2004 Toyota Camry

No clear pattern

19.6% of complaints about the 2004 Toyota Camry arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2004 vehicle, but with only 700 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is speed control (179 complaints), typically at 5.8 yr or about 45,000 miles.

Complaints: 700
Median age at failure: 5.1 yr
Median mileage: 47,000 n=572
Crash / fire / tow: 34.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 3

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Speed control

179 reports · 45,000 mi

5.8 yr

56.4%

Air bags

76 reports · 60,000 mi

8.3 yr

60.5%

Steering

74 reports · 38,500 mi

3.2 yr

9.5%

Service brakes, hydraulic

47 reports · 13,751 mi

1.8 yr

34%

Power train

46 reports · 37,700 mi

1.9 yr

15.2%

Electrical system

41 reports · 72,000 mi

6.8 yr

29.3%

Engine cooling

28 reports · 74,000 mi

5.8 yr

10.7%

Engine

26 reports · 104,000 mi

10.3 yr

30.8%

Tires

25 reports · 13,500 mi

1.3 yr

16%

Structure

19 reports · 40,000 mi

4.3 yr

26.3%

Suspension

19 reports · 4,067 mi

7 mo

10.5%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

11V539000 2011-11-09

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 W

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.

04V595000 2004-12-15

Seat belts:front:buckle assembly

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A FRONT PASSENGER POWER SEAT, WHEN INSTALLING CERTAIN REAR-FACING INFANT CHILD SEAT BASES ONTO THE SEAT WITH AN EXCESSIVELY HIGH SEATBELT TENSION, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO UNSEAT A COMPONENT CALLED THE BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH FROM THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE.

IF THE SWITCH BECOMES UNSEATED, THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MAY MISTAKE THE REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT FOR AN UNBELTED ADULT OCCUPANT, AND MAY NOT SUPPRESS THE DEPLOYMENT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG.

04V346000 2004-07-13

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.

In owners’ own words

Structure 200 mi 1 mo in service crash / fire / tow

CONSUMER STATED WHILE TRAVELING 53 MPH FRONT END STARTED SHAKING HARD. CONSUMER PULLED VEHICLE OVER, AND NOTICED PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEEL WELL WAS ON FIRE. *AK *LA

Structure mileage not reported 11 mo in service

DRIVER'S DOOR HANDLE STUCK WHILE DRIVER TRIED TO OPEN THE DOOR. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ALSO, WHILE APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL VEHICLE HESITATED AND STALLED. CONSUMER RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Structure 100 mi 5 mo in service

THE BUMPERS ARE LACKING METAL CONTENT. THE BUMPER IS EASILY DENTED WHEN TOUCHING ANYTHING. CONSUMER DENTED FRONT RIGHT SIDE BUMPER. THE MATERIAL DESIGN IS POORLY MANUFACTURED, AND SOMEONE WILL BE INJURED.*AK

Steering 18 mi 2 mo in service

JUST BOUGHT A NEW 2004 CAMRY XLE FULLY LOADED, HAD 18 MILES ON IT.ONE OF THE BEARINGS ON THE STEERING U-JOINT FELL OUT,CAUSING AT LEAST 2" OF PLAY IN THE WHEEL, LUCK HAS IT THIS WAS JUST BEFORE WE WERE GOING ON A TRIP. WE COULD OF LOST THE STEERING ON THE FREEWAY AND CRASHED. POWER TOYOTA IN IRVINE CA. WILL NOT GIVE ME THE BAD PART THEY SAID THEY HAD TO SEND IT BACK TO THE MANUFACTURER. *AK

Other Camry model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.