U.S. public vehicle records

2001 Toyota CAMRY problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

272 owner complaints analyzed

2 distinct recall campaigns

70,000 mi median reported failure mileage

Scope: 2001 model year. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12 (September 12, 2026). 146 complaints include usable failure mileage.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Vehicle Speed Control is the most frequently named component, appearing in 39 of 272 complaints (14.3%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
Topic	Matching reports	Share of complaints
Braking behavior	53	19.5%
Steering behavior	26	9.6%
Engine operation	12	4.4%
Transmission and shifting	6	2.2%
Electrical and battery issues	6	2.2%
Fuel system concerns	2	0.7%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags

Engine And Engine Cooling

Tires

Air Bags:Frontal

Electrical System

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine

Vehicle Speed Control: 39; Air Bags: 18; Engine And Engine Cooling: 18; Tires: 18; Air Bags:Frontal: 15; Electrical System: 13; Engine: 13; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine: 12

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000

25,000 to 49,999

50,000 to 74,999

75,000 to 99,999

100,000 to 149,999

150,000 and above

Under 25,000: 25; 25,000 to 49,999: 28; 50,000 to 74,999: 22; 75,000 to 99,999: 29; 100,000 to 149,999: 27; 150,000 and above: 15

75,000 to 99,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (29). 126 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2023

2024

2025

2000: 1; 2001: 32; 2002: 25; 2003: 38; 2004: 29; 2005: 15; 2006: 14; 2007: 5; 2008: 9; 2009: 12; 2010: 36; 2011: 9; 2012: 8; 2013: 4; 2014: 10; 2015: 8; 2016: 2; 2017: 4; 2018: 3; 2019: 2; 2020: 1; 2023: 1; 2024: 3; 2025: 1

Pattern summary

Vehicle Speed Control leads the component reports. Braking behavior appears in 53 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 26 complaint narratives. Engine operation appears in 12 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 10005653 · 2003-02-10 (February 10, 2003)

THE BRAKES ON TOYOTA CAMRY LE MODELS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. IN EACH OF THREE DIFFERENT CAMRY CARS THAT I HAVE OWNED (1996,2000, AND 2001) THE BRAKES MAKE A RUMBLING SOUND WHEN SLOWING DOWN FROM A SPEED OVER 50 MILES AN HOUR. FURTHERMORE, ON MY 2001 CAMRY THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON DURING USE ON ICY ROADS, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHO SAID THAT THIS HAPPENS AND THAT HE HAD FIVE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE VERY SAME THING THAT DAY. HE ATTRIBUTED THIS TO ONE OF THE SENSORS "STICKING", AND THAT ALL I HAD TO DO IS TURN THE CAR OFF AND LET IT "CO…

Owner-reported narrative. 51,150 miles reported. Look up ODI 10005653 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10008710 · 2003-02-19 (February 19, 2003)

SERVICE BRAKES. THE CONSUMER STATED TOYOTA DID NOT FIX THE BRAKES TO HIS SATISFACTION. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10008710 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10016894 · 2003-05-02 (May 2, 2003)

AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, PARTICULARLY FROM 45 MPH TO 65-75 MPH, STEERING WHEEL ON 2001 CAMRY LE 4-CYL VIBRATES. TIRES AND WHEELS HAVE BEEN BALANCED MANY TIMES BUT STILL NO REMEDY. ALIGNMENT WAS ALSO PERFORMED MANY TIMES BUT WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. WENT TO TOYOTA DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES, WITH THE SAME CAUSE, DEALER TENTATIVELY FIXED ISSUE BUT RESTARTS (VIBRATES) AFTER A FEW MILES. STEERING WHEEL SEEMS LOOSE (ABOUT TO FALL OFF) AND MOVES THE CAR SLIGHTLY TO THE LEFT. VISUAL VIBRATE OF STEERING WHEEL IS SEEN AND OF COURSE FELT. THIS VIBRATE NOT SEEN IN MY …

Owner-reported narrative. 32,300 miles reported. Look up ODI 10016894 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10020907 · 2003-06-02 (June 2, 2003)

VIBRATION IN FRONT END BEGINNING WITHIN 2 MONTHS OF PURCHASE IN JAN 2001. VIBRATION HAS GROWN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE ESPECIALLY ON ROUGH PAVEMENT OR DIRT RAODS. ALSO A POPPING NOISE FRONT FRONT RIGHT CORNER WHEN TURNING STEERING WHEEL TO EITHER LIMIT.*AK

