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.
Engine, Jun 23, 2022
My Toyota Camry has been burning oil for over two years. Last year it began to get worse. I have been taking it to an auto repairs shop to tap off the oil to prevent the engine from failing. This week it burned 3 pints of oils. I have been using Lucas to slow down the oil combustion. I was advised by an automotive shop that Toyota has recalled some Camrys for oil consumption problems. Moreover, the mechanic advised that the engine could be default regardless of the year of the car. My car is in danger of shutting down on the road. It will end up with engine failure if the issue is not repaired. Toyota explained that some vehicles were recalled for oil consumption- but not mine. This is not fair that my car has not been included. I am seeking justice and for Toyota to do the right thing. I did not do anything to cause this issue. I am the owner of a car that has a manufacture faulty defect that is threatening the life of my car and my safety as well as other drivers. I await to hear back. Sharon Scott
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.
Air bags, Apr 27, 2022
I was driving one day and notice my airbag came on and now my horn won’t work and it makes a clicking sound from the steering wheel
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"
Other or unspecified, Mar 18, 2022
Since I purchased the vehicle I have been smelling a weird smell as if the AC unit is leaking. It has been brought in to Toyota multiple times and they could not find the issue, but I still smell it.
Service brakes, Mar 14, 2022, crash
brake booster brake failed to stop car and cause accident yes accident on Nov. 12, 2016
Other or unspecified, Mar 3, 2022
Car started “studdering” or “vibrating” at 20 mph then 40mph then 50-60mph. Every time the automatic car would shift gears it studdered very bad. Like it wasnt goin to excelerate. I am a single mom. Trying to work and go to college to support my children. The car needs fixed very badly. I am afraid it is goin to cause me to wreck. I have contacted toyota and they will not honor the recall. The car has a recall on the torque converter( i took it to a toyota dealer) that is causing the problem. I am still driving the car. It is all i have.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 26, 2022
My car has a problem shifting into first gear and is jerking so bad I was driving and it actually was going super slow and going and secure and I almost got hit from behind it is stuttering and hesitating going into the lower gears it also keeps showing the traction light off and on and when it's on it causes It 2 sway a lot
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.
Air bags, Feb 7, 2022
The drain hose for the AC Condenser may be clogged. Water has leaked from the seam of the airbag compartment on the driver's side near between the window and windshield. My safety and the safety of others are at risk because the water accumulation may cause an electrical issue and the car may not be safe to drive. My vehicle will undergo state inspection on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. I noticed this problem in January 2022.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 5, 2022
I was driving about 70 mph on interstate 95 and all of a sudden my car shut off while going 70 mph my check engine light and the traction control light came on the car came back on while still going 70 mph picked up where it left off it was a bit Scary
Air bags, Jan 28, 2022
The vehicle was taken to J & J Auto Service for normal maintenance, in addition to the airbag warning light being on. When picking up the car, the owner was informed that a pin/screw was missing from the airbag located in the steering column. Owner was advised that the airbag could deploy at any time and cause injury or death to the driver. The cost for repair - $900.00. or could be higher. Owner followed up by checking for recalls on this manufacturing flaw, but saw no recall for this problem.
Engine, Jan 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated after recently having an oil change performed on the vehicle; after approximately 2,000 miles while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal knocking noise coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road and checked engine oil and noticed there was no oil in the engine. The contact added oil to the engine and continued drive to her destination however, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the failure as an oil consumption failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 29, 2021
I bought this car used from a dealership. within 4 days and less than 40 driving miles on the first cold morning (42°f) the 6 speed automatic transmission slipped. the engine revved as i was backing out of my carport then in less than 50 yards i went to pull up on the street. again the engine revved and car was barely moving. it did catch as i cleared that intersection and behaved normally till the next cold early morning. i have spoken to used car salesman and the sales manager. i have an appointment to take it in for evaluation soon!
Structure, Dec 27, 2021
The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door handle was fractured, and she was unable to access the vehicle through the driver’s side door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the driver’s side door handle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised the contact that the door handle was easily fractured due to the plastic-based material. The contact stated that the independent mechanic replaced the door handle; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Fuel/propulsion system, Dec 21, 2021
I took delivery of this 2012 Camry SE on Friday 12-17-21. I have about 75 miles on it since purchase. It was cold here this morning (12-21-21) as I pulled out of my driveway at 9 am. I went up to the street to make a left turn. As I entered the intersection- the transmission slipped- the engine revved to about 3000 RPM and the car was barely moving. I drove the car about 5 miles and 15 minutes to get my first gas fill-up. The problem did go away with the warming of the transmission. I've been driving long enough to recognize what this is, a problem with the 6 speed automatic transmission. This problem did not show when I test drove the car on 12/16/21. The salesman made no mention of it. I know I bought the car 'As-Is' . I feel this is a safety problem that should be remedied sooner than later.
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.
Other or unspecified, Oct 4, 2021, crash
navegation system send me to wrong way and off route route. Toyota descontinued the updadte for the map and provide no remedy for these concern. Case # 2010910001822
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.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 10, 2021
I was driving down the freeway going home from work at 9:30PM at night and all of the sudden, there was a loud pop from above my head when driving. It sounded like it came from the roof of my vehicle. When I pulled over, there was a big hole in the glass of the sun roof and the glass was completely shattered. Because of the way the glass shatters, I had to remove as much of the glass as I could to ensure that none of it would fly off the vehicle and hit vehicles driving behind me. I don't believe there was any prior damage to the sun roof that would have caused this to happen as I don't ever use the sun roof to begin with.
Other or unspecified, Jul 29, 2021
There is an accumulation of water underneath the seat of the back side where rear seated passengers would place their feet.