2012 Toyota Camry Complaint Log

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.

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 directly ahead of me is becoming increasingly difficult, and therefore, by definition, more unsafe. Technology must be improved so that headlights can alter spectral output according to background illumination (dimmer means cooler,) and light output should have finer, adaptive directional control so that more light gets to objects in front that need to be illuminated, and less to oncoming drivers whose visual contrast range may be overwhelmed. I'm [XXX] , and I have the beginnings of cataracts. Older, halogen-based headlights don't interfere much with my vision, but modern headlights do, and quite badly so. This has to improve! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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 merging. This creates an increased risk of collision for myself, passengers, and surrounding vehicles. I have experienced some scary occurrences with shuddering at high speeds, hesitation while near other innocent vehicles and stalling. I was never notified by Toyota about this recall or service campaign while it was active. I maintain current registration information and would have had the issue addressed immediately. Toyota acknowledged the campaign but refused support due to expiration, despite my lack of notice. I contacted Toyota and was instructed to file a complaint with NHTSA. Toyota declined to repair the issue under goodwill or policy exception. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether this defect should have been classified as a safety recall and whether consumers were properly notified. Sudden loss of power or stalling presents a significant safety risk and may warrant additional remedies or extension of the campaign for affected owners who were not notified.

Steering wheel is hard to turn

Vehicle is shuddering/stalling when trying to accelerate. Currently 150,000

I removed the seat cover to clean it after an unfortunate stomach bug incident and discovered the styrofoam padding of the headrest was broken off on the left side. I do not know what date the styrofoam broke, but it was discovered July 22, 2025. My only guess is that my toddler could have done it himself because he liked the squeaky sound it made when he shook his head back and forth. Despite my best effort to redirect him when it happened, he would occasionally do this on car rides. We purchased the car seat from the Evenflo store on Amazon on August 31, 2023. My son was between 2 and 4 when the incident would have occurred.

When I either: i) start the car and drive more than 20 ft OR ii) am at a stop light then accelerate..the car begins to jerk backward. Have changed the gasket and the throttle body and this issue still keeps happening. It started around the 90k Mile mark.

I am filing this complaint regarding a known and documented issue affecting my 2012 Toyota Camry (VIN: [XXX] ), which has developed a transmission shudder and vibration between 20–50 mph. This problem is directly aligned with Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0079-15 and Customer Support Program ZF4, both of which describe issues with the torque converter and ECM software. My vehicle has 116,670 miles, which falls within the mileage eligibility of the support program (ZF4: 150,000 miles), though it is just outside the time limitation (8 years). I reached out to Toyota (Case #: [XXX]) to request goodwill assistance due to the safety-related nature of the defect and the fact that it is a well-documented product flaw, but they declined support solely based on time — not on mileage or vehicle condition. The vibration affects the transmission and drivability, particularly during city and highway acceleration, creating potential hazards when merging or navigating traffic. I believe this qualifies as a design flaw with potential safety implications. I respectfully request that NHTSA review Toyota’s handling of this issue and determine whether further consumer protection or a recall is warranted, especially for owners who were not adequately notified or who fall just outside the support window despite clear symptoms. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Hi I owned this car I had low miles on it 108404 I registered it start driving when I drive it start shuddering and vibration on car when I reach speet 30-40 I talk with Toyota they told me they had recall in past it was expired on 2021 they can not repair it if I want to repair it I have to pay from my pocket that was not our fault I talk with them no help lot of people had same issue with transmission we buy this car after warranty expired if some one can help us with this issue that will be appreciates thanks you

I recently was a passenger in my vehicle during a motor vehicle crash, and the air bags did not deployed for the driver or the passenger.

The transmission malfunctioned and is available for inspection upon request. The transmission failing while driving is a safety hazard and has put my safety and others on the road at risk. The problem has not yet been inspected by a dealer or third party. There were no warning lights or engine lights prompted during this malfunction. Please confirm that the dealership will take ownership of this malfunction and is obligated to perform an inspection and repair. The 2012-2014 Toyota Camry U760 ATM ECM Software update recall is related to a potential transmission shudder issue that can occur in these model years, particularly when accelerating; this shudder is caused by a combination of factors within the transmission system, and the recall aims to address this by updating the car's Engine Control Module (ECM) software to mitigate the problem.  Key points about this recall: •Affected vehicles: 2012-2014 Toyota Camry models with the U760 transmission. 
 •Issue: The car may experience a brief shuddering sensation when accelerating under light load, especially between 25-50 mph. 
 •Solution: Toyota dealers will update the ECM software through a recall service to address the shuddering issue. 

I bought a 2012 Toyota Camry in December of 2014. The car had 8,666 miles at the time, it currently has 84,220 miles and a transmission shudder has presented itself. Toyota was well aware of this issue back when they sold me the car since there was a letter back then. Toyota also failed to send me a notice about this particular safety issue in due time. They claim THEY SENT THE LETTER TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER! No common sense there. What good was it to them if they didn't have the car? The car is in pristine condition with the exception of the shudder which is constant every single day, is worse when turning the steering wheel at any turn and it looses power making very dangerous to merge at the highway. There are so many complaints yet the NHTSA has not done anything. Toyota is not owning it and has pushed this burden on to its customers to resolve the matter on their own and making them deal with this. The customer service team is no help and like paid puppets keep saying over and over is at the owners expense. This very expensive problem caused by Toyota should be taken care by Toyota.

The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while her [XXX] daughter was driving at 35 MPH during traffic, the vehicle suddenly accelerated while attempting to depress the brake pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter kept on depressing the brake pedal but the vehicle continued increasing its speed up to 39 MPH and the brakes failed to respond. As a result, the vehicle rear-ended a vehicle that was in front, then that vehicle crashed into another vehicle that was in front of her. The contact's daughter suffered from whiplash, but no medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, where an appraiser deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating before slamming into gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the Limited-Service Campaign: (LSC) LSCE03. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided contact with the diagnostic trouble code: P2109 that was retrieved when the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Unknown

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 position. The defect presents in the following ways: •The lumbar support protrudes too far forward, forcing the spine into an unnatural posture. •The mechanism shifts or changes pressure during , creating sudden discomfort or pain. •Extended use results in lower back strain, muscle spasms, or nerve irritation. Safety Risk This issue poses a significant safety hazard because it directly affects the driver’s ability to maintain proper posture, comfort, and control of the vehicle. This pain is not noticeable until you step out of the vehicle and it difficult to trace that to the lumber support button as most people do not observed when it is on. The defect can: •Reduce reaction time due to discomfort or restricted movement •Increase the risk of long term musculoskeletal injury •Create fatigue or numbness that compromises safe operation Because this feature is present in many vehicles and consistently causes injury, the problem appears to be systemic and design related, not limited to a single manufacturer. Frequency of the Issue •Occurs: (e.g., every drive / frequent / intermittent) •First noticed on: (2020) •Conditions: (e.g., highway driving, long trips, stop and go traffic) Additional Notes •No aftermarket modifications have been made to the seat. •It may not be limited to Toyota vehicle only. I guess any vehicle driver seat that has lumber support is a suspect. •The issue persists regardless of seat height, tilt, or recline adjustments. •The problem appears inherent to the lumbar mechanism’s design rather than wear and tear. •The defect affects driver comfort, posture, and safe vehicle operation.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact research and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

