Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
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 car made a wining noise and then a loud pop. I managed to get it off rt 40 and into a parking lot. The brakes went out and there was severe smoke. I did roll down my window half way and then shut car off tried the unlock button and it did not work. I then crawled out the window and ran the car ignited and continuously burned up?
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.
While driving 35 MPH a knocking noise came from the engine, then the engine light illuminated. The vehicle stalled, and a fire started under the hood. The vehicle was totaled, then towed. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Poor design and build - 1997 Toyota Camry le (4 cylinder). I own a 1997 4-cylinder Camry le. It is well maintained and has less than 80,000 miles. A few months ago, its starter went bad and was replaced. This morning, the dealer found that its engine valve seals worn out and must be replaced (over $1000 repair). I checked the internet car forums and found that this is a common problem with 1997 model year 4-cylinder Toyota Camry. I believe that it is a poor design and build problem. Customers should not be paying a problem caused by the manufacturer's poor design and build. All 1997 4-cylinder Camry should be recalled and repaired by Toyota.
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
Key will not turn to start car. Steering wheel lock goes in and out. Eventually (5-20 minutes) do something that works (don't know what) and car will start. When it happened once, I figured it was an anomaly. But it has not happened five times and I am now in constant worry about it happening again. Updated 9/21/15 ...updated 10/01/15 the consumer stated using a different ignition key seemed to have alleviated the problem. Updated 10/13/15
Tl contact owns a 1997 Toyota Camry. While driving 32 MPH, the steering wheel locked, the brakes failed, and all the instrument panel lights illuminated. There was no warning prior to the failures. The vehicle lost complete power. The contact turned off the engine for approximately 30 seconds and the vehicle was able to be restarted. The failure has occurred three times. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 74,000.
This is the second time in 2 years that the ignition cylinder assembly needs replaced, leaving me stranded once again. Managed to get a friend to get a replacement part for me but now I cannot get it installed. The key has to be in the acc position for it to go in but the tab that it slides into doesn't line up. I have been a faithful Toyota customer for 3 decades but this is beyond frustrating!
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the key interlock solenoid.
Electrical complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Toyota Camry, 7% of the model year's 555 complaints. The component named most often is wiring › front underhood (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Toyota Camry electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 97V-213 (ignition, Nov 20, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Toyota Camry electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 100,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 13 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.