1999 Toyota Camry - 4 struts needed?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Do I have to have four struts replaced?

2

Joyce , how would anyone who can’t drive you car know the answer to that . At the age of your car probably but if you doubt the shop recommendation ( I guess that is what you are asking ) then get a second opinion .

4 Likes
3

Struts are always replaced in pairs; the front 2 or the rear 2. Sometimes all 4 need replacing.

I have never replaced rear ones; they tend to last the longest unless damaged.

4

when I owned mid-2000s Subaru Outbacks, the rear ones seemed to wear faster on me, to the point where even kids in the back were sick from the bounce.
I have to admin I often loaded it almost to the max load and drove it a lot like that.
Probably would not be the case if it had lesser load, but if Outback did not exist, I would drive a small SUV at that time.

5

How many mile since they were last replaced? If they’re original how many miles on the car? After 22 years I’d have no problem replacing them if I noticed poor handling or excessive body lean/movement.

That’s if I was keep it for a good while.

1 Like
6

@Docnick Count me an outlier, my 2005 Camry was bouncing its rear all over the place at around 120K miles. I changed 4 struts together. It was unsafe to the point that small bumps in the road would affect the handling and braking.

7

I never replaced the struts. Had the 1999 car since new. Car has 135,000 miles on it. 4-cylinder, Camry

8

You have not said why you asked the question . Do you have drivability problems ? Did a shop say you need them ? It is really hard to answer a question if you don’t know what the question is .

1 Like
9

Do you drive on rough roads?
I do, and typically start to notice a difference in ride at about half the mileage you have.
I like to “freshen” the suspension sooner than near failure.
Then the car has plenty of life left to enjoy the ride.

10

Struts (and most suspension system components) should be replaced in pairs, for the front, or for the rear. No harm in replacing both pairs, front and rear, though.

11

I would say on a 22 year old car, replace all 4, or 0.

12

I fear Joyce has floated off into the ether never to be seen again…

13

Anti-gravity struts? :wink:

1 Like