2012 Toyota Camry
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Power train is the leading concern among 644 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 9th highest complaint count among 25 Camry model years with reports.
Of the 2012 reports, 95 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 80 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Electrical systemOct 17, 2013
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Campaign 13V442000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, sensor/control module-inactiveJan 16, 2013
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.
If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.
Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Campaign 13V014000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: power train
146 reports, newest first. Show all
Power train, Sep 18, 2022
-Toyota Motors Manufactured 2012-2014 certain camry models with faulty torque converters(Ref- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10129984-9999.pdf). -Car is available for inspection. -Shudder makes the car weaker and unstable. Also Delaying throttle response. Babies feel scared when the car shudders and ultra risky while passing another car. Risk for transmission lock up etc. -The problem has been reconfirmed by Toyota Dealers and Independent Service Centers. You can ask any reputed mechanic shop as well about this well known problem. -There was never a warning light and still no warning light. PLEASE SEE- Toyota Motors is making a fortune by selling a few faulty cars- Also, the above warranty plan was only applicable if the car had symptoms of torque converter failure. But toyota evaded liability to replace Torque Converter by blaming software issue initially (https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/cp/e03tofaq.pdf) and limiting the extended warranty to 8 years, knowing that most faulty cars will not display failure symptoms during that time (Average failure time is 70-100k miles) Now, they are selling the revised torque converter with installation for over $3000. But, it is not even the fix. The faulty torque converter also damages the transmission, leading to its failure within a few hundred miles after Torque converter replacement. All those faulty torque converters are bound to fail by 100k miles. Toyota is pocketing $7-10K for those repairs, making the car worthless and owner broke. If you read reports, this extends far beyond 2012-2014 models. Since it is allowing Toyota and its dealers to sell the most expensive repair a vehicle can have...making bank for Toyota Motors and their dealers. They are also able to avoid the limelight on this issue...since it does not affect all the camry models of the same year. I wrote toyota to fix it or provide reimbursement, but they denied. Please Help!!!!!
Power train, Sep 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the transmission was slipping and the vehicle was shuddering while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact released the accelerator pedal and was able to continue driving. However, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.
Power train, Aug 21, 2022
While the vehicle speeds up beyond 3-35 mph, the car starts shacking a bit and the vehicle seems to have lost power. Then it recovers and moves on as normal. The problem is identified as a transmission programming/torque convertor problem. This has been going on for some time now and has been getting worse. There are no other problems prior to this issue.
Power train, Jul 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate from idle, the vehicle hesitated. The contact stated that the transmission was shaking while driving between 20 and 50 MPH. The contact stated that the issue was remedied while driving above 50 MPH. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the torque converter had failed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated the failure was occurring more frequently. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA ID Number: 10109488 (Power Train) and had been previously been repaired under the TSB Limited Service Plan; however, the repair failed to fix the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 162,000.
Power train, Jul 15, 2022
Torque converter shudder hesitation at 20 -25 mph
Power train, May 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle jerked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with torque converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
Power train, May 9, 2022
Shudder noticed in the vehicle while accelerating light between 25 and 50 mph.
Power train, Mar 18, 2022
So I own a 2012 Toyota Camry and this vehicle started having issues when shifting gears it almost feels like the break is being hit. My wife freaked out and almost had and I accident. I went to the dealership at Rick Hendrick here in North Charleston South Carolina. They told me that it was the torque converter in the transmission that was bad. They asked me for almost $2,700 at the time in 2021. I couldn't afford that but later I found out that Toyota had issued a warranty extension for the specific issues for models 2012 to 2014. Apparently this is a known issue.I was not sent any notification via mail. Once I found out that Toyota was covering the issue it was already too late because she has 160,000 miles on the car. Apparently I missed the deadline by a month and they refuse to help. Now I'm left with a car when shifting between 20mph to 40 mph feels like your hitting the Break. I can't believe this is happening to " the most reliable car on the market"
Power train, Feb 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would occasionally lose motive power. The contact would release the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would regain normal functionality; however, the failure would reoccur. The contact stated there were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact failure might be due to the torque convertor however, the vehicle was not under recall for the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle had to be repaired out of pocket. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Power train, Dec 8, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was a lag in the transmission while shifting through the low gears. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the torque convertor replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and informed the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Power train, Sep 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and the contact felt as if the vehicle would shut-off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with torque converter failure. The dealer informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN and the vehicle was over the 10-year warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.
Power train, Engine, Sep 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving 25-35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and loss motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where they were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. The VIN was not available.
Power train, Sep 21, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 20-25 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that while she was driving on the highway 40-50 MPH, the failure stopped. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission had failed, and the torque converter needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under an unknown TSB as the extended warranty of the vehicle had expired. The contact stated that the vehicle was also taken to the independent mechanic who confirmed the dealer's diagnostic result. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving at 25-30 MPH. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist and referred the contact to the dealer. A case was opened. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,400.
Power train, Sep 10, 2021
TORQUE CONVERTER, (UPON ACCELERATION VEHICLE DELAY IN ACCELERATING/SHIFTING AND ABNORMAL HEAVY VIBRATION/SHUDDERING FELT ), I ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT WHILE TRYING TO CHANGE LANE A FEW TIMES, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE DOES NOT ACCELERATE/SHIFTING CORRECTLY/DELAYED,(MY WIFE AND KIDS WERE IN THE VEHICLE), TOOK THE VEHCILE TO TOYOTA DEALER, SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THAT THE TECH COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONCERN, WHEN CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM, DID SOME READING/RESEARCH ONLINE ALOT OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE THE SAME THING TOYOTA TURNING A BLIND EYE WHEN IT COME TO THIS SPECIFIC CONCERN ( TORQUE CONVERTER SHUDDERING) THEY GIVING CUSTOMER THE RUNNING AROUND,NO WARNING LAMP ON WHEN PROBLEM OCCUR.
Power train, Jul 9, 2021
My car had a recall in 2014 for the torque converter per Toyota. My car was taken in for the recall at which a software update was performed per Freedom Toyota. Recently in June i went to pull out into traffic and my car began to shudder at about 25 mph. Which could have caused a major accident. I contacted toyota dealership which is now Heritage toyota and they scheduled a diagnostic test. Which they charged me $99 for. Called me to tell me the torque converter had gone out and it would be $2246 to repair eventhough i told them this was a previous recall?? On all things i have researched they are to cover repairs as long as car is under 100,000 miles or 10years old. I purchased this car brand new in January of 2013.
Power train, Jun 14, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while attempting to accelerate at any speed, the vehicle shuddered and hesitated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who confirmed that there was a recall regarding the transmission however, the recall had since expired. The failure continued and the contact learned that the failure may be due to a defective torque converter. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the recall had expired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. The car continues to get worse, terrible vibration/shaking & hesitates while driving & accelerating. In fear of being hit from behind or being stranded on the road. Please assist. Thank you.
