My 2012 Toyota Camry is a Lemon and Toyota Won’t Help

Update May 10, 2013: I’ve received a response to one of my emails to Toyota Corporate. It states that my complaints have been assigned to a case manager and that I should hear back from them by Monday 5-13-2013. It also outlines the fact that they are not responsible for, nor will they cover the damage to my car. Apparently they won’t stand behind their dealer’s work. Very disappointing.
Update May 9, 2013: My 2012 Toyota Camry reminded me why I wrote this blog post yesterday. The radio issue is back and annoying as ever! Here’s a video taken just this evening showing the Entune radio issue.

In November 2011 my beloved 1983 Chevy Caprice reached the point where it was no longer suitable as a daily driver. The engine needed major work and with gas prices what they were it didn’t make sense to continue using it for my daily commute and weekend road trips. I had the financial means to purchase a new car so I decided I would finally make the leap. Since this was going to be my very first new car and the largest purchase I had ever made, I took my time. I created a list of possible cars to purchase and took each for a test drive. The 2012 Toyota Camry XLE 4cyl was the right fit for me. I purchased the car from Dorschel Toyota in Henrietta, NY. The sales process was excellent. Dorschel had the car I wanted in stock. The salesman was friendly and patient. I dealt with a single person throughout the entire sales process. At no point did I feel pressured or rushed. I couldn’t have been happier with the whole process. Unfortunately this is where the love story ends and every car buyers worst nightmare begins.

Just two days after accepting delivery of my new 2012 Camry I took the car on it’s first road trip — New York City bound when the windshield suddenly and unexpectedly cracked while taking a turn on Interstate 81. The crack was on the passenger side of the windshield and started along the top edge. The noise was down right frightening. Just a sharp, loud, crack. At this point I had absolutely no idea what caused the crack. There were no cars within 100 yards of the front or back of my car and I was in a section of road where northbound and southbound lanes of traffic were separated by a large hilly swath of land. I chocked it up as bad luck. A rogue rock perhaps. Little did I know this was the first symptom of a larger issue.

A few months after accepting delivery of my 2012 Toyota Camry I was enjoying spring and loving my shiny new car. The days were getting longer and the air was getting warmer. This is when the real trouble with my car began. I started hearing creaking/popping noises emanating from the car’s roof. At first it was just a series of pops as I pulled out of my driveway. As the air temperatures increased, the more frequent the noises became. The first day above 75 degrees had the roof creaking/popping on every turn or bump in the road. This is also about the time my Camry’s Entune radio started acting up, refusing to play anything other than AM/FM radio for hours at a time.

Service Visit #1
On May 11, 2012 I took my Camry in for it’s first service at Dorschel Toyota. The car had it’s first oil change and I asked them to investigate the roof noises and the radio problem. Dorschel’s service department was unable to reproduce any of the issues I described and the service adviser actually argued with me, telling me the problems I described simply didn’t exist. I left thoroughly frustrated. This is what Toyota service is like? What good is a warranty? My car has legitimate issues and the dealer isn’t addressing them! I now knew I’d have to come back with evidence of the issues. The next time the Entune radio acted up I captured it on video. The next time the roof made noise (which was pretty much any warm day) I recorded audio of the noise.

audio of roof creaking/popping before repair

Service Visit #2
When I returned to the dealer on June 21, 2012 I again asked them to look into the issues I was experiencing. I showed the service adviser the video of the radio issue and I played audio of the roof noises. His response to the roof noise was “Holy crap. That’s really annoying!” During this service visit Dorschel acknowledged the issues and performed work. Finally my problems are being addressed…or so I thought. While the dealer performed work they also damaged my car’s interior. I couldn’t believe the condition my new car was returned in. The drivers side A-Pillar cover was broken and there was a large gap between it and A-Pillar. The overhead console was hanging down far enough to fit fingers between it and the headliner. The passenger side C-Pillar cover had scratches and chips all over it. There were dark fingerprints all over the headliner and several areas of the headliner were pilly, as if they had been scrubbed. Pictures of the damage caused during the second service visit can be seen below.

