On my XLE with Premium Plus, some safety features appear to let you disable in Settings but actually are enabled again the next time you start the car. Front Cross Traffic Alert, for example, is usually just a visual and audible nuisance but cannot be permanently disabled.

 

You can use the Techstream or any other fancy scanner to diable them for good. But some amber warning lights will stay on whenever you start up the engine.

 

Lack of hood struts is inexcusable for a steel hood that is extremely heavy.

 

It doesn’t bother me in the least. I think it was a good cost and weight savings (the prop rod, not the metal hood).
Everyone’s opinion respected by me, but it’s a non issue for me.

 

My only major complaint is the number of presets that can be stored on the radio. My 2013 Camry could store more than my 2025 Camry.

 

I have not used the radio...lol. between Amazon music,Pandora and Sirius I don't see the need for radio at all. On a side note I would like to see a cd player...and I'm sure most people have no use for that!

 

That non functional exhaust tip, may shoot some black paint into there haha. Other than that, it's exactly as expected.

I have seen others complain about stereo, mpg, paint, bumper tabs, color matched grill or not, xle cloth on dash piece, lack of hood struts, etc.

View attachment 474025

That is one of my biggest pet peeves about modern Camrys- the fake exhaust tips. They've been doing it since the 2018 model year.. and each time I see it it drives me nuts.

 

That relates to the choice of trim level. My XLE does not have them but my son's RAV4 Prime XSE has them.

 

One think that is driving me nuts about Toyota USA in 2025 is how Toyota insists on sending you marketing emails. When you unsubscribe, you get "transactional emails" with an unsubscribe link for marketing emails. There is no way of opting out of this illegal marketing. My solution has been to mark them as SPAM and hope I do not miss any important recall emails, etc.

 

Lack of memory seats option on the XSE is a big fail imho. XSE drivers typically have more interest in having their seat settings stored/recalled than XLE drivers.

 

The XLE is meant at the luxury model and memory seats are a luxury feature. You opted for the sporty option.

 

I like the exhaust tips on my SE even though one is fake, in my opinion it looks better than whats on the XLE. I don't like the horn button, its difficult to get to quickly.

 

One thing I dislike is the two arms that hold the trunk lid up aren’t enclosed by a cover. They are free to smash into whatever is in their travel path. My Chevy Malibu has them fully enclosed and contents placed in the trunk are safer with this design. Not a big deal, just an observation and something for me to be mindful of.

 

I would like to see a power open and close on the trunk.

 

One thing that drove me crazy is how flimsy the front driver door feels compared to the other doors. When I close the door with the windows slightly opened or half way down, the window will rattle and just doesn't sound solid when shutting the door. The back doors tho, sounds very solid. However, after adding soundskins to all doors, it sounds and feels a lot more solid, but the window still shakes when shutting the doors with the downs rolled half way down. My 2014 mazda 3 and 2017 cx5 never had that issue.

Honestly, aside from that, I was having a hard time finding something I don't like about the XSE. It's a great car and has pretty much everything I need and want.

 

It has generally been too cold here in Virginia to need the windows down. I am not sure why you would have the window halfway down except, possibly, to get rid of built up heat from the sun inside. With the Premium Plus package, tilting toe moonroof might even be a better option for that.

sometimes, on slower roads, I may have windows down in the summer, but otherwise I use the HVAC to adjust cabin temperature.

 

Likely cost.
You would think they could have had a redesigned aluminum hood with the prop bar for the same cost or less.

 

If Toyota opted to have a service position for the prop rod it would better justify the change from struts. All the Hondas I've had over the years had a service position where the hood was vertical and made it easier to work on the back side of the engine. And Honda usually uses prop rods on all their products. However, I can see how they decided to cut costs with this since the vast majority of Camry owners rarely open the hood and their competitors also don't have struts.

More concerning to me (if I owned a 9th gen) is years from now the steel hood is going to have rust spots from the inevitable rock chips. It doesn't matter how good the paint job is, years of driving thousands of miles you will get rock chips in the paint.

 

They are supposed to raise the hood at least every 10K miles for oil changes and in between that, for fluid & filter checks, etc.

 

The constant need for correction of the steering wheel on a straight road.

The whiny 4 cyl screaming at 3300 rpm going up a grade. And down for that matter.

 

The constant need for correction of the steering wheel on a straight road.

That sound like you are fighting with the car over where the center of the lane is. Turn off Lane Tracing Assist - the button beside the cruise control button,

 

I'll give that a try but I don't think that's it. I can feel the car's reaction when headed over the line with the lane assist. There just doesn't seem to be that happy spot in the steering, always needing a correction to stay in center of the lane.

 

I have found it gets confused on some roads. In those cases, I just turn it off.

 

Here it is

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/fake-dual-exhaust-on-camry-hybrid.1766250/

 

This is why I love the Toyota forums....while the Ford and Chevy and other forums are complaining about stuff like blown head gaskets and their cars starting to have tranmission issues after 2-years, Toyota folks are talking about VERY minor issues!

 

I love your post. Our Big Five were lucky to last the warranty period before they had to be replaced.
And now we complain about our Toyotas because the bird poop is hard to remove from the paint after we let it dry there for a week.

 

You do not know what is missing until you do not have it anymore.

The indicators when HVAC is on Auto display far less information than my base trim Prius. They should display the fan speed chosen and the air direction of the vents to assist you with customizing. IT could make a difference in whether to manually increase fan speed, change air direction, or both. The capabilities are there, but unused.
It is not like they reserved those features for premium package or trim.

 

Interior fit and finish.

