In January my starter caught on fire while driving down the road, and again in April causing me to lose days of work. Caused positive cable to battery to melt.
1997 Toyota Camry: fire, smoke or burning smell
22 of the 555 complaints about the 1997 Toyota Camry describe fire, smoke or burning smell.
- owner complaints
- 22
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 90,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Fire, smoke or burning smell by model year
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota camry. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH the driver started to hear a loud noise. A few miles later the driver saw orange flames coming from the hood. The driver threw dirt onto the engine to put the fire out. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Without any lights or indication of a problem, while my husband was driving on the freeway in california, smoke began billowing out from under the hood. Within seconds, flames were seen, by the time he reached the side of the road, the engine was fully engulfed in fire. By the time he got out of the car, minutes, the dash was engulfed. It took 15 minutes for the fire department to put it out. This vehicle has had regular services per manufacturers requirements, plus a safety and engine examination approximately 30 days ago. No evidence of a problem of any kind was found at that time.
Driving down beltway heard a pop and the car started on fire. 911 was called fire dept got there but was not able to save car. Driver got out safely.
1997 toyota camry caught on fire while driving on I-87. Fire began somewhere under the front hood of the vehicle. Brakes failed while moving to highway shoulder. Passengers were immediately evacuated and the fire department was called to put out the fire. The car was completely destroyed by the fire.
I own a 1997 toyota camry with 194,000 miles. Last week it caught on fire. I pulled into the office parking lot and turned off the ignition and removed the key. The starter continued to try to start the car. I tried to stall it out by letting out the clutch, but it just continued to try to start. I then put the key back in turned on the ignition and put it in neutral. I then ran into the office to get a tool to disconnect the battery. When the battery was disconnected the starter quit, but by then the solenoid was so overheated it started to smoke and burn. Luckily we had a fire extinguisher on hand. The dealer has only said that they need to replace the starter. I thought vehicles had a fail safe measure that would terminate the power supply to the starter once the ignition was turned off and the key removed.
My chek enigne light came on when I was headed out for a 250 mile trip. I took it to the dealer and got theis list of problems. Timing belt replacment,water pump, reseal oil pan, replace engine pipe, transmission gasket and filter replacement oxygen sensor, a/f sensor, efi service, cam seal, crank seal, oil pump seal . Blue smoke coming from exhaust. I went on line and realized that I had oil sludge. Called toyaota, they told me to get it evaluated for oil sludge
While driving at 60 MPH consumer smelled gas in the vehicle. After parking the vehicle consumer was informed that the engine compartment was on fire. The fire totally destroyed the vehicle.
While driving consumer noticed black smoke coming from the engine. Consumer pulled the vehicle over, opened the hood, and noticed that the engine was on fire. Driver was able to put out the flames.
I received a letter last year from toyota explaining a gelling problem and to watch out for blue smoke coming from the tail pipe when starting the car. I went into sears for an oil change and they indicated that it looked like moisture was getting in the oil and it looked sludgy. I took the car to the toyota dealership for them to check out this gelling. The letter indicated that toyota would pay for the part/installation. I got the estimated back from toyota and they said I did not have any gelling or sludge in the oil/engine, but that I did have rotted valve stem seals and head gasket leaks, and oil pan leaks and thats why there was blue smoke. The car is barely 7 years old and I have changed the oil faithfully at 3000 miles. I did not have the problem fixed, because I wanted a second opinion from a mechanic that was referred to me that is trustworthy. I plan on taking the car in(an appt. Was made for 2 days after I took it to the toyota dealership) and I have questions in hand about how this could have happened when I have not had 1 indication that the engine is going bad/valves are leaking(I.e. There have been no noises, leaking of antifreeze or other fluid when I park my car o/n or for a few hours).
When the key was out of the ignition the vehicle tried to start up on its own and then it caught on fire.
While accelerating there was a loud bang and smoke came from the engine compartment. Upon inspection the driver noticed there was a hole in the engine. The dealer indicated that the engine blew due to lack of oil. *ph
Service bulletins that may apply
- Supersession notice
- When servicing interior electrical switches and components, please note the precautions in
- Power door lock control system - repair manual correction vol II
- Subject regarding the instructions that have been developed to supplement the repair manual to assure...
- This bulletin provides instructions development to supplement the repair manual to assure correct cable...
- Excessive air conditioning evaporator odor is accuring in various vehicles
- Conditions with the signal level between the radio and the amplifier
Related recalls
Electrical system: ignition
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Due to a possible jamming of the lock pin of the key interlock solenoid, it is possible to remove the ignition key even when the shift lever of the automatic transmission is not in the "park" position.
- Risk
- Under such a condition, should a driver fail to move the shift lever to "park" position and also fail to activate the parking brake, the vehicle could roll away down a slope.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the key interlock solenoid.
Recall number 97V213000 · Recall details
Questions about the 1997 Toyota Camry fire or smoke
Is fire, smoke or burning smell a common problem on the 1997 Toyota Camry?
22 of 555 owner complaints about the 1997 Toyota Camry (4%) mention fire, smoke or burning smell. The model year with the most reports is 2007.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1997 Toyota Camry?
There is 1 recall and 8 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1997 Toyota Camry
Grinding brakes 35No deployment 30Engine failure 22Brake failure 15Headlights 13ABS 11Check engine light 11Sudden acceleration 11Seat belt 10Knocking 9Stalling 8Door locks 6Tire blowout 6
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 1997 Toyota Camry?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history