2004 Toyota Camry problems and complaints

Owners have filed 799 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Toyota Camry. The most-reported areas: Vehicle Speed Control (265), Steering (110), Air Bags (98).

Key takeaways

  • 799 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
  • 223 involve a crash, 13 a fire, 145 reported injuries.
  • Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
Complaints by component
ComponentComplaintsShare
Vehicle Speed Control26533%
Steering11014%
Air Bags9812%
Service Brakes8611%
Hydraulic628%
Power Train618%
Structure557%
Electrical System435%
Engine And Engine Cooling344%
Engine324%
Tires314%
Suspension284%

One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.

NHTSA 5-Star crash ratings
VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
2004 Toyota Camry 4-DR.Not ratedNot ratedNot ratedNot rated

Latest complaints, as filed

Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.

Air Bags - filed 2026-07-08

My wife was in a crash that totaled my 2004 Camry. She swerved to miss a deer and was pulled off the road and into two utility poles and several areas of fence. None of the airbags deployed and the crash was well over the 14 mph speed limit suggested for the airbags to deploy. My wife was seriously injured and was luck...

Air Bags - filed 2025-04-15

The SRS warning light came on. I took it to my mechanic and he tested the sensor. He said the code that showed is B1821...Open in Side Squib (D Seat Side) Circuit. He said I needed to take it to a Toyota Dealer. I have an appointment with one on 4/17/25.

Steering - filed 2023-12-11

The power steering freezes up upon the slightest amount of street water ponding making it almost impossible to turn the steering wheel. I have experienced a number of scary situations that make driving this car in wet elements very very difficult. As a result I generally refrain from driving altogether under these cond...

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More for the 2004 Toyota Camry

Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.