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2012 Toyota Camry

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Camry do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 295.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

431 reports with mileage · 158 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Power Train. Review the 142 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 67 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

84 crash reports6 fire reports44 injury reports

Power Train complaints

142 reports
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110,000 miles · Jun 14, 2021
Power Train

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 learne…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11420841

91,000 miles · Jun 11, 2021
Power Train

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,…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11420570

84,300 miles · Apr 22, 2021
Power Train

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 T…

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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

NHTSA ODI #11413389

153,000 miles · Apr 15, 2021
Power Train

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

NHTSA ODI #11408170

Mileage unknown · Apr 11, 2021
Power Train

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 M…

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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

NHTSA ODI #11407445

127,000 miles · Mar 31, 2021
Power Train

TORQUE CONVERTER PART AND FAULTY SOFTWARE CAUSE TRANSMISSION SHIFT AND ACCELERATION/DECELERATION DELAY, WHICH MAY RESULT IN ACCIDENTS.

NHTSA ODI #11405855

76,000 miles · Mar 24, 2021
Power Train

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 T…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11404697

Mileage unknown · Mar 20, 2021
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherWheels

2012 CAMTY SHAKES WHEN ACCELERATING AROUND 20-50 MPH.

NHTSA ODI #11403987

5,000 miles · Mar 15, 2021
Power Train

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 …

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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!

NHTSA ODI #11403138

167,000 miles · Mar 15, 2021
Power Train

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 FAI…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11403004

Official recalls

2

13V442000 · Air Bags; Electrical System; Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner

Oct 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Air Bags

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Electrical System

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

13V014000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE ; Seats

Jan 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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seats

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

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.

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Toyota Camry problems