This is my first post, caused by a problem.
We have a '99 Camry with about 96,000 miles. Until recently the car's service had been spotless since purchase. Not a single repair since it left the showroom. Routine maintenance and nothing else.
About 1-1/2 weeks ago we were traveling on the highway. I turned, started to accelerate and heard a harsh 'clunk' and the car skidded to a stop - locked up tight. With help from some other motorists, we rocked the car, got it loosened up and was able to limp into a local town. We then trailered the car back to our home in Andover, KS.
After describing the incident to four separate transmission shops they all came to the same conclusion. Differential failure caused by grease leaking and leaving the lower unit dry. I mentioned never seeing a spot under the car and they said you don't. A seal between the differential and transmission sections of the transaxle fails allowing grease to migrate into the transmission. This leaves the differential dry but you might notice higher than normal fluid on the transmission dipstick. Apparently this is a very common Camry bug that often pops up in the 90,000 to 130,000 mile range.
Be warned - that dipstick reading doesn't tell you everything about transaxle fluids. If it ever comes up high or suddenly looks darker be suspicious. Also check the levels via the plugs on the case (this might be of marginal use since apparently this can occur and lead to failure pretty quickly).