NHTSA complaint #11544682

Owner complaint summary

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the front end of the vehicle made abnormal exploding sounds and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery had exploded, and the battery was replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Pre-collision Warning Malfunction” was intermittently displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on another occasion, the message "Maintenance Required" and messages indicating the Pre-collision, Anti-Lock and ABS malfunction, and to contact the nearest dealer were displayed. The contact also stated that an alarm persistently sounded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was due to rodents damaging electrical wires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a second opinion, and the mechanic determined that the failure was caused by the acidic residues that remained in the hood after the battery explosion. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,480.