2003 Toyota Camry Problems

What owners report

Complaints about the 2003 Camry cluster around two things: unexpected acceleration while parking or at low speed, and engine coolant loss tied to head gasket and head bolt problems on the four-cylinder. Owners also describe a brake pedal that travels far or feels soft, steering that pulls or drifts, and cracked interior plastic. Many of the acceleration reports were filed in 2009-2010 alongside wider Toyota accelerator-pedal attention.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Unexpected acceleration while parking or at low speed

   • 220 complaints (28%)
   • median 37,335 mi at 5.3 yrs old (171 state mileage)
   • 154 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $4,000 (median of 13 quotes)
   • filed 2003–2026

   Owners describe the car surging or lunging forward while creeping into a parking space, pulling out, or moving between accelerator and brake. Several say braking had little effect and the car went over a curb or into a tree, wall or another vehicle, and some report surges in reverse or while idling. Dealers often test-drove the car, found nothing, and sometimes suggested floor mats or driver error; owners who pressed further were told no recall applied. Reported at widely varying mileage, from a few thousand up to about 200,000 miles, most often during low-speed parking maneuvers or right after starting the car.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive the car at very low speed in a lot, including in reverse, and watch whether engine speed stays steady when you move from accelerator to brake. Ask whether the accelerator pedal sensor or engine control software has been worked on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was slowly pulling into a parking spot at the mall and the car suddenly accelerated and I crashed into a tree. The engine sounded like it was driving 100mph. I called the Toyota dealer and they said it was probably due to the car mats. I don't believe that because my mats were in place after the crash. There was major damage to the car and the tree.”

   NHTSA complaint #10292225, filed 2009-11, 30,000 miles

   “My wife drove her 2003 Toyota Camry into a parking space directly in front of a beauty shop in canonsburg, pa. As she moved her foot from the accelerator to the gas pedal, the car accelerated into the front of the shop. At the time everyone, including me, assumed she was wrong and that she had step on the accelerator by mistake. In light of the recent reports about toyotas, I now believe her.”

   NHTSA complaint #10326033, filed 2010-04, 15,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine cooling

   Coolant loss and head gasket / head bolt problems

   • 73 complaints (9%)
   • median 115,000 mi at 8.6 yrs old (61 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $3,800 (median of 17 quotes)
   • filed 2007–2022

   Owners report coolant disappearing without an obvious puddle, overheating, a check-engine light or white exhaust, and mechanics finding the head gasket leaking or the cylinder head bolts loose with stripped threads in the block. Several say the threads would not hold torque once the head was removed and that the repair was thread inserts or a replacement engine. Some describe the dealer attributing early engine damage to oil sludge, and others say no help was offered after warranty. Usually reported between roughly 65,000 and 170,000 miles, often noticed as slow coolant loss before overheating appears.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check the coolant level and look for residue around the head and under the intake manifold, and watch the temperature gauge on a long drive. Ask for records showing coolant maintenance and any head gasket or thread-repair work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My Camry has a blow gasket. I found out because my mechanic did the exam he pressurized the cooling system and put the car up on the lift. He immediately noticed coolant leaking from underneath the plastic intake manifold in the rear of the engine. He also noticed a large piece of foam rubber between the intake manifold and the engine block and head. This was blocking our view of the leak. We could only see that the leak was behind the foam piece. The only option to discover the source of this leak was to remove the plastic intake manifold, which I did. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10302903, filed 2010-01, 80,000 miles

   “I had to do a head gasket repair and replace the thermostat on my 2003 Toyota Camry due to malfunctioning threads for the bolts on the head gasket. When the mechanic took the head off he realized the 3 back bolts were loose. When he tried to replace the head, the 3 back bolts would not torque to proper pressure. Realizing that the threads were stripped it was discussed about replacing the engine or having the holes drilled out and fixed with timeserts. I went with the timeserts realizing that if I replaced the engine with the same type I'd be facing this problem again. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10288775, filed 2009-10, 111,125 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Soft or low brake pedal and intermittent loss of braking

   • 93 complaints (12%)
   • median 26,500 mi at 3.0 yrs old (68 state mileage)
   • 25 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2003–2026

   Owners describe a brake pedal that sinks well past halfway or to the floor before the car slows, and some report a pedal that felt frozen and would not move at all. Others say the anti-lock system engaged on bumps or rough pavement and the car did not stop as expected, and a few had the brakes go unresponsive at speed. Dealers frequently said the brakes tested normal or that the pedal feel was how the car was designed. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 190,000 miles, with many complaints filed under 60,000 miles and some on wet or uneven roads.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Press the pedal firmly with the engine running and check that it feels consistent, and test braking over a rough patch or speed bump. Ask about brake fluid, master cylinder and pad service history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Coming to red light car would not stop I pressed harder on brakes asb came in then the car went into high rpms,and stopped sounded like it would blow up?.. I quickly put the car in neutral, from my experience to slow rpms you press gas petal hard until the rpms slow, I do not have floor maps, never had them...”