A-Pillar Damage
1_driversapillarcover
Overhead Console Damage
2_domeconsole
C-Pillar Damage
3_passengercpillarcover
Headliner Scrubbed
4_headliner_scrubbed
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I immediately notified the service adviser. He offered that he would order replacements for the damaged parts and would have them installed during a future service visit. You have no idea how awful it feels to have your new car returned in this condition until it happens to you. Still, I wanted the damage fixed so I was as polite as one can be in that situation and I agreed to come back at a later date to have the damage repaired. I wish I could say the original problems were at least resolved, but I cannot. The radio still failed to operate at times. The roof still made creaking/popping noises. To follow up, and protect myself as best I could, I sent Dorschel Toyota a registered letter describing the damage they caused and the continued problems I was experiencing with my 2012 Toyota Camry.

audio of roof creaking/popping after repair

Service Visit #3
Following contact from Dorschel Toyota notifying me that the replacement parts had arrived, I returned for service on July 13, 2012. When dropping off the car I asked the service adviser if he felt the roof problem would ever be fixed. His reply was that the issue was structural, Toyota was aware of the issue, and that they would do everything they could to resolve it. I asked if the windshield cracking on my third day of ownership could be related and he sidestepped the question. Reading into his response and taking note of his referring to the issue as structural, it confirmed my suspicion that the windshield cracking was somehow related. Dorschel would end up having my car for a total of 10 days during this service visit. On about the fourth day the car was in for service I stopped by the service department to speak with the service adviser. I asked him how I would go about getting Toyota Corporate involved in diagnosing and fixing these problems. He replied that they already contacted Toyota Corporate and Toyota Corporate suggested inserting body glue between the different layers of the roof and that the work was already under way. For the Entune radio issue they were going to install an updated version of software. In addition to the work being performed on the roof and Entune radio, the damage from the previous visit was going to be repaired. After a week and a half without my car I finally received a call that the car was ready for pickup. Upon picking up the car I immediately noticed a heavy glue smell. The service adviser assured me the smell would dissipate in a couple of days — an answer I accepted. The damage caused during the previous service visit was repaired. The roof noises seemed to be gone. The radio seemed to be fixed. The headliner was no where near as new or clean as it was when I put the car in for service.

The glue smell decreased — even disappeared, for a time. It returns anytime there is a large fluctuation in temperature. Unfortunately, nine months later, the smell still returns. In the 40’s overnight? 60’s or higher in the daytime? The car stinks of glue. I had to drive with the windows down five out of the last ten days to avoid getting a headache. Over the last few months I’ve also noticed several other interior items that show wear and damage from the repairs performed by Dorschel Toyota. The headliner has developed ridges that appear to be the result of folding. No doubt related to the numerous times the headliner was removed and reinstalled while diagnosing and repairing the roof issue. The roof grab handle retaining clips have pry marks and plastic discoloration from being flexed. There are issues with gap fitment between the pillar covers and the headliner. The headliner, which I’m not sure I’ve ever even touched, looks worn. The original issue with the roof making creaking/popping noises? It’s still not completely fixed. Better? Yes. But it still makes noise. It’s easy to ignore if I keep the sunroof cover closed or drive only on smooth roads. If I open the sunroof cover and drive on a moderately rough road I’m treated to a chorus of popping noises. As bad as this may sound, I’ve almost conditioned myself to tune out the roof noise. The glue smell, however, is something I’ll never get used to. Since my last service visit I have had another issue arise, which, like the cracked windshield, signals a structural issue. The dashboard on the passenger side of the vehicle has loosened. You can hear the dashboard shift when you drive over uneven roads. Between the roof noise, windshield crack, and dashboard shifting, I can’t help but feel as though there is a larger structural issue looming. Here are pictures of the damage caused during the third service visit at Dorschel Toyota. If only it were possible to capture the odor of body glue off-gassing…

A-Pillar cover fitment issue (not flush)
a-pillar-fitment-issue
C-Pillar cover fitment issue (gap)
c-pillar-fitment-issue
Pry mark on center console
console-divet
Scratch on center console
console-scratch
Pry marks on grab handles
grab-handle-pry-marks
Headliner ridges (between sunroof and rear window)
headliner-ridges-1
Headliner ridges (at rear window)
headliner-ridges-2
Weather stripping damage
weather-stripping-damage
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I have not returned to Dorschel Toyota for additional work, nor have I asked them to address the above damage. Every time I had Dorschel work on my car they damaged it in some way. I cannot risk more damage to my vehicle. Especially since Toyota Corporate seems unwilling to step in on my behalf.

A Different Dealership
This is where things got interesting. I spoke with the service manager at a different dealership (dealer/manager name available upon request). I explained my car’s history. I explained the work performed by the original dealership. He immediately pulled up my Camry’s service history on his computer. After taking a moment to review the vehicle’s service records he says “I don’t see the service history you describe. Something’s not right here. It looks like someone has deleted information from your service history. I don’t see any corporate consult either.” But Dorschel told me they consulted Toyota…how is that possible? “If they consulted Toyota Corporate I would see a report attached to your vehicle history.” Why would Dorschel have lied about consulting Toyota? I have kept all of the service invoices for my car and I told the service manager I could produce them at any time. He asked if I could bring him copies. I did even better — I assembled a packet of information including all of my correspondence with the original dealership, pictures of the damage caused from previous repairs, and copies of all the invoices. It seemed like I had finally found someone that was able to help me.

That was more than a month ago. The new dealership’s service manager was supposed to get back to me with information on how to proceed. He did not. I have tried calling him but we’re never able to connect. I’ve left messages but never receive a callback. I can only speculate that after researching my car’s problems he decided that his dealership should not take on the work. I could just show up at the new dealership. Would this elicit the reaction I desire? A renewed interest in fixing my car’s issues? If I don’t force the issue how will I ever get my car fixed? Is there a fix? How do I get the damage caused by the original dealer’s service department fixed? How do you fix a smell? All questions I’d love an answer to.

Toyota Corporate
Throughout this ordeal I’ve contacted Toyota’s 800 number. The 800 number was actually my first resource for the Entune radio issue and I have turned to it for advice on the roof issue. The response has always been the same. A generic apology and the suggestion that I bring the car back to the dealership I purchased the car from for service. Unfortunately the advisers never seem to be able to understand the roof issue. Following the service visit on June 21, 2012 I located a phone number for Toyota’s regional office. I tried to explain my experience at Dorschel Toyota. I never made it past reception. The woman that answered the phone insisted that I call the 800 number. When I voiced my concerns that the 800 number did nothing more than open a report and direct me back to the dealership I was having problems with, she responded by saying this was the process. Not knowing what else to do I continued as instructed. During my last discussion with an adviser at the 800 number, a call which followed the third service visit at Dorschel Toyota, I informed them that I did not feel as though I should return to Dorschel Toyota for service. I explained that I did not have confidence in their ability to repair my vehicle and how they had caused a lot of damage to the interior of my car. The service adviser had difficulty locating service records for my vehicle (just as the alternate dealership would) but authorized me to take the car to a different dealership.

I would describe Toyota’s involvement in my situation as completely ineffective to the point of negligence. At no point have they shown a genuine desire to resolve my problems. I’ve even tried engaging Toyota Corporate on Twitter, as a last resort. After an aggressive tweet Toyota finally responded. “Our apologies again Chris. The invite to discuss direct with Corp is always available. 800-331-4331 ^GT.” I followed up explaining my situation — how the 800 number was no help — but I never received another response. Forever ignored. At this point I have no idea how to resolve the situation. No one cares. Certainly not Toyota Corporate. This blog post might just be my last hope. If anyone at Toyota reads this; PLEASE HELP ME!

Service History

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19 Responses to My 2012 Toyota Camry is a Lemon and Toyota Won’t Help

  1. I have a 2011 Camry LE I haven’t had any problems so far. I wanted a SE with a sunroof & was considering to trade it in. Thank you guys. I really hope y’all find a solution.

  2. Wow I have a 2013 Camry SE,and ive been very happy with it,i feel really bad for your situation,i would have them REPLACE the headliner,and give me a NEW STEREO UNIT,my Toyota dealer is not the best either,every time I have warranty work done,i never get a receipt to have a paper trail in the event of future problems ALWAYS GET A DOCUMENTED SERVICE DEPT RECEIPT

    • The noise still occurs a couple of times a day but it’s far more muffled and does not happen anywhere near the extent it did before. I’m still left with the smell each time I get in my car on a hot day or after a large temperature swing in colder weather. I also have misc damage from the various repair attempts.

  3. I don’t like the idea of glue being used because of the toxic odor and lack of strength. Welding is the proper method. Unfortunately, welding weak spots on a roof also means repainting it. Expensive project.

    I’m not seeing any complaints about this problem in 2013-2014 Camry models. I’ll bet Toyota knew this was a mounting problem before the 2013 model went into production and secretly fixed it. Time will tell. My problem-free 2012 Camry was one of the last ones built for that year.

    • Unfortunately this problem was not limited to the 2012 model year. It was, however, limited to models with a sunroof. There is no sunroof delete option so anyone who opted for a higher trim was stuck.
      I have been contacted by people in recent months who have 2013 and early 2014 models and claim to be experiencing the same issue. I have not heard from anyone with the 2014.5 model dealers are currently pushing but it’s probably too early to tell on those.
      Honestly, I would avoid Toyota at all costs at this point. I will never purchase another Toyota for as long as I live. Corporate did not care about me, my defective car, or the damage their dealer caused. While the second dealer I used did much better work I am still living with a $30,000 defective car that has damage from shoddy work performed to “correct” a defect. My dealer and corporate experiences have been so bad that I’m afraid to have the airbag recall performed. I plan on trading in the car very shortly.