I love my XSE, but I’ve now had three warranty repairs: 1) creaking driver’s side door armrest, 2) headliner not adhered to the roof properly, and 3) front passenger side outer seat bolster collapsed and missing foam. (There is apparently a TSB out now for the last one.)

Again, all covered under warranty, but it’s a lot for a car with only 3,800 miles on it.

 

Oy, check your VIN number. If it starts with a “J” it came from Japan. If it doesn’t, it was probably made here.

I used to be a manager for a Japanese Corporation. Send a letter, polite, to the point, to the Japanese. Not the American Japanese, the Japanese overseas.
They might offer you a new car in exchange, extended warranty, a new car to drive, unlimited miles, while they repair yours.
It is very bad for face to make a bad product.

 

I greatly dislike the added on mufflers that sound either like a mini-bike, or kids with thousands of firecrackers. The cars accelerate maybe ten mph, as they try their hardest to pass the slower auto doing the speed limit. Full noise and no go.
But then again. I am a hot rodder since the ‘60s. We all loved sleepers, and if it made noise, it better be able to outrun most everybody. We also had plenty of legal and illegal drag strips.

Only one complaint for my Gen 5, 4 Runner Trail. I just "had to replace" my stock suspension. No, it only has 300k or so on it, many miles are from "where no man has gone before", the suspension was still good.
My wife and I were out finding out what was over the hill, and beyond the horizon. We got stuck in quicksand. So a little higher from ground, taller tires, more footprint was is absolutely needed.
I do hate getting stuck and having to lie down in a stream to get out. Yes, I am a whiny type.

 

This is a 9th Gen Camry thread, not for 4Runners, Most hybrid Camry users are not too concerned about aggressive engine exhaust sound. There are many vehicles today that have fake engine exhaust sound. I would rather engine power do toward efficient transportation instead of creating sound.

For me choosing the Camry XLE, a smooth, comfortable ride was my goal. It appears you are wanting more of an off-road vehicle. Those types are usually not discussed in this thread.

 

Lack of hood struts is inexcusable for a steel hood that is extremely heavy.

Struts were not used or invented in the '50's, '60

Lack of hood struts is inexcusable for a steel hood that is extremely heavy.

A bar or springs at the corners sufficed for the genuine "heavy hoods" of years ago. No struts needed on lightweight 2024-up Toyotas.

 

Struts were not used or invented in the '50's, '60

A bar or springs at the corners sufficed for the genuine "heavy hoods" of years ago. No struts needed on lightweight 2024-up Toyotas.

They went to struts to save weight because if you remember, those springs were pretty stout and required space. I'd settle for that method as well though and as I recall, they never wore out which hood/tailgate struts inevitably do. Of course, going to a steel hood over aluminum had a pretty major weight penalty which then impacts mileage so it had to be a pure bean counter decision.

 

Hood is an extreme safety hazard for a petite female - and everyone else in a windy situation. Assorted size and shape vinyl upholstery looks like something intended for a pontoon or rec vehicle - and what's with the ugly microfiber? Purchased this car sight unseen. Regret trading my 2020 XLE with hood struts and leather seating.

 

Pontoon...haha! You are right! It's a weird interior. The Honda Accord's interior is light years better.

 

I’m going to be upfront: my ‘25 Camry has been a headache. I’m at 15k miles. Front left wheel bearing went out at 5500 miles. I think another one may be going out.

Interior creaks and rattles excessively, to the point where I’ve kind of given up on telling the dealer what the issue is because I’ll just receive the run around.

I bought this car in cash hoping to have it for a long time and that is still the plan. I just sincerely wish the build quality issues, random flappy wind noises, creaking, and wheel bearing issues didn’t exist.

If I had $35k to spend on a car again, would it be this one? Absolutely NOT. I shouldn’t have these worries and issues on a new car

it drives well, great gas mileage, but come on.

 

Did they give you any reason for the wheel bearing? Toyota uses a pretty decent bearing although always possible to get a lemon. Wondering if it is related to something else done wrong like improper torque or if it's truly a failure of the part.

 

When pressing the Mode button on the steering wheel to cycle through to radio, phone tunes, it gets stuck on amazon music, and then Apple music. Is there a way to delete those? I don't want to subscribe to those. And it's very slow, the mode button.

Also the rear defrost stops with about 6 lines left at the top. Either they cheaped out and didn't electrify it, or they aren't working. It's annoying...takes away a little vision at the top.

 

When pressing the Mode button on the steering wheel to cycle through to radio, phone tunes, it gets stuck on amazon music, and then Apple music. Is there a way to delete those? I don't want to subscribe to those. And it's very slow, the mode button.

Also the rear defrost stops with about 6 lines left at the top. Either they cheaped out and didn't electrify it, or they aren't working. It's annoying...takes away a little vision at the top.

I assume you have bothe amazon music and Apple music on your phone. Either delete them or see if you can block the apps from using bluetooth / CarPlay. / Android Auto

Have the dealer check out the rear defroster. I have not used mine much but I think I would have remembered such an issue.
Many years ago I had a new Dodge that developed a rear window defroster issue. The dealer in Canada applies some sort of conductive paint under warranty to repair the defroster. That lasted until I sold the car.

 

The lines at the top aren't defroster grids, they're the radio antenna lines.

 

Is that a joke?

 

Nope...that's it? Did you look at the pictures I attached?

 

What you are seeing is, in fact, the radio antenna grid. My car is the same.

 

I give up. Some things you just have to toss your hands up in the air and forget it. It's just another reason to not "trust the engineers." They're stupid if they designed a rear window to NOT DEFROST. And if they've been designing it that way and never fixed it on camrys going back 10 years, then they are even more stupid

 

And no rear windshield wiper!