1991 Toyota Camry Problems

What owners report

Complaints about this model year concentrate on two areas: the radio and the automatic shoulder belts. Owners describe radios that short, smoke or stop working, sometimes citing the 1993 radio recall, and front seat belts that stop retracting or fail to move along the door track. The rest of the sample is spread thin across door locks, tires, brakes and engine cooling, with most reports filed on vehicles long past 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Equipment

   Radio shorting, smoking or dead (recall-related)

   • 18 complaints (12%)
   • median 134,000 mi at 11.6 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2022

   Owners describe original radios that quit entirely, blow fuses repeatedly, crackle, or emit smoke and a burning smell from the dash area near the radio. Several mention the radio recall for an internal short circuit and say their vehicle was not covered, or that a replacement radio later failed or was refused a second repair. Some report the dealer removing the radio fuse to stop the burning odor, or replacing the unit at the owner's expense. Reported across a wide mileage range, typically on cars over 100,000 miles and often years after purchase.

   Recall 93V147000

   What to check: Ask whether the radio recall work was ever performed and whether the radio has been replaced since. Turn the radio on and check for a burning smell, blown fuses or a dead unit.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was not notified of recall on my radio/tape deck and now my tape deck does not work. Please advise as to how this will be handled. Will the recall be covered, is there a serious risk to me?”

   NHTSA complaint #10002820, filed 2003-01, 119,000 miles

   “We owned a 91 Toyota camery, it caught fire for the second time only this time it burned to a crisp. I remember there being a recall on the radio before, but thats all. Our car caught fire the beginning of the year and we replaced the engine. There was no reason found why car caught fire. This time saturday 9-10-00 it caught fire on the parkway. Why? We have 3 vechicles, well we had 3 now only two. My daughter drive a toyta tercell, the woman of the house drive a 96 avalon. We thought toyato was the dependable car. We need some answers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #731093, filed 2000-09
2. 2
   Seat belts

   Automatic shoulder belt won't retract or move

   • 26 complaints (17%)
   • median 95,000 mi at 24.3 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2016

   Owners of cars with the automatic shoulder belt describe the belt freezing in place, failing to travel along its door track when the door opens or closes, or not retracting at all. Some note a grinding noise, a flashing belt warning light, or the belt releasing during a panic stop. Dealers reportedly could not duplicate the fault, quoted high repair costs for the track motor or control module, or had no parts available. Mileage varies widely, with several reports on cars under 100,000 miles.

   What to check: With the key on, open and close the driver door and watch whether the shoulder belt moves along its track and retracts when released. Ask whether the track motor or control module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The drivers side shoulder harness has froze in the locked position. Tried to repair and found out nobody knows how to repair and no parts available. I received a ticket and elected to manually slip it over my each time.. This really sucks because it is a low mile well cared for car. Toyota should help....good luck with that..............”

   NHTSA complaint #10837482, filed 2016-02, 95,000 miles

   “Driver's side shoulder restraint fails to move into safe position when car is started. Fred anderson Toyota of raleigh was contacted. They requested it be brought, in showing no interest in the safety hazard of driving with an inoperable seatbelt. I had an independent Toyota technician look at to no avail. I next searched the NHTSA web site and found several other cars similar to mine with the same problem. I contacted Toyota customer service to get help. They assured me this was important to them. I finally got the car to fred anderson. …”

   NHTSA complaint #725326, filed 2000-07
3. 3
   Tires

   Tire tread separation and blowouts

   • 12 complaints (8%)
   • median 149,500 mi at 12.8 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 1996–2007

   Owners describe tread separating from the casing, sidewall cracking, belt failure and sudden blowouts, sometimes with the tread wrapping around a brake line. In several cases the tires were replacements bought for the car rather than original equipment, and owners name the tire brand and mileage at failure. Some report shaking or loss of control before pulling over. Failures appear on tires with roughly 10,000 to 40,000 miles of use, on cars reading from about 95,000 to 200,000 miles.

   What to check: Check tire date codes and look for sidewall cracks, bulges or uneven tread wear. Ask about the age and brand of the tires currently fitted, including the spare.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The spare tire which was in the trunk blew up and popped open the trunk and caused damage on the left rear side of the car. Also the vehicle experienced 2 tire blow outs, which caused damage to the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #10021723, filed 2003-07, 124,000 miles

   “While driving 65mph right rear tire blewout. Vehicle tried to flip over, but driver was able to controll it. Moved to side of road & checked the tires. Noticed right rear tire had lost all its tread. The tire was bald. Tread had wrapped around the brake line & broke it. Called for road service & took two men to unwrap tread. Tire replaced with spare. Took to tire retailer & had it replaced. 1991 Toyota Camry. Size 185/70r15 with 35,000 miles on it. Yokohama 185/70/r15”

   NHTSA complaint #869384, filed 2000-09
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Door locks stick, unlock by themselves or jam

   • 15 complaints (10%)
   • median 125,000 mi at 11.7 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 1995–2008

   Complaints describe power door locks that pop back open right after locking, all locks unlatching without input, or front doors stuck in the locked position so occupants have trouble getting out. A related report describes a rear door hinge pulling away from the frame and cracking at its attachment point. Owners often say the dealer had not inspected the car. Mostly reported on older, higher-mileage cars, though mileage is not stated in many of these complaints.

   What to check: Lock and unlock every door several times with the switch and the key, and check that each door opens from inside. Inspect door hinges for cracks or looseness at the body.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Both front doors are stuck in locked position. I consider this a safety issue, as it makes it extremely difficult to exit the vehicle. Since there have been numerous compliants for this problem on 1991 camrys, and 1987-1990 camrys were recalled for the same problem, I believe that the recall should be extended to 1991 models.”

   NHTSA complaint #705143, filed 1999-03

   “One rear passenger side door hinge has broken away from frame, and second hinge is cracked at frame attachment point. Previous to breaking away, this door hinge has always opened stiffly. Door is now only held on by cracked fringe and latch mechanism and rattles during movement.”

   NHTSA complaint #10016172, filed 2003-04, 125,000 miles

Buying note. Check the radio and the automatic shoulder belts closely, since those account for most of what owners report about this model year, and confirm any recall work that applies to the car. Also inspect tires, brakes and door locks, and expect that a car this age will need ongoing maintenance.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.