2012 Toyota Camry problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (108) · Vehicle Speed Control (63) · Steering (49)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Camry model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
431 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Equipment:appliance:air Conditioner 2013-10-17 · campaign 13V442000 · 802,769 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Seats 2013-01-16 · campaign 13V014000 · 3,235 vehicles
Defect: 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
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (553)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 553 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-07 · Electrical System“two issues involving fuses at approximately 135,000 miles. the fuse for my backup camera has not worked since i bought the car at 130,000 miles. there is no light for this. i have tried any at home remedies to no avail. this could pose to be an issue as i cannot see if a small child is behind my car. a couple of months later (around 135,000 miles)…”
2026-08-18 · Power Train“2012 toyota camry le developed severe transmission shudder/vibration during normal driving, especially around 25–35 mph and 45–60 mph. the vehicle also experienced noticeable vibration when shifting into reverse and drive. an obd scan previously detected diagnostic trouble code p2716 related to transmission pressure control. the transmission fluid …”
2026-07-14 · Air Bags · 255,000 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owned a 2012 toyota camry. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed uphill during flooding conditions, the vehicle slipped and hydroplaned. the contact attempted to correct the steering but lost control of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to drive into a ditch and flip over several times before coming to a complete …”
2026-04-27 · Power Train“recall was completed on 11/25/14 for a shudder when hitting 35 to 50. the recall was a software issue and they show that a torque converter may have been needed at a later date to further correct the issue. looking for toyota to follow up with a complete recall vs just the software.…”
2026-02-23 · Unknown Or Other“i am noticing there is some wiggling and play with the driver’s seat. every time i hop inside the car, i feel the seat wiggle back a little bit. i notice some movement back and forth when accelerating and braking and it is starting to get very annoying whenever i drive. …”
2026-02-19 · Unknown Or Other“the "incident" is not a fault or flaw of my car in any way, but rather is caused by the auto industry's general shift to led/hid headlights. in my opinion, they make driving unsafe for external observers because they are too bright and create a lot of glare, so that keeping my eyes focused and perceptive of features i need to see in the road direc…”
2026-02-18 · Seats“i am reporting a potential safety defect involving the driver seat lumbar support mechanism found in multiple vehicle models across the industry. the lumbar support feature applies excessive, uneven, or unstable pressure to the driver’s lower back during normal driving conditions. this occurs even when the feature is set to its lowest or neutral po…”
2026-01-08 · Vehicle Speed Control“i am reporting a safety-related issue involving the ecm / torque converter on my 2012 toyota camry. this issue can cause loss of power, hesitation, or stalling which presents a serious safety concern while driving. the issue impacts drivability and can result in sudden loss of acceleration or engine stalling, especially at higher speeds or during m…”
2025-11-11 · Power Train“vehicle is shuddering/stalling when trying to accelerate. currently 150,000…”
2025-10-16 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 245,980 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2012 toyota camry. the contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a dealer sale from aj sales & services in houston, tx. at the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 101,375. it was later discovered that the mileage on the title was 245,980. upon further investigation, th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.