2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID Visibility Problems

THE VEHICLE DASHBOARD HAS BEEN MELTING ON HOT DAYS RESULTING IN A SHINY, MIRROR LIKE SURFACE THAT REFLECTS SUNLIGHT AND GLARES THE WINDSHIELD REDUCING VISIBILITY. THE MELTED DASHBOARD SURFACE IS VERY STICKY AND COULD AFFECT THE AIRBAG FUNCTIONALITY AS THE AIRBAG COVER COULD FUSE WITH THE SURROUNDING MELTED DASHBOARD SURFACE. I ALSO WONDER IF THE DASHBOARD IS RELEASING ANY TOXIC SUBSTANCES AS IT MELTS. *JS

Mileage: 40,000

MY CAR WAS PARKED OUTDOORS IN THE RAIN. THE INSIDE OF THE CAR WINDOWS WERE DRIPPING WITH MOISTURE. WHEN I DECIDED TO GO TO FOR A DRIVE, I REACHED BEHIND MY SEAT TO THE REAR FLOOR FOR MY PAPER TOWEL ROLL AND CLOTH TOWELS TO WIPE OFF THE WINDOWS AND THEY WERE SOAKED WITH WATER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER SHIP TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE FOUR SUNROOF DRAINS HAD NO HOSE CLAMPS ON THEM THE RIGHT REAR HOSE HAD COME LOOSE CAUSING A FLOOD IN MY REAR SEAT AREA. I HAD TO HAVE ALL CARPETS REPLACED AND HOSE CLAMPS ADDED TO PREVENT ANY FURTHER DAMAGE. IT COST $2467.57 TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE BECAUSE TOYOTA DID NOT REQUIRE HOSE CLAMPS ON THE 4 DRAIN HOSES FROM THE SUNROOF. I ASKED TOYOTA IF THEY WERE GOING TO NOTIFY OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM AND THEY INDICATED AN ANSWER OF, NO! I THINK THEY SHOULD BE FORCED TO LET OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS OF THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM. I HAVE ALL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS WITH TOYOTA IF YOU WANT COPIES. THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS INSURANCE RATES ARE SO HIGH. MY INSURANCE PAID FOR ALL EXCEPT $60.52 OF THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIRS. I HAVE AAA INSURANCE. PLEASE RESPOND!!! *TR

Mileage: 10,778

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID AND FOUND THAT THE SUN VISOR WAS ROTATED DOWNWARD AND WOULD NOT GO BACK TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION. I CONTACTED THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN IRVINE, CA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE SUN VISOR ASSEMBLY AND SUN VISOR BRACKET HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON CERTAIN 2007-2011 MODELS AND THAT MY MODEL WAS ON THE LIST. HOWEVER, WHEN I CAME TO PICK UP THE CAR I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED BECAUSE THE CAR VIN SHOWS THAT THE CAR WAS MADE IN JAPAN AND THAT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS ONLY APPLICABLE TO CARS FROM THE UNITED STATES. THE SUN VISOR NOT ROTATING BACK TO ITS RIGHT POSITION IS A SAFETY HAZARD AS I CANNOT FULLY SEE AHEAD WHILE DRIVING AND DO NOT HAVE A CLEAR VIEW. IF THERE IS ALREADY A RECALL ON THIS SPECIFIC PART FOR THESE SPECIFIC CARS AND THE PRODUCT IS MADE BY TOYOTA IT SHOULD BE COVERED NO MATTER WHERE THE CAR WAS MADE. THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE CAR PURCHASED THE VEHICLE AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA, NOT IN JAPAN. *TR

Mileage: 56,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WINDOW SUDDENLY SHATTERED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 79,000. UPDATED 12/24/13*CN

Mileage: 79,000

I WAS DRIVING ON I-94 HIGHWAY, TRIED TO OPEN MY PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WINDOW USING MY DRIVER SIDE DOOR WINDOW SWITCH. THE SWITCH DID NOT WORK. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER MY CAR FILLED WITH SMOKE AND I SAW THE SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR PANEL. I PULLED OVER AND AFTER A COUPLE MINUTES THE SMOKE STOPPED. THE WINDOW SWITCH FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW DOES NOT WORK NOW. *TR

Mileage: 95,000

GOING THROUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR FELL DOWN AND BLOCKED MY VISION. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE SUN VISOR MALFUNCTION WAS COMMON AND IT WOULD COST $200 TO FIX IT. THIS CAR IS VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND I THINK THAT THIS IS A MAJOR DEFECT THAT COULD CAUSE MAJOR ACCIDENTS. I WAS FORTUNATE AND WAS ABLE TO STOP , BUT OTHERS MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR

Mileage: 71,000

MY DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO. I WENT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY AND I WOULD HAVE TO PURCHASE IT. IT WAS ABOUT $160 TO GET THE PART AND INSTALLED. I BOUGHT IT ON EBAY FOR UNDER $100 AND INSTALLED IT MYSELF. IT WASN'T DIFFICULT AND TOOK UNDER 5 MINUTES TO DO. NOW, THE PASSENGER SIDE BROKE IN THE SAME SPOT THE OTHER VISOR DID. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? I HAD MY LAST CAR FOR 10 YEARS AND THE VISORS NEVER BROKE AND MY HUSBAND HAS A TOYOTA FROM 2007 AND IT HASN'T BROKEN. THIS IS DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT. *TR

Mileage: 51,000

BROKEN DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR. *TR

Mileage: 66,500

THERE IS A GROWING TREND ON THE INTERNET OF 2008/2009 CAMRYS WITH FAULTY SUN VISORS. THEY FAIL WITHOUT WARNING, AND BLOCK THE DRIVER'S ABILITY TO SEE. THIS HAPPENS ON BOTH FREQUENTLY USED, AND INFREQUENTLY USED VISORS. OUR PASSENGER SIDE VISOR FAILED FIRST, JUST OUTSIDE THE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. THIS VISOR WAS HARDLY EVER USED AS MY WIFE DRIVES THE CAR, AND RARELY HAS FRONT SEAT PASSENGERS. EXTENDED WARRANTY REFUSED TO COVER IT (IT'S CONSIDERED TRIM). 6 MONTHS LATER, THE DRIVER'S SIDE FAILED. NOW, MY PASSENGER SIDE VISOR HAS FAILED AGAIN (MARCH 2012). BOTH ORIGINAL REPLACEMENTS WERE NEW, FROM THE DEALER. THE PARTS GUY AT ONE OF THE LOCAL DEALERSHIPS TOLD ME THEY SEE QUITE A FEW CAMRYS WITH BROKEN OR MISSING VISORS. SEE THIS LINK FOR OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS ISSUE. THIS IS ONLY ONE EXAMPLE OF MANY WEBSITES WERE PEOPLE COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FAILURES. HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/TOYOTA-CAMRY/TCKUNCMCDB228B3B3/P4. *TR

Mileage: 38,000

2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID, 58,000 MILES. FAULTY DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR. ENTERED VEHICLE IN THE MORNING, NOTICED THAT SUN VISOR WAS HANGING DOWN APPROXIMATELY 2 INCHES FROM CEILING "CLOSED POSITION". DROVE TO WORK WITH NO NOTICEABLE CHANGE. APPROXIMATELY NINE HOURS LATER, REENTERED VEHICLE AND SAW THAT SUNVISOR WAS NOW HANGING STRAIGHT DOWN. ATTEMPTED TO PUSH VISOR TO CLOSED POSITION TO NO AVAIL. ATTEMPTED TO POSITION SUNVISOR SO THAT IT WAS NOT BLOCKING MY VISION BUT BECAUSE IT WAS HANGING WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE FRICTION RETENTION (FLAPPING LOOSELY), I ENDED UP HAVING TO HOLD IT OUT OF THE WAY WITH ONE HAND WHILE DRIVING WITH THE OTHER. UPON RETURNING HOME, I UTILIZED A PIECE OF TWINE TO HOLD IT OUT OF MY SIGHT-LINE. I CONTACTED TOYOTA THIS MORNING AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ENOUGH COMPLAINTS TO WARRANT ANY ACTION. UPON DOING AN ONLINE SEARCH, THERE APPEARS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH BOTH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SUNVISORS IN 2007 AND 2008 CAMRYS, BASED ON THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS THAT I FOUND IN A VERY SHORT TIME. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IN THAT THE SUNVISOR BLOCKS THE DRIVER'S VISION UNLESS HELD OUT OF THE WAY WHILE DRIVING. *TR

Mileage: 58,570

THE SUN VISOR ON BOTH SIDES HAVE FAILED. THE METAL BRACKET INSIDE THE VISOR THAT PROVIDES FRICTION TO HOLD THE VISOR UP WHEN NOT NEEDED IS HELD IN PLACE INSIDE A GLUED PLASTIC FRAMEWORK. THE FRAMEWORK EVENTUALLY SUFFERS FROM FATIGUE AND SEPARATES, CAUSING THE VISOR TO DROP DOWN AND BLOCK THE DRIVER'S VISION. ONCE IT FAILS IT WILL NOT STAY UP AND IS CONSTANTLY CAUSING A VISUAL DISTRACTION FOR THE DRIVER. THE SAME PROBLEM HAS BEEN HAPPENING ON SEVERAL OF THE TOYOTA MODELS FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS. IT HAS HAPPENED ONMY CAR TWICE, ONCE AT 43,000 MILES AND AGAIN AT 57,000 MILES. *TT

