AI Damage2003 Toyota Camry Solara: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Toyota Camry Solara filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about air bags and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 24
- involving a crash
- 10
What fails most often
- 1 Air bags 33% of all complaints
- 2 Vehicle speed control 17% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 8% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 8% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 8% of all complaints
- 7 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 8% of all complaints
- Air bags: 8 complaints (33% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 4 complaints (17% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Seat belts: 2 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 2 complaints (8% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 24 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 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.
When backing out of the driveway the car suddenly accelerated and at a high rate of speed shot across the street hitting the curb blowing the tires and hitting a telephone pole and tore up the neighbors lawn before coming to a stop due to the lack of traction.
Driver airbag failed to deploy when the vehicle was involved in frontal passenger side crash. This crash was severe enough to destroy front bumper, headlights, hood, passenger side fender, wheel/ tire. The vehicle was total loss.
Gas pedal non response ,when foot was taken off gas pedal,cause loss of control.
On january 8, 2010, my accelerator pedal stuck while pulling into a parking space and my 2003 toyota solara slammed into a parked suv sending it halfway out of it's parking space. Only a small rubber mat was on the floor, not touching the pedal. The original carpet mat had previously been removed for cleaning.
The front passenger side on the vehicle was damaged; however, the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained numerous injuries such as 10 broken ribs, numerous back injuries, injured spleen, an injury and cut to left bicep. The driver also sustained numerous bruises and broken bones in her right hand.
2003 toyota solara airbags failed to deploy. Consumer states that she hit another vehicle and the airbags did not deploy. She states that she suffered neck and chest pain from hitting the steering wheel due to the airbags not deploying.
I have a 2003 toyota solara sle v6. I have been having an issue with my car, where the speedometer stops working while driving. It happens frequently, but without warning. Sometimes the speedometer will go to zero for 1-3 seconds, other times it will stay there for 10 minutes.
The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that the oxygen sensors needed to be replaced. The dealer did not provide a reason for the failure. The failure mileage and current mileages were 59,000.
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 7,585 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Camry Solara has 79 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 24, below average.
What to check before buying
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2003 Toyota Camry Solara?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: air bags, vehicle speed control, electrical system. Total complaints: 24. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: airbags did not deploy (21%), headlights and tail lights (8%), warning lights, check engine (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.