2003 Toyota Camry Engine Problems
- 43
- 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 43 stored complaint records:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- head gasket · 13 records
- head bolts · 11 records
- failure mileage · 10 records
- intake manifold · 8 records
- engine light · 7 records
- check engine · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 15 |
| 150–400k mi | 12 |
| 60–100k mi | 6 |
| 1–30k mi | 4 |
| 30–60k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
After ten years, my 2003 camry engine light came on, my husband was on route 20 with the oil shot out, started smoking he had to make an emergency stop, the 511 emergency saw the smoke from far away which made them follow the smoke. My husband could have been killed. All of the oil and antifreeze emptied out in a matter of minutes. Two tows at $189 a piece and a diagnostic from the auto repair at $112. *tr
ODI 10532451
Engine · Steering
Driving on rural highway the car heats up the coolant from the reservoir overflows. In the engine compartment affecting steering and your ability to drive because of the vapor fron the burning coolant. Repair man says head gasket is gone....this is the third time now to replace the head gasket .because the head bolts and threads all stripped due to bad engineering or improper torque by toyotas engineering department…
ODI 10714573
Engine
2002-2006 toyota camry & other models with 4 cylinder engines ( 2az) engines blown head gasket / stripped head bolt problem. *tr
ODI 10510701
Engine
Vibrations in the intake manifold - vehicle became sluggish and noisy due to intake manifold issue -it is broken and has to be replaced. *tr
ODI 10509286
Engine
We found coolant on our garage floor. We took the camry to our toyota dealer and was informed that cylinder head bolts were stripped and coolant was leaking out of the bolts. We were told that a used engine replacement was needed to correct the problem, and that toyota would not cover any of the cost. Apparently, toyota had issued service bulletins to their dealers about the problem some years before, but when i…
ODI 10502308
Engine
In november 2012, i was told by my the dealer that there was a leak in my water pump in my 2003 toyota camry. I got a second opinion and i was told that my water pump had a slow leak and that i should get it repaired. In december 2012, my car ran hot and was smoking really bad. Dealer stated that my i needed a new engine. I asked what was the issue and they stated that my head gaskets were blown. I asked the dealer…
Fire reported
ODI 10501999
Body · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
I was slowing down to make a signaled left turn into a paking space at cvs pharmacy. As i braked and turned, the car lurched forward hitting a stacked stone pillar and came to a crashed stop. The air bag did not deploy and i had a scrape on my scalp from the sun visor. *tr
Crash reported
ODI 10504432
Engine
It was an unusually cold day for october and i was driving my son to school with my three year old daughter in her car seat when the heat would not work. Only cold air came out of the vents. The windows were fogged up and would not defrost. I then noticed that the temperature gage was in the red zone. It kept climbing up and down. I could not see out of the windshield at all and had to pull over for safety reasons.…
ODI 10491442
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact stated that while making a left or right turn there was a noise coming from under the hood. Also, the contact mentioned that the vehicle was leaking coolant fluid. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who inspected the failure and stated that the engine head bolt strips itself causing the coolant to leak out and blew the head gasket. The vehicle was…
ODI 10475008
Engine
I have a 2003 toyota camry 4cyl car with 150,000 miles, that has a coolant leak from the back of the engine next to the intake manifold after replace most of the cooling system such as fan, thermostat trying to correct the problem on further inspection and research, it was revealed that the leak is coming from the head gasket area, due to stripped out block/headbolt, as a clear sign of manufacturer defect indicated…
ODI 10460155
Electrical System · Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. While parked, the check engine light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician replaced two oxygen sensors. After the repair the check engine light illuminated intermittently and the contact noticed that the interior lights, radio and the mileage on the instrument panel continued to illuminate after the key…
ODI 10460258
Engine
My wife had taken her 2003 toyota camry in for regular service in january, 2012 and told the dealer that she had been hearing unusual noises from the engine for some time. After inspecting the vehicle the service person said that toyota had issued a bulletin to the dealers regarding replacement of the intake manifold dated april 15, 2008. It is curious that the bulletin stated that "this repair is covered under the…
ODI 10691120
Engine
Car smokes during start up. Started last winter. Research indicates stripped head bolts. Pull and clean the plugs about once a month due to fouling. Waiting for it to blow. Will not take it out of town or the highway. *tr
ODI 10473315
Engine
Intake manifold noise. Documented problem. No recall available. *tr
ODI 10485937
Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota camry. The contact stated that the temperature gauge warning lamp illuminated. The contact mentioned that after inspecting the vehicle, she noticed that all of the coolant fluid had leaked out of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic diagnosed that the bolts became detached from the engine base. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure…
ODI 10487605
Engine · Power Train
According to toyota's technical service bulletin t-sb-0034-08 (april 15, 2008), the intake manifold in 2002 ? 2004 camry equipped with 2az engine may produce a loud rattle noise from the engine area, most noticeable at idle or on light acceleration. The intake manifold has been updated / modified to solve this issues on the newer vehicles. A faulty intake manifold will affect engine performance and affect emissions.…
ODI 10561878
Engine
I am the original owner. At 65,000 miles i noticed white smoke from the exhaust pipe on morning startup. Research led me to the engine head not being secured because of the stripped bolt problem. I started using a dip stick to measure the amount of coolant in my overflow bottle before morning startup. I physically mark the dip stick. The coolant loss is minimal so far. I now have 85,000 miles on the car. The…
ODI 10541989
Air Bags · Body · Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train · Steering · Suspension · Vehicle Speed Control · Visibility/Wiper · Wheels
Takata inflators: every time i fix my vehicle individuals cause hate crimes damaging my vehicle as i go to sleep or when i am not viewing my vehicle they must know exactly when i go to sleep because i cant catch them even though i think i know who it is i can not prove it so this is why i am complaining i remember checking my tires in the night noticing nothing wrong with them then checked in the mourning and…
Crash reported
ODI 10979713