1999 Toyota Camry Solara Brakes Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY SOLARA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ABS AND TRAC OFF INDICATORS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO JACK TAYLOR'S ALEXANDRIA TOYOTA (703-684-0700, LOCATED AT 3750 JEFFERSON DAVIS HWY, ALEXANDRIA, VA 22305) AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 274,000.

NHTSA ID

11266825

Incident

Jul 7, 2019

Mileage

274,000 mi

CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO AT A SLOW SPEED...BRAKES WENT TO THE FLOOR... AVOIDED HITTING ANOTHER CAR AND PEDESTRIAN AND THEN HIT A TREE NEAR A HOME. CAR WAS TOWED BY AAA TO A AAA SERVICE SHOP.... MARATHON- WESTERN/TOUGHY WHO INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED BOTH BRAKE LINES FAILED... RUSTED THROUGH AND THEY SEE THIS CONDITION ALOT WITH TOYOTA'S OF THIS AGE AS THE BRAKE LINES ARE COVERED UP BY A PLATE THAT TRAPS SALT AND MOISTURE. TOYOTA CLAIMS CONTACTED AND DENIED ANY DESIGN FAULT OF MATERIAL DEFECT.. EVEN THOUGH IT HAS STAINLESS STEEL BRAKE LINES THAT THIS MECHANICE AND SHOP CONSTANTLY SEES DO THIS EXACT CORROSION PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED EIGHT TOYOTAS... NEVER EXPERIENCED EVEN A BRAKE LEAK BUT A FULL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE IN THIS 1999 MODEL IS RIDICULOUS AND TOYOTA IS WALKING AWAY FROM ANY RESPONSIBILITY ON THEIR PART. NTSB SHOULD BE RECALL ALL 1999'S SOLORA AND CAMRY'S ... FORCE TOYOTA TO PAY FOR REPAIRS BEFORE MORE OF THESE ACCIDNETS OCCUR... *TR

NHTSA ID

10652524

Incident

Aug 17, 2014

Mileage

113,000 mi

BRAKES WENT TO FLOOR WHEN DEPRESSED... HAD TO RUN CAR INTO CURB AND INTO TREE BEFORE A CAR WAS HIT IN FRONT OF VEHICLE OR PARKED CARS. MECHANIC NOTED BOTH BRAKE LINES WERE RUSTED THROUGH CAUSING COMPLETE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WHICH APPARENTLY HAPPENS ALOT ON THIS AGE OF TOYOTA BECAUSE OF DESIGN OF COVERING BRAKE LINES TRAPPING IN SALT AND MOISTURE LEADING TO FAILURE. RESULT OF ACCIDENT WAS TO REPLACE BOTH BRAKE LINES FROM TO BACK AND BODY WORK TO REPAIR VEHICLE SO IT WAS DRIVABLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10628117

Incident

Aug 17, 2014

Mileage

125,000 mi

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAKES 3 TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR. ROTORS AND CALIPERS HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES. CAR NOW HAS ABOUT 130,000 MILES. LAST REPAIRMAN SAID THERE WAS EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE BRAKES, BUT THE CAR IS NOT DRIVEN IN ANY SALT WATER. *TR

NHTSA ID

10330470

Incident

May 14, 2010

I HAVE A 1999 SOLARA AND EVER SINCE OWNING IT, IT'S BEEN ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER. THE CD PLAYER SKIPS WHEN I PRESS THE BRAKES, THE ROTORS NEEDED RESURFACING BECAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PADS VIBRATED WHEN BREAKING, THE STRUTS RATTLE BADLY AND CONSTANTLY, THE DRIVER SIDE VANITY MIRROR BROKE OFF, THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR CONTROL PANEL HAS CAME OFF TWICE NOW, I'VE REPLACED BREAK LIGHT BULBS FOUR TIMES, THE ENGINE SPUTTERS AT TIMES AT START UP AND WILL NOT STAY RUNNING ON IT'S OWN AND THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT ROCKS BACK AND FORTH. THE DEALER FIXED THE SEAT ONCE OUT OF THE 7 TIMES I BROUGHT IT IN FOR REPAIR FINALLY SAID IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. I TOLD THEM THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM ONCE ALREADY SO HOW CAN IT BE A NORMAL THING? I SAT IN A NEW SOLARA ONTHE SHOWROON FLOOR AND THAT SEAT ROCKED TOO. THE DEALER REPLACED MY CD PLAYER BUT THE NEW SKIPS AT TIMES BUT NOT NEARLY AS OFTEN. THE DEALER CLAIMED THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THE STRUTS AND REFUSED TO REPLACE. TIRED OF ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER...THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST TOYOTA.*AK