  4. This is surprising to me. I’ve got 33,000 miles on the 2012 Camry LE I bought down here in Florida and it’s been absolutely perfect. It doesn’t even use a half quart of oil in 10k miles. I did have that A/C recall taken care of during a scheduled service. No problem with the repair. I don’t have a sunroof and don’t think I’ll ever buy a car with one after reading so many complaints about them through the years.

    I was thinking about moving up to a 2015 Camry SE hybrid next year. Perhaps I’d be wise to keep this car for several more years.

  5. Same shit just happened to me… Got my car back with a dent on the roof a ton of interior damage.. I should of just left the sunroof alone…

  6. Just an FYI, I have had my car in over a dozen times, and they have no fixed most of the issues. In fact, like you, I have had numerous amounts of body damage done to my vehicle by the dealership all denied. Corporate doesn’t care, and I am now stuck with a car that I will not be able to even resell. Email me and let me know if you have any updates.

    • Toyota is very aware of this issue. After 5 attemps to fix our 2012 “new” Camry with a sun roof. Toyota purchased the car back from us. They actually did. Toyota did not the dealership. It is a structural issue. So, we purchased a 2013 Camry Hybrid without the sun roof. After 6000 miles we are experiencing creaks and pops. I swear it is form the roof/windshield area. If this is the issue on a non-sun roof Camry. I will trade this in, take a loss and switch brands. It is far too aggravating.

      Also, I have worked at dealerships as a tech and above.. The technician who is complaining above. That is your job. If I was your service manager you would be gone.

  7. Toyota seems to be in its death throes and is downright desperate. They will not back up warranty on our certified Camry. Intimidating, humiliating, downright deceitful and fraudulent, there aren’t enough epithets for this horrible company. They need to be thrown out of the country for the pain, suffering and financial devastation they have caused way too many people including me. Don’t buy anything from them, EVER.

  8. I’m going through the same thing with my Toyota 2012 Camry. The car has been in 4 times and they just recently removed and reinstalled the headliner, and yes I have the glue smell. Now the car makes the same noise but it is a deeper pitch and less frequent. There are other websites I have found with virtually hundreds of people who have had issues. Why isn’t there a class action lawsuit? This fits the bill. Toyota has no real fix for this problem.

    Oh and for the “child”‘that replied previous (the wonderful representative from Toyota) I say this, ” is a Camry – damn right, number one selling car in America, and you are a paid repair technician.” Working for the lazy ass company that can’t stand up and focus on this issue with literally hundreds of complaints nationwide. Go find another repair job if you don’t like it.

  9. Dear chris u lazy ass hole fix it ur damn self cuz techs like me are tired of ur pity ass shit… Its a 2012 camry not a bently and if u had a clue how hard it is to fix that crap u wouldnt complain… So reach in ur pocket book deeper if u want a rolls royce… Or just deal with it ITS A CAMRY!

  10. Well, I just returned from my *THIRD* visit for the correction of the problem, and this time, the dealer swears that they have fixed it.

    And this time, they did significant damage to the headliner, so I have to return it a FOURTH time to get the headliner replaced.

    Apparently, you can’t drop the headliner but so many times before it gets trashed.

  11. Please send me an email and let’s stay in touch. I’ve had this item repaired TWICE on my 2012 Camry XLE Hybrid, a $32,000 car, and less than 48 hours after my return from the dealership, the problem has returned.

    My next trip will be my THIRD visit for the same repair.

    At the second repair, I was told that the shims they had installed (as per Toyota’s instruction) had been severed in two.

    I’ve asked a lawyer to help me navigate the Lemon Law because I am very, very upset about this whole mess. And yes, once they drop that headliner, the car is never quite the same.

    Very disturbing.

    I’ve been a loyal Toyota customer for 30+ years. This may be my last Toyota.

  12. This has been so frustrating for you. It leads me to the conclusion that Toyota is very aware of this issue and is trying to sweep it under the carpet and hope it doesn’t bring them any more bad publicity. Of course I don’t know if that’s the case, but your experience makes the dealer and the company look very bad, regardless of what their motivation is for ignoring you. I hope this is a step in the right direction, and someone is compelled by this to take action.

  13. I would certainly go higher than Toyota and report this to consumer affairs or the better business bureau.