IllustrationSteering bushing broken.
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 reportsMy 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 o…
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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.
Transmission is shuddering skipping. Causing the car to shake. Happens during acceleration.
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 …
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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!
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.
Car surging while going at low speeds turning to the right x 2. Stepped on brake and car would not steer either direction.
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.
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,…
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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.
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…
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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.
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.
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.