I have a 2001 Toyota Camry. If the engine is running and the vehicle not moving the temperature gauge never goes into the Red Zone, but the cooling fans do come on. Why?

Because the coolant coming out of the engine is hot going to the radiator to get cooled back down before circulating back into the engine. So there are sensors that will read the coolant temperature to tell when the fans to turn on to cool down the coolant in the radiator. They have a 195° thermostat in the engine to keep the engine at the normal operating temperature. So that is a good thing that the temp. gauge is showing in the normal range, means everything is good with the cooling system. You never want the gauge to go up toward the red zone, that is way too hot, resulting in warping the heads, causing a head gasket leak that cost hundreds of dollars to fix.

Thanks. I bought this car in 2006 and it runs like a top--virtually no real mechincal issues. Had to replace the driver's side window motor and the driver's side inside and outside door handles-- probably due to repetitive use issues. Great car!.

I'm sure it is, but I still like Chevy's...