Believe It or Not, Unreliable Toyotas Exist: Here Are the Worst Three

Ever since the days of the Toyopets, which were built to withstand the disastrous infrastructure of post-war Japan, Toyota vehicles were highly valued for their excellent build quality and reliability.

That hasn’t changed in the coming decades, with models such as the Corolla, RAV4, or Camry becoming some of the most dependable vehicles one could buy.

However, nobody’s perfect, and throughout the lifespan of these models, some versions were far more unreliable than others, as we’re about to see in this article.

2007 Camry

In the U.S, the XV40 generation Camry began production in February 2006, and the last of the batch rolled out the factory gates five years later. Like all Camrys, it’s generally regarded as a very reliable car, with one major exception: the 2007 model.

Those were plagued by many issues, which is part of the reason why Toyota dropped from first to fifth place in the annual Consumer Reports reliability survey.

Although the inline-four version was as dependable as you would expect, models equipped with the 3.5-liter V6 suffered from excessive oil consumption leading to premature wear, which often required expensive repairs.

The 2007 Camry was also subjected to many recalls, the most serious of which caused the gas pedal to get stuck in the wide-open position, leading to numerous deadly crashes. After further investigation, it was discovered that the defective floor mats caused the problem.

2007 RAV4

Toyota’s famed crossover SUV is among the manufacturer’s most reliable models. However, the third generation XA30 model had its fair share of hiccups.

As with the Camry of the time, the 2007 RAV4 was another model that contributed to the carmaker’s drop to fifth place in the Consumer Reports reliability survey undertaken that year.

Among the available engines, we find the same 3.5-liter V6 that powered its sedan sibling and was notorious for its excessive oil consumption problems. Other reliability issues involved defective steering assembly components, leading to annoying clunking noises while turning the steering wheel.

The SUV was also subjected to numerous recalls that included premature corrosion of rear tie rods, power window switch melting, and defective flexible flat cables. The latter could lead to the driver’s airbag not deploying in the event of a collision.

2009 Corolla

Like the previous two models, the Corolla is one of the most popular models in the Japanese carmaker's history. One of the main reasons for its popularity is the excellent reliability record of each generation—except for the tenth, produced from 2007 to 2013 in North America.

By far the most problematic, the 2009 model also had serious issues with excessive oil consumption, but this time, the culprit wasn’t a V6 but an inline-four, specifically the 1.8 2ZR-FE version.

The reliability issues didn’t stop there, with customers reporting failed water pumps that led to engines overheating, causing extensive damage and expensive repairs.

This model was recalled because of the pedal entrapment issue, faulty power window switch that sometimes overheated and started melting, or the defective flexible flat cable that sometimes disconnected the driver’s airbag.

Although these models had their fair share of issues, Toyota remains a global leader in terms of dependability. The fact that it has been leading multiple reliability surveys over the years is a testament to that.