1997 Toyota Camry problems
Owners have filed 685 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Toyota Camry. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 18% of complaints. Next are engine (15%) and suspension (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 685 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 92 and 31
- Injuries and deaths
- 75 and 3
- Typical mileage
- 84,000 miles 166 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 11 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 35 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 27 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 16 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 14 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 15 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 8 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 166 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 84,000 miles. For brakes specifically, the median reported mileage is about 49,000 miles (11 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 92 complaints mention a crash; 31 complaints mention a fire; 75 injuries reported; 3 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 87% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota Camry with enough data (344 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving at approx. 70 MPH. On cruise control. Cancel cruise control was pushed. However, the accelerator stuck. Causing the a head-on collision. The driver of the other car was killed on impact. Updated 9/29/11
Vehicle experienced oil leakages coming from underneath the vehicle. Dealer was not notified, and the cause of the problem has not been determined.
When driving the vehicle the brakes went out and then caught on fire in the engine compartment. The vehicle has been totalled.
1997 toyota camry caught on fire while driving on I-87. Fire began somewhere under the front hood of the vehicle. Brakes failed while moving to highway shoulder. Passengers were immediately evacuated and the fire department was called to put out the fire. The car was completely destroyed by the fire.
The lower control arms on both the right and left side of my vehicle had to be replaced because the rubber corroded. I was informed that this type of deterioration does not normally occur.