On October 22, I drove my daughter to her high school that is about 6 miles away from my house and dropped her off around 6:50 AM. On my way back, after driving around 2 miles, I was turning around a bend about 25 miles per hour when my car suddenly started accelerating. Startled, I stepped on the brake immediately, but the brake was not working to my surprise. I stepped a second time, and then a third time to no avail. In the meantime, the car was surging forward into the darkness at a higher and higher speed. I panicked; I remember uttering,” oh, my God, Oh, my God” a couple of times and then don’t remember what happened. According to the sheriff’s car crash report, the car veered off the road to the left, glanced off a tree and continued in a straight line and crashed into an electricity pole at about 65 mph and stopped. Obviously, I was in a state of shock and woken up by someone asking me repeatedly, “Are you okay?”. I was dazed. When I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by blinking lights from an ambulance. I just sat there bewildered. The window next to me was utterly broken. My left leg was folded. I felt it with my palm and realized that it was broken. I felt my right leg and it was okay. I was asked if I could pull my self out of the car through the passenger’s side door, but I couldn’t move my left leg. So, I gave my back to first responders, and they dragged me out of the car and laid me on the tarmac. Two people held me by my legs and two others by my shoulders and picked me up to a stretcher of an ambulance. My t – shirt and pants were cut up and removed, and I was wrapped by blanket, and taken to the back of the ambulance. Preliminary checking suggested my left leg was indeed fractured, therefore, was wrapped carefully, and I was taken to an emergency room. X-ray of my leg and CT scan of my head and chest showed that my left leg had serious fractures. Surgery to stabilize the fractures was performed. And a second surgery will be performed in two days.

Abs light flashes randomly at me when driving and at a stop car shakes aggressively

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, the contact became aware that the vehicle was an Auction vehicle that was purchased by the dealer on 08/06/2024. The mileage after the auction sale was 101,294. The contact had also purchased two other vehicles from the same dealer, and there were also discrepancies with the mileages. The contact first purchased a 2014 Kia Optima. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 112,610, and it was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 214,175. The second vehicle purchased was a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 101,000. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 198,826. The contact stated that the engines seized in the first and second vehicles five months after purchasing the vehicles.

"I was driving when the passenger airbag light came on and wouldn't turn off. At the same time, my steering wheel locked up, and my car started making a whining/humming sound. The lights began blinking on and off, and the battery light came on, even though the battery was brand new. Finally, my car completely shut off while I was driving in the middle of the street." A few years ago, I encountered a similar situation when a new computer component was installed, but they had trouble identifying the issues. It ended up costing me over a thousand dollars for problems they weren't certain about. Each time they added more parts, it turned out that it wasn't the solution. I'm hesitant to take it back to the dealership for fear of facing the same issues again. I plan to file a formal complaint and seek advice or assistance regarding this issue. Upon reviewing previous complaints, I noticed several similarities. I was never contacted by anyone regarding the recall on the airbag issues, and I would like this to be rectified immediately.

The contact's fiancé owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. While the contact's fiancé was driving 55 MPH with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle shuddered and decelerated from 55 MPH down to 20 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 240,000.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and downshifted unexpectedly. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

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.

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.

Computer system failure ABS system not functioning causing driving functions not working. Problem continuously reproduced by independents and finally by Dealer. Dashboard lights on, engine, tracking, ABS, Brak and other lights. MPG reduced with speedometer down to zero while driving.

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!

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure worsened while merging onto a highway and the vehicle vibrated abnormally while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

N/a

Steering bushing broken.

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.

Odometer fraud. Tampered odometer and tried to sell the car and the tampering is huge 100K miles.

I own a 2012 Camry LE with about 70,000 miles which is in excellent condition and well-maintained. Recently I began to hear a rattle, tapping or knocking sound apparently from somewhere in the left engine or cabin area. I feel confident its sources is possibly a steering column issue. You sort of feel it whenever you have some rough road surface; and if it’s a bump you hear the metal knock. While it doesn’t appear to cause a steering malfunction. The issue or noise does seem to come from the steering column. Independent research on the web has indicated that countless queries have been reported about this same year vehicle and issue. Described as a small $10 plastic part that degrades thereby allowing the vibration or knocking noise to appear. Cost to repair again is $10 for part and 7-8 hour labor roughly $950 from the actual dealer to repair. Damper Electric Power Steering Motor Shaft, 48254‑28040 Steering Motor Coupling Gear Replacement for Camery 2012-2014 is the questioned part that is inferior or of poor design that breaks down and causing the noise

I WAS GOING TO PARK MY CAR SO I WAS SLOWING HEADING TOWARD THE PARKING SPOT. I SLOWED DOWN AND TRIED TO PARK MY CAR; HOWEVER, AS I WAS STEPPING ON THE BRAKE, MY CAR SUDDENLY ACCELARATED ON ITS OWN AND JUMPED THE CURB. MY CAR HIT THE BUILDING BREAKING SEVERAL WINDOWS. I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS ACCIDENT WAS A CASE OF SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELARATION DUE TO THE MALFUNCTION OF MY CAR.

