Illustration2012 TOYOTA CAMRY & 2013 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO BOTH VEHICLES HEATED SEAT ISSUES. *SMD THE CONSUMER WANTED TO KNOW, HOW COULD A VEHICLE NOT SOLD, POSSIBLY BE DEEMED NOT UP TO VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARDS, BUT A VEHICLE SOLD WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE BE DEEMED NOT TO BE SUBJECT TO A SAFETY ISSUE.
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 reportsI HAVE A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT UP AHEAD AND I HAD TO BREAK SUDDENLY. ALL MY BRAKES DID WAS MAKE A LOUD STUTTERING SOUND WHICH I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL IN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SLOWED VERY SO SLIGHTLY I HAD LITTLE TO NO CONTROL OF MY BRAKES. I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL OVER BECAUSE IT DID…
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I HAVE A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY, I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT UP AHEAD AND I HAD TO BREAK SUDDENLY. ALL MY BRAKES DID WAS MAKE A LOUD STUTTERING SOUND WHICH I COULD ACTUALLY FEEL IN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND SLOWED VERY SO SLIGHTLY I HAD LITTLE TO NO CONTROL OF MY BRAKES. I THOUGHT IT WAS ALL OVER BECAUSE IT DIDN'T APPEAR THAT I WAS GOING TO STOP BUT I MANAGED TO JUST MISS THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME STEERING OFF TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY JUST IN TIME AND MY CAR FINALLY STOPPED. AT THE TIME, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT OF BEEN THE WAY I APPLIED MY BREAKS, OR AN ISOLATED INCIDENT UNTIL READING AN ARTICLE ABOUT A LEXUS RECALL WHICH SOUNDS LIKE THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS ISN'T MY FIRST CAR WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKES SO I AM FAMILIAR WITH THE WAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO WORK. IT APPEARS THAT TOYOTA MAY NEED ADD ONE MORE VEHICLE TO IT'S LIST BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. *TR
RECENTLY I EXPERIENCED TWO EVENTS WHICH STARTED ME THINKING ABOUT ONE SAFETY FEATURE OF THE NEW AUTOMOBILE IGNITION SYSTEMS. I HAVE A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY WHICH HAS AN IGNITION KEY (?) WHICH DOES NOT HAVE TO BE INSERTED INTO AN IGNITION KEYHOLE FOR STARTING THE ENGINE. ONE HAS TO PUSH THE START/STOP BUTTON WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAK…
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RECENTLY I EXPERIENCED TWO EVENTS WHICH STARTED ME THINKING ABOUT ONE SAFETY FEATURE OF THE NEW AUTOMOBILE IGNITION SYSTEMS. I HAVE A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY WHICH HAS AN IGNITION KEY (?) WHICH DOES NOT HAVE TO BE INSERTED INTO AN IGNITION KEYHOLE FOR STARTING THE ENGINE. ONE HAS TO PUSH THE START/STOP BUTTON WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL TO START THE ENGINE, AND JUST HAVE TO PUSH THE START/STOP BUTTON TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE. (THIS IS NOW STANDARD FOR MOST NEW VEHICLES.). ON TWO RECENT OCCASIONS I PARKED MY CAR AND WALKED AWAY WITHOUT PUSHING THE START/STOP BUTTON. I DID NOT REALIZE WHAT I DID FOR TWO REASONS: (1) THE ENGINE RUNS EXTREMELY QUIETLY, (2) MORE IMPORTANTLY, I WAS NOT REQUIRED TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE BY TURNING THE IGNITION KEY WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING ALMOST SUBCONSCIOUSLY. ON BOTH OCCASIONS I DID NOT COME BACK UNTIL ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER TO DISCOVER THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT TURNED OFF. THE SAFETY ISSUE ARISES FROM THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO. SUPPOSE I CAME BACK HOME AT NIGHT, PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE UNDER THE HOUSE, GONE INSIDE THE HOUSE AND RETIRED FOR THE NIGHT. THE PRESENCE OF THE KEY IN MY POCKET DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE CAR IS NOT IDLING. THIS IS THE BIG CHANGE BROUGHT ON BY THE NEW IGNITION KEYS. THE ENGINE RUNNING IN THE GARAGE CAN CREATE AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING SITUATION FOR THE INHABITANTS OF THE HOUSE. A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO THIS POSSIBLE CARBON MONOXIDE BUILD-UP PROBLEM WOULD BE TO INSTALL AN AUTOMATIC ENGINE SHUT-OFF FEATURE IN THE CAR AFTER A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME (~20-30 MINUTES) THAT THE ENGINE HAS BEEN IDLING. WHEN I CONTACTED TOYOTA THEY SAID THAT SUCH A FEATURE DOES NOT EXIST IN MY MODEL OF THE CAR. I HOPE YOU WILL STUDY THIS POSSIBLE SAFETY PROBLEM AND COME UP WITH A FEASIBLE SOLUTION. *TR
FRONT COLLISION WITH A FORD FOCUS AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH WHILE DRIVING A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY LE. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY RESULTING IN INJURIES TO FIVE PASSENGERS. WILL FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT WITH TOYOTA CORPORATION. A POLICE REPORT WAS RECORDED OF ACCIDENT. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH ON AN ICY ROADWAY, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE BRAKES RESUMED NORMALLY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT YET TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPRO…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH ON AN ICY ROADWAY, THE BRAKES FAILED. THE CONTACT SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE AND THE BRAKES RESUMED NORMALLY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT YET TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 9,000 MILES.
