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1997 Toyota Camry Recalls & Complaints

4

open safety recalls on record

Serious

685 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.89 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious09E025000

Exterior Lighting:Headlights

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Serious97V156000

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Power Assist

THIS CAN RESULT IN THE ELIMINATION OF VACUUM ASSIST TO THE BRAKES THAT CAN INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES AND COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN BRAKE VACUUM HOSE.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN,MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NOTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. A CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHERE ACCUMULATED MOISTURE CAN TEMPORARILY FREEZE IN THE BRAKE VACUUM HOSE IF THE VEHICLE IS USED IN EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.

Moderate99V307000

Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

THIS CAN RESULT IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL TIGHTEN THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE STEERING WHEEL SET NUT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED CAUSING STEERING VIBRATION AND LOOSENESS.

Moderate97V213000

Electrical System:Ignition

UNDER SUCH A CONDITION, SHOULD A DRIVER FAIL TO MOVE THE SHIFT LEVER TO "PARK" POSITION AND ALSO FAIL TO ACTIVATE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AWAY DOWN A SLOPE.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID.

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO A POSSIBLE JAMMING OF THE LOCK PIN OF THE KEY INTERLOCK SOLENOID, IT IS POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY EVEN WHEN THE SHIFT LEVER OF THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS NOT IN THE "PARK" POSITION.

Complaint volume

685 this model-year 8 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

92Crashes
31Fires
75Injuries
3Deaths

Across 685 complaints. Severity Index 0.89.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Service Brakes, Hydraulic…40 · 6%Air Bags · Frontal34 · 5%Engine And Engine Cooling…31 · 5%Suspension27 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling…27 · 4%Engine And Engine Cooling25 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control24 · 4%Suspension · Front23 · 3%
  1. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip — 40 reports
  2. Air Bags:Frontal — 34 reports
  3. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline — 31 reports
  4. Suspension — 27 reports
  5. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 27 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling — 25 reports
  7. Vehicle Speed Control — 24 reports
  8. Suspension:Front — 23 reports
  9. Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components — 23 reports
  10. Air Bags — 18 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (5) · 1996 (7) · 1997 · 1998 (3) · 1999 (2) · 2000 (4) · 2001 (4) · 2002 (4) · 2003 (1) · 2004 (3) · 2005 (5) · 2006 (5) · 2007 (10) · 2008 (8) · 2009 (10) · 2010 (9) · 2011 (5) · 2012 (2) · 2013 (2) · 2014 (3) · 2015 (1) · 2016 (2) · 2017 (3) · 2018 (8) · 2019 (6) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (1) · 2022 (1) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025 (1)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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