Your vehicle report
2004 Toyota Camry Solara
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 161
- Received Feb 2004 to Sep 2021
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Unintended acceleration despite braking21 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag16 complaints · 9.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed14 complaints · 8.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V539000Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus ES330 and RX330; and 2006 lexus RX400H vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 24 crashes, 2 fires, 12 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 15 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power
- Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips
1 more problem
Brakes
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
- Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag
- Frame rusts and corrodes through
- Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 30 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 13 |
| 2007 | 9 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 23 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2012 | 4 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 12 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 7 |
| 2017 | 5 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 161 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 21 | 13% | – | |
| Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag | 16 | 9.9% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 14 | 8.7% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 7 | 4.3% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 6 | 3.7% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 6 | 3.7% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 5 | 3.1% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 4 | 2.5% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 3 | 1.9% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 1.9% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 1.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.9% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V539000November 9, 2011420,326 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 Camry, Camry Solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 Lexus ES330 and RX330; and 2006 Lexus RX400H vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1MZ-FE or 3MZ-FE engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the U.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Toyota Camry Solara.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN