The Toyota Camry is a midsize car that provides agile handling, comfortable interior, advanced safety features, and impressive fuel efficiency.
With its exceptional qualities, the Toyota Camry offers plenty of value, but just how well do the Camry models last? Read on to find out.
How long do Toyota Camry last?
The average Toyota Camry has a service life of 200,000 to 300,000 miles. If you average 15,000 miles per year on your Toyota Camry, it can last anywhere between 15 to 20 years, and still be in good condition, provided you maintain it regularly.
Table of Contents
How Many Miles Can You Expect from A Toyota Camry?
A Consumer Reports survey indicated that the Toyota Camry could give users up to 200,000 miles with proper maintenance.
The survey analyzed various factors, including reliability, road test results, and other ratings.
However, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that you can get up to 300,000 miles of use from your Toyota Camry. In 2019, popular auto journalist, Tim Cain, wrote about a Toyota Camry with 340,000 miles on it.
This car was still in good condition at the time of writing and was recently sold to another individual.
We also found an individual with a high-mileage Toyota Camry model on a ToyotaNation forum. According to this owner, the car had over 300,000 miles on it and was still running without issues.
What is more surprising is that the owner said he had never experienced any major problems such as transmission failure, even with the car’s mileage.
However, the longevity of your Toyota Camry depends on your actions. If you take care of your car, it will take care of you. And the only way to take care of your car is to ensure you drive gently and give it proper maintenance.
Anything besides this will only cut the life of your Toyota Camry short.
Read also here about how well the Camry can handle snow.
How Soon Should You Expect Rust on A Toyota Camry?
Based on customer complaints, you can expect rust to appear on your Toyota within the first 3 to 5 years of ownership.
Owners living in the Rust Belt of America often get rust on their vehicles earlier compared to others.
The wheels of the Toyota Camry are particularly susceptible to rust. Owners of the 2007 model year Camry reported instances of the wheels rusting for no reason.
The average mileage at which this problem started was 42,000 miles.
A search on the ToyotaNation forum revealed widespread rust issues on the seventh generation Toyota Camrys. Particularly, Camrys released between 2014 to 2016 experienced severe rust problems.
According to complaints, the rust was prevalent around the trunk area, especially the trunk lid.
Other rust-prone areas on the Toyota Camrys include the fender, exhaust manifold, hood, bumper area, and wheel well.
How Long Do Toyota Camry Last Compared to Similar Car Models?
The Toyota Camry is an extremely durable vehicle.
However, how long does it last in comparison with rival models?
Below, we compare the Camry’s lifespan against competitors:
Toyota Camry vs. Hyundai Sonata
The Toyota Camry’s service life is longer than that of the Hyundai Sonata.
While the Toyota Camry can get up to 300,000 miles, the Hyundai Sonata can barely reach 200,000 miles.
Moreover, the Toyota Camry has lower ownership costs.
Maintenance on the Camry will set you back $388, unlike the Hyundai Sonata that costs $458 to service annually.
Toyota Camry vs. Ford Fusion
Although the Ford Fusion is a great car, it cannot match the Toyota Camry’s lifespan.
It can only give you about 200,000 miles, which is 100,000 miles lesser than the Camry’s service life (300,000 miles).
More importantly, the Toyota Camry has higher reliability and reduced ownership costs. RepairPal ranks it as the 3rd most reliable midsize car and pegs maintenance costs on the model at $388 per year.
By comparison, the Ford Fusion is the 18th most reliable midsize model and costs $581 in annual maintenance bills.
Toyota Camry vs. Honda Accord
The Honda Accord has about the same lifespan as the Toyota Camry.
Not that this is surprising: Honda is as famous as Toyota for reliability.
The Honda Accord can give you up to 300,000 miles of use, which is the same as you will get on a Toyota Camry.
How Reliable Is a Toyota Camry?
The Toyota Camry is arguably one of the most reliable midsize cars on the market.
The vehicle can hold up well over time, thanks to Toyota’s dedication to making dependable vehicles.
Furthermore, the Toyota Camry scores highly on reliability tests by J.D. Power and RepairPal. It was the highest-ranked vehicle in the midsize car segment on the 2019 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.
This makes it is the most dependable midsize model, according to J.D. Power.
Similarly, RepairPal gives it an above-average 4.0 reliability rating and ranks it 3rd out of 24 midsize cars in terms of reliability.
Only models like the Honda Accord have better reliability ratings.
The Best and Worst Years For Toyota Camry
The record for the worst year for the Toyota Camry goes to the 2007 model year and the 2003 model year.
While the 2007 Toyota Camry has the most complaints, the 2003 Toyota Camry has the highest rate of severe repairs.
A big issue with the 2007 Toyota Camry is the vehicle speed control problem. According to owners, the pedal gets stuck, causing the vehicle to accelerate out of control.
