IllustrationI HAVE MY CAR AT THE TOYOTA OF MANHATTAN DEALERSHIP THEY TELL ME THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS LOCKING UP THEY CHARGING ME $3,000 I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Camry years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1500–25K
9325–50K
6150–75K
4875–100K
60100–150K
19150K+
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
What owners actually said
589 reportsOIL CONSUMPTION IS SEVERELY HIGH. I RECENTLY GOT THE OIL CHANGED A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE AND IT WAS EMPTY. THE CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN WHEN TURNING, ONLY TO FIND OUT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP I HAVE RECEIVED THE INITIAL OIL CHANGE FROM THAT THE OIL IS SEVERELY LOW. I WAS TOLD BY OTHER MECHANICS THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON PRIOR YEARS OF TO…
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OIL CONSUMPTION IS SEVERELY HIGH. I RECENTLY GOT THE OIL CHANGED A WEEK OR TWO BEFORE AND IT WAS EMPTY. THE CAR WOULD SHUT DOWN WHEN TURNING, ONLY TO FIND OUT AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP I HAVE RECEIVED THE INITIAL OIL CHANGE FROM THAT THE OIL IS SEVERELY LOW. I WAS TOLD BY OTHER MECHANICS THAT THERE WERE RECALLS ON PRIOR YEARS OF TOYOTA CAMRY FOR THE SAME ENGINE ISSUES AND I WAS INSTRUCTED THAT I SHOULD FILE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT BY MULTIPLE MECHANICS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTED TO FLUTTER. THE CONTACT STATED THIS PERSISTED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE CONTACT STATED SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER CENTRAL FLORIDA TOYOTA (11020 S ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL, ORLANDO, FL 32837). THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTED TO FLUTTER. THE CONTACT STATED THIS PERSISTED FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE CONTACT STATED SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL DEALER CENTRAL FLORIDA TOYOTA (11020 S ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL, ORLANDO, FL 32837). THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE EXCEEDED RECALL EXPIRATION AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT QUALIFY FOR A FREE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 126,359.
THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS CAUSING MY CAR TO SHUDDER AND MAKE UNUSUAL SOUNDS. THIS IS ALSO CAUSING METAL FRAGMENTS TO LEAK INTO MY TRANSMISSION. THIS COULD CAUSE MY CAR TO SLIP GEARS WHILE DRIVING MAKING THIS A HAZARDOUS SAFETY ISSUE.
TRANSMISSION SHUDDERS FROM 4TH TO 5TH.
I HAD TROUBLE STARTING MY CAR, SO I RECEIVED A JUMP. MY CAR STARTED UP JUST FINE AND WAS DRIVING NORMALLY. AFTER ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES, I HAD NOTICED THE EPS LIGHT POP UP ON MY DASH. AT THAT POINT, MY CAR BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. I HAD TO PULL THE WHEEL HARD TO CHANGE LANES A D EVEN HARDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY TURNS. AFTER ABOUT…
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I HAD TROUBLE STARTING MY CAR, SO I RECEIVED A JUMP. MY CAR STARTED UP JUST FINE AND WAS DRIVING NORMALLY. AFTER ABOUT 2-3 MINUTES, I HAD NOTICED THE EPS LIGHT POP UP ON MY DASH. AT THAT POINT, MY CAR BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER. I HAD TO PULL THE WHEEL HARD TO CHANGE LANES A D EVEN HARDER TO BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY TURNS. AFTER ABOUT ANOTHER MINUTE OR TWO, ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS IN MY DASH IT UP, AND THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. I WAS UNABLE TO START IT AT THAT POINT OR TURN THE WHEEL. I RECEIVED A JUMP START AGAIN, AND THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENED. THE CAR DROVE NORMAL FOR A FEW MINUTES. THE EPS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. STEERING BECAME DIFFICULT AGAIN. THEN ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH FLASHED, AND THE CAR DIED AGAIN. THANKFULLY I WAS NOT ON A MAJOR ROAD EITHER TIME THAT IT HAD DIED.
INTERNAL TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE SHUDDERING IN 2ND GEAR. THIS IS A RECALL FOR MY 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY SE WHICH A TOYOTA REPERSENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT THE RECALL EXPIRED ON THE 11TH OF JANUARY 2021... MY VEHICLE STOPPED AND VIBRATED AND UNABLE TO MOVE WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. AFTER THE LIGHT SHOWS GREEN
AS I AM PULLING OFF, THE CAR HESITATES WHEN I GET TO ABOUT 20 MPH. TOYOTA TOLD ME IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER BUT THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR IT. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN PLACE TO HAVE IT FIXED BUT THAT IT HAD EXPIRED IN OCTOBER 2020. I DID NOT START HAVING ISSUE UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER 2020 AND NEVER RECEIVED ANY TY…
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AS I AM PULLING OFF, THE CAR HESITATES WHEN I GET TO ABOUT 20 MPH. TOYOTA TOLD ME IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER BUT THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR IT. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING IN PLACE TO HAVE IT FIXED BUT THAT IT HAD EXPIRED IN OCTOBER 2020. I DID NOT START HAVING ISSUE UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER 2020 AND NEVER RECEIVED ANY TYPE OF LETTER OR NOTICE THAT THIS WOULD BE AN ISSUE I NEEDED TO GET TAKEN CARE OF BY OCTOBER 2020. I DON'T HAVE $1900.00+ JUST LAYING AROUND. WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC AT THAT. I NEED THIS TAKEN CARE ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS IS BEYOND MY CONTROL AND TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
2012 TOYOTA U760E TRANSMISSION SHUDDER CAR: 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY LE, 2.5-LITER FOUR-CYLINDER GASOLINE ENGINE, U760E SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. MILEAGE: 95,850 AGE: 8.5 YEARS (I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2012) PROBLEM: 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY TRANSMISSION SHUDDER (DIAGNOSED AT PRINCIPLE TOYOTA BY THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT)(THEY ALS…
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2012 TOYOTA U760E TRANSMISSION SHUDDER CAR: 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY LE, 2.5-LITER FOUR-CYLINDER GASOLINE ENGINE, U760E SIX-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. MILEAGE: 95,850 AGE: 8.5 YEARS (I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2012) PROBLEM: 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY TRANSMISSION SHUDDER (DIAGNOSED AT PRINCIPLE TOYOTA BY THE DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT)(THEY ALSO RAN A GLYCOL TEST WHICH WAS NEGATIVE). SOLUTIONS: TORQUE CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AT TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT $2310.25 INCLUDES TAX (WARRANTY 1YR 12K MILES). TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT (REMANUFACTURED) AT TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT $7116.09 INCLUDES TAX (WARRANTY 1YR 12K MILES). REBUILD EXISTING TRANSMISSION AT LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP $3800 (ONLY CALLED ON PHONE AND GOT APPROXIMATE ESTIMATE) INCLUDES TAX (WARRANTY 2YR 24K MILES). HOW TOYOTA IS GETTING AROUND REPLACING THE TORQUE CONVERTER: TOYOTA ADMITS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION BY ISSUING IN OCTOBER 2014 LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN E03 TO ONLY UPDATE THE SOFTWARE. THEN THE NEXT MONTH IN NOVEMBER 2014 START MAILING LETTERS TO THE CUSTOMER SAYING WE HAVE JUST ISSUED WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT NOTIFICATION - ZE5 TO DO THREE THINGS, PUT IN A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER, ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION PAN MAGNETS, AND UPDATE THE SOFTWARE. THIS PUTS BOTH LSC E03 AND WEN ZE5 IN PLAY AT THE SAME TIME FOR THE SAME TRANSMISSION ISSUE. I RECEIVED MY LETTER FOR WEN ZE5 IN THE MAIL. I CALL AND SET UP AN APPOINTMENT FOR WEN ZE5 AND IN GOOD FAITH WALK INTO MY LOCAL TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT PRINCIPAL TOYOTA MEMPHIS, TN IN MARCH OF 2015 WITH MY WEN ZE5 LETTER IN MY HAND AND SAY I AM HERE TO GET WEN ZE5 TAKEN CARE OF. IN GOOD FAITH I PICK UP MY CAR THINKING THAT WEN ZE5 HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. HOWEVER, IT TURNS OUT THAT WHAT WAS DONE WAS LSC E03 AND NOT WEN ZE5(REPLACE TORQUE CONVERTER). RECENT SERVICE REPORT ATTACHED: CAR NOW NEEDS NEW TRANSMISSION.
WHEN THE SEATBELT GETS PUSHED INTO THE BUCKLE IT DOES NOT SECURE NOR STAY LATCHED. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED OVERNIGHT AND I WENT TO TRAVEL AND THE BUCKLE DOES NOT LATCH AT ALL.
Official recalls
213V442000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.