2002 Toyota Camry Engine Problems
- 49
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 49 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 4 indicate fire
What owners report
- head gasket · 15 records
- independent mechanic · 12 records
- head bolts · 11 records
- cylinder head · 8 records
- taken independent · 7 records
- mechanic diagnosed · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 25 |
| 150–400k mi | 9 |
| 60–100k mi | 7 |
| 30–60k mi | 3 |
| 1–30k mi | 3 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph, the temperature gauge started to fluctuate as hot air blew into the vehicle without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was…
ODI 10692926
Engine
Cylinder head gasket leak, cylinder head bolts stripped. Coolant lost. *tr
ODI 10659393
Engine
STRIPPED HEAD BOLTS.
ODI 10818580
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated that exhaust smoke started to emit from the tail pipe. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician diagnosed that engine pressure was excessive causing the engine bolts to separate and the head gasket to fail. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
ODI 10651652
Engine
Coolant leak due to apparent stripped head bolts due to manufacturer defect. *tr
ODI 10610856
Engine
The coolant started leaking from behind the motor. My mechanic looked at it and said that the foam insulation was saturated with coolant and it was leaking from there, between the head and the cylinder. When i researched about it online in many toyota forums, the common thing that i have come across is that there is a problem with the head bolts stripping and the coolant leaking from that area. My mechanic said that…
ODI 10560219
Engine
The is a service bulletin regarding the replacement of the catalytic converter and reprogramming the ecu. I don't think toyota notifies current owners of free work to be done that is not an actual recall. Instead they wait to see who finds out on their own. The service bulletin tsb 2404 dated 07-01-04 covers the replacement of the catalytic converter and reprogramming the ecu to resolve the problem. It mentions the…
ODI 10554616
Engine
Engine head bolts stripped causing antifreeze loss, head had to be resurfaced, new head gasket, and a special kit was need to re-thread the loose bolts repairs cost over $3000 . Which is better than a new engine but repairs aren't guaranteed because this is a factory defect with this particular engine. Had i known this i wouldn't have purchased this particular make of car. *tr
ODI 10621029
Engine
After taking my car to a local mechanic because of overheating, a coolant leak, and misfiring, i brought my camry to a certified toyota dealership. I explained to the toyota representative of the fore mentioned issues. After conducting an inspection, the toyota rep. Told me i had a bad coil in cylinder #2, and found pressure leaking into #2 and #3 cylinders. After a further tear down of the engine, it was discovered…
ODI 10548197
Engine
Began noticing gurgling/water sloshing noises at approximately 100k miles. Approximately one month later, car overheated. Noticed coolant was low, so had coolant refilled. Checked out by mechanic next day and was told that a stop-leak would fix problem. Completed this procedure at personal cost. Three days later, car overheated again. Took to different mechanic, and was advised to replace radiator. Replaced radiator…
ODI 10573026
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Harsh/hard/delayed shifting between 2nd and 3rd or 2nd and 4th (overdrive) on 1mz-fe v6 engine due to faulty engine control module failing to regulate transmission solenoids properly. This issue occurred on the ecm on rav4 (same year, 2002) and resulted in settlement in which toyota agreed to repair all. *tr
ODI 10520968
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph the temperature gauge increased rapidly into the red zone. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the radiator was leaking and the thermostat was defective. The vehicle was repaired. Smoke also emitted from the engine two hours after the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to both an…
Fire reported
ODI 10521605
Engine
Cylinder head bolt stripped off from engine block thread and damaged the engine. *tr
ODI 10512684
Engine · Power Train · Vehicle Speed Control
Vehicle was stopped and putting in drive, car accelerated and crashed through garage door and brick frame on 4/19/13 at approximately 11:50am for unknown reason. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10510093
Engine
Car was overheating and we didn't know why. The reservoir was full of coolant so we took it into a mechanic to see what the problem was with the cooling system. We were told we needed a new head gasket. We left the car with the mechanic and he found that 3 bolts for the engine block were loose (he could easily pull them out with his hands and the threading came with them). He had never seen this before so he looked…
ODI 10504414
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated that the check engine warning lamp was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the head bolts were stripped. As a result, the engine had to be either replaced or rebuilt. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The vehicle…
ODI 10493187
Engine
Defective valve cover gasket refer to chrysler valve cover recall. *tr
ODI 10683115
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the engine overheated as the temperature warning indicator. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The engine cylinder head blot was stripped and replaced with a new one however, the transmission failed. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was not…
ODI 10562724
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry le. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, a clicking noise occurred when the accelerator pedal was depressed and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the…
ODI 10471908
Engine
I bought this car new in 2002 and have maintained it meticulously. The car overheated for the first time since i bought it on 7/9/12. When i took it to the shop on 7/11/12 for evaluation of the problem, i was told that the cylinder head bolts were defective, causing the car to lose coolant resulting in the overheating incident. The auto shop also told me that this is a design or manufacturing defect that is well…
ODI 10465252
Engine
Bad threads on engine block. Engine leaking coolant. Mechanic determined head gasket bad. Toyota certified mechanic tore apart engine and on reassembly found the threads on the lower engine block were stripped and this was the cause of the head gasket failure. New engine/rebuild required at $5200. Failure caused by faulty threads/engine block at manufacturing end. Simply driving vehicle causes threads to…
ODI 10462874
Engine
My 2002 camry had no issues until at about 211,000 miles when antifreeze started to leak from back of engine. After mechanic inspected, he said water had gotten into head gasket. When he tried to remove bolts we noticed three back bolts were loose already and thread was stripped. After having head gasket cleaned and "repaired" this repair guy said there wasn't anything wrong with head itself. All he did was inspect,…
ODI 10463984
Engine
Blown head gasket on 2002 toyota camry le. Apparently this is a manufacturer defect as evidenced by all the blogs on the internet. Something should be done to compensate the consumer for this defect. *tr
ODI 10510506
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 toyota camry. The contact was driving 65 mph when smoked was emitted from the engine compartment and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the cylinder head developed a cracked. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current mileage was 175,000.
Fire reported
ODI 10469582