Mileage: 43,000

THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR ON MY TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID BROKE LOOSE AND IT'S JUST HANGING THERE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $120.00 TO GET IT REPLACED. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME ISSUE AND WHO SAID THAT THIS WAS A MANUFACTURED DEFECT. I WOULD LIKE TO GET MY VISOR REPLACED AT NO COST TO ME AS I SEE THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE.

Mileage: 23,200

I DRIVE A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID - BOUGHT THE CAR BASED ON TOYOTA'S REPUTATION OF QUALITY. RECENTLY, I HAD A PROBLEM I HAD NOT EXPECTED TO SEE. THE PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE - THE INTERNAL MECHANISM DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY AND RATHER THAN HAVE IT DANGLE ALL THE TIME (SINCE IT WONT STAND UP) I OPTED TO SIMPLY REMOVE IT. I AM FRUSTRATED THAT A RELATIVELY SIMPLE MECHANISM TURNED OUT TO BE SO UNRELIABLE AND PROBLEMATIC. *TR

Mileage: 39,000

I OWN A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID. FOR THE SECOND TIME THE DRIVERS SIDE VISOR HAS BROKEN AND FLOPS DOWN INTO MY FIELD OF VIEW. BOTH VISORS PREVIOUSLY BROKE AND WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY BUT NOW THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. THESE VISORS ARE DEFECTIVE FROM THE FACTORY AND IT WILL COST $130 FOR THE VISOR WITH EXTRA COSTS FOR LABOR TO INSTALL IT. DRIVING MY CAR IS DANGEROUS NOW WITH THE VISOR HANGING DOWN IN THE WAY. TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THE DEFECTIVE VISORS AND REPLACE THEM BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT. *KB

Mileage: 56,000

MY VEHICLE, 2008 CAMRY'S SUN VISORS ON BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE ARE DROOPING OR LOOSE AND CAN NOT STAY UP. THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR BLOCKS THE SIGHT TO DRIVE SAFELY OR EFFECTIVELY. *TR

Mileage: 85,100

THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR OF MY 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID FELL DOWN AND BLOCKED MY VIEW SUDDENLY THIS AFTERNOON WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON I-70. THE MECHANICS INSIDE THE VISOR IS BROKEN AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO MOVE IT BACK TO THE POSITION THAT DID NOT BLOCKING MY VIEW. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! TOYOTA SHOULD ISSUE ANOTHER RECALL FOR THEIR LOUSY QUALITY!! *TR

Mileage: 21,587

THE SUN VISOR WAS USED WEEKLY TO BLOCK THE SUN AND USE THE MIRROR. THE FAILURE RECENTLY OCCURRED AND IS NOT RESOLVED. I DID GO TO THE DEALER, WHO WOULD REPAIR FOR ABOUT $140, THAT WAS DECLINED. AT THIS POINT, VELCRO WAS USED TO STABILIZE THE VISOR FOR VEHICLE USE. *TR

Mileage: 75,000

I HAVE A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID. THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE ON MY WIFE WHILE SHE WAS DRIVING CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. FORTUNATELY SHE WAS ABLE TO TIE THE SUN VISOR UP AS NOT TO OBSTRUCT HER VIEW. I PLAN ON GOING TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. THE CAR IS AT 60,000 MILES. *TR

Mileage: 60,200

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY HYBRID. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR WOULD NOT REMAIN IN AN UPRIGHT POSITION, OBSTRUCTING HER VIEW OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT DID NOT INFORM THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER NOR WAS THE VEHICLE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. UPDATED 06/16/11*LJ THE VISOR WAS REPLACED AS A GOODWILL GESTURE. UPDATED 07/08/11. *JB

Mileage: 36,000

I PUT MY SUNVISOR DOWN TO BLOCK THE LATE AFTERNOON SUN. AFTER I PUT IT BACK UP, IT DROPPED IN FRONT OF MY VISION CAUSING A DANGEROUS CONDITION. THE CAR IS A 2008 TOYOTA CAMRY, PURCHASED NEW WITH 54,000 MILES ON IT. I GOOGLED MY ISSUE AND SAW DOZENS OF OTHERS WITH THE EXACT SAME DEFECT. *TR

Mileage: 54,500