your future purchase,
let us go!
(Transmission)
In the 6 speed transmissions, the 3rd to 4th gear can slip. Sometimes it does it once per drive, and other times it happens more frequently. Changing out the trans fluid and filter may fix this, but if you notice any debris in the oil, then you may need to prepare to replace that transmission.
(Cheap plastics)
Throughout the cabin there is hard and cheap plastics that break over time. That is just a cheap manufacturing issue and Toyota cutting corners.
(Oil consumption)
2AZ FE 2.4l 4-cylinder models have an oil consumption issue due to defective piston rings allowing oil to get into the combustion chamber and therefore you will start burning oil. You will see smoke coming from the tailpipe if it is bad enough or you will simply see your oil level slowly get low. Because of this, blown engines are common. In 2014 the class action lawsuit came up and Toyota gave an enhanced warranty program basically reimbursing you the bill of fixing this issue all the way to 2016. But there is another program, if you pass an oil consumption test, and the car is under 10 years old and under 150k miles, Toyota will yet again reimburse you and fix the issue. the warranty is a bit crappy. The issue typically gets bad at 95k miles and most cars should have been fixed by now. Simply avoid the 4 cylinders, or if they have records of it being fixed, you will be good to go. There were other cars effected with this issue in the Toyota line up. so, keep your eye out.
(Waterpump)
The V6 engine is very reliable and does last a very long time, however, the water pumps are known to go out and its not too hard to replace. While you are doing that, go ahead and replace any old hoses and the thermostat.
(Power steering fluid leak)
If there is red fluid on the ground, then that’s power steering fluid. It is somewhat common for the return line on the power steering pump to leak. Also, not a very hard repair.
(Suspension)
It is very typical for the suspension to go out prematurely. Some owners even reported springs breaking. If that happens, your car will basically sink to the floor. You can still drive it, it is just a harsh ride. New springs and shocks are fairly cheap, and any mechanic can get it done. However, I would get a few quotes, so you do not get scammed.
(Dashboard)
it is very common for the cheap plastic dash to melt and become sticky, especially if you live down south. The cheap route would be a dash mat, which is what I would probably do or you could replace the entire dash and that’s not the easiest thing to do, especially without breaking the cheap plastics. To avoid this issue, use sun visors. And really, you should always use visors to take care of your car.
Although Toyota does make reliable cars, they do make clunkers here and there. And The 4 cylinder is definitely one of them. The Honda civic, for the same generation is more reliable in my opinion. Well, I hope this video helped you out on your purchase. Humans make mistakes and I could have easily missed a common issue, so post your issues down below if you have a Camry!
If you are tired of reading, watch this instead: