2004 Toyota Camry: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 797 complaints
797
Total Complaints
47,280mi
Median Mileage
Vehicle Speed Control
Top Issue
263
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
15,834
25th Percentile
47,280
Median Mileage
84,101
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Vehicle Speed Control
211
Steering
62
Air Bags
55
Electrical System
35
Automatic Transmission
32
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
29
Accelerator Pedal
27
Engine
26
Engine And Engine Cooling
18
Frontal
18
Severity Assessment
263
Crashes
16
Fires
183
Injuries
7
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"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"
"RIGHT REAR ROTOR WEARS OUT PREMATURELY. *AK"
"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 ..."
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
211 complaints
25th: 26,190 mi
Median: 47,280 mi
75th: 77,970 mi
Steering
62 complaints
25th: 11,050 mi
Median: 40,000 mi
75th: 70,250 mi
Air Bags
55 complaints
25th: 46,108 mi
Median: 75,000 mi
75th: 126,000 mi
Electrical System
35 complaints
25th: 35,675 mi
Median: 68,161 mi
75th: 99,871 mi
Automatic Transmission
32 complaints
25th: 100 mi
Median: 1,408 mi
75th: 48,000 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 90
FL: 86
NY: 63
MA: 42
TX: 40
NC: 39
MD: 39
NJ: 39
GA: 34
OH: 25
Who Files Complaints?
29.5%
Original Owners
70.5%
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 |
| 2002 | 1183 | 324 |
| 2003 | 945 | 299 |
| 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 (3)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Engine And Engine Cooling
Campaign 11V539000 | 09/11/2011
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.
TOYOTA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL CHECK THE CRANKSHAFT PULLEY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER IT WAS PRODUCED BY THE U.S. SUPPLIER. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PULLEY WITH A NEW ONE AT NO CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING EARLY JANUARY 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1
Buckle Assembly
Campaign 04V595000 | 15/12/2004
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.
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT PASSENGER SEATBELT BUCKLE STATUS SWITCH. THIS SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (SSC 40M) BEGAN ON DECEMBER 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987..
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.
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
Compare Toyota Camry
Vehicle Rankings
Looking for a replacement?
Based on the data above, here are relevant options.
Affiliate link
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