2004 Camry Solara Problems

[thez]

I have a 2004 Solara Sport SE and am very disappointed. The tire pressure light keeps coming on. The dealer has had the car four times to "fix" the problem but no luck. They are now claming a faulty outside temperature sensor is causing the tire pressure sensor to go off. I also have a rattle in the dashboard that they can't seem to pinpoint. Does anyone have similar issues? I thought I was buying a great vehicle but now I wish I had bought a BMW.

[jamesholden]

You'll find that the Camry will be better built than a new BMW as a lot of German stuff is rapidly falling apart at the moment especially Mercedes, in Europe German stuff is starting to get a bad reputation.

If this dealer can't sort the problem then take it to another one or if you are not happy at all the request a replacement vehicle, it's quite common practice in the UK and i'm sure it wouldnt be any more difficult anywhere else in the world.

[barkins]

I also bought the new Solara SE V6 and the second day I had the car, it started to make a whistling noise in 2nd gear. I've taken the car to multiple Toyota Service centers and they all hear the noise, but refuse to fix it. I test drove another Solara and it DID NOT make that noise. This will definitely be the last Toyota I buy. Very disappointing.

I'm now going to take Toyota to court. <_<

[tomasallan]

Just bought my 2004 solara 5 days ago, and it has been to the dealer 4 times counting today.

The car pulls to the left and vibrates between 75-85MPH, also the rattleing noise on the dashboard(in the back).

We found one of the noises is caused by the Stoplight located in the rear window (Loose).

Never had this problem before with Toyotas, so I am quite surprised.

One thing I noticed, is that the car is assembled here in the US. (WHY???)

[barkins]

Hey, so did they fix the rattling noise in your car? Because mine does that to and I'd hate to drive to the service station for nothing. Done that already 10+ times regarding problems.

It has been such a disappointment. Stupid Americans can't build a proper car.

[Diceman62]

I just bought a 04 Solara SLE I have had it 3 weeks and I been in the shop 3 times already.

my car Pulls to the left also.They have done an allignment put new wheels and tires on.And it did not fix the problem.Now they have given me a loaner car as it sits in the shop.My toyota service manager is now talking with toyo tech support and engineers as I write this.they are making changes to the spring settings now.Toyota is aware there is a problem with this left pull the car has so I am confident that they well remedy the problem.

Very odd this happened at all.toyota has always been a great car in my family.to see this kind of flaw is very surprizing to say the least.

[TCG]

Diceman62, I--and I think many others--would love to know what Toyota says about that left pull. As I've stated in my posts to another thread, my 2000 Camry pulls left even though I just got it aligned last week, and it apparently is a pervasive problem for Toyotas judging by the posts to this board and other places on the Internet. Please keep us informed

[Jack Bauer, Jr.]

Hi. I'm new here. Came across this board while doing a search on the left pull & tire inflation indicator problems.

I dropped the car off at the dealer this morning regarding the left pull issue, and they've already fixed the problem. When the service guy called me, he said the recall on my car had been fixed. What recall??? He reconfirmed what Diceman62 said - The problem resides in the spring pressure (or something like that). They basically need to rotate the spring's seating in the perch about a quarter inch to fix the problem. When calling the dealer last Friday to schedule my apointment, there was no recall, so this must be very recent.

Anywho...

I also had an hour long conversation with the dealer and another mechanic about the tire inflation indicator thing. After thinking about it for a while, the ABS and/or speed sensor is what measures the wheel's revolutions. If it picks up different RPMs from one of the wheels, it figures that your tire is low on air - then throw a light up on the dash. So, if the car is pulling to the left, the wheels on the left are technically turing at a different rate then those on the right. So maybe....just maybe....fixing of the left pull will also resolve the tire pressue light issue now that the wheels are turing at the same rate. I'll let you know after I pick the car up from the dealer.

[Diceman62]

Sorry I did'nt get back sooner But I wanted to update you all on my left pull Problem it's fixed.It was the front spring's the way it was sitting in the perch the car is perfect now.

Dice

[houstonsolara04]

OH MAN imso happy to find this site... i just thought my tire pressue light went on becuase of the weather.... well anyways im going to take the car to the dealership and explain to them that when i do speed up my car does pull to the left.....

[peakejef]

I have a 2004 Solara Sport and have a big problem with it pulling left. Glad I found this website. I took it in to the dealer today and they were able to fix the problem.

