Camry SE Stereo Problems

My wife purchased a 2004 Toyota Camry SE. Since she purchased it (new from the dealer) she has had trouble with the stereo. While she drives she gets a loud static on AM, FM, and even when she is playing a CD. This only seems to happen in certain areas around St. Louis. She has had the stereo replaced once by the dealer and has had it in several times for them to look at it.

Of course they have never found any problems and the static does not seem to occur when they have driven it or ridden in it.

Has anyone else experienced this and were you able to correct the problem?

I have a 2003 Camry with a factory stereo and it has a similar problem. I have traced my problem (through process of elimination of removing fuses) to the EFI (electronic fuel injection) system. I can actually hear the buzz or whine from the EFI system even when the sound system is off. When the sound system is on, somehow the electrical interference is amplified through the sound system and I have to turn the stereo way up to block it out.
The only time the sound system does not transmit the buzzing noise is when the cd player is between tracks or CD's, which leads me to believe that it is not in the head unit (sound system). The noise is not produced when the ignition switch is in the "acc" position, only in the "on" position with the engine running or not running. I sent Toyota an email asking about the problem, but my car is no longer under warranty, and I am not holding my breath for a solution from them. Most people out there that complain of radio buzzing noises are talking about alternator problems, not efi problems. This may be some sort of grounding problem, so I am going to begin testing that next. If you find anything out, drop me a [email protected] in KC.

I have a 2003 Camry with a factory stereo and it has a similar problem. I have traced my problem (through process of elimination of removing fuses) to the EFI (electronic fuel injection) system. I can actually hear the buzz or whine from the EFI system even when the sound system is off. When the sound system is on, somehow the electrical interference is amplified through the sound system and I have to turn the stereo way up to block it out.
The only time the sound system does not transmit the buzzing noise is when the cd player is between tracks or CD's, which leads me to believe that it is not in the head unit (sound system). The noise is not produced when the ignition switch is in the "acc" position, only in the "on" position with the engine running or not running. I sent Toyota an email asking about the problem, but my car is no longer under warranty, and I am not holding my breath for a solution from them. Most people out there that complain of radio buzzing noises are talking about alternator problems, not efi problems. This may be some sort of grounding problem, so I am going to begin testing that next. If you find anything out, drop me a [email protected] in KC.
Whatever happened to your 3/36 bumper to bumper warranty?

michalski,

You are still under warranty. Take it back to the dealer and let them no you are very unhappy. If they can not fix the problem themselves, tell them to get the Toyota zone representative involved. When it comes to new car dealerships and your warranty, the squeaky wheel does get the oil. Be nice but be firm. Get this problem documented while it is still under warranty.

Good luck.

Mike

My 2003 Camry has 61,000 miles. That may slightly exceed my 3/36 warranty, unless Toyota would be willing to fix it out of the goodness of their hearts. Does the fuel system warranty or sound system warranty last for more miles or a longer period?

jimwilson,

I don't believe you are still under any warranty, unless the problem was first documented with a dealer while you were still under the 3/36 warranty. Still, I would give Toyota corporate a call at 1-800-331-4331 and talk to customer service and request some good will from them in dealing with this problem.

I too would be checking all the grounds for the radio and also the EFI system.

Good luck.

Mike

You may have an electrical leak. The static that you describe is usually used to check if your spark plug wires insulation is worn. As you rev the engine if you hear static it means that the insulation on the spark plug wires is worn and should be replaced. However in this case you say its the EFI that is doing it. You may want to have the wiring to the EFI checked for damaged wires. Any time there is insufficient insulation on high current electrical wiring, an electromagnetic field is created. It is more of an electrical interference than a magnet tho, lol. But for audio systems it could interfere with the speaker signal wire, causing a static sound.