1997 Toyota Camry — Known Issues & Recalls

Your Camry was involved in a multi-impact collision (rear-end, side, and front-end), but the airbags failed to deploy during any of the impacts. This resulted in serious injuries to the driver, including a broken jaw and nerve damage requiring multiple surgeries. The vehicle was totaled and towed away. The airbag system may need inspection to determine why it didn't activate when the car experienced multiple collision forces.

Your Camry's passenger-side airbag unexpectedly inflated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, ejecting the occupant from the car. This is a serious malfunction in the airbag system related to a known Takata recall issue. You should contact Toyota immediately to have the airbag system inspected and replaced if necessary.

Your 1997 Camry was hit head-on on the driver's side at 45 mph, but the front airbags did not deploy during the crash. The front driver's side tire also went flat from the impact. Although no one was injured and a police report was documented, the vehicle was totaled. Toyota has been notified of the airbag failure.

In extremely cold climates, moisture can accumulate and freeze inside your brake vacuum hose, which could disable the power-assist feature that helps your brakes work effectively. If this happens, your stopping distance may increase significantly, creating a serious safety risk. The fix typically involves replacing the brake vacuum hose with an improved design or adding protection to prevent moisture buildup.

Your brake pedal started requiring you to push it nearly or all the way to the floor before the brakes would engage. This problem continued until the brake line was repaired.

Your transmission has failed completely after gradually slipping intermittently over time. You purchased the car used and it initially ran well, but the transmission has now stopped working properly. The repair will likely require transmission fluid service, inspection of internal components, or potentially a complete transmission replacement or rebuild.

Your car's ignition allows you to remove the key even when the transmission is still in Drive, which can cause the vehicle to roll away unexpectedly when you turn off the engine. You may not have been notified about a recall for this safety issue. The fix would likely involve a transmission interlock mechanism that prevents key removal until the transmission is shifted to Park.

Your starter motor caught fire while you were driving on two separate occasions (January and April), causing the positive battery cable to melt. This is a serious electrical hazard that left you unable to use your vehicle and could pose a fire risk. The starter motor and battery cable connections will need to be inspected and replaced.

Your steering wheel and handlebar feel loose and unstable. The electrical system and ignition aren't working properly, and your headlights are very dim, making it difficult to see while driving at night. Your service brakes and hydraulic components wobble while driving, which is a serious safety concern. These issues will likely require inspection of the steering linkage, electrical system diagnostics, brake system inspection, and headlight replacement or repair.

Both rear seat belts on your car won't retract properly, leaving them loose and hanging. This creates a safety hazard since the seat belts won't be able to hold passengers securely in a crash. The seat belt retractor mechanisms will likely need to be replaced or repaired.

Your 1997 Camry was struck from behind at about 30 mph in a multi-vehicle collision. The driver's airbag did not deploy during the impact, and the driver sustained serious injuries including facial bruising, a broken foot, and internal knee bleeding. The steering wheel airbag failure may have contributed to the severity of injuries sustained.

Your brake pedal sinks all the way to the floor when you press it. This indicates a serious loss of braking pressure that makes your brakes unsafe to use. The vehicle was reported to Toyota but hasn't been repaired yet. You'll likely need brake system inspection and repairs, which could involve replacing brake fluid, brake lines, wheel cylinders, or the master cylinder.

Your car made a whining noise followed by a loud pop, after which the brakes failed and severe smoke appeared. The car then caught fire and burned continuously. You were unable to unlock the doors using the unlock button and had to escape through the window.

Your brake system has a vacuum hose leak that's causing your traction control to fail and your brake warning light to come on. A mechanic found the leak and replaced your master cylinder to fix the problem. This is related to a known Toyota issue from 1997 that affects brake performance and traction control.

Your car's ignition key won't turn to start the engine, and the steering wheel lock keeps engaging and disengaging. You have to wait 5-20 minutes and try various things before the car finally starts, though you're not sure what actually works. This has happened five times now, causing you concern about it happening again. Using a different ignition key appears to have resolved the issue.

While driving at 45 mph, you noticed a strong gasoline smell inside your car that caused headaches. You discovered fuel leaking from under the hood—specifically from a cracked fuel line connecting the fuel injector to the fuel filter. The repair shop replaced the fuel line to stop the leak, costing $351.12.

Your steering wheel is off-center to the right, which is causing you extreme back pain. The misalignment hasn't been inspected yet. This issue started when you got the car and may require wheel alignment and a steering system inspection to correct.

Your engine is consuming oil between oil changes, meaning the oil level drops faster than normal. This could indicate internal engine wear or a leak. You should check your oil level regularly and monitor how quickly it drops to determine if professional service is needed.

Your accelerator pedal occasionally gets stuck when you press it to start moving forward from a stop, and this has been happening on and off for several years. The pedal may not return smoothly to its resting position, making it harder to control your engine speed. This issue could require cleaning or replacing the throttle cable and pedal assembly to restore proper movement.

Both the driver and passenger sun visors in your 1997 Toyota Camry have developed cracks or fractures. This happened around 90,000 miles and the vehicle wasn't repaired. Replacing the damaged sun visors should resolve the issue.