Not sure if this helps, but here is a scan of the relevant info on the work order:

The car drives straight as an arrow now.

Jeff

[Intruder]

You 2004 Solars owners are soooo lucky. My 2001 has only 20k miles on it and driving it has been Hell for 20k miles. I can only use it around town and I borrow a friend's Accord for long distance trips because I can't drive for hours -constantly pulling the wheel right to go in a straight line. Originally, I had to hold the steering wheel at 2 o'clock to go straight. Eventually they realigned the steering wheel but never fixed the real problem.

It has been to 2 different dealers 8 times for the left pull problem. They refuse to apply the 2004 fix to a 2001 even though they share a common design and severe quality problem.

So far, Toyota has told me:

- caused by the tires - but rotating them has no affect

- caused by the crown in the road but the crown is in the middle so it should pull right - right?

- they designed it to pull left to counteract the crown that would normally force it to the right

- it's natural to pull left since the left front wheel is the drive wheel

- They never heard of this problem before

- it is the most common problem they have with Camrys & Solaras

- alignment is only warranteed for 1 year, they won't fix it even though the problem was constantly reported since day 1.

I am posting this here so that potential buyers will be forewarned about Toyota quality and customer treatment.

[peakejef]

Intruder:

Cant you just have them rotate the strut mount and realign and see if it fixes the problem??

Or is your issue that you want them to do it for free due to a TSB on the 04 solara's???

Jeff

[Intruder]

peakejef,

Don't you think that Toyota should correct the problem under warrantee since I have been back repeatedly complaining about the problem from the start? Almost 3 years of calls, letters and dealer visits!

Are you suggesting that I pay Toyota to fix a problem that they deny even exists? If they would at least acknowledge the Left Pull problem, I could rationally discuss a repair but that's not an option with these bozos. Apparently, Toyota has released TSBs for fixing Left Pull on 2002 and 2004 models only. The dealers will not be reimbursed for applying the fix to any other year. I know - that makes no sense but That's Toyota policy.

[peakejef]

I do agree that they should fix it.

It is such a small repair though that the cost of having it fixed is probably not that much. Driving a car that pulls may eat up your tires and is unsafe. If it were me I would get it fixed then work with Toyota to get reimbursed...

3 years of haggling over such a small repair...its probably worthwhile just to pay to get it done so you can stop stressing about it!

[Intruder]

...its probably worthwhile just to pay to get it done so you can stop stressing about it!

I agree, peakejef - I accepted that fact a while ago.

I had an independent alignment shop try to fix it. They couldn't - but they confirmed that left side Caster was out of wack and it is unadjustable. (They asked if the car was ever in a wreck - it wasn't!) So I ordered Caster/Camber adjusters from k-mac in Australia a few weeks ago- still awaiting delivery. They replace the upper strut plates completely.

K-Mac web page

The fix by rotating the existing strut plate only came to light within the last couple of weeks. Needless to say, I would have had the alignment shop rotate the plate if I thought it would fix the problem. If I knew from the start that Toyota wouldn't stand behind their product I wouldn't have wasted so much effort trying to get warrantee service. In fact, If I knew how they operated, I never would have bought a Toyota in the first place.

Toyota's response to this longstanding, pervasive problem says a lot about the company.

BTW, I am a repeat customer. My daughter still drives my old '94 Camry. It has had fewer problems in 150k miles than my Solara had on delivery. Don't get me started on all the other problems that they couldn't / wouldn't fix.

[chargerman]

Does anybody have a Tech Service Bulliten number from Toyota? My dealer in Seattle doesn't know a thing about Solara's left pull problem. I also have the same problem, left pull, tire indicator light comes on every day. the rear package tray vibrates on bad roads. I have an appointment on Thursday for these items. I will keep you all informed of the results.

Chargerman

[Intruder]

Chargerman,

Check out discussions under Alignment Problems

It has been reported that the TSB has not been formally released yet but the information was distributed anyway. Who knows what that's about.

[Terton]

Thank-you for the useful information on the Solara. I had a problem with the tire pressure light at first but I reset it 2 times and it's been fine.

I am starting to get a rattle in the dash but not very often or loud(I usually have the cd player on. ) Does anyone know what's causing it?

I haven't had the car on the freeway for any lentgh of time but so far have not noticed a left pull.

This car has been really great. I love the feel of driving it and the comfort. The 6cyl engine really has a nice responce to it. I have the Sport model.

Anyway this is a great board.

