2004 Toyota Camry Problems, Recalls & Reliability
799 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Toyota Camry, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 36/100 on the trouble index — a below-average year for this model. Speed control leads the reports, typically around 45,980 miles.
Below average
Where 2004 sits among all Camry years
What owners report
“Slowly making a right turn to park in a wide open parking space in a parking garage. Car lunged forward hitting a wall in front of the parking space and damaging the front end of the car. No brake problems or previous acceleration problems”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
“While driving locally at a non-speeding level,dry weather, wheel locked up preventing control of the vehicle which spun out of control, leadding to vehicle hitting a curb then airborne and turnover resulting to salvage damages.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
“Top of dashboard around passenger side airbag is splitting open. Other toyota;s from the same year have a dashboard fix thru toyota. Not camry's. Concerned that airbag may not work correctly. Or come out of dashboard.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
“The contact owns a 2004 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while the vehicle was idling there was an abnormal fuel odor detected. The contact stated that there was also a grinding sound while applying the brakes. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
“Oil started to leak from manifold, my mechanic said it was a stripped botl. He tried to fix it with silicone and replace the bolt but it is still leaking all over the engine. He informed me this coud cause a fire. Can i hold toyota responsible for this problem?”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
“Car sitting at idle position suddenly launched forward. Vehicle was going 2-3 mph when it suddenly launched forward and smashed into a wall at a top donut drive thru.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Camry
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 599 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 51,284 miles. Half of those reports fall between 23,000 and 87,489 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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.
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Toyota Camry reliable?
The 2004 Toyota Camry drew 799 complaints in federal safety records — a below-average year for this model. Its trouble index is 36/100, scored against the model's worst year (2007).
What are the most common 2004 Toyota Camry problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Toyota Camry are speed control (241 complaints), steering (81), and airbags (79).
At what mileage do 2004 Toyota Camry problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Toyota Camry problems around 51,284 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 23,000 and 87,489 miles.
Does the 2004 Toyota Camry have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Toyota Camry. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.