IllustrationIS SHUDDERING WHILE DRIVING UNDER LIGHT THROTTLE CONDITIONS BETWEEN APPROXIMATELY 25-50 MPH
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
Power Train complaints
142 reportsAT 95,000 MILES A DAILY SHUDDER STARTED HAPPENING WHEN YOU FIRST PULL OUT OF SOMEWHERE AND START ACCELERATING USUALLY BETWEEN 15-45 MPH, THE SHUDDER CAUSES THE CAR TO LAG AT THIS TIME. AFTER RESEARCHING AND TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION , IT IS ACTUALLY SOF…
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AT 95,000 MILES A DAILY SHUDDER STARTED HAPPENING WHEN YOU FIRST PULL OUT OF SOMEWHERE AND START ACCELERATING USUALLY BETWEEN 15-45 MPH, THE SHUDDER CAUSES THE CAR TO LAG AT THIS TIME. AFTER RESEARCHING AND TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION , IT IS ACTUALLY SOFTWARE AND TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE. INSTEAD OF RECALLING THIS TOYOTA ISSUED A SERVICE ORDER, BUT NO NOTICE EVER CAME AND THE DEALER NEVER MENTIONED WHEN CAR WAS TOOK IN FOR REGULAR MAINTENANCE. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS UP SAME MONTH I RECEIVED THE CAR FROM MY MOTHER IN LAW WHO IS THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF THE CAR. I CALLED TOYOTA WHO INFORMED ME THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO TO HELP ME SINCE THE EXTENDED DRIVE TRAIN WARRANTY HAD JUST EXPIRED. I HAVE READ THAT HALF OF THE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE NEEDED REPLACED EVEN AFTER THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. TOYOTA HAS HAD TO RECALL OTHER VEHICLES DUE TO THIS EXACT SAME PROBLEM SO WHY HAVE THEY NOT RECALLED 2012-2014 CAMRY? THE ESTIMATES TO FIX COST ALMOST AS MUCH AS THE CAR IS WORTH. THE LAG AND POTENTIAL MOTOR MOUNT BREAKS ARE A DANGER WHILE DRIVING THIS VEHICLE. TOYOTA SHOULD BE FORCED TO MAKE THIS RIGHT TO THEIR MANY CONSUMERS AS NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS LAYING AROUND TO FIX THE PROBLEM IF THEY SURVIVE BEING REAR ENDED DUE TO THE LAG AND OTHER POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUES THIS MAY CAUSE. HOW MANY COMPLAINTS ARE NEEDED TO MAKE TOYOTA FIX THIS WITH US CAMRY OWNERS? THERE IS INFORMATION ON CARS.COM ABOUT THE SERVICE ORDER THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED.
I THOUGHT THAT BUYING A TOYOTA CAMRY WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ITS SUPPOSED TO BE THE HIGHEST QUALITY. WELL I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS - TOYOTA HAS EXTENDED THE FACTORY WARRANTY ON THE TORQUE CONVERTER, BUT, ONLY FOR UNDER 150,000 MILES. I HAVE 155,000 MILES ON MY CAMR…
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I THOUGHT THAT BUYING A TOYOTA CAMRY WAS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. ITS SUPPOSED TO BE THE HIGHEST QUALITY. WELL I JUST FOUND OUT THAT MY TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS - TOYOTA HAS EXTENDED THE FACTORY WARRANTY ON THE TORQUE CONVERTER, BUT, ONLY FOR UNDER 150,000 MILES. I HAVE 155,000 MILES ON MY CAMRY XLE. SO I CALLED TOYOTA AND WANTED TO WORK SOMETHING OUT WITH THEM. THEY WERE NICE BUT IN THE END THEY WERE UNWILLING TO WORK ANYTHING OUT. LONG STORY SHORT I NEED TO SPEND $2500 IF I WANT TO FIX THE TORQUE CONVERTER. AS FAR AS I'M CONCERNED THE CAR IS NOW JUNK!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHUTTER AND SPUTTER WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ROBINSON TOYOTA (1453 VANN DR, JACKSON, TN 38305, (731) 668-1234) AND WAS INFORMED THAT HE MISSED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY BY TWO DAYS. ON DECEMBER 3, 2019, THE CONTACT PAID $1,…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SHUTTER AND SPUTTER WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO ROBINSON TOYOTA (1453 VANN DR, JACKSON, TN 38305, (731) 668-1234) AND WAS INFORMED THAT HE MISSED THE EXTENDED WARRANTY BY TWO DAYS. ON DECEMBER 3, 2019, THE CONTACT PAID $1,600 FOR THE REPAIRS TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER SENT A LETTER STATING THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE EXPENSES SINCE THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 131,790.
