1998 Toyota Camry

Problems owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1998 Toyota Camry, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.

• Service brakes, hydraulic112
• Engine and engine cooling92
• Vehicle speed control83
• Suspension70
• Air bags50
• Tires41
• Seat belts35
• Structure35
• Electrical system33
• Steering33

NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 45 injuries and 0 deaths reported

Compared with other years

NHTSA ODI complaints by model year

Fatal crashes in the US

From 2020 to 2023, 103 1998 Camry vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 80 people died inside them, and 10 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.

NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)

New York safety inspections

At its first New York inspection the 1998 Toyota Camry failed the safety check 1.85% of the time — 8% more often than the average 1998 passenger car (1.71%). Median odometer at inspection: 150,363 miles.

NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count

In the Netherlands

51 first registered in 1998 are on Dutch roads; 12% arrived later as imports.

Most common APK defects

• Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen41
• Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde30
• Band onvoldoende profiel14
• Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt13
• Uitlaatsysteem niet gasdicht / onveilige afvoer uitlaatgasse10
• Band beschadigd7
• Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld6
• Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht6

Colours

RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording

In the United Kingdom

44 cars built in 1998 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 64 more were declared off the road (SORN).

Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0

In Finland

54 of these cars first registered in 1998 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 343,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.

Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0

In New Zealand

595 1998 cars are on the New Zealand register; 41% arrived as used imports, 57% were sold new in New Zealand.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0

Fuel consumption

Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 9.9–11.9 L/100 km (about 20–24 mpg US), CO₂ 228–274 g/km.

Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls in Canada

2 Transport Canada recalls for the 1998 Toyota Camry.

Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada

Recalls

Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words

Service bulletins

What Toyota told its dealers about the 1998 Toyota Camry: known faults, fixes and updates.

NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation