2021 Toyota Camry

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Air bags is the leading concern among 157 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 20th highest complaint count among 25 Camry model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 157

Of the 2021 reports, 21 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 16 people were injured and 1 person died.

Primary concernAir bags78 reports · 50% of complaints
Owner complaints157Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship1 safety recallNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Air bags78
  2. Other or unspecified21
  3. Service brakes16
  4. Power train12
  5. Forward collision avoidance10
  6. Electrical system8
  7. Engine7
  8. Lane departure5

Recalls and investigations

  1. Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationDec 20, 2023

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.

    An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.

    Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.

    Campaign 23V865000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints

157 reports, newest first.

  1. Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2022, crash, fire

    My son hit a tree at an estimated speed of 45 (As estimated by the accident report) and the car went in flame burning completely my son and the entire inside of the car. I am amazed at a new car that does not have enough front crash support and most important the fuel pump should have shut off due to hitting the front to prevent the car from being burned. Yes, my son died in the accident but we did not have the chance to see him because of the fire, we have only bones to bury.

  2. Steering, Service brakes, Lane departure, Jan 5, 2022

    Can not turn off the lane departure warning (LDW) feature. It can only be placed at a low setting. Surging when depressing brake. Noticed this occurring when slowing pulling into the garage, was not a deal breaker as was barely moving and never got to close to hit anything else in the garage. Once it snowed this surging began happening when braking to slow down to make turns. This surging was scary, even with studded snow tires. Driving home from work one evening, it had rained and was turning to black ice; going around a slight curve on the bridge and close to the white line; the car decided to pull me away from the white line. This was the final straw, not going to allow a car to make the decision to pull on black ice or other driving conditions. I did not want to become a statistic by having this vehicle cause a car wreck and hurt myself or other drivers. I had contacted Toyota Care and they said it was not a warranty issue. That is when I knew it was time to get rid of this hybrid after only 5 months. Other issues with this vehicle: can not lift the driver’s side windshield wiper, massive design flaw. Anyone who lives in snowy climates need to be able to lift their wipers to clean off the snow and/or leave the wipers up so they don’t freeze to the windshield. Another item I contacted Toyota Care about is the bumper/fender/wheel casing. This separated – cheap plastic. Again, they said not a warranty issue. Didn’t have this problem with the Corolla.

  3. Forward collision avoidance, Jan 3, 2022, crash

    I was driving 20-24 mph, and while I was driving on yellow light there was another car came in-front of me from different intersection. And my car got hit really bad.

  4. Service brakes, Hydraulic, Dec 13, 2021, crash

    The contact's wife leased a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while his wife was pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. He stated that his wife continued to depress the brake pedal but it would not respond, causing the vehicle to crash into trees. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's wife was able to exit the vehicle with assistance. The contact's wife sustained pain in the chest, upper back, shoulders, and ankle. The contact's wife also sustained a laceration on her finger from the broken window glass. The contact's wife sought medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact there was no recall related to the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,922.

  5. Visibility/wiper, Nov 18, 2021

    The Windshield cracked, we werent behind any other vehicles and noone saw or heard anything hit the windshield. I have a scheduled manufacturer appointment scheduled for Monday November 22nd at 10 with a local toyota dealership. The cost is over 1,000 to replace and there wasnt even an event to cause this. Safelite was send out from my insurance company and confirmed the windshield has to be replaced and not able to be fixed. No problems prior to incident in fact car was washed so i know for a fact there was nothing wrong. I feel my safety is at risk because it is a terribly manufactured winshield. Ive never had a broken winshield before and for nothing to actually cause the crack is concerning. In fact the car hasnt moved since finding the crack and it is much worse that when it originaly happened. I have spoken to several people on the Toyota page who have complained that their windshields cracked easily as well.

  6. Suspension, Other or unspecified, Sep 12, 2021

    Unstable wobble when driving at high speeds on some road surfaces. Steering feels as if you could lose control when this happens.

  7. Visibility/wiper, Jul 11, 2021

    Windshield wiper maximum speed is approximately HALF that of most other makes and models. In any adverse rain or snow conditions it is immediately noticeable how slow and inadequate the speed of the wipers are. In most cases you are forced to reduce speed to below average speed of vehicles around you, creating a hazard, or are forced to completely stop all together.