RoadVitals

1985 Toyota Camry

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
13
Latest Aug 6, 2018
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
1
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
3

Overview

Our database contains 13 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1985 Toyota Camry, most frequently naming the tires & wheels, brakes and engine categories. 1 NHTSA investigation names it; and 17 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels317.6%
  • Brakes317.6%
  • Engine211.8%
  • Interior & seats211.8%
  • Transmission211.8%
  • Electrical211.8%
  • Suspension15.9%
  • Fuel system15.9%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE87057ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

IGNITER ASSEMBLY FAILURE

Opened Sep 10, 1987
Closed Mar 30, 1988

SUMMARY: TOYOTA RECOVERED SOME FAILED IGNITION CONTROL MODULES FROM THEFIELD. INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT A SOLDER JOINT IN THE POWER TRANSISTOROF THE MODULE WAS SUBJECT TO FAILURE. BECAUSE THE PART IS AN EMISSIONRELATED COMPONENT A VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN WAS CONDUCTED.THE PREDOMINANT MODE OF FAILURE IS AN INABILITY TO START THE ENGINE,ALTHOUGH A STALLED CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHILE THE ENGINE IS RUNNING.SINCE THE REPORTED OCCURENCE OF ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS SMALL, AND THEREPAIR IS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER THE EMISSIONS RECALL CAMPAIGN, THELIKLEHOOD OF FURTHER ACCIDENTS AND INJURIES IS REMOTE.===

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

View all 13
Filed Aug 6, 2018

THE CAR SIMPLY WON'T START. I'M NOT SURE WHY, BECAUSE THE BATTERY AND ALTERNATOR SEEM TO BE WORKING. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT IT WAS THE STARTER RECALL. I HAD THAT REPAIRED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. BUT IT'S NOT THE PROBLEM. THE CAR JUST WON'T START, AND IT TURNS OVER TO TRY TO START.

NHTSA ID
11118106
Incident
Jun 28, 2018
Mileage
58,000 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Sep 4, 2003

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE AND CHATTER. CONSUMER PULLED UP INTO A SERVICE STATION AND CHECKED TIRES. SHE COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING WRONG, THERE WERE NO PUNCTURES OF BUBBLES IN THE TIRES. SHE THEN CONTINUED ON HER WAY, BUT ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE HIGHWAY , VEHICLE SHACKED AND CHATTERED. ONLY THIS TIME WHEN SHE GOT OUT OF VEHICLE SHE NOTICED THAT RIGHT TIRE SEPARATED BECAUSE THE TREAD PEELED OFF. THERE 9800 MILES ON THE TIRES. DOUGLAS TIRES , P185 70R13. VEHICLE DID NOT RUN OVER ANYTHING, OR HIT ANYTHING.*AK

NHTSA ID
10038243
Incident
Sep 4, 2003
Tires & wheels
Filed Aug 31, 2003

TIRE TREAD SEPARATED AND TIRE BLEW OUT ON INTERSTATE.*AK

NHTSA ID
10036939
Incident
Aug 29, 2003
Electrical
Filed Feb 28, 2002
Fire reported

WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE CONSUMER WAS SMELLING SMOKE INSIDE VEHICLE. SHE WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO SHOULDER. AND TRUNK AREA WAS IN FLAMES.*AK

NHTSA ID
8004750
Incident
Dec 23, 2001
Interior & seats
Filed Apr 8, 1999

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK

NHTSA ID
705410
Incident
Apr 8, 1999
Suspension
Filed Jan 7, 1999

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED THERE IS A KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ASSEMBLY WHEN THE CONSUMER IS MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWICE FOR THE SAME PROBLEM, AND CONSUMER HAS TO TAKE VEHICLE BACK TO THE SHOP SINCE THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURRED. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK

NHTSA ID
833151
Incident
May 12, 1985
Driver assistance
Filed Aug 17, 1998

SUDDEN ACCELERATION, RESULTING IN LOSS OF CONTROL/CRASH.

NHTSA ID
780287
Fuel system
Filed Dec 30, 1996

FUEL/BRAKE FLUID LEAKED FROM CORRODED METAL TUBING.

NHTSA ID
513263
Incident
Nov 24, 1996

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

TSB003220

AIR BAGS; EQUIPMENT; VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2023 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

Toyota PRO19-02

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL; TIRES; WHEELS

POL: This consolidated Tire Warranty Guide contains the complete warranty terms for all brands of ground and spare tires currently in use by Toyota. This information must be kept near the point of vehicle sale and be available to any customer that requests it. Customers can find this information on the Owner?s section of Toyota.com. Dealers can locate a copy of this guide on the Claims Processing & Resource Center in Dealer Daily as well.

T-SB-0032-20 Rev

EQUIPMENT

TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2021 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

T-SB-0304-17 Obs

EQUIPMENT

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE April 07, 2020: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0032-20. Replacement Certification Labels and VIN Plates

T-SB-0032-20

EQUIPMENT

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes Service Bulletin Nos. PG021-88, PG015-89, PG0015-90, PG002-91, PG002-93, PG005-97, PG007-01, PG007-07, PG006-01, PG004-97, T-SB-0144-08, and T-SB-0304-17. The aforementioned bulletins are obsolete, and any printed versions should be discarded. Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ? 2020 model year vehicles may be available provided the requests meet the criteria listed in this Service Bulletin. Follow the Procurement Procedure in this bulletin to request a replacement certification label or VIN plate.

PG004-97-Obsolet

EQUIPMENT; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Technical Service Bulletin: OBSOLETE NOTICE: July 31, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0304-17.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Toyota Camry by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
20251441054.6
2024471049.6
2023602060.3
2022581056.6
20211541055.4
20202683056.2
20193896058.6
20187318059.3
20171483061.0
20161802059.9
20152681046.8
20144533055.6
20132742053.3
20125882053.6
20115985059.4
20106029058.0
20091,29110263.4
20089328362.9
20072,88510363.7
20063175167.3
20057215269.0
20046383267.1
20037801359.7
20029534469.1
20012724164.6
20004544268.2
19995012264.0
19986003261.4
19975554365.5
19964177263.2
19953035161.4
19942873264.4
19932602263.5
19925652362.1
19911491655.9
19901342958.4
19891133765.1
1988644867.9
19875831064.8
1986320142.5
1985Viewing130147.7
1984823—
1983624—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.