TRANSMISSION SHUTTERS OR VIBRATES EVER TIME YOU GO TO TAKE OFF OR SLOW DOWN, BETWEEN THE SPEEDS OF 20MPH AND 50 MPH
TRANSMISSION SHUTTERS OR VIBRATES IN LOW SPEED BETWEEN GEARS AND IS ONLY 79,000 MILES AND I JUST BOUGHT THE CAR ONE MONTH AGO.
AIR CONDITIONING AND TRANSMISSION THAT HAVE 2 PROBLEMS
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WHILE TRANSITIONING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AND VICE VERSA WHILE BRAKING FROM SECOND TO FIRST GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIBRATIONS USUALLY OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20-50 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEP…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED WHILE TRANSITIONING FROM FIRST TO SECOND GEAR AND VICE VERSA WHILE BRAKING FROM SECOND TO FIRST GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VIBRATIONS USUALLY OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 20-50 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TWO ENGINE MOUNTS HAD FRACTURED DUE TO THE VIBRATIONS. THE CONTACT STATED CAR TRANSMISSION WAS FIXED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.*DT*JB
WHILE DRIVING THE CAMRY IN AUTOMATIC THE TRANSMISSION APPEARS TO DOWNSHIFT SLOWLY AND DRAG
VEHICLE EXHIBITS EXTREME DELAY IN ACCELERATION, PARTICULARLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. GAS CAN BE TO THE FLOOR AND THERE IS LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE FOR AT LEAST ONE MINUTE, NOT EVEN A JUMP IN RPM AAA A RESULT OF THE INCREASED THROTTLE. TRYING TO MERGE ON TO THE HIGHWAY IS DANGEROUS WHEN THE VEHICLE REMAINS STUCK AT 40MPH FOR AT LEAST ONE…
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VEHICLE EXHIBITS EXTREME DELAY IN ACCELERATION, PARTICULARLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. GAS CAN BE TO THE FLOOR AND THERE IS LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE FOR AT LEAST ONE MINUTE, NOT EVEN A JUMP IN RPM AAA A RESULT OF THE INCREASED THROTTLE. TRYING TO MERGE ON TO THE HIGHWAY IS DANGEROUS WHEN THE VEHICLE REMAINS STUCK AT 40MPH FOR AT LEAST ONE MINUTE, IF NOT LONGER. EVEN ONCE THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP TO SPEED, TRYING TO CHANGE LANES OR PASS IS NEAR IMPOSSIBLE AS THERE IS LITTLE TO NO RESPONSE TO ENGAGING THE THROTTLE. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND COULD EASILY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.. I HAVE SEEN THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE. TRANSMISSION HAS A GENERALLY DELAYED RESPONSE, VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM BRAKE TO GAS, EVEN ON FLAT GROUND. THIS IS YET ANOTHER HAZARD SEEMINGLY BROUGHT ON BY THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. VEHICLE WAS PART OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER RECALL. THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PERFORMED AND IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE FOR THE VEHICLE. THE TRANSMISSION FEELS LIKE IT IS ON THE VERGE OF FAILING DESPITE THE VEHICLE STILL BEING 'YOUNG' AND WELL-CARED FOR. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN SERVICED BY A DEALERSHIP THAT CLAIMS THIS IS NORMAL. THE AMOUNT OF HESITATION IN THE TRANSMISSION IS NOT AND CAN NOT BE NORMAL. THE CAR DRIVES LIKE ITS HALF ASLEEP. IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE RECENTLY AND I FEAR THE TRANSMISSION IS GOING TO FAIL, OR THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTION IS GOING TO RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT.
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.