AI Damage2002 Toyota Camry Solara: common problems
Owners of the 2002 Toyota Camry Solara filed 60 complaints with NHTSA, most often about vehicle speed control and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 60
- involving a crash
- 20
What fails most often
- 1 Vehicle speed control 23% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 20% of all complaints
- 3 Seat belts 13% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 12% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 6 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 7 Seats 5% of all complaints
- 8 Tires 5% of all complaints
- Vehicle speed control: 14 complaints (23% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 12 complaints (20% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 8 complaints (13% of all).
- Service brakes: 7 complaints (12% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 5 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 60 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle speed control | 14 | 8 | 0 |
| Air bags | 12 | 5 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 7 | 4 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The contact's vehicle sustained front end damage, but the air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported and a police report was filed. After the crash, the air bag sensor light remained permanently illuminated. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed nor repaired.
The manufacturer was made aware of the unintended acceleration. The failure mileage was 82,600.
The contact also stated that the vehicle would not start and was towed to her residence. The current and failure mileages were approximately 125,000.
2002 toyota solara convertible stalled on railroad tracks in raleigh, nc. The driver was killed seconds after when an amtrak train collided with the vehicle. A mechanical defect has not been ruled out. The car is still in the possession of the decedants widow.
My wife hit the brake as she was parking in front of a strip mall and the car accelerated into a store front causing minor damage to both the store and the car. The floor mat had bunched up under the brake pedal and above the gas pedal. The car is a 2002 toyota solara convertible.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle collided with a deer and the airbags did not deploy. There was no warning prior to the incident. The contact incurred a minor head injury due to striking the steering wheel, and there was a police report processed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer.
Upon impact, dual air bags did not deploy. As a result, passenger sustained a broken sternum.
But, surged forward, and collided with the vehicle in front. There were no injuries. There is a federal investigation concerning this problem.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,840 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Camry Solara has 79 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 60, below average.
What to check before buying
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Toyota Camry Solara?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: vehicle speed control, air bags, seat belts. Total complaints: 60. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (12%), airbag warning light (8%), airbags did not deploy (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2002 Toyota Camry Solara?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2002 Toyota Camry Solara from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2002 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.