2012 Toyota Camry roof clunking
In my new 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE (here is the first report I’ve seen from a 2013 Camry owner), there is a terrible clunking, clicking or popping noise coming from the roof around the sunroof, particularly when going over bumps or turns, particularly when the car torques. (This is in addition to many loud dash rattles.) The dealer says that Toyota knows about it now and is working on a fix, but no estimate was given for when. I took it to the dealer September 2012 and the service bulletin finally was released in October 2013. Please comment if you are experiencing the same thing and what you are doing about it. (Oh, and I just hit 9,000 views of this post on January 2014.)
Here is a recording I made one hot day. I’d like to make a video of the noise, so if you can capture a video of the sound at its worst, send it to me in an email using the address on my home page or comment.
Here are some reports from other owners of the same thing:
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/310-7th-generation-2012/418639-2012-camry-xle-roof-noise.html
http://www.schiffner.com/my-2012-toyota-camry-is-a-lemon-and-toyota-doesnt-help/
ADVICE FOR UNTOUCHED CARS:
My current advice would be to have the service rep type into your record that you have a terrible clunking noise in your roof at the next scheduled service appointment (as long as you are under warranty for a while). Start a log for yourself to record everything that happens with dates, mileages, names and comments from the dealer.
[UPDATE 3/9/13] Here’s an interesting comment written by the technician working with a Toyota field tech, “found welding slag in between the seam of the moon roof opening and in between the pinch welds. during body roll and over bumps the slag would creek and make noise. removed headliner and moon roof assembly to access and clean out the space between the spot welds on the pinch weld opening of the moon roof. inserted shim stock and in between the space after cleaning out the slag and also installed felt in between the roof and folded over section of the opening. was helped by FTS to properly install the shim stock, reassembled and verified repair”. In my talking with a tech, they don’t provided enough shims for all of the welds, so they can only do some and in some cases they spray foam in the roof, like mine.
[UPDATE 2/1/14] From Toyota Nation forums. Toyota finally released a service bulletin: TSB-0151-13. When you go to the dealer, tell them about this TSB and ask whether they have experience doing the repair. I would only have someone do this repair that has successfully performed at least one or two. It is a long and difficult repair that can go horribly wrong. I would talk to the service manager as well to tell them about what you know from this site and that you would like him/her to supervise the job and make sure it is done right. Assume that your car will be ruined and plan accordingly by protecting yourself and being ready for arbitration. Many have gone that route and have been successful, but you must prepare.
ADVICE FOR “REPAIRED” CARS:
DOCUMENT EVERYTHING! Write notes based on every visit, every conversation, every person’s name, every comment, everything. You may need it in arbitration and/or trial. Other than that, I’m not really sure what else to suggest. If it’s not fixed after the first time, there are too many stories on this blog of it getting worse after bringing it back over and back, not to mention the headliner and trim damage. Based on my reading of this article, it looks to me like Toyota could lump this problem into a minor noise problem rather than a substantial defect, which may make it hard to win a Lemon Law case. If we could prove that this is a safety hazard (in the event of an accident), we may have a better chance at winning a trial or getting publicity. I just don’t see any way we could prove that. I think it could be proven that it hurts the value of the car, but that would probably be an uphill battle, too. For some reason, we must go through arbitration before taking Toyota to trial and those that have gone to arbitration that have commented here have gone silent, so a non-disclosure agreement must be forced upon them for any kind of settlement.
FOR 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 CAMRY OWNERS:
Since I’ve gotten some comments about 2007-2011 roof noise, I did a little bit of research. Here is my advice for you: Toyota does know about this problem and they have a kit and instructions on how to fix it (despite what the dealer might tell you). Tell the service rep to look up this service bulletin on Toyota’s TIS website: T-SB-0088-12. It describes the problem well and gives full instructions on how to take the roof apart and fix the problem. I’ve heard that it is a very difficult job and some dealers might not want to do it. This should be covered under warranty if you are under the 36 months/36,000 miles. If the service rep is unhelpful, talk to the service manager. If they don’t help, call up Toyota corporate to complain. Just make sure to get it in the records before the warranty is up.
THE END
I found this whole situation hopeless with the roof problem that seems to be unfixable, the dash rattle that the dealer couldn’t fix, my check engine light came on and my fancy JBL touchscreen intermittently would go dark. My car is A LEMON pure and simple. I traded it in the fall of 2013 for a 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid. The Fusion feels like a 10 year leap ahead in technology and interior design, albeit smaller inside. I feel much relief getting rid of this piece of crap. Shame on Toyota for handling this so poorly and slowly and not fixing the problem on the assembly line early.
Well, my fingers are uncrossed…1600 miles later and the sunroof is popping and cracking again. Anyone responding should know that the sunroof was removed and shims were added to my roof. Everything was quiet for about 3 weeks, but I had to call today a schedule another service appointment. Not to mention, I am experiencing a rattling/squeaking sound as my dash has come loose. If the problems with this car continue after this visit and I have to return for a third service visit , I will be turning this car back in. Here in the state of Pennsylvania we have the option pursuing through lemon law. Recap- ’12 Camry SE, 3200 miles, sunroof popping/cracking, and dash rattling/squeaking…there is strength in numbers folks, so let’s all keep pushing until Toyota makes this right . I will continue to keep everyone posted as I move forward. Good luck to all.
Here’s an update from Molly Anderson:
Here’s what happened:
• After I found your site, I called the service advisor and told him that there were other reports of the same problem. I wanted him to be aware of other fixes that were tried and failed. I asked him if he wanted the link and he said “Sure. Go ahead and send it.” He asked if it was ok to keep the car overnight to test in the evening when colder.
• The next day, I called in to see what was going on. The service advisor told me that they there was a field fix for the problem and they would send someone to fix next week. I asked the advisor to explain what would be done to fix. He was very vague. I asked him if he or the tech had looked at the link I sent. No, he hadn’t. You can’t believe things you read on the Internet. It’s full of bad info. I asked him if there was a Service Bulletin from Toyota describing the fix. No, not yet. I asked him politely to send me an email with the description of the work to be done. He said, “if you’re going to demand it.” I said, “I don’t think I was demanding, I think it’s usual to want to know the nature of work being done. Don’t you usually write these things up?” He said, “Why don’t you have your husband call me?” As you can imagine, I wasn’t very happy. I have since talked to the service manager.
• I went to pick up the car the next day. The cashier looked up the information and told me that there was a Technical Advisory Service case assigned (TAS# 122900274) and that an advisor was coming out to perform a field fix next week. I also spoke to the service manager to ask what would be done if the fix didn’t work. He advised that they would keep at it.
• The next part of this saga has no bearing on the issue so feel free to skip. I’m just venting. I went out to pick up the vehicle and I was shocked. I had just washed my car the day before dropping it off. The entire grill, hood and windshield were covered with dead bugs as if the car had been on a road trip by a farm. One of the mechanics saw the state of the car and came over to assist and cleaned the windshield and grill for me. He confirmed that the usual practice is to return the vehicles clean and vacuumed. I started the car to check the miles and found that the car had gone ~150 miles. I went in to talk to the manager again and asked if I had agreed for an overnight test. I had no idea that an overnight test meant that my car would be driven that far and returned to me in that condition. This is the second vehicle I’ve purchased from this dealership and I’ve always been satisfied.
• One other thing that the helpful mechanic shared. He said that the TAS guy would be training my assigned mechanic on how to fix this.
I am planning to let them try the fix. The work is scheduled for 10/25. I have also researched the California Lemon Law which states that the dealer has to replace the vehicle if: (2) The same problem has been subject to repair four or more times by the manufacturer or its agents and the buyer has at least once directly notified the manufacturer of the need for the repair of the problem as provided in the warranty or owner’s manual or (3) The vehicle is out of service because of the repair of any number of problems by the manufacturer or its agents for a cumulative total of more than 30 days since delivery of the vehicle.
I am happy to report that my vehicle has been clunk-free for 3 weeks. I had the service as scheduled on 10/25 and have been satisfied that the repair fixed the problem. As an aside, there were several other vehicles scheduled to have the same repair. The field service agent repaired mine and 1 other on that date. I believe that whatever they did worked. Here’s the technical service advisory for reference: TAS# 122900274
I have a exact same problem. I bought certified 2008 camry hybrid.
Already visited twice and they said they took it apart and put some anti noise foam ..etc but noise is still there which makes me very annoying!
My wifes car made it to 1500 miles and now we’ve got the dreaded popping. It started as the temperature started to change. Only occurs at low speed. Seems that the air pressure over the roof at higher speeds supresses the sound. Very annoying, sounds if acorns from the trees are falling and bouncing off your roof at random. Please post any success stories on the ’12 issues. Had ’08 with moonroof issues and I believe that was solved with shims. This is definitely a different sound attributed to body flex.
Update:
Brought my 2012 se v6 in for the possessed sunroof problem and to get new weather stripping to stop the front windows from grinding. I was given a loaner which i used for 3 days. both problems seem to be fixed although im not using the car as often so il keep my fingers crossed.
Loaner car was a 2012 xle v6. this car made an even louder popping noise near the sunroof. although mine was more of a constant rattle. i made the dealership aware of this when i turned the loaner in.
NEW ISSUE: since i purchased my car in october of last year the inspection was up and i was just over 26k miles so i asked them to inspect her and do the 25k service. i get a phone call at the end of the 2nd day and i was told that the car wont pass inspection because the tires had close 0 tread left. 26k is a lot of miles in one year but come on.. Auto makers should be ashamed of themselves for putting the cheapest f*#&ing tires they could get on new cars. we the buyer should be informed of they cheap ways to save a buck. Anyway that was it. i finally called corporate and explained all my troubles. (1st call to toyota) the … on the phone didnt even apologize or anything and all he could say was toyota doesnt warranty the tires and he connected me with bridgestone who in return offered to pay for 40% of the cost for 4 tires. and of course the tires through theyre retail stores are $199.98 & up per tire. im so pissed at myself for allowing the lemon law time period to expire and i can tell you all one thing. i will never purchase another toyota as long as i live and i will deter others from doing so as well.
the dealership has been nothing but 100% satisfying in making sure they met my every need.
however the scumbags at toyota and theyre rude customer service can go ….
I had the same problem with my sunroof and the cashier told me that there is a huge problem with the 2012 camry’s sunroofs and that there should be a recall coming out very soon. I took it in and their top mechanic diagnosed it and took apart the entire aparatus and spent 3 hours on it. They used a noise kit part # 08231-00801. Supposively the older camry models had the same problem and it is a screw that comes loose and makes that noise you all are hearing. I purchased my car in California and took it to the same dealership that I purchased it at to have it fixed. Do not give up and insist that they keep your car until it is fixed otherwise I would seek out a lemon law attorney because in the state of California (i dont know how other states work) if you purchase a vehicle and you have a problem that cannot be fixed then it is classified as a lemon and you can get all your money back minus a prorated amount for the miles you drove until you took it in to the shop. Ask for a head mechanic and be patient and willing to work with the service advisor and you should see results! GOOD LUCK!
Just picked up my ’12 Camry from the dealership. They told me after having the car for 3 days that the techs could not duplicate the sound. Speaking to one of the service advisors that has a Camry, this individual told me she experienced the problem again after her Camry was repaired. The dealership assured me that if it starts happening again, bring it in immediately without an appointment. Has anyone else experienced the dashboard rattling and shaking? I intend to get rid of this vehicle if I return for a 3rd service visit. With all the acceleration problems Toyota had in the past, not to mention, the recent recalls of over a million Prius vehicles for steering issues (look it up folks), and now Camrys with popping/cracking sunroofs, it would be smart for Toyota handle this situation promptly, and with care. No matter the outcome, I will never purchase a Toyota product again.
Chris,
My 2012 dash is like a popcorn popper. Noises all over the place, although the worst is at the glovebox. The rest are intermittent.
I also have a 2011 Camry SE V6….I have about 29k miles and I’ve also noticed roof and body structure noises in my car more so in the back passenger side of the car and when I drive on the streets than the freeway….had been noticing the sounds for a while now but due to bad dealership service experieces Ive been reluctant in taking my car in…but after reading this blog I feel confident in taking my car into the dealer hopefully coming out with a resolution….because hearing that cracking and popping noise is extremely annoying and I feel unnormal …will update once I take my car in for service.
I have the same problem with my 2012 Camry SE that also has a sunroof. Clunking started at about 3,000 miles and not i am at 5,500 and i think it’s getting worse. I took it in to the dealer but they thought it was an issue with the trunk (totally wrong) and they tighten some screws in the trunk and license plate but as I expected that did not fix the problem. It is still clunking, popping in the roof area behing the sunroof when I drive on uneven streets, make turns, etc…. I am tkaing my car back next week to the dealer and i will tell them what I found on this website. Lets see what they say.
This is unacceptable to me…I chose Camry because of the reliability and quality…. now I am doubting if I made the right decision.
It’s about time for Toyota to come up with an official solution to this problem!
It’s not only very annoiying problem but is the car 100% as safe???
just took our 2012 toyota camry hybrid in for 5000 check and told service about the popping and they are aware but toyota hasn’t came up with a service recall
Took my 2010 XLE into the dealer this week due to popping noise. Told me it was due to the sunroof bolts while the car is torqued. Has 33,000 miles, is certified used (bought in August of 2012) and has an extended warranty. Was told this “adjustment” is not covered under warranty. $488 was the estimate to tighten the bolts. I have a call into Toyota as I type.
Refer to comment on 10/1. In my opinion, most of the fixes being made are obviously experimental by the dealerships and will not work. The 2012 camry’s problem is not like the earlier model’s problem. After working with Toyota Customer Service, i was assured that Toyota now has a fix now involving some shims they have designed. They supposedly will fix it using the shims if you complain, but don’t expect a recall from them as they say it’s not a safety issue. They will be sending the TSB and the new shims out to the dealerships later. Why not now, I do not know. Well, I apprehensively took my second 2012 Camry in on 12/3 per Toyota customer service. A Toyota corporate engineer worked with the dealership on installing the new shims. The fix took 3 days. It is still too early to say, but it appears that the problem may have been resolved, at least 98%. I did hear one small pop yesterday when I went over a bump in the road, but nothing like before. Best of luck to you all. As for me, I will not be purchasing another Toyota. Sadly, this was my first Toyota experience, and it’s been a year of pure aggravation.
John, can you please tell if you could see and signs that the roof lining was taken apart for the fix?? I am worried that even if there is a fix for this problem, once yhe roof lining is taken down, it can never be put back the same way it was assembled in the factory….
Yes, unfortunately there are some scuffs on the headliner and scratches on the trim. Even though they promised me profusely this time that they were going to take the utmost care, use their most meticulous technician with the help of Toyota’s engineer and not do any damage, there are still some noticable signs. Luckily this time, it is minimal compared to the first go round. But to have a new, $28000 car; having any scuffs/scratches is just not acceptable.
John,
I completely agree with you… it is not acceptable to have scuffs and scratches on a brand new, almost 30K car… I have been working so hard to get this beautiful Camry as I trusted Toyota as a safe and quality car maker and to be this dissapointed? I am sorry you have some scuffs after your repair… very frustrating and dissapointing.
I took my car to the dealership past Saturday and asked them to try to locate the issue (2nd time) without removing headliner. they refused to even try as they said if they cannot locate the issue they will need to take headliner down and if i don’t allow them do that then there is no point for them to even start to work on this issue. I feel like they are just trying not to do anything about this.
Same problem here – rattling noise (like I have a metal ladder strapped to the roof of my 2012 XLE) started around the 5,000 mile mark. Been to the dealership about 9 times (I’m actually sitting in the waiting room right now) with no solution. I’ve either been told that they can’t hear it (of course it doesn’t make it when I take it in) so they cannot fix it OR I’ve been told that “it’s fixed!” and that hasn’t been the case. They’ve replaced every single part up there, I was told they put some extra insulation in as well. I got corporate Toyota involved, no help there either; basically, a woman called me to see how my appointments went so she could document them in the computer. Eventually the dealership told her that there was nothing they could do and the Toyota rep told me the same thing, just in a more professional sounding manner. My husband called that day and spoke with the service advisor to tell them how angry he was and, lo and behold, they told us they’d found the problem and replaced the entire sunroof. Did that help? NO! Still making that noise, so loud at times that I hear it over the radio. In total, I’ve been in a rental car for just shy of 3 WEEKS while my car has been in for service for this issue. The first two times I took it in I lived 3 hours away. When I moved, I began taking it to the local dealership in my new town. They were the worst, my headliner looks like a rabid cat got ahold of it and one time they returned the car to me in such a mess (greasy fingerprints, dirt on my floormats, etc.) that I flat out refused to take it. Following this horrible experience I changed Toyota dealerships because I had heard great things about another one in the area. I started coming here for my regular service (still under warranty as the car is only a year old) and thought I found someone who would help me. Well, I come in this morning armed with info from this and other forums about the rattle being a problem with other people as well and asking them to look into it and I was told that this is something that was caused by the other dealership, just because I’m “bouncing around between dealerships doesn’t mean I can just come here to get things fixed because they have to get paid and they don’t get paid to fix damage.” I asked if I was expected to drive 3 hours to the original dealership where I went when this started but I didn’t get an answer to that question. As far as I’m concerned, this is a problem between me, the customer, and Toyota. I don’t care if I take this darn car to Alaska, if it is a Toyota dealership and I’m under factory warranty I expect them to take care of it. The guy today basically acted like he had no interest in looking up the TSB #s that I brought to him (thank you to everyone on this site for all of the info!)and I fully expect him to come out in 4 hours (“that’s the minimum they always tell people for a rattle noise”) and tell me there’s nothing he can do. At that point, I will be contacting Toyota again… fingers crossed, we’ll see how it goes!
