2012 Toyota Camry Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Camry years
- More complaints than other years 12th of 30 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 590 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Camry. That ranks 12th out of 30 Camry model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (142 complaints, 24%), typically at around 80,000 miles. Complaints mention 84 crashes, 6 fires, 65 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 590owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 84complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2012 Toyota Camry problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 142 | 24% | 80,000 | “torque converter” (37%) | $3,400 |
| Unknown or Other | 81 | 14% | 57,670 | — | — |
| Air Bags problems | 75 | 13% | 35,500 | “failed deploy” (15%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 67 | 11% | 29,725 | — | — |
| Electrical System problems | 62 | 11% | 55,041 | “lock unlock mechanically” (8%) | — |
| Structure problems | 61 | 10% | 20,745 | “airbags deploy” (8%) | — |
| Engine problems | 59 | 10% | 48,000 | “torque converter” (14%) | — |
| Steering problems | 58 | 10% | 33,000 | “steering column” (9%) | — |
| Service Brakes problems | 52 | 9% | 28,000 | “stop brakes” (10%) | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 23 | 4% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 16 | 3% | 9,800 | — | — |
| Visibility | 16 | 3% | 14,185 | — | — |
| Wheels | 16 | 3% | 14,165 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 2% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 11 | 2% | 25,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 8 | 1% | 40,650 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 1% | 18,250 | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 1% | 9,730 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 1% | 34,915 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 1% | 87,719 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 1% | 11 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 3 | 1% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 1% | 10,455 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 3 | 1% | 36,361 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 3 | 1% | 69,750 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 0% | 122,850 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Insert, Padding | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 111,000 | — | — |
| Other/i Am Not Sure | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2012 Toyota Camry recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:appliance:air conditioner; air bags; electrical system
Problem: 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; air bags:frontal:sensor/control module-inactive
Problem: 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.
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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
2012 Toyota Camry LE developed severe transmission shudder/vibration during normal driving, especially around 25â35 mph and 45â60 mph. The vehicle also experienced noticeable vibration when shifting into Reverse and Drive. An OBD scan previously detected diagnostic trouble code P2716 related to…
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…
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.
I am noticing there is some wiggling and play with the driverâs 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.
Other Toyota Camry years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Camry | 51 | 1 |
| 2023 Camry | 64 | 2 |
| 2022 Camry | 62 | 1 |
| 2021 Camry | 157 | 1 |
| 2020 Camry | 275 | 3 |
| 2019 Camry | 397 | 6 |
| 2018 Camry | 748 | 8 |
| 2017 Camry | 148 | 3 |
| 2016 Camry | 184 | 2 |
| 2015 Camry | 271 | 1 |
| 2014 Camry | 455 | 3 |
| 2013 Camry | 274 | 2 |
| 2012 | 590 | 2 |
| 2011 Camry | 601 | 5 |
| 2010 Camry | 604 | 9 |
| 2009 Camry | 1,293 | 10 |
| 2008 Camry | 933 | 7 |
| 2007 Camry | 2,887 | 9 |
| 2006 Camry | 317 | 5 |
| 2005 Camry | 721 | 5 |
| 2004 Camry | 638 | 3 |
| 2003 Camry | 781 | 1 |
| 2002 Camry | 953 | 4 |
| 2001 Camry | 272 | 2 |
| 2000 Camry | 454 | 2 |
| 1999 Camry | 501 | 1 |
| 1998 Camry | 600 | 2 |
| 1997 Camry | 555 | 3 |
| 1996 Camry | 417 | 2 |
| 1995 Camry | 303 | 1 |
See all Toyota Camry problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Toyota Camry?
Owners most often report power train, unknown or other, air bags problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 142 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Camry?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2012 Toyota Camry a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Camry model years, the 2012 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.