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.
Mag,
My roof noise is gone in the cold and bad in 70+ degrees, worst when 90+. Chris Barnes lives within a few miles of me, so his car is much worse than mine. My only rattles are in the dash, mostly near glovebox keyhole.
Has anyone who has had there car repaired actually had it permanately fixed? I am. feeling like it is just not fixable. I have had mine repaired several times and its quiet for a while and then it comes back. Toyota has sent out a field rep. nothing has worked. I have had the headliner down 3 times and yes you can tell things are starting not. going back together as nicely as they were. I want toyota to take my car back!! I dont even like to drive it and its only 2 months old . Noise just pisses me off. I just drive my beat up old truck . 200, 000 miles and no rattlesor pops! Thanks to everyone for sharing info.
Unfortunately I haven’t heard from anyone on these forums who has found a permanent fix. The noise always seems to come back. My headliner looks like trash now, I’ve asked Toyota to replace it but we’ll see, meeting with yet another service manager this week…
Actually, mine was repaired once about five to six months ago and it stopped rattling. Just had to take my car to Toyota Service once and it was fixed. What they did in Service was just adjusting a loose screw in the moonroof. For the time being, it hasn’t made any noise (crossing my fingers it won’t). Maybe the weather has something to do with it. Where I live there’s tropical weather all year around.
Mag– problems I’m experiencing are constant with inclement weather, but increase in sound and frequency when the temperature goes up. In the morning when the cabin of the car is cold, it’s not that noticeable, but after 20 minutes of running heater and defroster, the the problem returns. I agree with Brian that issue is much worse during warmer weather, but I do experience problems in the cold. Like Brian, my dash also rattles and during the last few weeks the driver side window is rattling and popping. The window noise was much worse during the warm spell here in Western PA recently. Like a few individuals listed on this website, I have retained a law firm to represent me moving forward. At this time, I don’t think Toyota has a fix, if they did, people would not be experiencing the same issues at a later date. I was told by my dealership that the only service performed was shims placed in the front corners of my sunroof. The only outcome was the sound returning and two creases now in my headliner near the overhead console housing my home link buttons and sunroof buttons. The irony was this was brought to my attention by the service manager. I think it is safe to assume Toyota does not have a permanent fix at this time.
Chris Barnes, please let me know what the lawyer says in regards to this. I’ve taken my car in 8 times now with three repairs done on the moon roof with no fix. I’m starting to get extremely upset and want to know alternatives. Please do keep us informed with that the lawyer tells you. Thank you.
I’m also interested in knowing how the legal case progresses. Don’t know the requirements of a class action suit, but the thought has crossed my mind. On my end, the arbitration process is progressing, in that they accepted my Lemon Law case and will hear it in early Feb. Will keep you posted.
Alexis….very happy to hear your car was fixed in one visit, but as for the rest of us, after multiple return visits the problem remains.
Patricia…I don’t know what state you reside in, but in PA after the 3rd visit to your dealership, you qualify for Lemon Law. The attorney asked me a series of questions about my car and problem to see if I qualified. They immediately took my case. The questions were simple and it was extremely easy to apply.
KD…as in your case, the legal process is moving forward on my behalf. Toyota will do whatever they can not to issue a recall. If this continues, I have also thought of a class action suit eventually being filed. I am patient enough to give Toyota the option to buy my car back. If not, I also ready to let the law firm resolve this matter any way they can.
In response to Mag, there are some scratches on the panels on front and back-the ones from the roof that meet the dash. I reported that to the dealer and they said they can replace the panels. I also felt that there are marks on the ceiling and the ribbing that goes around the moonroof looks like it is looser-just not pulled taut like when it was new.
I talked with the service manager yesterday and they only logged in one repair for the two that were done-the two being that the first time they put in extra insulation and that did not make the noise go away; the second one is when they took the whole roof apart to put in the shims. they also tried to tell me that the noise I hear now is separate because I said I hear it in the rear of the vehicle and they other issue was in the roof. They told me it was in the roof-I never said that, but it is the same issue-knocking noise in the car.
They do not want to say that it is more than one repair, otherwise, I think when it gets to three for the same issue they have to do a replacement.
Now I am supposed to wait for when the Toyota rep comes in, and drive with him and the tech from the dealer to prove I have this noise-also show them the damaged panels. It is ridiculous. What this tells me is that they are aware of a problem and they are trying to play a game to minimize their liability. Something tells me this game has been played before….
Also, the last time I picked up my car from the dealer after the last repair, it was snowing pretty hard. I could not make it home because the car just stopped in the middle of a hill. I had to walk 3 miles home in a storm. So, guess they are not good in the snow.
In order to keep the car at this point I would need to put new tires on (car is only going on 8 months), and keep bringing it to Toyota until they fix issues. I currently am driving my 2009 Rav that I was going to sell or give to my son who is getting his license. I’d rather pay more for the gas instead of dealing with all this.
Sgeorge,
My tires are almost worn out now after 15,500 miles and 9 months.
Well here’s a new one. Went in yesterday for the dealership to look into the roof rattle. Hopeful because this dealership seemed to be really great with customer service from what I’ve experienced for routine service, though they had yet to do anything with the noise. Drove around with the tech and, of course, no noise though I did play him one of my many audio recordings. By grabbing onto the roof at the front of the sunroof opening and pushing up and down I was able to replicate the noise very slightly. I showed him where the noise generally seems to be coming from, which is also where I can push upward to temporarily stop the noise while driving. SO… he tells me that the sunroof motor is located in the area I pointed out and that when he looked at it he noticed it had been installed in a crooked fashion. He said that screws on one side were very tight (too tight) and therefore, those on the other side were not in far enough and that when he pushed on the motor assembly it seemed to make the same noise we heard in the car. So, he took it out and reinstalled it straight. So far, no noise, but it’s only been 24 hours. It’s hard for me to believe that this could have been causing the noise, mostly because I’ve kind of given up on anyone ever doing anything about it, but I’m trying to be positive. He did say “man, a LOT of people have been up in that headliner” after he was done and was quick to notice where it didn’t line up with the front overhead light assembly, so I was glad to have someone actually acknowledge that my car looks like crap and not treat me like I was overreacting. We shall see…
Thanks Chris. I live in CA so the process here is a little different I’m sure. I have to take it to Arbitration before I can even move forward with legal actions. They have my car now for a final attempt at trying to fix this. My car has been seen 7 times now, in the past 8 months. Not happy at all about this, but they have been more than nice and accommodating. Hopefully this time around they will fix it permanently so that I don’t have to move forward with arbitration.
Bought a Camry 2012 XLE Hybrid in Sep. the Sound appeared within the 1st Month. They told me toyota knows about the issue and reschcueld as a toyota rep has to come /guide the local dealership. they kept car and fixed it.. in Oct. the sound is back .. Just dropped it at the dealership.. the Car has less than 4000 Miles on it. and the Dealership has the guts to say that it is a Camry.. you are Driving no Lexus so you shoudl expect such sounds.
I have also filed a claim with Arbitration as I am tired of dealing with Toyota for over a year now. My hearing has been set for early February; however, Toyota made an offer today to try to settle: “Toyota is willing to have a Regional Field Technical Specialist inspect the vehicle for the sunroof noise to determine the next course of action. If a warranty repair is needed, the Field Technical Specialist would instruct the Dealership on the necessary roof repair procedures and Toyota would provide alternate transportation to the Customer.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? They have already sent their field technicians and my dealership has done everything they were told. If this is the way Toyota is going to react, and if Arbitration does not prove favorable, I will be hiring an attorney.
bmorris, chris barnes – it has been a bit warmer here in CA in last couple of days – about 70 degrees during day and not so cold at night and i definitely noticed an increase in the frequency of popping in my roof. I almost thought i would be ok with occasional pop but now that it’s warmer again it’s too often. I am still hesitant whether I should take the car in for the repair as it seems like there is no permanent solution…
I will be taking my car in for the center console rattle and popping of some plastics near the CD player and Navigation…
As far as the popping noise from the roof – i also have some issue going on with the sunroof so i am planning on taking the car in once the sunroof squeeks so the techs can actually hear it and hopefully take care of the roof issue and sunroof issue with taking the headliner only once….
Sierra, did you have a popping noise coming from the roof or just a squaky noise from the sunroof when operating it up and down??
Going along with the theme here, YES…my 2012 Camery SE has less than 4K miles on it and I always experienced some kind of “clicking” on or near the sunroof. Figured it was the mechanism slightly shifting when I turned the car. Well yesterday my sunroof “exploded”! Thats right…a huge hole sucked out of the middle of the roof. Toyota now claiming the warranty doesn’t cover. Not done with them by a long shot! My opinion? A loose screw or something when they initially installed the sunroof, letting in trace amounts of outside air into a sealed inside cabin, built pressure over the 4 months on the glass and finally BOOM! Take your cars in ASAP…
It’s been freezing temps here in TN and the popping noise is worst when cold.
Mag – mine was a rattle, like metal-on-metal, coming from the roof area around the sunroof. The sunroof itself opens and closes (for now) without making any unusual sound. It’s been almost a week and still no rattle noise after they adjusted the sunroof motor, so fingers crossed but still not overly optimistic…
My 2012 Camry SE started with the clunking sound on the sunroof just over 5k miles…I took it in last weekend for the 10k service and told the technician about the sounds. He told me that he has seen several Camrys with the same problem and that it was a factory defect…that when they put the cars together they somehow forgot to add insulation…he had me bring back the car on Monday and gave me a rental for for 4 days! they removed the headliner, sunroof, and even the rear winshield! the tech said this had to be done. I just got my car back today and seems like the clunking noise is gone…but now im hearing rattling when the cover of moonroof is open! I have an appointment this weekend to see what tje new noise is coming from. by the way, they did a great job not scratching the interior or exterior and no sign at all that they even worked on the car!
My 2012 Camry started making the popping roof noise around 5,000 miles. It’s been worked on twice by the Dealer to no avail. Filed an arbitration claim because Toyota has known about this defect for years and continues to manufacture and sell cars with the same defect. A Toyota Field Technical Specialist (FTS)inspected the car this week and confirmed the popping. He stated that the Dealers DO NOT have specific procedures for repairing this defect on the 2012 model. In fact, when they took my headliner off twice they didn’t reconnect some wiring properly and that resulted in an additional noise from the roof area. He stated that the manufacturer has procedures to fix the defect but they have not yet been released to the Dealers. I refuse to let them work on my vehicle until there are procedures specific to the 2012 model that have been published and released to service departments around the country. Unless your vehicle is going to be worked on under the supervision of a manufacturer FTS, I would encourage others to not let them work on your vehicle for this specific problem. He also said the headliner is not meant to be removed and once it is, it will never be the same as when it rolled out of the factory. You can mitigate potential additional damage by insisting that any repairs be under the supervision of an FTS. By the way, if you mention this website they are sure to roll their eyes as if we are all crazy.
I just bought a 2012 Camry SE, and since day 1 I was hearing this clunking sound, just took it to Toyota dealer this morning, and he mentioned that its the roof. Took the entire day to fix it, and promised to return it tomorrow morning. Lets see how it goes. I will update once I drive it again.
I work at Toyota dealership. And Yes there is a TSB out for it and a solution (explained more below). Two step process though. 1st step is verify concern and if applicable install noise deadening/reduction material between contact points of brackets and roof. If the clucking/popping does persist we are to replace the sun roof frame Assembly. And as for the TSB it is for earlier models but it still persists into new model Camry as well so warranty should still cover it at no cost. It just takes a while because parts on back order for newer vehicles. It is not an easy job and the head liners are very sensitive to bends. They are tricky to remove as they are not meant to be removed. But it is possible. And yes with any new vehicle. Any panel or part pulled and put back together well never be the same..all vehicle these days are made of plastic with plastic clips and bend and move. Noises come and go. With cold weather or hot weather as well. You just have to know you can trust the tech who’s working on your car and work with the service managers about concerns of fitment and the way the end results well look like and what they well do about it before work is done. Just my 2 cents. Hope this helps. p.s the problem isn’t in the roof it self if the deadening material doesn’t work. It’s in the frame of sun roof assembly.
my 2012 camry has the same noise coming from the roof. i took it to toyota when i first experience the noise, they told me that they have identify the problem because it was a lose bolt. but soon after, the noise came back. i have just book another appointment to go back and see if they can fix the problem. after this time if the problem cannot be solve i’m thinking about rejecting this vehicle for a refund, because it’s a serious problem for me. i’m not willing to paid $30k for a car that is not fix correctly or manufacturer defects
Bought new 2012 Camry SE. Took to dealer with 3k miles on it got loud road noise coming from the driver side mirror. When test driving with the tech he told me that these cars were known to have faulty moon roofs that would make noise. He said they had replaced quit a few of them and they never went back in just right. A month later I noticed a knocking sound coming from the moonroof. It’s very annoying and knocks consistently for a few miles after driving and then seems to go away. Once I am parked for a while and then start again its back. I have a an appointment next week at the dealership. I am very disappointed in this car. For 30k there should be zero flaws.
I too was one of the unfortunate owners of a 2012 Camry XLE with a Clunking roof. This started at about 5000 miles took it to the dealer and they couldn’t hear the noise. Brought it back home and put up with it for another 9000 miles and as time went on it progressively got worse or i should say occurred more often. Took it back last week to the dealer and took the service manager for a ride and he heard this found out this is something to do with the pinch welds in the roof they added 11 shims and put everything back together picked the car up Friday and haven’t heard the noise since “Silence is Golden”. Was a little concerned when i saw the interior torn apart but haven’t heard any squeaks/rattles or any unordinary wind noise from around the doors. Thanks to this site my problem is fixed.
Any one who has this problem should take the vehicle to the dealer and let them know this is a problem and there is a service bulletin to fix this. When i talked to my service advisor he said they had not had any complaints on this. I i
did inform both the Service Advisor and the Tech that there were numerous complaints on this site for this problem.
Reply to Micah – So glad the dealer was able to fix the noise in your vehicle. I’ve been dealing with this for months with my 2012 Camry, starting like yours around 5,000 miles. My understanding is that the service bulletin IS NOT applicable to the 2012 model and Toyota is still evaluating a fix for the 2012 model before releasing the service bulletin to the field. The dealer actually created an additional noise in my car when they took it apart due to not being able to secure the wiring harness in its factory sealed condition. I will not allow any Toyota rep. to work on my car again until the service bulletin for the 2012 model has been proven effective and released to the field.
Wow, I see I am not alone with this issue. After picking my car up from the second attempt to fix this issue, I dediced to google “2012 Camry sunroof noise”. A LOT came up. This site is very informative. I was told by my service manager that the area Toyota rep needs to come in and see my car to do the repair. Supposedly there is a bulletin for the sunroof noise on the 2012 Camry. I don’t know why but if it helps others who experience the problem, it will be worth it. That will be the third time the car will be going in for this noise. I had it from very early on. I waited until I took it in for the 5000 mile service. They did a whole list of things to stop the noise (fortunately they did hear it when I brough it in) but it still rattled on the way home. I just had the 10,000 mile service today and that’s when they said it will need to come back. They have been good about providing a loaner car but it is not the car I purchased. If they do get this resolved, I am going to be concerned about it coming back. If they don’t, I will be contacting a lemon lawyer. I shouldn’t have to deal with this with a brand new car.
Frustrated by the roof defect in your 2012 Camry? You are not alone! Mine started at 5,000 miles. Had 2 unsuccessful repair attempts at Dealer using the service bulletins for 2008-2011 Camrys that aren’t applicable to the 2012 model. Took it to arbitration and had a Toyota field technical specialist(FTS)examine car as part of the arbitration process.
Here are the exact words of the Toyota FTS in a report dated Jan. 31, 2013: “ln conclusion, the Vehicle exhibits a noise that is similar to a concern that is known to us and a counter measure is in process to provide a field fix for this concern. We are currently evaluating this repair and its process prior to the release of a Technical Service Bulletin.”
That tells me there is no current fix that has been offically released to the field and it is STILL in the process of evaluation. Unless you insist on a FTS inspecting and overseeing any work on your Camry, you may put the vehicle at risk for further issues.
The arbitration board denied my demand that Toyota repurchase my vehicle because I didn’t authorize Toyota a “reasonable number of attempts” to repair my car. I allowed only 2 unsuccessful attempts after discovering they have no applicable service bulletin for the 2012. However, the Board did say they were persuaded that a manufacturing defect exists, and that this defect reduces the value of the car.
I share this in the hope it encourages anyone who is sufficiently frustrated and has the stamina to file a lemon law arbitration claim; especially if you have had 4 unsuccessful repair attempts. If more claims are filed perhaps Toyota will be more responsive in getting a proven and lasting fix for the 2012 Camry out to the field ASAP. If not, perhaps a class action suit would be appropriate.
KD thank you for a very informative post. All information will be very useful to us unfortunate Camry owners.
It is a shame that we need to give a dealership a chance to fix the car 4 times before we can take the case to arbitration – if there is no fix it is obvious that we either need the bulletin to be available asap or we should be able to get our money back. I cannot afford to hire a lemon law lawyer and I don’t want my car to be “experimented on” at the dealership. I will start saving because filing a suit might be the only way in the near future. We are all stuck here in a point where there is no good solution. I doubt that I will be purchasing another Toyota again.
On February 8, 2013 I called the Carlsbad Toyota Dealer and made an appointment for my son’s 2012 Hybrid Camry to check on noises coming from his sun roof. My wife and I both heard the clinking sound when we made turns or went over speed bumps. We were not speeding either. The dealer was very friendly and extremely helpful in getting to the root of the problem. They seemed familiar with the complaint since other people had experienced the same thing. The dealer kept the camry all day and corrected the problem. This is what they wrote : “Customer states there is a tinging noise coming from the roof especially when making a left turn. Please check and advise. The dealer’s comment was: Body seams in sun roof frame move excessivly. Fram assy. Applied insulators between seams,also properly torqued frame and reassembled and performed road test to verify noise is no longer present. There was no charge for the service.
Hey KD since toyota denied your arbitration attempt where does that leave you now? Are you or can you try again? Do you feel like if you had four repair attempts they would have bought your car back? My service dept. is telling me there is nothing else they can do and I should contact toyota and see about buy-back, that they should buy it bsck so I did call toyota and they asked me if I want to dtatt arbitration but I am not sure if it is a one shot deal or not. I have 3 official attempts and am meeting with a field tech soon to discuss another repair but I know he has no idea what to do other than experement. By the way my service dept. admitted that the headliner had been down so many times during repair attempts that hardware, clips, etc. had all been compromised. As well as fit issues and minor damage.So even if an official fix does come out I dont want it. I want out of this situation. If anyone has any info please post and I will too.
Hey James – I’m surprised that your service Dept. acknowledged there is nothing more they can do. If you don’t already have it I would try to get that in writing. My understanding is the next step is to submit a Demand Letter to Toyota Customer Service in Torrance outlining the issues,dates of repair, etc. and demanding that they refund your money (if that’s what you want) in accordance with the California (if that’s your state) Lemon Law. You can subsequently or concurrently file a claim with the California Dispute Settlement Program (if you live in CA, not sure about other states). Here’s a link with more info. http://www.dca.ca.gov/acp/cdsp.shtml.
In answer to your questions, I was told I could file another claim and present new evidence or work orders that occurred after the arbitration decision date. I plan to give the field tech. specialist FTS)who claims he has the proper fix which hasn’t been released to the field, one last chance to repair the car, as I have no other choice at this time. Toyota is not willing to say when the correct TSB will be released, and in the meantime my car’s warranty continues to lapse and the value continues to diminish. If the FTS can’t fix it, I will file again and encourage others to do the same if you’ve had 4 repairs and still not fixed. It’s hard to say what the Arbitration Board will decide but the more they are aware of the situation the better for all.
I have a 2012 SE Camry with the same sunroof issue- I have been trying to get mine fixed for the last 8 months-the noise started 6 weeks after I purchased my new car- I am wondering if anybody in this group is also from Canada and if they have been able to get it fixed and if so what was the fix? Mine has been shimmed, and a new sunroof assembly placed, however the clicking is still there. It sure is one annoying sound… I describe it like opening and closing a TV stand door.
It’s been seven months since we had the sun roof issue on our new 2012 Camry Hydrid. It took one day to repair, no cost and haven’t had the slighest noise coming from that area. And we live in Minnesota and it’s been cold. Very satisfied.
I posted here a few weeks ago and wanted to post an update. There is light at the end of the tunnel (no, it’s not through the sunroof). The dealer actually kept my car for two days to fully resolve the issue. They had a “Toyota Rep” there for the repair. He was not a mechanic at the dealership but someone from Toyota who had to be there for the repair. My receipt (with no cost) did not state details of what was done but IT IS definitely fixed!!! I hope it stays that way but there is absolutely no noise any more. If your dealership doesn’t know anything, mine now knows very well. Call Sloan Toyota (Glenside PA), Mike Graham was my service guy. 215-885-5400. He worked with me through the entire process. If he was able to get it done, everyone else should be able to as well.
As far as Lemon Law advise – I did go through a lemon law clain in the past (with Nissan) and was afraid it was going to come to that this time. In PA there are no out of pocket costs for a lemon lawyer. They get paid as part of the settlement with the manufacturer. In that situation the dealership said there was nothing else they can do so I didn’t need to keep taking it back.
Good luck everyone – there is hope to enjoy your Camry!
My 2011 SE with sunroof developed a clunking sound about 8 months ago and I have not done anything with it until now that my wife who regularly drives car heard it. It sounds like maybe a welded part has broken loose in the roof and is most noticed when driving over pavement that is somewhat uneven in a gentle way, having a twisting manner to it.
Thanks to this forum, I plan to contact my dealer but do not look forward to the experience of making many visits and using time required to get it done if it takesas much effort as others here on the forum have reported,
Larry,
I have gotten comments from 2007-11 owners that have fixed cars. The 2012 has been the big trouble, as they can’t seem to figure out the problem.
Here’s something interesting for you guys getting emails that was added to the post:
[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”
I just took my 2009 in for the same issue. Sounded like someone dropped an acorn on the roof every time we hit the bump at the end of driveway.St Charles Toyota (Illinois) listed TSB Bulletin # TSB0088-12 and did fix it. However, they would not cover the repair under my Platinum extended warranty that I paid a hefty price for. I even called Toyota Care and they reinforced the not covered crap. A lady from Toyota Care responded to an email saying that Toyota was not aware of the TSB Bulletin or the problem. LIARS! Presently at war with “Toyota Care” folks. Will keep al posted.
If anyone reading this had their 2007-2011 Camry roof fixed under warranty, please scan your receipt with notes and sent it to me. I would like to have some on hand to help those that get denied warranty payment by Toyota.
I have 20000 miles on my 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE. The roof noise started at about 15000 miles. I hear it every day driving back, windy, rough roads in my rural county. Unfortunately, my dealer is in a nice city with well-paved, even roads, and they aren’t able to duplicate it. Hopefully, Toyota will come out with something official soon before I hit the magic 36000 miles.
2008 Camry SE with sunroof clunking issue. Getting much worse with 50K on the clock now. Going to end up fixing this on my own instead of dealing with Toyota since I’m way past the 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty. I’m confused why Toyota hasn’t extended the warranty for a STRUCTURAL issue.
I am happy and at the same time very disappointed in finding this site. I have a 2012 SE Camry (purchased Jan 2013) which is experiencing clicking sound coming from over my head. I don’t play the stereo and use this car for work all day, so this is driving me crazy. It’s like a creaky old ship! Worse thing is, I traded in a 2012 Ford Focus which I had issues with for this!! I feel like I’m right back where I was.
I’ve taken this car to two dealerships and was told that headliner would have to come out and would never be reattached the same as it is now. I am thinking of trading this car in for a BMW as maybe German engineering is better than what I’m receiving from Toyota. So disappointing! I dont want the headliner all bent up with new creaks and cracks.
Can everyone who posts a successful repair please state what was done. Many who say their noise is gone don’t mention what repair was done or how long it has been since the repair. Thanks.
Our repair was done on our 2012 new Camry Hybrid October 2012. The liner was taken down and shims were put in. Went through a cold Minnesota winter and have had ‘no problems’. As far has appearance, would not be able to tell anything was done. Dealership told us to bring it back with any problems in the future. There was no cost, repair was done in one day. Dealership provided a free rental car to use for the day.Heintz Dealership Mankato MN
I have a 2012 Camry SE fully loaded that I bought last November. I am in outside sales and am in the car all day as well. The wind noise and creaking in doors and dash were driving me crazy and I was very dissapointed with the craftsmanship for a 30K car. I too thought of trading in for a BMW or MB. I took the car into the dealership and was told that the wind noise was normal and the coulndt find anything regarding the rattling noises. Two months later with 5k miles on the car the sunroof started making a popping sound. I took it back to the same dealer and they explained that there was a TSB(toyota service bulletin) for the sunroof and the rattling/creaking sounds comming from doors and dash. They pulled the headliner down, took the sunroof out and inserted the shims as everyone has stated. The good news is that the tech was able to replace the headliner and sunroof with zero cosmetic damage. The headliner is perfect. The bad news is that it still makes noise, a different sound than before but noise non the less and the rattling in the ddor is still there as well. I will be taking it in for the 3rd time and hopefully they can get it right. Very dissapointrf in Toyota. They need to stop manufacturing in the US.
I purchased a 2012 Toyota Camry XLE Hybrid in October and from the get-go had a clunking noise coming from the roof area. It sounds like it is in back of the drivers seat but when I have had a passenger sit in the rear and try and pin point the noise it seems to be more front/side. The clunking is sporadic when I initially start car and lasts for 10-15 minutes.
I have 3500 miles on my car and recently the noise is happening after I have driven for more than 30 minutes. Getting worse. Again, it comes and goes and is not necessarily brought on my bumps in the road. I have not notified the dealer yet because the noise is so unpredictable – also I work a lot and using my day off to sit at the dealer is undesirable. I predict an uphill battle. The clunking is extremely distracting and annoying, certainly should not be happening in any car. I traded in my 2008 Camry Hybrid for this model – never had a problem with the old car. Armed with the information provided here I feel more confident taking my car in for service. Many thanks and much appreciation for providing this gathering place for us unfortunate buyers. (Minus the noise issue, I do believe this is a great car.)
Bought a 2012 Camry fully loaded. Developed the popping noise within 5K miles. The noise finally became steady enough to take it in. Took it to dealership it was purchased at. They heard the noise too and started with the moon roof shims. They did not give the car back to me because they still heard the noise after the shimming. They then stripped the interior out of the car and sent it to their in house Toyota body shop. They completly removed the roof assembly and re glued all roof joints with some super strong epoxy. They kept the car for 2 more days after this and drove it all over. They said the noise stopped and they reassemled the interior. I got the car back and before I left the service bay I heard the popping again. Went in and got the service manager and took him for a test drive. Wouldnt you know the car never made the noise when he was in it. Its now some 3 months later and the roof is still making the noise, however its not near as bad as it was. Maybe one time a day rather after each bump. I cannot say I am satisfied, but I feel they did everything they could do. I am a mechanic myself and in my opinion this is a Toyota engineering flaw. By the way this was at no cost to me. They took care of everything under warranty.
Sunroof rattle began at about 10k. Called dealership. They said they were aware of the problem. I took it in for repair. Rattle free for about 10 days. I called the service manager. He said he wished he knew that I was bringing the car in because he knew the recommended fix doesn’t work. (Not sure why his staff doesn’t know that) Anyway, he said Toyota is feverishly working on a fix because of lots of complaints. I mentioned the Lemon Law to him. He said that wouldn’t apply in this case but I could use arbitration. I actually got the impression that he doesn’t have confidence in Toyota finding a fix soon. I will probably give them one more chance to fix the problem and then file arbitration.
On my 4th repair attempt on my 2012 toyota camry se the norrhern cal. Field rep came to my dealership claiming he knew what was wrong with my car.I had already had shims, frame adjustment, etc
I was very skeptical but needed fourth attempt . He said the entire moonroof assembly is coated in a uv protectant and that the coating can become tacky caising parts in the moonroof frame to stick and release causing a popping sound. I almost started laughing right there that sounded ridiculous. He said he could fix the problem with a specific lubricant to prevent these parts from sticking. This was done 2 month’s ago and we took a 2000 mile trip right after the repair and to date I havent heard a single popping noise. I am still skeptical but so far it absolutely fixed the problem. All my other repair attempts the car popped within days. I will keep you all posted and good luck. With the noise gone the car is so much more enjoyable !