[RobE]

Hi all. I'm a newbie and have found a lot of great info on this site - thanks for all of that! My '92 Nissan Maxima has 218K miles, so I'm starting to plan for it's replacement. I have 2 small kids, so I'm gravitating towards the Camry. My question is this - what, if any, are the major known issues with the '04 - '06 Camry's and what remedies has Toyota stepped up to covering/extending warranties? Tried searching the Recalls and TSB's in this forum, but didn't see anything. I'm hoping that is my answer - this is a great car with no major known issues. Thanks!

 

[CamrySExxx]

SLOW ahah im just kidding. Which model are you looking at and what size engine

 

[RobE]

SLOW ahah im just kidding. Which model are you looking at and what size engine

Thanks, CamrySExxx. Looking at an SE, 6 cylinder. I may be a dad, but I'm NOT my dad

 

[TRD VVTi]

There really isn't anything that's common or major with the Gen 5-5.5 Camry.

Gen 6's ('07 and up) are a different story though.

 

[jjthenovice]

I agree with TRDVVTi. I had a 03 XLE V6 with no problems. I traded it for an 07 XLE V6. I know that the Gen 6's have had some problems but I believe the worst is behind them IMHO. Having said that, I would suggest a 08 V6 because there is a world of diff between the two V6's. I believe the Gen6 V6s get better gas mileage and are much faster. I couldn't believe the difference from my 03 V6 and my 07 V6. I had an 01 LE with a 4cy and went to the 03 XLE V6 and thought wow what a difference! Then I went from the 03 V6 to the 07 V6 and it was like going from a 4 cyl to a 6 and like I said, the gas mileage was much better. My son has an 06 LE 4cyl and I get equal to and sometimes better gas mileage that he does. I hope this helps.

 

[05CamryGuy]

There are two issues I remember witht he Gen5-5.5, as they have been addressed on my old '05. They were:

(1) Slow transmission lag when shifting. There was an ECU flash for this
(2) Steering intermediate shaft problem - there was a TSB for this, see this post: http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/showpost.php?p=2066262&postcount=11

Other than that, I dont recall any other issues

 

[RobE]

Thanks all for the great info - will certainly help narrow down my choices.

 

[vukenny81]

I have experience the steering wheel shaft. I went to a toyota dealer and even call them up to complain and get it fix for free under warranty of powertrain. My basica warranty is gone. So yet, I couldnt fix it for me due to it is not under the powertrain warranty.

 

[CharmCityES]

theres very very few known issues with the gen 5 - 5.5 camrys....
as stated above, for the 05-05 V6 camrys, theres the two minor ecu/TSB issues with the tranny, but both are very minor and have easy fixes

 

[Rissole]

In Oz the gen 5 had a recall for a new relay and fuse for the head lights as some had burnt out but nothing else yet

 

[vukenny81]

My Foglight fuse had burned on me once.

 

[xpeed]

I never had any problems with my 05' Camry. Only issue I had was a loose handbrake, but a good member in here helped me tighten it so it's no longer loose.

 

[CharmCityES]

waterpump likes to fail prematurely...ive seen it happen quite often
not a major issue, but its one of the only true issues ive seen

 

[Mistabullet]

There are no major/common issues with the Gen5 Camry.

Just maintain and drive.

 

[MCeatalot]

The only MAJOR issue I know of is that the 04-06 doesn't have the Gen6 styling :lol::lol:

 

[TRD VVTi]

The only MAJOR issue I know of is that the 04-06 doesn't have the Gen6 styling :lol::lol:

Luckily, that's true.

 

[POOH71580]

Here is what I had to fix:

My car:

Water Pump (under warranty)
Front Rotors
And as I am typing this my front wheel bearing is humming. I took my dads car last week (04 Camry) and had them replace the rear hub assembly for the same noise.

Other than that my shocks/struts are shot. I thought about replacing them but my wife and I decided to get rid of the car come summertime. My next ride...Toyota Tundra 5.7 (of course)!! Her next ride...Lexus IS350!!

 

[CharmCityES]

pooh, your car looks great, but ya need a drop

back on topic, my 03 had its first major issue....i had the driver side lower balljoint go up...it started leaking grease, and im replacing this week...i have a new one, and it only cost me $30 from the dealer...just be aware that the balljoints and steering componets do eventually go bad