1997 Toyota Camry: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 555 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes, hydraulic (16% of complaints); the 1995 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 555 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“In January my starter caught on fire while driving down the road, and again in April causing me to lose days of work. Caused positive cable to battery to melt.”Owner report · Engine · Apr 2024
“The steering wheel is set off center to the right of the driver. Yes it is available upon request. Causes extreme back pains. Has not been inspected by police or insurance reps. Has not been inspected yet. No warning lights or messages in car dash for this. Since I had the car noticed this.”Owner report · Steering · Jul 2023
“Steering wheel and handle bar are loose. The electrical system including the ignition are not working properly. The service brakes and the hydraulic parts seems to wobble while driving . The exterior lighting headlights are so dimmed it is hard to see while driving at night. The vehicle is parked in front of my house.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jul 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“Bought the car used and the car ran well but now the transmission went out. It would slip from time to time but now is out completely. Which seems to be very mysterious. I was searcjing to see how commo. The problem is or has been. I thought there might. Have been recalls on the transmission but didn't see any...”Owner report · Power Train · Dec 2019
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota camry. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing the same symptoms as listed in NHTSA campaign number: 97v156000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was a brake vacuum hose leak and traction failure. The track off warning indicator was reset and the master cylinder was replaced. The manufacturer was notified, but was not able to assist. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 147,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jan 2016
“Key will not turn to start car. Steering wheel lock goes in and out. Eventually (5-20 minutes) do something that works (don't know what) and car will start. When it happened once, I figured it was an anomaly. But it has not happened five times and I am now in constant worry about it happening again. Updated 9/21/15 *ln ...updated 10/01/15*bf the consumer stated using a different ignition key seemed to have alleviated the problem. Updated 10/13/15*jb”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota camry. The contact stated that the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard when it was depressed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 167,000.”Owner report · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · Sep 2014
“On saturday 8/23/14 I was drove on sw walker in beaverton, oregon with the speed is 45rpm. Then I was smell the gas in my car. The smell of gas make me headache very bad. I drove home and checked underneath front of the car and see the leak look like oil leak on the ground but this is not the oil leak. It is the fuel leak. I opened the hook to checked for the leak to find where the leak come from? I found the leaked came from the fuel line from the fuel injection connected to fuel filter. The pipe was cracked and lead. Monday I drove 97 toyota camry to auto repair shop for repair the fuel line leak. The auto repair shop charged me $351.12 for replaced the fuel line to stop the leak. *tr”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Aug 2014
“My car made a wining noise and then a loud pop. I managed to get it off rt 40 and into a parking lot. The brakes went out and there was severe smoke. I did roll down my window half way and then shut car off tried the unlock button and it did not work. I then crawled out the window and ran the car ignited and continuously burned up?”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2014
“Tl* the contact owned a 1997 toyota camry. While driving 45 mph, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front driver side by another vehicle. The front driver side tire deflated and the air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 255,000.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2014
When filing, owners marked a crash in 79 of these complaints and injuries in 59 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN,MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NOTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. A CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHERE ACCUMULATED MOISTURE CAN TEMPORARILY FREEZE IN THE BRAKE VACUUM HOSE IF THE VEHICLE IS USED IN EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN BRAKE VACUUM HOSE.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A POSSIBLE JAMMING OF THE LOCK PIN OF THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY EVEN WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN THE "PARK" POSITION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID.
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Remedy: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1997 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Camry by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1997 Toyota Camry reliable?
NHTSA has 555 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 1997 Toyota Camry. The most complained-about area is service brakes, hydraulic (16% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1997 Toyota Camry problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 88,000 miles or less.
Does the 1997 Toyota Camry have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:power assist. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.