The issue was acute and led to several crashes and deaths.
In addition, the engine and the brakes were other problem areas for owners of the 2007 Toyota Camry. Reportedly, the engine was prone to excessive oil consumption, with customers spending up to $2,400 to fix the problem.
Meanwhile, the 2009 Toyota Camry was dogged with almost the same complaints as the 2007 model. For instance, owners had problems with regulating the speed of their vehicles, leading to several crashes and injuries.
Users of the 2009 Toyota Camry also complained of abnormal oil consumption, a common problem for the 2007 model year.
However, these owners spent less ($1,400 on average) on fixing the problem compared to owners of the 2007 Camry.
From all indications, the Toyota Camry has improved in the following years, with fewer problems being reported. Presently, the best years on record for the Toyota Camry are the 2017 and 2019 model years.
These models have relatively few problems compared to other model years.
What About Recalls for These Models?
Toyota has issued about 54 recalls for the Camry since it started production.
The 2007 and 2009 model years hold the record for the most recalls.
Below, we rank each Toyota Camry model year according to the number of recalls for it:
- 2009: 10 recalls
- 2007: 10 recalls
- 2010: 9 recalls
- 2008: 8 recalls
- 1996: 7 recalls
- 2006: 5 recalls
- 2011: 5 recalls
- 1995: 5 recalls
- 2005: 5 recalls
- 1988: 4 recalls
- 2002: 4 recalls
- 2001: 4 recalls
- 2000: 4 recalls
- 1997: 4 recalls
- 1987: 3 recalls
- 1989: 3 recalls
- 1994: 3 recalls
- 1998: 3 recalls
- 2004: 3 recalls
- 2014: 3 recalls
- 2018: 3 recalls
- 2017: 2 recalls
- 2016: 2 recalls
- 1993: 2 recalls
- 1999: 2 recalls
- 1992: 2 recalls
- 1990: 2 recalls
- 1984: 2 recalls
- 2013: 2 recalls
- 2012: 2 recalls
- 2015: 1 recall
- 2003: 1 recall
Toyota Camry Model Year List
Below, we have listed every model year for the Toyota Camry since 1999:
- 1999 Toyota Camry
- 2000 Toyota Camry
- 2001 Toyota Camry
- 2002 Toyota Camry
- 2003 Toyota Camry
- 2004 Toyota Camry
- 2005 Toyota Camry
- 2006 Toyota Camry
- 2007 Toyota Camry
- 2008 Toyota Camry
- 2009 Toyota Camry
- 2010 Toyota Camry
- 2011 Toyota Camry
- 2012 Toyota Camry
- 2013 Toyota Camry
- 2014 Toyota Camry
- 2015 Toyota Camry
- 2016 Toyota Camry
- 2017 Toyota Camry
- 2018 Toyota Camry
- 2019 Toyota Camry
- 2020 Toyota Camry
Are Toyota Camry Expensive to Maintain?
With an annual maintenance bill of $388, the Toyota is ridiculously cheap to maintain.
In fact, no other midsize car has lower maintenance costs than the Toyota Camry.
According to RepairPal, only about 11% of problems on the Toyota Camry turn out to be severe (the average is 12%).
Severe repairs cost 3x the average; thus, it is good that the Camry has a lower-than-average rate of severe repairs.
Below are some common repairs on the Toyota Camry and their respective cost:
- Blown motor replacement: $265 – $278
- Clutch slave cylinder replacement: $126 – $186
- Ignition lock cylinder replacement: $288 – $355
- Timing chain tensioner replacement: $980 – $1,225
- Headlamp control module replacement: $587 – $599
How Long Does the Brakes Last?
The brake pads and brake rotors can last anywhere between 30,000 to 70,000 miles.
Nevertheless, this figure will vary based on maintenance and driving style.
If you use your brake heavily, e.g., in stop-and-go traffic, the brakes will wear out faster.
How Long Do the Tires Last?
The tires on your Toyota Camry can last up to 60,000 miles with proper maintenance.
Regular wheel alignment and tire rotation will reduce uneven wear on the tires and prolong their life.
How Long Do the Transmissions Last?
Your Toyota Camry transmission should last up to 100,000 miles or more.
However, this depends on how often you maintain it.
Transmission maintenance activities include changing/flushing the transmission fluid when due.
How Long Do the Spark Plugs Last?
Per reports, the spark plugs on a Toyota Camry should last for 70,000 to 100,000 miles.
Factors such as frequent stop-and-go driving may cause them to wear out early, though.
What About Insurance Cost?
The average insurance cost for the Toyota Camry is $175 per month, which adds up to $2,100 annually.
Tips to Prolong the Life of Your Toyota Camry
Here are things you can do to prolong your Toyota Camry’s life:
- Drive carefully
- Adhere to the maintenance schedule
- Avoid performance-enhancing modifications.