NHTSA ID

10074809

Incident

Jun 4, 2004

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 1999 TOYOTA SOLARA (PURCHASED MARCH 1999).LAST MONTH WITH 34,825 MILES ON IT, I HAD TO HAVE THE FRONT ROTORS AND BRAKE PADS REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE FIRST TIME WAS IN JUNE 2001 WITH 22,125 MILES ON THE VEHICLE.*AK BOTH TIMES, THE DEALER BLAMES EXCESSIVE RUST AND RUNOUT ON THE ROTORS AS THE CAUSE OF SERIOUS STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION WHEN BRAKING. THEY CLAIM I DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR AND USE THE BRAKES ENOUGH. THE SOLARA IS GARAGE KEPT AND GETS AT LEAST AS MUCH USE AS ANY OTHER CAR I HAVE OWNED AND I HAVE NEVER HAD TO HAVE ANY BRAKES AND ROTORS REPLACED FOR THIS REASON AND FOUR OF THE CARS I OWNED FOR A PERIOD OF NINE YEARS EACH. TWO OF THOSE SAT OUTSIDE THEIR ENTIRE EXISTENCE AND AVERAGED A GRAND TOTAL OF THREE TO FOUR THOUSAND MILES/YEAR. I HAVE TRIED DEALING WITH THE DEALER REP AND HE AND THE REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER TELL ME THERE IS NOTHING THEY SHOULD DO ABOUT IT AND I SHOULD EXPECT TO BE DOING THIS AGAIN EVERY TWO YEARS. THIS DOES NOT SEEM RIGHT TO ME AND SO FAR I HAVE GOTTEN THE RESPONSE FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT THEY STAND BEHIND THE OPINIONS OF THEIR DEALER SERVICE TECHS. EVEN AFTER REPAIR, I GET SOME VIBRATION IN PEDAL AND STEERING WHEEL AT TIMES. HAVE ALSO HAD PROBLEMS WITH ANTILOCK BRAKES. JUST TODAY I HAD TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT AS A CAR PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME AND ANTILOCK RELEASED BRAKING CAUSING A LONGER BRAKING DISTANCE THAN NECESSARY. ONE DAY WHEN STOPPING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS ON A SMOOTH SURFACE, ANTI-LOCK KICKED IN AND RELEASED BRAKING POWER. I WOUND UP WITH THE WHOLE FRONT END OF THE CAR IN THE INTERSECTION. I WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 30-35 MPH AS I WAS IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. I WAS LUCKY NO ONE WAS COMING. ANY TIME YOU TRY TO STOP ON A ROUGH SURFACE, IT CAN BE AN ADVENTURE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO REMEMBER TO KEEP EXTRA DISTANCE WITH THIS CAR. ANYTIME BROUGHT UP TO DEALER, THEY SAID COULD NOT DUPLICATE AND THIS IS THE WAY ANTILOCK BRAKES ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK.

NHTSA ID

10021063

Incident

Jun 4, 2003

Mileage

34,825 mi

ROTORS BROKE OFF AND WENT INTO FRONT WHEEL, AND WHEEL STOPPED MOVING, AND CONSUMER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE.*AK

NHTSA ID

8012851

Incident

Jun 27, 2002

THE UNRELIABLE BRAKES ON MY CAR ARE MY GRAVEST CONCERN OF THE SEVERAL PROBLEMS IVE HAD. THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR BEGAN ONLY ONE MONTH INTO OWNERSHIP. THESE PROBLEMS WERE MOSTLY CORRECTED BY A REWIRE THAT WAS DONE IN OCTOBER 1999. OCCASIONALLY, THOUGH, A WINDOW WONT OPEN STILL. THE BRAKES FIRST FAILED IN THE WINTER OF 00-01, AND I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR SERVICE. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR, SINCE THE PROBLEM RARELY OCCURRED. IT BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND PRONOUNCED, HOWEVER. EVENTUALLY IN JULY 2001, I SLID THROUGH AN INTERSECTION ON A HOT SUNNY DAY ON DRY ROADS. I WAS CONVINCED THE CAR WAS NOT PERFORMING PROPERLY. AT THIS POINT (AUGUST 2001), IT IS UNSTEADY ENOUGH ON GOOD ROADS THAT I BRAKE WITH EXTREME CAUTION AT ALL TIMES. TWICE, NOW, IN THE LAST WEEK THE ABS HAS ENGAGED WHEN THE BRAKES WERE NOT ENGAGED  ONCE DURING ACCELERATION, ONCE WHEN COMPLETING A STOP (THAT STARTED AT ABOUT 15 MPH). THE THIRD DEALERSHIP I CONTACTED LISTENED TO THE PROBLEM CAREFULLY AND THEN EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THE CAR WAS PERFORMING EXACTLY AS DESIGNED, AND THIS SAFETY FEATURE (THE ABS) WAS DESIGNED TO PROTECT FROM LOSS OF CONTROL. I CAN CERTAINLY CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF THE CAR WELL WHEN ITS SKIDDING, BUT I CONSIDER THE ABILITY TO REDUCE SPEED AN EQUALLY IMPORTANT ELEMENT OF CONTROL. IF A CHILD ON A TRICYCLE CROSSED UNEXPECTEDLY IN FRONT OF ME, I AM ALMOST CERTAIN THE CAR COULD NOT BE STOPPED IN TIME TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, NO MATTER HOW SLOWLY I WAS GOING. THE ABS TAKES OVER EVEN AT VERY LOW SPEEDS (0-15MPH), TRIPLING MY STOPPING DISTANCE ON THE DRIEST, SMOOTHEST ROADS. I KNOW THIS WOULD BE A COMPELLING SUIT COMING FROM THE ATTORNEY OF A CRIPPLE, BUT I AM ONLY INTERESTED IN BEING SAFE AND ALIVE. THIS CAR IS UNSAFE, AND I AM EXASPERATED AT TOYOTAS REFUSAL TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

751377

Incident

Dec 15, 2000

BRAKES WOULD MAKE GRINDING NOISES WHEN THEY WERE APPLIED. WOULD FAIL TO CATCH WHEN TRYING MAKE STOPS, WHICH ARE ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO DO. BRAKE SYSTEM WAS REPLACED AT 6,000 MILES & THE STRUTS WERE REPLACED AT 12,000 MILES DUE TO OIL LEAKAGE. *AK

NHTSA ID

869905

Incident

Jun 1, 1999