How To Change the Rear Strut Assemblies on a 2006-2011 Toyota Camry

Park on a level surface and chock the front wheels. Use a 21mm socket and breaker bar or lug wrench to loosen the lug nuts on the rear wheels. Raise and support the rear end using a jack and jack stands.

Remove the lug nuts and the rear wheels.

In the back seat, remove the bottom seat cushion by disengaging the metal U-brackets on each side from their plastic trim pieces with a long flathead screwdriver or pry tool. Once the brackets are disengaged, lift up on the front of the seat cushion and pull out on it to remove it.

Fold the seats down and slip the seat belts out of their plastic guide clips. Use a ratchet and 12mm socket with an extension to remove the four bolts securing the upper cushions. Pull out on them to remove them.

Remove the bolt securing the side cushion of the seat back, then lift up on the cushion to free it from the tabs that secure it.

Use a 12mm socket and ratchet to loosen the three top nuts securing the first strut assembly. Remove two of them, and leave the third threaded on the stud to keep the strut from dropping when you remove the fasteners at the bottom.

In the wheel well, locate the sway bar link and use a 14mm wrench to secure the stud, and a 14mm socket and ratchet to remove the nut.

Remove the sway bar link from the strut. You may not be able to fully remove it until other components have been loosened.

Use a 12mm socket and ratchet to remove the bolt securing the brake line to its bracket, then separate the brake line from the bracket. Remove the bolt securing the ABS sensor harness using your ratchet and 10mm socket.

Now use a 19mm wrench and 19mm socket and ratchet to loosen the nuts on the bottom two bolts securing the strut. Remove the bolts, using a hammer and punch if needed.

Separate the knuckle from the strut assembly. Lifting up on the strut from the bottom, remove the nut from the top stud, then carefully lower the strut out of the wheel well.

Compare your replacement strut assembly with the old one to make sure you have the right part.

Remove the nuts from the top studs of your new strut. Install the strut so that the top studs are showing above the tower, then thread its nuts on by hand to hold it in place.

Insert the knuckle into the new strut, then thread the bolts, starting with the bottom bolt. Use a hammer and punch to tap the bolt into place if necessary. You may need to use a pry bar to change the angle of the knuckle enough to align the holes for the top bolt. Once you’ve inserted the bolt, tap it into place as well if needed. Thread the nuts onto those bolts.

Tighten the nuts with your ratchet and 19mm socket, then use your torque wrench to tighten those nuts to 133 foot-pounds, using your 19mm wrench to secure the bolts.

Use your ratchet and 12mm socket to reattach the brake hose to its bracket. Reattach the ABS sensor harness with your 10mm socket.

Install the sway bar link into the strut and thread the nut. Use your 14mm wrench to secure the stud, and torque the nut to 29 foot-pounds.

Tighten the nuts at the top of the strut tower with your 12mm socket and ratchet. In our case, the new nuts were 13mm. Torque those top mounting nuts to 29 foot-pounds.

Now you can reinstall the seat, starting with the side cushion. Slide it into place over the tabs, and reinstall the bolt at the bottom.

Now, lift the fold-down portion of the rear seat into place, and install the two bolts on each cushion to secure them using your 12mm socket and extension. Use your torque wrench to tighten those bolts to 13 foot-pounds. Slip the seat belt back through the plastic retainer, then fold the seat back up into the locking position.

Reinstall the bottom seat cushion, making sure the seat belt buckles are visible through the gaps in the seat where they should be. Tilt the front of the seat cushion up, and push it into place under the seat-back. Once the two u-brackets on the bottom of the seat are aligned with their slots, push the seat down to snap those brackets into their slots. Pull up on the seat on both sides to make sure it’s secure.

Reinstall the wheels, then use your 21mm socket and ratchet or lug wrench to tighten the lug nuts until they’re flush with the rotors.

Lower the rear end of the car and remove the wheel chocks. Torque the lug nuts in a star pattern to 76 foot-pounds.