Owner-reported narrative. 3,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10020907 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10024204 · 2003-06-17 (June 17, 2003)

WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS 70 DEGREES OR ABOVE AND TANK IS FIS FULL VEHICLE SPUTTERS AND STALLS. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 15,800 miles reported. Look up ODI 10024204 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10098692 · 2004-11-11 (November 11, 2004)

VEHICLE HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING AND STALLS OUT WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE. POWER BRAKES FAIL TO WORK PROPERLY ONCE CALL STALLS OUT CREATING A HAZARD. NO INJURIES OR CRASHES TO DATE BUT IN FEAR OF ONE OCCURRING. DEALERSHIP HAS MADE MANY ATTEMPTS TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH NO SUCCESS AS OF 11/11/04. REPLACED THE COMPUTER MODULE, SPARK PLUGS, WIRES, FUEL INJECTORS & CLEAN VALVES TO NO AVAIL. *JB

Owner-reported narrative. 1,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10098692 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10041835 · 2003-09-29 (September 29, 2003)

WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE RPMS GO HIGH. ALSO, WHILE DRIVING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TAKES A LONG TIME TO SHIFT. DEALER FOUND THAT ENGINE COMPUTER HAD TO BE REPLACED TO FIX THE START UP PROBLEM. DEALER HAD NOT DETERMINED THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10041835 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10453809 · 2012-04-02 (April 2, 2012)

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 85,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 8/23/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE STALLED AT BOTH LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS. THE ST…

Owner-reported narrative. 85,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10453809 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10059290 · 2004-02-18 (February 18, 2004)

CONSUMER COMPLAINED ABOUT CIGARETTE LIGHTER, AND CELL PHONE NOT WORKING. CONSUMER FELT THAT ELECTRICAL WIRING WAS DEFECTIVE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. 19,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10059290 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10240155 · 2008-08-29 (August 29, 2008)

DROVE CAR ON INTERSTATE & WHEN REACHED APPROX. 60 MPH, FELT VIBRATION & A SHUDDERING; PREPARED TO PULL OVER BUT BEFORE I COULD DO SO, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE EXPLODED, AS I LITERALLY WATCHED MY RIGHT FRONT END COME APART BEFORE MY EYES; COULD HARDLY CONTROL STEERING BUT MANAGED TO PULL OFF ROAD TO SAFETY. AFTER I HAD STOPPED, I GOT OUT & SAW THE WHOLE TREAD OF THE TIRE IN THE ROAD, ALONG WITH PARTS OF MY CAR ALL OVER THE PLACE. I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! I CALLED MY HUSBAND WHO PUT SPARE TIRE ON & I SLOWLY DROVE IT HOME & CAR DIED REPEATEDLY DURING…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10240155 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 10160569 · 2006-06-23 (June 23, 2006)

WHEN MY ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN MY 2001 TOYOTA CAMRY, I BROUGHT THE CAR TO BAKER AUTO SERVICE. I WAS TOLD THE VSV NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, IT WAS ON A RECALL LIST AND I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A TOYOTA DEALER. I BROUGHT THE CAR TO KING TOYOTA IN DEERFIELD BEACH, FL AND PAID AN $80.88 DIAGNOSTIC FEE. I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR NEEDED VSV AND A CHARCOAL CANISTER. I WAS ALSO TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THESE PARTS AND THE REPAIR COST WOULD BE $628. THE DEALER INFORMED ME THAT IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS NOT TO REPLACE THESE PARTS BECAUSE IF I AM REAR-ENDE…

Owner-reported narrative. 58,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10160569 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 757374 · 2002-01-26 (January 26, 2002)

CAR SPUTTERS AND KILLS WHILE TRYING TO START. WILL START AFTER A COUPLE OF ATTEMPTS - THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN NAMED THE "COLD START PROBLEM" BY TOYOTA.. TOYOTA HAS REPLACED THE COMPUTER, FUEL INJECTORS, FUEL PUMP, FUEL REGULATOR, SPARK PLUGS, CLEANED THE ENGINE.....NO GOOD. CAR IS DEFECTIVE AND THEY REFUSE TO REPLACE.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 757374 at NHTSA ↗