2007 Toyota Camry: clunking or noise when steering

Filed May 18, 2015 · Steering · 57,000 miles · CA

Clunk, pop and knock in steering wheel. Sloppy stearing wheel . Likely needs new intermediate shaft because of manufaturer defective part as outlined in toyota technical service belletin: st002-07

Filed Nov 1, 2013 · Steering · 84,700 miles · TN

When turning the steering wheel there is a popping/clunking sound. Had dealership check the problem and they said that the "intermediate steering shaft" needed to be replaced.

Filed Oct 1, 2013 · Steering · 80,000 miles · CA · crash

I first noticed in early may 2013, that when I turn my vehicle left or right at 1 - 5 MPH, there is a clicking sound coming from the steering rack/pinion. I mentioned to toyota at my last service. I was told, as usual, they could not duplicate the problem. And, that is frustrating because when I problems with my breaks, I had to lodge a formal complaint to remedy that issue. On september 1, 2013, I was driving on the highway and my vehicle pulled to the left. I hit good size shrub and now there is a slight dent on the left hand side. I selected "crash" because although I only hit a good sized shrub, I was on the highway and it could have been a lot worse had I not been able to control my vehicle.

Filed Nov 13, 2012 · Steering · 40,000 miles · CA

While driving at low speeds (1-5 MPH) backing up or forward - a clunking sound is felt on steering wheel. Also, a bit of looseness is felt on the connection of the steering wheel and the tires. The clunking doesn't happen while driving above 10 MPH. Dealer (capital toyota in san jose, ca) told me that the steering shaft needs to be re-greased. I'm concerned that there are lots of other 2007 camry owners with the same problem, and some have lost control.

Filed Oct 6, 2012 · Steering · 41,500 miles · MA

While driving, pulling out of garage, turning right or left at town/city speeds and while at highway speeds (55mph and higher) a knocking, popping feeling is felt on steering wheel. When the knocking/popping feeling is felt there is also a feeling of loss of vehicle steering control. At times a slight lurching feeling also present. The problem was reported to toyota dealer, who inspected steering assembly and said they 'feel' the pulse but don't have a full diagnosis. During the months of sept/oct 2012 the problem got worse with more popping/knocking feeling felt at wider speeds and general steering control being lost more frequently. Took the vehicle to another dealer on oct 5 2012 and they state that the steering shaft has to be replaced. More concerning is the dealer's verbal statement that this is a 'safety issue and you should not be driving' the vehicle. I contacted toyota customer service to check on recalls and they state none exist, but a tsb has been issued for this issue. They also stated (verbal) that if more complaints are received toyota may issue a recall. A simple google search with key words '2007 toyota camry steering shaft recall' yields 1000s of hits on users reporting this problem. I feel that this is a safety issue that is slowly arising. I have driven my car for roughly 18000 miles when the problem starts. Dealer now wants approximately $600 to fix the issue by replacing the shaft. I am concerned about safety, not just for myself but for other motorists and feel that this issue requires further investigation by competent authority. To me it looks like toyota is aware of the problems but are willfully ignoring the issue. I may be contacted for additional information if required to assist any further investigation. Thank you

Filed Oct 2, 2012 · Transmission · 50,000 miles · AZ

Popping noise in steering @ 50,000 miles ~ was told rack assembly power steering was bad , brakes ~ touch apply going down hill front end shakes worked on 13 months ago doing it again @ 50,000 miles , warped.

Filed Jul 13, 2012 · Steering · 80,000 miles · MI

The steering shaft makes a popping and clunking noise at low speeds. Loose steering parts are never good news.

Filed Jan 26, 2012 · Steering · 68,000 miles · PA

I hear and feel a clunk, pop or knock type of noise when turning the steering wheel left or right while driving slowly or backing out of garage or parking. I noticed that there are many complaints about the same problem but toyota is not recalling for fixing the problem, instead dealers are charging to fix the problem.

Filed Feb 25, 2011 · Steering, Suspension · 53,600 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 toyota camry xle. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds and attempting to turn in either direction, the steering wheel would exhibit an unusual noise. After taking the vehicle to a dealer for inspection, he was advised that the left front strut had a severe leak and that the intermediate shaft needed to be replaced as well in the steering column. The vehicle has not been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and advised him that it was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 53,600.

Filed Dec 21, 2010 · Steering · 52,000 miles · TX

When backing or driving and turning the steering wheel I hear a clicking or popping noise in the steering system. Looking on the internet it appears that toyota will run up a bill doing repairs when they probably know what the problem is.

Filed Jun 14, 2010 · Steering · 50,782 miles · SC

Clunk/pop in steering column when accelerating from a stop, reversing, and turning wheel to the right or moving straight. Seems to do it mostly once car is warmed up, not when first driving.

Filed Jun 17, 2007 · Transmission · 9,000 miles · AZ · crash

I purchased a 2007 toyota camry in september 2006. The vehicle has 16,000+ miles on it. The vehicle hesitates upon acceleration , and at times lunches into gear . This has caused honkning at us and harzardous conditions, especially when changing lanes on the freeway. There is a loud intermitent clunk when turning corners, backing up, and stopping. There is an apparent lack of power when the gears shifts in the automatic transmission. Also, there is vibration when backing up with the air conditioner on. We have had the vehicle in the dealership several times and mostly get a song and dance routine from the dealership. They said that everything we were experiencing was normal or due to the computer design or emission standards. This is very difficult to accept since I have been driving for 50 years and have never encountered anything like this before. Toyota has at this point not been able to resolve any of these issues. However, they did remove and replace the gas tank to eliminate the clunking problem, and I now know according to the dealership that it was not necessary. The clunking is still present. This car reacts like a vehicle with 200,000 miles on it that is in dire., it needs f a tune up and major overhaul. My wife was involved in a rear end accident 6 weeks ago, and now we realize that this may not have occurred if the car would have accelerated properly.