2012 Toyota Camry Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 75 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2012 Toyota Camry, 13% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 35,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “failed deploy” (15% of reports).
- 75air bags complaints
- 35,500median miles at failure
- 41mention a crash
- 28mention an injury
- 2related recalls
- 17%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Failed deploy: mentioned in 11 of 75 complaints (15%)
- Airbags deployed: mentioned in 9 of 75 complaints (12%)
- Lost control: mentioned in 5 of 75 complaints (7%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 54 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 75 complaints, 41 mention a crash, 28 an injury.
Toyota Camry air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Camry | 6 | 12% | 22,412 |
| 2023 Camry | 5 | 8% | 21,950 |
| 2022 Camry | 10 | 16% | 41,000 |
| 2021 Camry | 78 | 50% | 52,500 |
| 2020 Camry | 49 | 18% | 26,000 |
| 2019 Camry | 24 | 6% | 10,923 |
| 2018 Camry | 22 | 3% | 64,500 |
| 2017 Camry | 24 | 16% | 49,500 |
| 2016 Camry | 31 | 17% | 50,099 |
| 2015 Camry | 21 | 8% | 25,500 |
| 2014 Camry | 42 | 9% | 36,120 |
| 2013 Camry | 36 | 13% | 22,900 |
| 2012 Camry | 75 | 13% | 35,500 |
| 2011 Camry | 72 | 12% | 53,000 |
| 2010 Camry | 49 | 8% | 61,000 |
| 2009 Camry | 66 | 5% | 61,000 |
| 2008 Camry | 46 | 5% | 78,000 |
| 2007 Camry | 137 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 2006 Camry | 59 | 19% | 64,000 |
| 2005 Camry | 65 | 9% | 54,000 |
| 2004 Camry | 79 | 12% | 65,000 |
| 2003 Camry | 72 | 9% | 77,125 |
| 2002 Camry | 89 | 9% | 64,602 |
| 2001 Camry | 38 | 14% | 115,500 |
| 2000 Camry | 58 | 13% | 107,500 |
| 1999 Camry | 74 | 15% | 70,000 |
| 1998 Camry | 50 | 8% | 119,700 |
| 1997 Camry | 55 | 10% | 95,000 |
| 1996 Camry | 47 | 11% | 109,000 |
| 1995 Camry | 41 | 14% | 120,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (2)
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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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.
"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…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Toyota Camrys have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 75 owner complaints about air bags for the 2012 Toyota Camry (13% of the 590 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Toyota Camry air bags?
Yes: 2 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 35,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2012 Toyota Camry?
The most frequent phrase is “failed deploy”, in 11 of 75 complaints, followed by “airbags deployed” (9).
Other 2012 Toyota Camry problems
See all 2012 Toyota Camry problems or air bags problems across all Camry years.