1988 TOYOTA CAMRY — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 63 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (9 complaints · 14.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 8
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 8
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 1987 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 9 of 63 owner complaints (14.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 9 complaints, 14.3% of reports ENGINE 9 · 14.3% · 1 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 9 complaints, 14.3% of reports SEAT BELTS 9 · 14.3% · 2 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 7 complaints, 11.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 · 11.1% · 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 7 complaints, 11.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 7 · 11.1% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 6 complaints, 9.5% of reports STRUCTURE 6 · 9.5% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 6 complaints, 9.5% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 · 9.5% · 3 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 4.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 3 · 4.8% · 1 fire reports TIRES: 3 complaints, 4.8% of reports TIRES 3 · 4.8% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 2 complaints, 3.2% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 · 3.2% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 40 complaints, 63.5% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 40 · 63.5% · 5 crash reports 2 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 9 14.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SEAT BELTS 9 14.3% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7 11.1% 0 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 7 11.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 6 9.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 9.5% 3 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 3 4.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
TIRES 3 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2 3.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 40 63.5% 5 crashes · 2 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 1988. 1995-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 1995-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 1995-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1995-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1996-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1996-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1997-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 1999-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 1988 Jan 2018 Recall campaign 88V127000 ◆ Recall campaign 88V127000 Recall campaign 89V175000 ◆ Recall campaign 89V175000 Recall campaign 92V135000 ◆ Recall campaign 92V135000 Recall campaign 16V396000 ◆ Recall campaign 16V396000 Investigation PE89014 ● Investigation PE89014 Investigation EA89020 ● Investigation EA89020 Investigation PE90027 ● Investigation PE90027 Investigation EA90028 ● Investigation EA90028 Investigation EA92013 ● Investigation EA92013 Investigation PE92065 ● Investigation PE92065 Investigation EA92044 ● Investigation EA92044 Investigation EA97008 ● Investigation EA97008
  • Campaign 16V396000 was reported 7,820 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q1 Owner reports 6
1995-Q2 Owner reports 6
1995-Q3 Owner reports 2
1995-Q4 Owner reports 2
1996-Q1 Owner reports 3
1996-Q2 Owner reports 4
1996-Q3 Owner reports 5
1996-Q4 Owner reports 3
1997-Q1 Owner reports 2
1997-Q3 Owner reports 4
1997-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q3 Owner reports 1
1998-Q4 Owner reports 3
1999-Q1 Owner reports 3
1999-Q4 Owner reports 3
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 5
2001-Q1 Owner reports 2
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 1
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 88V127000
Recall campaign 1 89V175000
Recall campaign 1 92V135000
Recall campaign 1 16V396000
Defect investigation 1 PE89014
Defect investigation 1 EA89020
Defect investigation 1 PE90027
Defect investigation 1 EA90028
Defect investigation 1 EA92013
Defect investigation 1 PE92065
Defect investigation 1 EA92044
Defect investigation 1 EA97008
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 16V396000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEATS
    Consequence:
    If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 88V127000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    JACK COULD LOWER ITSELF WITH POTENTIAL TO CAUSE PERSONALINJURY.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE JACK.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 89V175000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    SEAT BELTS MAY BE UNUSABLE OR OCCUPANTS MAY BEDISCOURAGED FROM USING BELTS, INCREASING THEIR POTENTIAL FOR INJURY IN ANACCIDENTAL OR SUDDEN STOP.
    Remedy:
    REPLACE LAP BELT WITH A REDESIGNED BELT GUIDE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 92V135000

    Report date
    Component:
    LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
    Consequence:
    IF THE DOOR FAILS TO OPEN AFTER ECU FAILURE, VEHICLEOCCUPANTS WOULD HAVE INCREASED DIFFICULTY EXITING THE VEHICLE IN AN EMERGENCY.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL AN ADDITIONAL SUBCIRCUIT RELAY CONTROL TO PREVENT MALFUNCTION OF ORIGINAL RELAYS IN THE ECU.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 63 complaints · page 1 of 3

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources