RoadVitals

1990 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.
134
Latest Apr 6, 2015
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.
2
Latest Jun 2, 2016
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.
9
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.
7
8 injuries, 0 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 134 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1990 Toyota Camry, most frequently naming the seat belts, interior & seats and body & structure categories. 2 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 9 NHTSA investigations name it; and 28 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

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

2 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER

Jun 2, 2016
7,749 units potentially affected
The defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
The risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
The remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLCManufacturer number SET16BView on NHTSA.gov

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

Sep 22, 1992
554,910 units potentially affected
The defect: THE ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) FOR THE POWER DOOR LOCK SYSTEM CAN FAIL, CAUSING THE CONTACTS TO "WELD", AND RESULTING IN DOOR LOCK SOLENOID DAMAGE, WITH FAILURE OF THE DOOR TO LOCK OR UNLOCK, EVEN UNDER MANUAL OPERATION.
The risk: IF THE DOOR FAILS TO OPEN AFTER ECU FAILURE, VEHICLEOCCUPANTS WOULD HAVE INCREASED DIFFICULTY EXITING THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY.
The remedy: INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL SUBCIRCUIT RELAY CONTROL TO PREVENT MALFUNCTION OF ORIGINAL RELAYS IN THE ECU.
TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD.View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

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

EA97008ClosedEngineering Analysis

LEAKING FUEL TANK

Opened Apr 23, 1997
Closed Apr 22, 1998

CRACKS IN THE SOLDER JOINT OF THE FUEL FILL OR INLET PIPE IN THE FUEL TANK ALLOWS LIQUID FUEL TO LEAK FROM THE TANK

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
PE97003ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

LEAKING FUEL TANK

Opened Jan 21, 1997
Closed Apr 23, 1997

CRACKS IN THE SOLDER JOINT OF THE FUEL FILL OR INLET PIPE IN THE FUEL TANK ALLOWS LIQUID FUEL TO LEAK FROM THE TANK.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES
EA93032ClosedEngineering Analysis

ALLEGED BATTERY EXPLOSIONS

Opened Dec 27, 1993
Closed Nov 30, 1994

There is no summary currently available

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
PE93074ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

ALLEGED BATTERY FAILURES

Opened Aug 27, 1993
Closed Dec 27, 1993

There is no summary currently available

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Recent owner complaints

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

Seat belts
Filed Apr 6, 2015
Crash reported2 injuries reported

MY HUSBAND WAS A PASSENGER IN THIS CAR WHEN A DUMP TRUCK SMASHED INTO THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR, THE IMPACT CAUSED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO OPEN WHICH UNLOCKED THE SEAT BELT WHICH ALLOWED MY HUSBAND TO BE EJECTED FROM THE CAR. HE SUFFERED BROKEN BACK, CRUSHED TIBIA, BROKEN RIBS....ALL BECAUSE THE DOOR OPENED AND THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS UNLOCKED WHEN DOOR OPENED. SEATS WHERE SUPPOSED TO KEEP YOU IN THE CAR AND NOT EJECTED FROM THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10704076
Incident
Mar 25, 2015
Interior & seats
Filed Jul 29, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1990 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THE DOOR FAILED TO UNLOCK WITH THE KEY AND THE CONTACT HAD TO ENTER THROUGH THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A BENT LOCK MECHANISM. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,310.

NHTSA ID
10617292
Incident
Aug 3, 2001
Mileage
54,310 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Mar 18, 2010

1990 TOYOTA CAMRY. CONSUMER STATES AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK FAILURE. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS COMPLETELY FAILED AND SHE WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK ANY OF THE DOORS MANUALLY OR WITH THE KEY. THIS OCCURRED DURING FREEZING TEMPERATURES, SO AT FIRST SHE THOUGHT THE LOCKS WERE FROZEN. SHE USED DE-ICER TO NO AVAIL. FORTUNATELY, HER SON WAS ABLE TO PERFORM A MANEUVER TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR TO GET IN THE CAR. HOWEVER, THE NEXT DAY, THE CONSUMER BECAME TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND WAS UNABLE TO UNLOCK/OPEN ANY OF THE DOORS. THE CONSUMER HAD TO OPEN THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND INSERT THE KEY IN THE LOCK, TURN IT SLIGHTLY AND THEN PULL ON THE OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE AT THE SAME TIME. THEN ON THE WAY HOME, THE DOOR WOULD NOT STAY CLOSED AND SHE HAD TO HOLD THE DOOR HANDLE WHILE DRIVING WITH ONE HAND. THE CONSUMER DID SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED A RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED FOR OVER A HALF OF MILLION CAMRY'S FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED HER LOCAL DEALER AND SHE WAS INFORMED, HER VEHICLE WAS NOT A PART OF THE RECALL. *JB

