Your vehicle report
2003 Toyota Camry
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
- 782
- Received Nov 2002 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Unintended acceleration despite braking155 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbags fail to deploy in crashes48 complaints · 6.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Head gasket leaks coolant into engine34 complaints · 4.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #04V346000On certain vehicles equipped with curtain shield air bags (csa), one or both of the curtain air bags may be twisted near the inflator due to improper assembly.
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: 229 crashes, 10 fires, 106 people injured, 5 deaths.
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 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed
- Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning
- Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
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 |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 74 |
| 2004 | 142 |
| 2005 | 47 |
| 2006 | 34 |
| 2007 | 38 |
| 2008 | 37 |
| 2009 | 41 |
| 2010 | 154 |
| 2011 | 36 |
| 2012 | 33 |
| 2013 | 22 |
| 2014 | 34 |
| 2015 | 29 |
| 2016 | 10 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 7 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 8 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 3 |
| Total | 782 |
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 | 155 | 20% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 48 | 6.1% | – | NHTSA recall #04V346000 |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 34 | 4.3% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 31 | 4.0% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 31 | 4.0% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 24 | 3.1% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 20 | 2.6% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 19 | 2.4% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 19 | 2.4% | – | |
| Steering wheel clunks or clicks when turning | 18 | 2.3% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 17 | 2.2% | – | |
| Brakes fail intermittently or repeatedly | 17 | 2.2% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 14 | 1.8% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 13 | 1.7% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 13 | 1.7% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 12 | 1.5% | – | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 12 | 1.5% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 10 | 1.3% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 10 | 1.3% | – | |
| Brakes make grinding or squealing noise | 10 | 1.3% | – |
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 #04V346000July 13, 2004128,316 vehicles affected
air bags: side/window
On certain vehicles equipped with curtain shield air bags (csa), one or both of the curtain air bags may be twisted near the inflator due to improper assembly.
If this occurs, the csa may not deploy rapidly enough when activated in a side impact collision. This may result in failure to provide the intended head protection, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the csas and replace the air bag assembly if necessary. The recall began on august 6, 2004. Owners should contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Other model years
- 1986 32
- 1987 58
- 1988 64
- 1989 113
- 1990 134
- 1991 149
- 1992 565
- 1993 260
- 1994 287
- 1995 303
- 1996 417
- 1997 555
- 1998 600
- 1999 501
- 2000 454
- 2001 272
- 2002 953
- 2003
- 2004 638
- 2005 721
- 2006 317
- 2007 2,888
- 2008 933
- 2009 1,294
- 2010 604
- 2011 602
- 2012 590
- 2013 274
- 2014 455
- 2015 271
- 2016 184
- 2017 148
- 2018 754
- 2019 400
- 2020 275
- 2021 158
- 2022 64
- 2023 65
- 2024 52
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 2003 Toyota Camry.
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