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
644 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, Nov 9, 2024, crash
On October 22, I drove my daughter to her high school that is about 6 miles away from my house and dropped her off around 6:50 AM. On my way back, after driving around 2 miles, I was turning around a bend about 25 miles per hour when my car suddenly started accelerating. Startled, I stepped on the brake immediately, but the brake was not working to my surprise. I stepped a second time, and then a third time to no avail. In the meantime, the car was surging forward into the darkness at a higher and higher speed. I panicked; I remember uttering,” oh, my God, Oh, my God” a couple of times and then don’t remember what happened. According to the sheriff’s car crash report, the car veered off the road to the left, glanced off a tree and continued in a straight line and crashed into an electricity pole at about 65 mph and stopped. Obviously, I was in a state of shock and woken up by someone asking me repeatedly, “Are you okay?”. I was dazed. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by blinking lights from an ambulance. I just sat there bewildered. The window next to me was utterly broken. My left leg was folded. I felt it with my palm and realized that it was broken. I felt my right leg and it was okay. I was asked if I could pull my self out of the car through the passenger’s side door, but I couldn’t move my left leg. So, I gave my back to first responders, and they dragged me out of the car and laid me on the tarmac. Two people held me by my legs and two others by my shoulders and picked me up to a stretcher of an ambulance. My t – shirt and pants were cut up and removed, and I was wrapped by blanket, and taken to the back of the ambulance. Preliminary checking suggested my left leg was indeed fractured, therefore, was wrapped carefully, and I was taken to an emergency room. X-ray of my leg and CT scan of my head and chest showed that my left leg had serious fractures. Surgery to stabilize the fractures was performed. And a second surgery will be performed in two days.
Power train, Jul 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and downshifted unexpectedly. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Vehicle speed control, Traction control system, Engine, Jul 15, 2024
The contact's fiancé owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. While the contact's fiancé was driving 55 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle shuddered and decelerated from 55 MPH down to 20 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Air bags, Jul 13, 2024
"I was driving when the passenger airbag light came on and wouldn't turn off. At the same time, my steering wheel locked up, and my car started making a whining/humming sound. The lights began blinking on and off, and the battery light came on, even though the battery was brand new. Finally, my car completely shut off while I was driving in the middle of the street." A few years ago, I encountered a similar situation when a new computer component was installed, but they had trouble identifying the issues. It ended up costing me over a thousand dollars for problems they weren't certain about. Each time they added more parts, it turned out that it wasn't the solution. I'm hesitant to take it back to the dealership for fear of facing the same issues again. I plan to file a formal complaint and seek advice or assistance regarding this issue. Upon reviewing previous complaints, I noticed several similarities. I was never contacted by anyone regarding the recall on the airbag issues, and I would like this to be rectified immediately.
Steering, Jun 4, 2024
I own a 2012 Camry LE with about 70,000 miles which is in excellent condition and well-maintained. Recently I began to hear a rattle, tapping or knocking sound apparently from somewhere in the left engine or cabin area. I feel confident its sources is possibly a steering column issue. You sort of feel it whenever you have some rough road surface; and if it’s a bump you hear the metal knock. While it doesn’t appear to cause a steering malfunction. The issue or noise does seem to come from the steering column. Independent research on the web has indicated that countless queries have been reported about this same year vehicle and issue. Described as a small $10 plastic part that degrades thereby allowing the vibration or knocking noise to appear. Cost to repair again is $10 for part and 7-8 hour labor roughly $950 from the actual dealer to repair. Damper Electric Power Steering Motor Shaft, 48254‑28040 Steering Motor Coupling Gear Replacement for Camery 2012-2014 is the questioned part that is inferior or of poor design that breaks down and causing the noise
Suspension, Apr 20, 2024
Steering bushing broken.
Engine, Mar 25, 2024
My 2012 Toyota Camry has started shutting off If I do a hard stop or quick stop by pressing on the breaks. My car will be on, in drive and completely turn off. The lights on the dashboard will all flash on then it turns off. I will have to quickly put the car in park, take the key out then put the key back in and turn the car on for it to start again. There are no warning lights that appear on the dashboard before the car turns off. They all flash suddenly and then it stalls out. It has stalled out while driving multiple times with vehicles behind me in my lane. This is very unsafe as I have reduced driving on highways in case it occurs. This has been reproduced by my mechanic who has said it is burning oil very quickly. He confirmed there were no leaks. I’ve only used synthetic oil and bought my car brand new in 2012. Once my oil is changed the problem seems to go away for awhile until the oil gets low again however my oil changes do not last as long in between and I usually need another oil change 20K miles before it is “due”. Since my car has started burning oil so quick my oil change light does not come on to notify me it is low or needed so I’ve been advised to check my oil every 1,000 miles.
Other or unspecified, Feb 17, 2024
Transmission is shuddering skipping. Causing the car to shake. Happens during acceleration.
Other or unspecified, Dec 26, 2023
I got the shudder from the description online that affects the transmission upon accelerating. . It's from a ecm software recall? When placing the transmission in park, it rolls forward some. I have had this car for a couple yrs. Put only 30, 000 on it. it just reached 100,000. Bought it at 69, 000 miles. Will be taking the car in the Toyota shop friday. When I purchased the vehicle; there was no recalls as stated!
Air bags, Dec 24, 2023
I hit a curb while I was turning and I my air bag light and seatbelt light turned on. My passenger air bag won’t turn back to on even when someone is sitting in and my seatbelt light won’t turn off. Nothing was deployed when I hit the curb just the lights turning on.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 3, 2023
Car surging while going at low speeds turning to the right x 2. Stepped on brake and car would not steer either direction.
Engine, Nov 21, 2023
Toyota has a recall for 2012 camry torque converter issue. The recall was issued with a timeframe and/or mileage limit. My camry never experienced these issues until after the recall expired. i reached out to toyota about the recall and they state they aren't going to fix the issue.
Engine, Nov 4, 2023
I purchased my car about 4 years ago. Less than a year later after I purchased the vehicle, I took it back to the dealer informing them of the shaking or vibration. They gave the car back to me telling me there’s nothing wrong with the car. Months later I called them again for the same thing and they said the same. Not long ago, I was driving the car with my 2 year old granddaughter and my daughter, taking a turn, the lights in the dash came on and the wheel became so hard that I almost crashed because I couldn’t hardly turn the wheel. I pulled over on a very busy road Hooper Ave TR NJ. We almost got hit by the traffic because there’s no place to pull over and waited to see if it was safe to drive the car. Took the car to a mechanic and doing research he mentioned the torque converter is bad and that’s the reason why it vibrates and shakes. All along, the dealer knew about the problem and they ignored the issue. “The 2012-2014 Toyota Camry shudder that can potentially happen in these Toyota models made during these years. The shudder comes from the transmission, especially during the acceleration of the Camry models. It can be alarming for the driver and be a safety concern when the gears do not properly change during operation. When this problem persists over a significant period of time, it has the poetry to cause long-term damage to your transmission. Damage to your transmission can be costly and affect the overall performance of your Toyota.” Perhaps maybe now because I have been driving it for a while now with the same issue, believing the dealer that there’s was nothing wrong with it, that’s the problem became worse and more dangerous. Other websites say there’s a recall on the issue so I would like to get this serious issue fixed as soon as possible as this is the only vehicle available to move around.
Power train, Oct 1, 2023
The 2012 Camry has a known problem with its Torque Converter. At low throttle (less than 1500 RPM), the torque converter exhibits a shudder while changing gears, most often going from 4th to 5th gear. Toyota initially released a service advisory in 2017 and attempted to fix the problem with a software update. A few years later, Toyota released an extended warranty covering the defect for 8 years of first use or 150,000 miles; whichever came first. Toyota claims that this defect may eventually result in transmission failure. My car exhibited this problem in 2016. A local Toyota dealership confirmed the problem and performed the software update. This temporarily resolved the torque converter shudder. In early 2022, the shudder returned. By this time, the extended warranty period had expired and Toyota refused to repair the defect since more than 8 years had passed since first use. The issue persists, and this defect should be placed under a recall instead of a time-limited warranty.
Other or unspecified, Sep 27, 2023
When accelerating transmission is hesitated to almost car dies. When pulling out into traffic cars almost run over you due to this or go to take off at red lights when you accelerate it hesitates then takes off.
Vehicle speed control, Wheels, Engine, Sep 1, 2023
Computer system failure ABS system not functioning causing driving functions not working. Problem continuously reproduced by independents and finally by Dealer. Dashboard lights on, engine, tracking, ABS, Brak and other lights. MPG reduced with speedometer down to zero while driving.
Steering, Aug 11, 2023
The steering column u joint is loose and needs to be replaced. This is going to require the entire steering shaft to be replaced and taken apart.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Jul 21, 2023, crash
I WAS GOING TO PARK MY CAR SO I WAS SLOWING HEADING TOWARD THE PARKING SPOT. I SLOWED DOWN AND TRIED TO PARK MY CAR; HOWEVER, AS I WAS STEPPING ON THE BRAKE, MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELARATED ON ITS OWN AND JUMPED THE CURB. MY CAR HIT THE BUILDING BREAKING SEVERAL WINDOWS. I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS ACCIDENT WAS A CASE OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELARATION DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION OF MY CAR.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Jul 11, 2023
N/a
Other or unspecified, Jul 10, 2023
Transmisión problem when acelerate my car
Engine, Jun 9, 2023
Odometer fraud. Tampered odometer and tried to sell the car and the tampering is huge 100K miles.
Steering, Jun 9, 2023
Drivers side steering wheel has a clicking clunking sound and appears this is a well-known issue with this year car that Toyota has never addressed some type of silicone, bearing or washer war wears out, but the whole column must be removed to replace it from what I see it’s like $1000 I have Toyota do it for a $20-30 part
Power train, Jun 5, 2023
2012 Toyota Camry has Torque Converter Shudder issues and they knew about it. They also ran the Warranty Enhancement program but failed to notify its owners. I never received about this Warranty from them. I had this wired noise for brief seconds when driving at a speed of 50-65MPH and told the Toyota authorized repair and maintenance center about it when I took my car for regular maintenance. They checked my car and also failed to update me on this extended warranty and could not find the issue. They knew that this was an ongoing issue but did not bother to correctly update me on this. I only happen to know about this when my transmission started to slip and was searching if there was any recall and found about their Warranty Enhancement program as mentioned https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10129984-9999.pdf but it was too late. I also called the Toyota Engagement Center to discuss this but they said they can't do anything as the program expired. The car now slows down itself when driving either in 20-25MPH or 55-60MPH and this could lead to unforeseen situations and could be a safety issue for the roads and highways I would like NHTSA to step in and make this a safety recall. It looks like almost all 2012 Camry are affected by this issue.
Vehicle speed control, Other or unspecified, May 18, 2023
There was a recall on this Camry model 2012 to 2014 that the Charlotte, NC dealership refused to cover. I am having a transmission issue that causes my car to shudder and vibrate at regular speeds. “shudder comes from the transmission, especially during the acceleration of the Camry models. It can be alarming for the driver and be a safety concern when the gears do not properly change during operation. When this problem persists over a significant period of time, it has the poetry to cause long-term damage to your transmission. Damage to your transmission can be costly and affect the overall performance of your Toyota…” -Toyota of west county website
Other or unspecified, May 10, 2023
HIGH FUMES INSIDE OF CAR HAD ME DAIZED OUT. I STRUGGLED TO KEEP MY EYES OPEN AND NOT BE SLEEPY. I DROVE WITH THE WINDOWS DOWN. FAKE LEATHER.