MY SON WAS DRIVING ABOUT 1/2 MILE AWAY FROM HOME WHILE TURNING THE BRAKE FAILED AND HE HIT THE CENTER CURB AND FURTHER TO AN ON COMING (STOPPED) VEHICLE. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING HE PRESSED THE EMERGENCY BRAKES THAT SLOWED THE CAR. BUT THE DAMAGE HAD ALREADY OCCURRED. OUR TOYOTA IS 2012 AND HAS BEEN ROUTI…
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MY SON WAS DRIVING ABOUT 1/2 MILE AWAY FROM HOME WHILE TURNING THE BRAKE FAILED AND HE HIT THE CENTER CURB AND FURTHER TO AN ON COMING (STOPPED) VEHICLE. WHEN HE REALIZED THAT THE BRAKES ARE NOT WORKING HE PRESSED THE EMERGENCY BRAKES THAT SLOWED THE CAR. BUT THE DAMAGE HAD ALREADY OCCURRED. OUR TOYOTA IS 2012 AND HAS BEEN ROUTINELY MAINTAINED BY TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS. BRAKES SHOULD NOT FAIL. WE ARE GLAD THAT THERE WAS NO APPARENT INJURY BUT THE CAR IS LIKELY TO BE TOTALED. I REQUEST TOYOTA TO DO AN INVESTIGATION ON WHAT MIGHT HAVE CAUSED THE BRAKES TO FAIL. *TR
WE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE IN EARLY DECEMBER, 2013 REGARDING NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V442000 DEALING WITH THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. AT THAT TIME, WE CALLED OUR TOYOTA DEALER FOR THE RELATED SERVICE AND WERE TOLD THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND THE EARLIEST WE COULD HAVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE FIXED WAS IN FEB…
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WE RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE IN EARLY DECEMBER, 2013 REGARDING NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V442000 DEALING WITH THE AIR BAG CONTROL MODULE. AT THAT TIME, WE CALLED OUR TOYOTA DEALER FOR THE RELATED SERVICE AND WERE TOLD THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE IN LIMITED SUPPLY AND THE EARLIEST WE COULD HAVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE FIXED WAS IN FEBRUARY, 2014. WE MADE THE APPOINTMENT. WE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL TODAY, 1/20/2014, THAT THE APPOINTMENT WAS BEING CANCELLED AS TOYOTA COULD NOT MEET THE CURRENT DEMAND FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART. WE WERE TOLD TO CHECK BACK IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO SEE IF THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED. WE ASKED WHAT TO DO IF A PROBLEM OCCURS IN THE MEANTIME AND WE WERE TOLD TO THEN CALL THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. WHEN WE ASKED HOW THEY WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THEY ARE SAYING REPLACEMENT PARTS AREN'T AVAILABLE, THE QUESTION WAS LEFT UNANSWERED. *TR
I CALLED SPARKS DEALERSHIP ABOUT RECALL ON CAR 12/30/13. THEY PUT ME ON LIST SAYING THEY DO NOT HAVE PART FROM COMPANY. I CALLED TODAY 1/20/14 AND THEY SAID THEY STILL DO NOT HAVE PART. *TR
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE HVAC ASSEMBLY. I CALLED MY DEALER AND VERIFIED MY VIN AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE ASSEMBLY REPLACED ON 1/2/2014. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND THE ASST SVC MGR [XXX] TOLD ME HE WOULD GET THE PART AND CALL ME. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM H…
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I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR THE HVAC ASSEMBLY. I CALLED MY DEALER AND VERIFIED MY VIN AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE ASSEMBLY REPLACED ON 1/2/2014. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE PART AND THE ASST SVC MGR [XXX] TOLD ME HE WOULD GET THE PART AND CALL ME. I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM HIM AND WHEN I CALL HE IS ON VACATION. I CALLED THE SERVICE MGR AND LEFT MY INFO AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CALL BACK. I NEED TO HAVE THIS REPLACED AS IT IS AN EXTREME SAFETY ISSUE AND I NEED THIS CAR FOR SCHOOL. THE DEALERSHIP IS TOYOTA OF HOLLYWOOD, 1841 N STATE RD 7, HOLLYWOOD, FL 33021. PHONE 954-893-4667. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO NOT RECEIVING CERTIFIED USED VEHICLE WARRANTY SUPPLEMENT FROM MANUFACTURER. *SMD
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.