CSR

Toyota · NHTSA safety record

2012 Toyota Camry

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 589 safety complaints about the 2012 Toyota Camry with the US government. Of those, 84 describe a crash, 6 mention a fire, 65 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the electrical system and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the power train, named in 142 complaints, 24% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 40,000 miles, the median across the 431 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers October 2011 to August 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

589 complaints on file

589

Complaints

84

Describe a crash

6

Mention fire

65

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
POWER TRAIN 142 · 24%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 81 · 14%
AIR BAGS 75 · 13%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 67 · 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 61 · 10%
STRUCTURE 61 · 10%
ENGINE 59 · 10%
STEERING 58 · 10%
SERVICE BRAKES 52 · 9%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 23 · 4%
SUSPENSION 16 · 3%
VISIBILITY 16 · 3%
0 58 115

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 589.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2014 at 87.

92 69 46 23
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2011 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2012 Toyota CAMRY, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test 4 DR FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 11.1%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

2 on file

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

13V442000 · October 17, 2013

The 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.
The 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.
The 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.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing · up to 802,769 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

13V014000 · January 16, 2013

The 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 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.
The 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.
The 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.

Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC · up to 3,235 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

5 injured · crash · 30,400 miles

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

NHTSA complaint 10562795. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

3 injured · crash · towed · 51,000 miles

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT DRIVING ON A CITY STREET DUE TO THE VEHICLE ACCELERATING, I SLOWED DOWN THEN PUT MY FOOT ON THE PEDAL. THE CAR TOOK OFF I SLAMMED ON MY BRAKES BUT STILL HIT THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. I HAVE TOLD THE DEALER MORE THAN ONCE ABOUT THE VEHICLE STALLING AND ACCELERATING. I HAD FRONT END DAMAGE TO MY BUMPER AND HOOD. THE VEHICLE I CRASHED INTO BACK BUMPER WAS ALSO DENTED.

NHTSA complaint 11006438. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

3 injured · crash · towed · 60,000 miles

CAR WAS REAR ENDED AND I HIT MY HEAD ON DASHBOARD DUE TO THE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONER AND RETRACTOR NOT ENGAGING. CAR WAS STATIONARY AT A RED LIGHT. NYC POLICE ACCIDENT REPORT: MV-2019-100-000731 REPORT 731

NHTSA complaint 11287659. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

3 injured · crash · 7,754 miles

I WAS DRIVING APROX 30 MPH WHEN A FORD F150 TRUCK RAN A STOP SIGN AND I T BONED THEM. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. IT HIT HARD ENOUGH TO BREAK THE WINDSHIELD. *TR

NHTSA complaint 10448495. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
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 was serviced, but the shudder continued. While driving on the highway, the check-engine light came on again. The vehicle was subsequently returned to the seller and a $7,500 settlement was reached. I am reporting this to document the mechanical and powertrain problems experienced with this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11757762. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 255,000 miles

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 stop upside down. Upon impact, the air bags failed to deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated nor abnormal sounds coming from the vehicle prior to the crash. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact sustained a laceration to the head, scrapes on both legs, an injury to the left

NHTSA complaint 11750348, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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.

NHTSA complaint 11734130. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
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.

NHTSA complaint 11719868. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 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

NHTSA complaint 11719260, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

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 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

NHTSA complaint 11718947, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Toyota Camry

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2024 50 1 —
2023 64 2 —
2022 61 1 —
2021 157 1 1
2020 274 3 —
2019 395 6 —
2018 743 8 —
2017 148 3 —
2016 184 2 —
2015 271 1 1
2014 455 3 1
2013 274 2 1
2011 600 5 —
2010 603 9 —

Other 2012 Toyota models

Every Toyota on this site — 281 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst