2002 Toyota Camry: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 1183 complaints
1183
Total Complaints
50,000mi
Median Mileage
Vehicle Speed Control
Top Issue
324
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
19,184
25th Percentile
50,000
Median Mileage
98,118
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Vehicle Speed Control
243
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
61
Engine
58
Air Bags
57
Tires
46
Automatic Transmission
43
Engine And Engine Cooling
40
Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
40
Steering
33
Accelerator Pedal
30
Severity Assessment
324
Crashes
24
Fires
173
Injuries
15
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"AT ANY SPEED BRAKE PEDAL IS REALLY MUSHY, AND ONE TIME IT WENT TO THE FLOOR, VEHICLE EVENTUALLY STOPPED ON ITS OWN.*AK"
"STARTING THE FIRST WEEK IHAD THE VEHICLE THE BRAKES WERE "NOT RIGHT" AND SEEMED TO MALFUNCTION INTERMITTENTLY ABOUT EVERY TWO DAYS UNTIL I FINALLY WENT THROUGH AN INTERSECTION AND WAS UNABLE TO STOP. THE DEALER CALIMS IT'S THE ABS BUT I'VE DRIVEN ABS VEHICLES FOR THE LAST 5 YRS WITHOUT EXPERIENCING ..."
"WHILE DRIVING THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM VEHICLE. WHEN CONSUMER SAW SMOKE STOPPED VEHICLE, AND THEN VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN ENGINE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS NOT WILLING TO DO ANYTHING.*AK VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY IN FLAMES AND FIRE DEPARTMENT CAME AND PUT OUT THE FIRE. *YD"
Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.
When Were Complaints Filed?
Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.
When Does Each Component Fail?
Median mileage at complaint for top components.
Vehicle Speed Control
243 complaints
25th: 20,407 mi
Median: 41,736 mi
75th: 79,662 mi
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
61 complaints
25th: 4,687 mi
Median: 13,888 mi
75th: 50,000 mi
Engine
58 complaints
25th: 100,750 mi
Median: 117,450 mi
75th: 146,250 mi
Air Bags
57 complaints
25th: 53,000 mi
Median: 114,000 mi
75th: 155,000 mi
Tires
46 complaints
25th: 11,825 mi
Median: 19,340 mi
75th: 24,678 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 141
NY: 110
FL: 89
NJ: 73
MA: 65
PA: 57
MD: 55
TX: 50
OH: 47
VA: 46
Who Files Complaints?
37.8%
Original Owners
62.2%
Second+ Owners
Toyota Camry — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 160 | 5 |
| 1991 | 186 | 11 |
| 1992 | 646 | 38 |
| 1993 | 334 | 58 |
| 1994 | 364 | 78 |
| 1995 | 373 | 59 |
| 1996 | 567 | 69 |
| 1997 | 685 | 92 |
| 1998 | 751 | 87 |
| 1999 | 660 | 133 |
| 2000 | 577 | 152 |
| 2001 | 356 | 87 |
| 2003 | 945 | 299 |
| 2004 | 797 | 263 |
| 2005 | 901 | 292 |
| 2006 | 392 | 137 |
| 2007 | 3666 | 386 |
| 2008 | 1134 | 121 |
| 2009 | 1609 | 204 |
| 2010 | 762 | 137 |
| 2011 | 777 | 154 |
| 2012 | 806 | 127 |
| 2013 | 375 | 64 |
| 2014 | 632 | 93 |
| 2015 | 358 | 47 |
| 2016 | 242 | 61 |
| 2017 | 203 | 40 |
| 2018 | 1039 | 80 |
| 2019 | 521 | 37 |
| 2020 | 362 | 20 |
| 2021 | 184 | 31 |
| 2022 | 73 | 18 |
| 2023 | 76 | 15 |
| 2024 | 62 | 7 |
| 2025 | 157 | 19 |
Active Recalls (4)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Frontal
Campaign 01V372000 | 11/12/2001
IF THIS SHOULD OCCUR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE DETACHED BOTTOM PORTION MAY STRIKE THE DRIVER CAUSING PERSONAL INJURY.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN DECEMBER 28, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT
Side/Window
Campaign 04V346000 | 13/07/2004
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.
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CSAS AND REPLACE THE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 6, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
Frontal
Campaign 01V306000 | 25/09/2001
UNEXPECTED AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT CAN RESULT IN OCCUPANT INJURY.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG ASSEMBLY. BOTH OWNERS WERE NOTIFIED BY TELEPHONE AND ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THIS CAMPAIGN IS 100% COMPLETED. BOTH OWNERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND THEIR VEHICLES REPAIRED.
Tires
Campaign 01V302000 | 01/10/2001
THE TIRES DO NOT CONFORM TO THE SPEED RATING FOR THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED THE MAXIMUM SPEED RATING (112 MPH), POSSIBLE TIRE FAILURE COULD OCCUR.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE ALL FIVE TIRES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN SEPTEMBER 13, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SOUTHEAST TOYOTA AT 1-800-301-6859.
General Vehicle Maintenance
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
- Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
- Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
- Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
- Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly
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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.
Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.
Data through: 2026-03-28