I’ve had the same popping noise coming from the roof/sunroof area in my 2012 Camry Hybrid. I am so discouraged. Been to the dealer twice and they took the roof liner apart, said the problem was fixed and it has not been. They told me there is a service bulletin out now for the 2012 model. Anyone know if this is true and what the number is. Has anyone gone to arbitration on this issue?
Recently called service advisor at my local Toyota dealership to report popping problem again. I requested another appt. to bring my car in, but she informed me there was no fix as of yet. The problem now is a constant heating and cooling of the car due to winter weather. The issue has increased in frequency and will continue. I decided to call Toyota’s customer experience number to report again further issues but received a message that Toyota was closed for holiday. A return call was placed to service advisor who informed me she could not contact Toyota for other customers with the same issue. At this point, I see no other option but to move ahead with giving Toyota the option of a buy back or pursuing lemon law. I now have 4000 miles on the car, not only is the sunroof an issue, but I’m also dealing with a dash that rattles and a passenger seat that shakes and squeaks. It’s Honda or Nissan for me folks, I will never purchase a car again from a company where their craftsmanship is so generic. Toyota is an absolute disgrace in my opinion, knowing they have issues with Camrys with sunroofs, and yet they still continue to peddle these vehicles to unsuspecting customers. Good luck to all.
Chris,
Keep us informed in detail. Thankfully my car isn’t too bad in the roof now that winter has come, but my dash is just awful with all the clicks, pops and rattles. My dealer is supposed to look at that on January 2.
I had my knocking sound in my 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE repaired and the fix lasted for less than a month. The knocking is back and I’ll be bringing it back to Toyota for a second round of repairs. I’m told that the problem is a loose bolt in the sunroof.
Cynthia,
I don’t buy the loose bolt theory. Please keep us informed!!
At my first service appointment with my 2011 Camry xle my service manager alerted me to the easy fix for this issue. It took about an hour or two to finish with the oil change. Now 2 years and 10,000 miles later the pop and thunk in the sunroof has returned. My manager just informed me that it will be a 3 hr repair with them having to tear out the roof liner, Toyota does know about this problem and they do have the fix!
Received a call back from Toyota North America today. They will be sending a Service Rep. to my local dealership around the 4th of January. I was assured that the issue would be repaired and that some kind of warranty would be added for corrected problem, From what I could gather from the conversation, Toyota seems to be leaning toward spot weld issues on the roof. The customer service rep informed me a service bulletin would be sent prior to field rep arriving at the dealership. She was very helpful in answering all my complaints and reassured me again that Toyota will have a fix. I will continue to keep everyone informed of my progress concerning this matter. Keeping my fingers crossed .
I have the same knocking issue in my 2012 Camry. It is now at the dealership for the 4 time, but it has been there now for almost 2 1/2 weeks. The technician rode with me twice and heard it. After the first time they heard it and acknowledged it, they put in extra insulation in the moonroof. After I picked it up I heard the noise again. I brought it in again and drove with the tech and he heard it again. They required it to be overnight again so they could contact Toyota and ask what to do. I was told they needed to order parts. They received instructions, and some parts, but then had to wait for more parts. So I have been without the car all this time. I did call Toyota and requested they do not charge me for one month’s car payment and they entered a case number and supposedly will get back to me in 24 hours. They reiterated that they are covering this under warranty, but that is not enough, since I am driving an old car that needs brakes. They did not offer a rental or loaner. I will let you all know what the outcome of the request is.
They told me the same thing Cynthia the first round of repair. That repair didn’t even last 24 hours. The 2nd repair they took the headliner & sunroof apart and installed plastic shims. It was a little better for a little while. I’m taking it back in 10 days for what they are calling “a comprehensive, robust repair” under the direction of a Toyota regional rep. I am also filing a California Lemon Law case.
Chris,
See what you can do about getting a copy of that service bulletin and learn as much as you possibly can to share!