Power train, Jun 11, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed the vehicle would shudder. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the failure was not diagnosed correctly. The contact then took the vehicle to Putnam Toyota (50 California Dr. Burlingame, CA 94010) where the failure was diagnosed as the torque converter. The contact stated that he was informed by the dealer and the manufacturer that the vehicle was outside of the extended warranty coverage mileage of 150,000. The contact was upset that the vehicle was no longer covered under the torque converter extended warranty since he had taken the vehicle to One Toyota of Oakland several times for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
Power train, Apr 22, 2021
THE CAR SHRUDDER AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. I WAS READING THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER I NEVER RECIEVE ONE. I BROUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW 2012 AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE FAITHFULLY SINCE I HAD IT. THE DEARLSHIP IS AWARE OF ALL RECALL. THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND SOFTWWARE PROBLEMS SHOULD HAVE TAKEN CARE BY THE SERVICE DEPT. THEY WANT TO CHANGE MY TRANSMOSSION THE DEALER SHOULD EAT THE COST. 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY THEY TOLD ME THEY ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE OF FIXED THE TORQUE CONVERTER. I ALSO SAW TOYOTA EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON THIS ISSUE TO 150,000 MILES AND MY CAR AS 84,000.00 MILES
Power train, Apr 15, 2021
I HAVE A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY THAT HAS A TRANSMISSION SHUDDER TOYOTA HAS DECLINED TO REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION. THEY ARE AWARE OF THE THIS ISSUE IN 2012-2014 TOYOTA CAMRYS. THEY DENY KNOWING THE ISSUE AND KNOWINGLY REJECT SERVICE TO AVOID REPAIRING A MANUFACTURE MISTAKE
Power train, Apr 11, 2021
2012 CAMRY LE PURCHASED NEW. NOW 67K MILES. RECENTLY STARTED TO HAVE SYMPTOM OF TRANSMISSION SHUDDER DUE TO A DEFECTIVE TORQUE CONVERTER. CALLED DEALERSHIP AND CORPORATE AND WAS ONLY TOLD MY VEHICLE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT JUST EXPIRED AND NO COVERAGE FOR REPLACEMENT. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL NOT NO SERVICE BULLETIN. THIS MIGHT BE MY LAST TOYOTA
Power train, Mar 31, 2021
TORQUE CONVERTER PART AND FAULTY SOFTWARE CAUSE TRANSMISSION SHIFT AND ACCELERATION/DECELERATION DELAY, WHICH MAY RESULT IN ACCIDENTS.
Power train, Mar 24, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION TORQUE CONVERTER STARTED SHAKING AND RATTLING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER GROOVE TOYOTA LOCATED AT 5460 S. BROADWAY, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80113, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000. CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC IN SEPT 2019, TRANSMISSION VIBRATION WAS REPORTED IT WAS KNOWN ISSUE FOR TOYOTA CAMRY. SERVICE REP STATED MANUFACTER IS NO LONGER REPAIRING THE PROBLEM.
Power train, Wheels, Other or unspecified, Mar 20, 2021
2012 CAMTY SHAKES WHEN ACCELERATING AROUND 20-50 MPH.
Power train, Mar 15, 2021
MY 2012 CAMRY SE 4 CYLINDER HAS AN ISSUE WITH ITS TORQUE CONVERTER. MY CAR SHUDDERS AND HAS A DELAY WHEN SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD. THIS HAS BEEN WELL DOCUMENTED AND IS KNOWN BY TOYOTA. I HAD MY CAR DIAGNOSED AND QUOTED BY TOYOTA FOR THIS ISSUE 17 MONTHS AGO. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE $3000 QUOTE AT THAT TIME. I FOUND OUT LAST WEEK THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THIS ISSUE! I CALL TOYOTA ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT I WAS 2 MONTHS OUTSIDE OF MY WARRANTY. I TOLD THEM I HAD THE CAR DIAGNOSED AND QUOTED WELL BEFORE THE WARRANTY DATE, BUT WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE WARRANTY OR PREVALENT ISSUE WITH THIS YEARS TORQUE CONVERTER. IF I HAD KNOWN THIS I WOULD HAVE HAD THEM REPLACE THIS FOR FREE, BUT I WAS NOT INFORMED AT THAT TIME. I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED TOYOTA CORPORATE AND THEY HAVE CONFIRMED THE ISSUE, BUT THEY STATED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITHIN THE WARRANTY TIME FRAME AND THE DEALERSHIP FAILED TO LET ME KNOW THIS WAS COVERED, THEY WOULD DO NOTHING FOR ME. I AM VERY UPSET THIS IS HAPPENING, AND VERY UPSET THAT THIS KNOW ISSUE YOU SEE OVER 50 COMPLAINTS ABOUT ON THIS SITE, IS ONLY REMEDIED WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND NOT A RECALL. I AM BEING WRONGED BY TOYOTA AND NO ONE WILL HELP ME, OR ALL OF US 2012 CAMRY OWNERS WHO WHERE EFFECTED BY THIS ISSUE!
Power train, Mar 15, 2021
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUDDERED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN UNKNOWN DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 167,000.