The Toyota Camry is undeniably a car for those who prefer to fly under the radar. It’s many things – reliable, quiet, economical, well made – but outgoing is not one of those things. If you happen to be a private eye, then the Toyota Camry should be your company car, because no one will ever remember you were there.
Of course, being a Toyota, the Camry just keeps on going, pretty much no matter how much grief you subject it to. It isn’t indestructible though, and so can fall victim to the odd common problem.
But don’t worry, because you can save yourself a tonne of cash on repair bills by fixing it yourself, which is where Haynes come sin. We’ve stripped down and rebuilt a Toyota Camry, and written a service and repair manual for the vehicle. So, simply jump online and buy yourself a Haynes Camry manual – we’ll be there to offer a helping hand, no matter what the problem you’re trying to sort out.
What recalls has the Toyota Camry been subject to?
The sixth-generation Toyota Camry covered here was recalled because of a potential fault with the driver’s floor mat, which could interfere with the gas pedal.
The gas pedal caused another recall, because the sliding surface could become sticky, meaning the pedal could (at worst) stay pressed down when the driver lifted their foot off it, which is going to raise the heart rate a touch.
Power window master switch assemblies that could overheat caused another recall, followed by another recall for seat heater wiring that could short out. Fire was a risk with both.
Faulty lower ball joints forced another recall, because failure could result in a crash.
What common problems does the Toyota Camry have?
Unfortunately, the sun visor mounts on the Toyota Camry, can cause damage to the sheet metal around them if removed improperly, but a repair kit will solve the issue.
And if your Toyota Camry makes a knocking noise over bumps, you aren’t alone. The spring bumpers are at fault.
Never mind a knocking noise though – what if your Toyota Camry has a rattle? From right beside you? Oof.
One way to avoid any rattles is for the Camry to remain still – and that’s what can happen if you run out of fuel. Why would you do that? Well, some Camry Mk6 models simply refuse to open the fuel flap.
However, the Toyota Camry also has a component that is easy enough to open, but some owners have reported that it refuses to remain open. Yup, the trunk lid keeps swinging shut, particularly if the car is parked pointing up a slope.
Does the Toyota Camry suffer from damaged sun visors?
If the sun visor on your Toyota Camry becomes damaged, then you’re going to want to change it. However, it’s easy to damage the sheet metal around the sun visor mounts when removing the visor.
However, Toyota knows this, so has produced a repair kit for the area.
If you follow the removal instructions in your Haynes Camry manual, you should be able to remove the sun visor without causing damage, but if the worst happens, Toyota has produced a repair kit (part no: BD9048).
Just follow the instructions in your Haynes Camry manual and you’ll soon have the new part installed without causing any more damage.
Why is your Toyota Camry knocking over bumps?
You’re used to your Toyota Camry being quiet and smooth, but all of sudden it starts to make a knocking noise when you go over bigger bumps. This is not good, and worse still, the noise can come from either end of the car – and sometimes both!
The issue is that spring bumpers have been installed the wrong way up, which is annoying buy not that hard to remedy. In your Haynes Camry manual, you’ll find procedures on how to remove the front struts and the rear shock absorber and spring. Just study the words and pics, raise the car and set it on jackstands, and you’ll have the suspension out in no time. Then it’s just a case of assessing if the spring bumper is damaged. If it isn’t, simply flip it over and put the suspension back, but if it is, you’ll need to order a new one.
What’s that rattling noise in your Toyota Camry Mk6?
You expect your Toyota Camry to be many things, including being dependably, class and safe. What you don’t expect it to be is rattly.
Unfortunately, some owners have reported a rattling noise from either of the front doors. The source of this rattle is most often a loose plastic cover on the door energy absorption pad.
To sort the situation you’ll need to remove the door trim panel, disconnect the inside handle sub-assembly and remove the inner glass weatherstrip. This will give access to the absorption pad cover, which you will need to use adhesive to stick to the pad itself.
Then it’s simply a case of putting everything back the way it was.
To carry this out with confidence, simply look up the bodywork and fitting chapter of your Haynes Camry manual, and everything is covered in detail.
Does the Toyota Camry have fuel flap problems?
It’s a fact of life that, no matter how efficient your Toyota Camry XV40 is, it’s going to use fuel to get from here to there and back again. Which means that you’ll need to refuel it every so often.
However, a number of owners have reported an issue in which the fuel flap will not open, even though the driver has pulled on the fuel lid lock lever.
The most common cause of this is that the release cable has become detached from the release lever in the cabin.
You’ll need to remove the lever and housing and check for damage. If there’s no damage, just reattach the cable before reassembling everything.
The procedure to remove the lever housing is covered in the Haynes Camry manual, so simply follow the steps and pictures and you’ll soon be able to access the fuel cap once more – which is when the real expense restarts…
Does the Toyota Camry trunk lid refuse to stay open?
There you are, parked pointing up a hill (such as on a steep driveway), and you need to get your stuff out of the trunk. You open it, lift it up and lean into the trunk, just in time for the lid to land back on the top of your head. Ouch. Not ideal.
The fault lies with the torsion bar hinges, which can become weakened over time. The only solution is to replace the hinges, so you’ll need to remove the trunk lid, and detach the hinges from the lid.
This procedure is covered in the Body section of the Haynes Camry manual, so just follow the steps and you’ll be fine.