Transmission is shuddering skipping. Causing the car to shake. Happens during acceleration.

Car gears are sluggish when accelerating in between 15 to 25 mph. It does not accelerate and there is lag when accelerating stop to go.

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine control module (ECM) software needed to be updated. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 157,033.

Gear shift from park to reverse is hard. Also, my wife has always complained about a smell coming from the engine, that when she’s inside my vehicle she gets a headache.

As a background, we bought the car in 2012 brand new. My background is Mechanical engineering, and hence maintained the car very well. Apart from this issue on Torque convertor rest is all good. The car has about 94,000 miles on it. Around few weeks back, the car started to hesitate when it is shifting between 20-25 mph. Sometimes this can be dangerous as you are expecting the car to pick up the speed esp. when joining the freeway etc. and always worried about being rammed in the rear by the traffic. Anyway, I took it to the dealer who said there was a “Warranty Enhancement” program that expired after 10 years. I am not sure why Toyota is permitted to have this Warranty Enhancement program when they full well know this should be a recall. This is widely discussed on all the Toyota forums. The repair is expensive about $2200 (the work is detailed in the Warranty Enhancement program ZE5) and requires software update to be done which the dealers control. With the cost of new cars and also lack of supply I had no good choice but to pay for this repair. I tried to get Toyota Headquarters to see if they honor the “Warranty Enhancement”, but they refused to even though some of this period coincides with pandemic. We have bought several of the Toyota products including Camry, Sienna & Tacoma and never been more disappointed in them than this handling of the issue. I am still at a loss on why NHTSA would let Toyota do this warranty enhancement, and not a full recall. This is putting lives of drivers at risk where one day where it might either lock up or hesitate to pick up full speed when needed. More importantly, the warranty enhancement clearly states that it will only be fixed during that period if the transmission shudder shows. It is bound to show some time, so if they know this is a mechanical and software issue why not do a recall to fix this instead of putting people’s lives in danger? NHTSA please help investigate this safety issue. UPDATE 06/16/2023: This is a brand new design introduced by Toyota in its transmission in MY 2012. So with this defect, what investigation has NHTSA conducted and what was its outcome on this issue? If no investigation is done even with over 1.5 million vehicles impacted, then why not? Please help provide some insight into your department's analysis of this safety issue.

On 2/18/23 I took my car into the repair shop to investigate a clunking sound upon braking. The control arm was broken and the level of corrosion is extensive. I am the original and only owner and the car has never been out of Florida or on the beach or immersed in water. Toyota of North America in Plano, TX said they could not receive my pictures and that there was no one at Toyota that I could send documents to. They said if there was a recall I would be notified.

There was a recall on this Camry model 2012 to 2014 that the Charlotte, NC dealership refused to cover. I am having a transmission issue that causes my car to shudder and vibrate at regular speeds. “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…” -Toyota of west county website

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving above 50 MPH, the shaking ceased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test showed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

The torque convert is bad, when driving at up 25 mph and at 45 mph the car has a vibration. I have been seeing many reviews about this issue with the model of Toyota

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he had been adding two quarts of oil every 1,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to several independent mechanics who could not duplicate the failure and informed the contact that there were no oil leaks found; however, the spark plugs, oil filter, drain plug, and the drain plug gasket were replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 178,397.

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.

Small accident

The car shudders in lower gear while accelerating. Engine, steering wheel and the whole car vibrates at lower speed.

The steering column u joint is loose and needs to be replaced. This is going to require the entire steering shaft to be replaced and taken apart.

265/65