NHTSA ID
10318664
Incident
Dec 11, 2009
Driver assistance
Filed Feb 28, 2010

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) WHILE DRIVING, MY DAD'S CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. HE SAID THAT HE HAD TO DRIVE WITH BOTH FEET ON THE ACCELERATOR. LATER, HE TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT IT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY REPAIRED THE PROBLEM, ONLY TO HAVE THE SAME THING OCCUR AGAIN A FEW DAYS LATER. FINALLY, MY BROTHER WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD A HEATED DISCUSSION WITH THE DEALERSHIP. MY DAD WENT TO PICK THE CAR UP, BUT THE DEALERSHIP DID NOT PROVIDE ANY PAPERWORK TO HIM ON WHAT REPAIRS WERE MADE. HE WAS NOT CHARGED FOR THE SERVICE BUT THE DEALERSHIP WAS ADAMANT ABOUT NOT DISCLOSING ANY DETAILS. IT WAS ONLY MONTHS LATER WE FOUND OUT THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT FUNCTIONAL. SADLY, WE DO NOT KNOW IF THEY DISCONNECTED IT OR IT JUST STOPPED WORKING. EITHER WAY, WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE SUDDEN ACCELERATION ISSUE SINCE THEN. I AM NOT SURE ABOUT THE EXACT DATES, BUT I AM HOPING THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAS RECORD OF THIS TRANSACTION. I AM SENDING THIS EMAIL FOR NOTIFICATION PURPOSES IN LIGHT OF EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING ON WITH TOYOTA CAMRY. [XXX] *TR

NHTSA ID
10315003
Incident
Aug 1, 2009
Tires & wheels
Filed Feb 24, 2010

TIRE TREAD FAILURE SEPARATED. BOUGHT TIRES USED NOV/DEC 2009. TIRE=GENERAL AMERI G4S I HAVE PICTURES. *TR

NHTSA ID
10313995
Incident
Feb 23, 2010
Mileage
162,500 mi
Brakes
Filed Nov 15, 2008

MY REPORT IS ESSENTIALLY IDENTICAL TO CASE #10153732 EXCEPT WE LIVE IN THE MIDWEST NEAR CHICAGO. WE REPLACED THE BRAKE LINES FOR THE REAR AND NOW, SEVERAL MONTHS LATER THE FRONT LINES NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ID
10248885
Incident
Nov 10, 2008
Mileage
238,000 mi
Interior & seats
Filed Jun 16, 2006

DEAR SIR, I HAVE A 1990 TOYOTA CAMRY AND THE DRIVER SIDE LOCK DOESN'T LOCK OR UNLOCK. I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS SINCE MARCH OF 2005. THE LOCK DOESN'T WORK MANUALLY ALSO I.E. INSERTING A KEY FROM OUTSIDE TRYING TO OPEN THE DOOR DOESN'T OPEN IT. THIS HAS BEEN A LOT OF DISCOMFORT COMING IN AND OUT OF THE CAR AS I NEED TO USE THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. I HAVE SEEN ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE SAME DEFECT THAT I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING FOR THE PAST ONE YEAR WITH MY CAR. WHEN I MENTIONED THE ISSUE TO TOYOTA THEY SAID THAT MY VIN NUMBER DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL. I WANTED TO COMPLAIN THIS ISSUE AND IF THERE ARE MORE NUMBER OF CASES LIKE MINE THEN MAY BE TOYOTA CAN CONSIDER OUR CASE. WITH BEST REGARDS, -RAJA. *NM

NHTSA ID
10160039
Incident
Mar 5, 2005
Mileage
151,000 mi
Brakes
Filed Mar 26, 2006

TOYOTA CAMRY - SITUATION WHERE THE REAR BRAKE LINES (COVERED AND CANNOT BE SEEN) HAVE CORRODED THROUGH. MY CAMRY RECENTLY HAD ONE OF THE LINES FAIL (BOTH BRAKE LINES AND 3 FUEL LINES HAVE SEVERE CORROSION UNDER THE SHIELD) AND I'M LUCKY I WAS ABLE TO STOP WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING OR ANYBODY. THIS IS A VERY POOR DESIGN FOR SUCH AREAS AS MINE (SYRACUSE, NY) WHERE THERE IS SIGNIFICANT SALT USE DURING THE WINTER MONTHS. THE SHIELD ACTUALLY PROMOTES CORROSION BY RETAINING WINTER SLUSH, MUD AND SALT. TOYOTA SHOWS A COMPLETE OF CONCERN OVER SUCH A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT IS NOT COVERED BY EITHER A SERVICE BULLETIN OR BY A RECOMMENDED INSPECTION PER THE MAINTENANCE BOOK. TOYOTA DESIGNED SUCH AN INADEQUATE BRAKE LINE SYSTEM FOR THIS MODEL FOR ANY AREA THAT USES SALT DURING THE WINTER MONTHS WITHOUT EVEN A WARNING TO CHECK UNDER THE PLASTIC GUARDS FOR CORROSION, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FAILURE OR INABILITY TO STOP. *JB

NHTSA ID
10153732
Incident
Mar 19, 2006
Mileage
130,450 mi

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
1990Viewing1342958.4
19891133765.1
1988644867.9
19875831064.8
1986320142.5
1985130147.7
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.