[toyotasucks]

I just had the same problem on a Solara Sport a bought afew weeks ago, and they actually had the nerve to tell me that there was "nothing wrong".

After aligning it twice and rotating the tires twice???

And they said that they only had my word it was pulling, even after they drove it.

It is pulling to the left and the sensor light is now going on. So I will bring these posts with me and stick them where, well you know. Hope you guys don't mind where they are going. :-)

Not sure what my rights are with a car only a few weeks old, I'd like to make them take it back!! This will be the 3rd time I am bringing it. If anyone knows the lemon laws or such, please let me know.

I'll keep you updated.

[Intruder]

Toyotasucks, (they sure do!)

I feel your pain.

Lemon laws vary from state to state. Call your state representative's office. They will usually have a brochure that explains your rights and the process that must be followed.

Your dealer should be able to correct the Left Pull with TSB ST002-04 but I have heard on a Web forum that it could increase tire wear (no idea if it's true or not). They refused to even attempt the fix on mine because it is a 2001 (identical design, identical symptoms).

Insist that they apply the TSB. If they don't, or if they can't fix the problem, go the Lemon Law route ASAP . I delayed expecting that Toyota would eventually stand behind their product. They have put me through a great deal of inconvenience with all the return trips and now I'm stuck with a 3 year old car that is out of warrantee and it still tries to veer into oncoming traffic. According to them, that is not unusual for this model!

There are a ton of Toyota Web forums, virtually all have discussions on this long standing problem.

Steering problems

Print out a few and take them to your hearing to demonstrate how pervasive the Left Pull problem is.

Also, file a complaint with the NHTSA:

NHTSA - File a Complaint

...and write to Toyota's Customer Service Center. They will not respond to your letter but they are required to report all written complaints to the NHTSA.

The NHTSA has tons of complaints on this issue but they won't take action until the number becomes more significant. Also, write to the Secretary of Transportation (address available on the NHTSA Web page), your U.S. Representative and your Senators insisting that the NHTSA take action.

Good Luck!

[littled]

Dear all,

This is a great board! It's so good to know that I'm not the only one going back to Toyota dealer all the time for the tire-pressure light problem. :group-cuddles:

Just to share w/ you. The service center worked on my Solara awared the TSB ST002-04 and did that to my car already. But my car didn't totally get fixed. Now the light doesn't stay on, in stead, the light's on and off while I drive. Any of you experience the same after the fix?

[angels]

See, I knew it was pulling to the side, and when i mentioned it to a friend, they said can't be it's new and it's a toyota. I have all the problems, the pulling, the light, the rattle. I fell in love with the solara when i first saw it, and now, eventhough it doesn't seem like a huge problem, i'm still kinda disappointed. It's good to know that I'm not the only one with the problem, and I can at least make them think i know what i'm talking about .

[23slra]

Hello....man I just came across reading this and its incredible that there are more people out there with the same problem as me. Well it all started 2 days after buying my new solara, the alignment was off cause it was pulling slightly to the left....so I took it back they said they fixed it, well on the way home seemed fine, next day, aligment back off?? kept pulling so I take it back and they said ok, lets take a look, 3 hours waiting in the service center, they say " you need a rental car!" WHAT!~!~!~ :ffs: I came for an aligment change right, well supposidly I needed a new front AXEL and thats why it was pulling, mind you I bought the car with 7 miles on it and this is 1 week later! A new AXEL. ok so I get that, 2 days later driving home and the tire pressure light comes on, I think what now, but no biggie Ill put air... 3 days later it never goes off, I take it to the dealer, they replace a tire,said I had something in it, Fine... next day....wow lights on again so i take it back and they said "god we really dont know what it could be, we here at the dealership have done all we can and the light keeps comming on, we have contacted Toyota and they are intrested to know why...so we will keep your car here and give you a rental.... So needless to say I havent see my car in a week and Its being towed to a toyota manufacturer and all cause a LIGHT. Im very dissapointed and this has made my first car expirence the WO**** hassel ever. So if your light is styaing on.....its probably a defect like the axel..

[hyyz]

23slra,

Thanks for your post. Your post confirmed my concern. My Camry had the same left pull problem and dealer fixed it per TSB. But I feel that is not the right fix becaue I feel the car's left front end is low/soft. I know a defect on axle can cause this. Glad to know Toyota is taking your car away for investigation. I hope this is a sign for a recall on 2004 Camry (axle).