Sgeorge,
Please keep us in the loop!! My dealer offered me a loaner for when they do the roof — your dealer is not cool.
Received a second call back from Toyota NA. They will be sending the rep on January 22 to my dealership and told me a loaner car will be waiting. The customer service rep told me to expect the field rep to have the car for a day or two, and that they will be using a listening device to pinpoint exact area of sound. She again mentioned spot weld issues and added “pinch welds” to the conversation. One thing is certain, they absolutely know about this problem so anyone visiting this site and being told by a dealer that they are unaware, don’t believe it. They are also very aware of heating and cooling issues due to winter weather. I will do my best to acquire all info I can concerning the service bulletin and repairs. Good luck to everyone.
Hi Magda, Cynthia, Chris, Brian, John, Sierra, SGeorge:
May I include your comments in claim paperwork I will be submitting to California Dispute Settlement Program?
I don’t have any great expectations, but like many of you I paid top dollar for my 2012 Camry Hybrid and have done all the things Toyota Customer Experience has recommended and at 6,000 miles my new car sounds horrible. I feel sold an inferior product that they can’t correct the problem sufficiently at the present time, and I am going to be paying for this for some time.
Karen
Karen D please keep us informed on your 3rd repair and also on your lemon law suit. I have same issue and I am considering filing as well.
Karen, please use anything you need for your claim! I plan to do the same with mine. I’m (slightly) hopeful to see that Toyota is actually sending reps out to look at these problems, thus far in my year-long battle with them they haven’t made that sort of effort. I’m certainly going to request this when I speak with them next week to re-open my claim that they previously closed due to “inability to find anything wrong.” Looking forward to hearing how everything goes for everybody in the next few weeks. Good luck!
Same here I paid top dollar for my 2012 Camry Hybrid and have done all the things Toyota Customer Experience has recommended and at 6,000 miles. Making payments on a pop and crack car is very aggravting as much as we paid. I don’t want them taking my headliner out either.
My 2012 Toyota Camry SE wtih sun roof has the same roof noises when you I hit bumps in the road or make turns into the driveway. The dealer did remove the headliner and make some type of repair which has been of great help. I still have some noise but it is certainly much better. This appears to be an inherent probem in the manufacturing.
Yes you can use my comments in your suit. Please keep us updated. I know in ca it takes more than a clunking roof for a car to be a lemon. But I guess if after reasonable number of tries probl still persists then there might be chance.
I’m still debating whether I should take my Camry for a repair. As annoying as this problem is I’m very worried that once they take headliner down, they will not be able to put it back perfectly.
I also have some issue with the sunroof. Sometimes it squeaks when I open it upwards. Has anyone experienced that before? I am wondering if the sunroof must be replaced as if there are any squeaks then sth must be defective.
Either way I will not be able to get away without taking down the headliner if I decide I want the issues fixed. This should not be a problem to us who purchased brand new car for our top dollar.
Refer to my comment on 12/7. After the “shims” fix that was done under the guidance of Toyota’s field tech, my car is now popping just as badly as before the fix. So much for that “temporary” fix!!! I am truly at a loss.
Hello Karen…any comments I have made that could be of help, you have my permission to use. Hopefully, they will aide you in your case. If Toyota can’t correct my problem by the end of January, I will have no choice but move forward legally. For all of us who spent good money on these vehicles (I paid $31,500.00 for mine), I hope all issues are resolved. Good luck to everyone.
Hello from Canada… I too have creeking and popping noises coming from the sunroof area in my 2009 Camry Hybrid for the first time. My car has 73,000km (50,000) miles on it and since the temperature dropped 2 weeks ago, it began to make noises around the sunroof area. My car is made in Chattanooga,Tennessee and I paid $31,500 Cdn and I’m taking it to the dealer this week hoping to have this fixed, Thank you for this site it has been helpful,
Same issue on my 2012 Camry hybrid XLE. Bought it new, been to two different dealerships, and neither one gave much of an effort to resolve the problem. As a matter of fact, both service departments said they did not have a technician qualified to address this problem. Sounds like Toyota knows about this design flaw but refuses to acknowledge it due to the cost of a mass recall. I will be contacting the BBB.