   NHTSA complaint #11182465, filed 2019-02, 55,000 miles

   “I have had a problem with my 2003 Camry since the day I bought it. The antilock brakes kick in for no obvious reasons, even for small bumps/potholes and I loose control of stopping the car. Luckily I have not gone into any accident, but it is scary. Now my 17 year daughter is getting her license and I am scared that she might not know how to control the situation. Dealer says there is no problem with 2003 Camry braking system. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10312567, filed 2010-02, 10,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering pull, drift and wheel alignment

   • 159 complaints (20%)
   • median 47,892 mi at 6.0 yrs old (122 state mileage)
   • 61 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,000 (median of 15 quotes)
   • filed 2002–2026

   Owners report the car drifting or pulling to the left, most noticeable at highway speed and in crosswinds or on wet roads, even after alignment was set to specification. Some describe noise or looseness in the steering column, and a few had the wheel feel like it moved on its own or the column assembly replaced, sometimes more than once. Dealers variously adjusted alignment, replaced the column, or told owners nothing further could be done. Often reported within the first few thousand miles, and again in the 30,000 to 90,000 mile range for column noise.

   What to check: Drive on a straight, flat road and see whether the car tracks straight with the wheel centered, and check the front tires for uneven wear. Ask for alignment printouts and any steering column repair history.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I purchased my 2003 Toyota Camry in august, 2003. Two years later, the steering column started to make noise. Dealer replaced the whole steering column assembly. After 3 and half years, the steering column failed again. I can not believe Toyota built this kind of quality vehicle. It totally ruined their reputation. I will never purchase Toyota's vehicle any more.”

   NHTSA complaint #10264050, filed 2009-04, 52,000 miles

   “When I turned the steering wheel left, the wheel turned sharply right instead and I lost control of the wheel. I could not turn it back. The car crossed from the left side of the freeway to past the right side (about 4 lanes), hit a railing, and flipped over.”

   NHTSA complaint #10573736, filed 2014-03, 39,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Cracked speaker covers and dashboard plastic

   Mentioned in 4 of 80 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the plastic speaker covers behind the rear seats cracking and then crumbling or falling into the speaker assembly with no impact involved, and one reports a dashboard crack exposing the passenger airbag area. In the speaker-cover cases owners were quoted for replacing the whole rear panel rather than just the cover, and dealers acknowledged the problem existed on these cars. Typically noticed a year or two after purchase and worsening over time, with dashboard cracks reported around 50,000 miles.

   What to check: Inspect the rear parcel shelf and dashboard for cracks or missing plastic, and check the airbag warning light and the condition of the dashboard around the passenger airbag.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In 3/2003 I purchased a Toyota Camry. Within 1-2 years I noticed minor cracks developing on the two speaker covers at the back of the car under the back window and behind the back seats. The cracks progressed with time but I had forgotten to bring it up to the dealer because the speakers are located in a place I do not normally look and because I thought they were only cheap plastic covers. By 2006 the plastic was actually disintegrating and falling into the loudspeaker assembly creating an ever bigger black hole. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10215303, filed 2008-01, 15,000 miles

   “I purchased a new Toyota Camry in 2003. Approximately two years later the driver's electric seat failed. The gears lowering and raising the back part of the seat were grinding and could not position the seat back in a comfortable position. Toyota of manhattan beach repaired the seat in under warranty instead of replacing it as I had requested. Approximately two years later the chair failed again in the same manner. Toyota of pasadena repaired it under warranty in 7/07 instead of replacing the seat as I had requested. However, they failed to fix the root cause of the problem. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10292197, filed 2009-11, 25,000 miles

Buying note. Look closely at cooling system history and ask for evidence of head gasket or head bolt work on the four-cylinder, since that repair can be expensive. A thorough low-speed and highway test drive is worth doing to judge brake pedal feel, steering drift and any hesitation or surge in the throttle.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 80 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.