What's Wrong with the 5th Generation (2002–2006) Camry?

Camry owners have made 560 complaints about the 2002–2006 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it second to last in overall reliaibility, with significant engine and transmission concerns.

Compare With Other Camry Generations

Common 2002-2006 Toyota Camry Problems

Some of the worst issues 5th generation Camry owners have to deal with.

  1. Oil Sludge in Toyota Engines

    Toyota settled a class-action engine-sludge suit in 2007 that covered an estimated 2.5-million Toyota and Lexus vehicles made between 1997 and 2002. In that case, Toyota agreed to repair 'sludged-up' engines for up to eight years from the t…

    Continue reading article "Oil Sludge in Toyota Engines"

  2. Unintended Acceleration

    Toyota believes the problems are caused by stuck gas pedals or misplaced floor mats that trapped the gas pedals. Independent testing by NASA and other outside laboratories agreed with Toyota and concluded driver error was also a contributin…

    Continue reading article "Unintended Acceleration"

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

5th Generation (2002–2006) Camry Key Numbers

  1. 5 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 560 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 80th in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 81 eligible generations.

Recent 5th Generation (2002–2006) Camry News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. Toyota doesn't exactly have a sterling reputation when it comes to unintended acceleration.

    And so, when Corolla owner Robert Ruginis petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to investigate low-speed surging in the 2006-2010 Corolla, it seemed like a slam dunk, home run or <insert sports cliché here>. Go sports team! But instead NHTSA said no to the investigation. The agency said they analyzed data from an event recorder cited by Ruginis in his petition and came up with a completely different conclusion. Ruginis said his Corolla moved forward with the brake pedal pressed, NHTSA said it didn't. Ruginis said Corollas can move forward even with the brake pressed to the floor, NHTSA said they can't.

    Instead, NHTSA placed the blame on Corolla drivers in most cases. They also said an investigation wasn't worth their time:…

    keep reading article "NHTSA Says No to Unintended Acceleration Investigation"

  2. Toyota thought the scourge of unintended acceleration was finally behind them.

    They had, after all, recalled millions of cars, paid hefty fines to the government, entered talks to settle hundreds of class-action lawsuits and even paid out $1.6 billion to owners because the trade-in value of their vehicles had diminished. Besides, the world's attention had turned to GM's ignition switch fiasco. So are Toyota's problems with unintended acceleration in the rearview mirror? Not so fast, or in this case ... slow.…

    keep reading article "New Unintended Acceleration Petition Filed"