I also have a 2012 camry se with the same problem you all are having.The popping noise started one week after I bought the car.and now 2 months later and after 3 attempts to fix it Im still stuck with this problem. My dealer has been working with toyota and has a master tech but they still cant fix it. I am tired of this .I have only 2000 miles on the car and have not enjoyed the car yet. I also thought this car would have great resale value not likely. Who would want to buy a car rattling like. this. Has anyone tried to get toyota to take there car back? I dont want my car anymore. I am very discouraged about it, as you all know we paid a lot of money for these cars.
Earlier in the thread, a guy got Toyota to give him a new Camry…which had the noise after a few thousand miles.
I have a 2011 Camry SLE with the same clunking noise. I googled the problem and found this thread. I just call the dealer service department and he said he has experienced this on a few cars. He said they have to send it out to a trim shop. They have to pull out the headliner and put some extra padding on some of the weld joints. It will take a day one two. (At least that’s what I think he said). I’m just glad he volunteered that he knew of the problem and said it could be fixed.
Wondering if any of you folks know where your Camry was manufactured? My 2012 Camry hybrid was made in the Georgetown, Kentucky plant. Curious if most of the Camry’s with the roof popping noise came from the same plant.
Here’s my update: I had my car repaired twice by the local dealership and it made absolutely no improvement. I had it scheduled for a 3rd repair but cancelled that & will not authorize Toyota to tear my headliner & moon roof out again until they have issued an appropriate service bulletin applicable to my make/model/year. I have also filed a lemon law arbitration claim.
My 2012 Toyota Camry XLE I purchased in August 2012 also has the same problem. I don’t know why Toyota would sell cars that they know are defective. This is really disappointing. I took my car in for service the first attempt to repair the problem failed. I taking the car in again. I hope it will be fixed this time.
Bdeverts – I’m hopeful for you that since your dealership admitted they didn’t know what to do and sent your car out for service that you will have a good experience, rather than have your headliner ripped down several times only to look terrible and STILL have the noise… All I keep asking for is some extra insulation up there but no one is willing to do that.
Karen, good luck with your lemon law. I have an appointment next week (per Toyota Customer Care) and anticipate filing my own claim once it is (once again) not addressed.
This is the second time I’ve gone through Toyota corporate and in over a year of dealing with this I have never had anyone, anywhere, acknowledge that they’ve heard of this problem from anyone other than me.
By the way, my roof rattle has now expanded – while I used to be able to pinpoint where it was coming from, it is now coming from multiple areas, both front and back – wonderful.
My dealership told me Toyota sent them several repair kits. They gave them to their preferred trim shop and send all of this clunking noise problems to them.
Received a call back from Toyota North America today about upcoming service being performed on January 23rd, noted as a “field inspection”. We recently had a warm spell here in Western PA and the problems really increased. The sunroof was so loud that I made a couple of recordings for evidence and also returned to the dealership to document the noise with the service manager. Also, are there any of you experiencing the driver side window rattling or shaking? After my conversation today with the Toyota rep, I informed her that was past the point of being satisfied with any outcome concerning this matter. I will comply with the “field inspection” scheduled on January 23rd, but I have also sought legal representation on the matter. I will continue to keep everyone informed on the progress made (if any), but unfortunately, I see where this experience is heading. Good luck to everyone.
Hi, I did get my car back after the roof was taken apart and they completed the fix from the manufacturer, and drove it for a couple of weeks. I thought I heard the noise a couple of times, but decided to stay positive. Today I ran an errand at lunch and my colleague and I both heard it twice. I will call Toyota Corp who has been staying in contact with me. I just don’t want to deal with it any longer, and do not want to hear another thing about shims or spot welds, just want them to replace it with something else. I believe it is three attempts and they have to replace it.
Hello, I have a question – do you think that the roof makes popping sounds MORE when itw WARMER outside? I live in CA and temperature has been between 36-50 degrees everyday and it seems like the problem is as not frequent. It bothered me more on warmer months. Any thoughts on this?
Also, I am experiencing 3 other issues with my 2012 SE – the sunroof sometimes squeeks when i open it (up or down) like it’s harder for it to operate…..
My armrest rattles. After a replacement of the latch – rattling noise seems worse.
Also, it seems like some plastics surrounding the Navigation panel are clicking when driving on a freeway (this is a fairly new problem but so anoying!)
Sgeorge and Nicole, did they damage/stain/wrinkle your headliner after several fixes? I am very worried of having my headliner taken down for the fix…
Chris Barnes – do you think the problem gets worse in hot weather? Also, replying to your question – i did not experience a rattle of a window…i did think of it once but ignored it it was a wind noise.