At first we were thrilled with our new 2004 Camry XLE V6 that replaced our 1993 Camry XLE V6, but then we started noticing some very bad problems.
First, the engine hesitation, that included a confused transmission down shifting and running the engine to the redline. Now, this is not from a heavy footed driver, it occurs when the driver just barely presses on the accelerator. It appears to be a very common problem. Check out the following URL:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/
and you will find a lot of complaints about the hesitation problem.
Second, the brakes "think" they know better than the driver. They have a mind (CPU chip) of their own. They have a tendency to come on when ever the car is traveling down hill on dry pavement. The Toyota Service department claims it is the VSC applying the brakes due to a bump in the road. (Nice try, not even close!) Every mechanic that has taken a ride with me, agrees there is a problem, but has not a clue how to fix it. The car takes a sharp nose dive and the car occupants find out how good the seat belts hold them in place.
Both of these problems appear to be very common for any car that has the "accelerate by wire" and VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) technology.
We have been searching for a currently manufactured car that does not have these problems. The manufacturers that are producing expensive cars ($30,000 and up) include Audi, Lexus, Infinity, Toyota and Mercedes. So far it appears that only the manual transmission cars avoid the hesitation problem and all of them have the braking problem. Although the problems vary in how intense they are from car to car. I drove another 2004 Camry and the braking was not as severe as our car and the hesitation did not occur at all.
Make sure that you put a lot of miles on the car before you buy it. Our problems started showing up just past the 100 mile mark.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 30000
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: V6 XLE Loaded
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