I bought a 2025 Camry XSE on November 25, and at first, I was really happy with it. But after just three weeks and fewer than 500 miles, I started noticing a weird clicking noise underneath the car. It’s subtle, but once I heard it, I couldn’t ignore it. It seems tied to the weight shifting when the car moves.
I took it to the dealership, expecting a quick fix, but they initially said they couldn’t hear anything. I had to go on a test drive and point it out. After keeping the car for a day, they re-torqued all the bolts but still couldn’t eliminate the noise. Their solution? “Just drive it more and see if it goes away.”
I wasn’t okay with that, so they kept the car and gave me a rental. Now, they’ve gone as far as disassembling the dashboard, still trying to find the source. At this point, it feels like they’re guessing. I was so excited about this car, expecting Toyota reliability, but now I just feel let down.
Update: The dealership couldn’t fix it and claims it’s “normal” for new cars to make this noise. They even tested two brand-new cars from their lot and said they had the same issue.
I wanted to love this car, but now I’m just frustrated. I worked hard for this, and I expected better quality from Toyota. Has anyone else had a similar experience?
It’s not being a crybaby to expect a brand-new car to function properly. OP has to deal with a rental, back-and-forth dealership visits, and wasted time over an issue that shouldn’t exist in a new car. I’d be upset too.
I had a similar issue with my ‘22 Corolla. I took it to the dealership, and they brushed it off, saying it was just “how the exhaust mounts were designed.” My brother-in-law is a Lexus master tech, and he found that a rubber grommet wasn’t fully pushed in, causing a metal part to rub. He fixed it in minutes.
If the dealership is saying the noise is “normal,” they probably just don’t want to put in the effort to figure it out.
There might be a loose screw or nut under the dash or floor. When I worked as a dealer tech, I’d sometimes find extra screws just sitting there in brand-new cars. One of my coworkers even found a whole socket left behind during assembly.
I had a clicking noise in my new Corolla when accelerating and braking. Turns out my back seats weren’t locked in place, and the metal latches were clanking around.
Might be worth checking all your seats and panels once you get the car back.
I leased the same car, and Toyota is a joke now. My shifter clip fell out, and the car was stuck in the middle of the road. Couldn’t shift gears at all. This happened with less than 2,000 miles on it.