What 642 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Camry

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 ODI 11734130

Vehicle is shuddering/stalling when trying to accelerate. Currently 150,000

NHTSA ODI 11698853

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure worsened while merging onto a highway and the vehicle vibrated abnormally while accelerating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11681409

When I either: i) start the car and drive more than 20 ft OR ii) am at a stop light then accelerate..the car begins to jerk backward. Have changed the gasket and the throttle body and this issue still keeps happening. It started around the 90k Mile mark.

NHTSA ODI 11668312

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact research and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11664573

Hi I owned this car I had low miles on it 108404 I registered it start driving when I drive it start shuddering and vibration on car when I reach speet 30-40 I talk with Toyota they told me they had recall in past it was expired on 2021 they can not repair it if I want to repair it I have to pay from my pocket that was not our fault I talk with them no help lot of people had same issue with transmission we buy this car after warranty expired if some one can help us with this issue that will be appreciates thanks you

NHTSA ODI 11664166

My VIN for my 2012 Toyota camry LE 4cyl was never listed for a recall that my vehicle should have been included on. 2012 Toyota Transmission U760e shuddering issue and ECM issue. By VIN there are no past or present recalls listed, but after extensive research my vehicle does qualify for this fix by the manufacture for faulty transmission parts. My vehicle is equipped with this transmission U760e confirmed by the label in the door jamb. My vehicle has been dealer maintained since I became owner in 2013 and never once did I get a recall letter or be made aware of a recall from the dealerships. The issue is this recall gave a specific timeline on when owners had to bring their car in for this fix and that timeline has passed. I believe im owed this recall fix on my vehicle and need it reviewed because my car shudders going 40-50mph, the Toyota dealership has inspected my car and quoted me for a torque converter replacement $4,500.00 my car only has 127,000 miles. Carfax report is available to show my consistent dealer maintenance and repairs along with the below average miles driven based on the year of my vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11659138

Abs light flashes randomly at me when driving and at a stop car shakes aggressively

NHTSA ODI 11651976

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating before slamming into gear. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the Limited-Service Campaign: (LSC) LSCE03. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided contact with the diagnostic trouble code: P2109 that was retrieved when the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

NHTSA ODI 11649727

The transmission malfunctioned and is available for inspection upon request. The transmission failing while driving is a safety hazard and has put my safety and others on the road at risk. The problem has not yet been inspected by a dealer or third party. There were no warning lights or engine lights prompted during this malfunction. Please confirm that the dealership will take ownership of this malfunction and is obligated to perform an inspection and repair. The 2012-2014 Toyota Camry U760 ATM ECM Software update recall is related to a potential transmission shudder issue that can occur in these model years, particularly when accelerating; this shudder is caused by a combination of factors within the transmission system, and the recall aims to address this by updating the car's Engine Control Module (ECM) software to mitigate the problem.  Key points about this recall: •Affected vehicles: 2012-2014 Toyota Camry models with the U760 transmission. 
 •Issue: The car may experience a brief shuddering sensation when accelerating under light load, especially between 25-50 mph. 
 •Solution: Toyota dealers will update the ECM software through a recall service to address the shuddering issue. 

NHTSA ODI 11649086

I bought a 2012 Toyota Camry in December of 2014. The car had 8,666 miles at the time, it currently has 84,220 miles and a transmission shudder has presented itself. Toyota was well aware of this issue back when they sold me the car since there was a letter back then. Toyota also failed to send me a notice about this particular safety issue in due time. They claim THEY SENT THE LETTER TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER! No common sense there. What good was it to them if they didn't have the car? The car is in pristine condition with the exception of the shudder which is constant every single day, is worse when turning the steering wheel at any turn and it looses power making very dangerous to merge at the highway. There are so many complaints yet the NHTSA has not done anything. Toyota is not owning it and has pushed this burden on to its customers to resolve the matter on their own and making them deal with this. The customer service team is no help and like paid puppets keep saying over and over is at the owners expense. This very expensive problem caused by Toyota should be taken care by Toyota.

NHTSA ODI 11647824

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and downshifted unexpectedly. The contact stated that the vehicle was shuddering abnormally. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with an unknown recall; however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11602666

Car surging while going at low speeds turning to the right x 2. Stepped on brake and car would not steer either direction.

NHTSA ODI 11558152

The 2012 Camry has a known problem with its Torque Converter. At low throttle (less than 1500 RPM), the torque converter exhibits a shudder while changing gears, most often going from 4th to 5th gear. Toyota initially released a service advisory in 2017 and attempted to fix the problem with a software update. A few years later, Toyota released an extended warranty covering the defect for 8 years of first use or 150,000 miles; whichever came first. Toyota claims that this defect may eventually result in transmission failure. My car exhibited this problem in 2016. A local Toyota dealership confirmed the problem and performed the software update. This temporarily resolved the torque converter shudder. In early 2022, the shudder returned. By this time, the extended warranty period had expired and Toyota refused to repair the defect since more than 8 years had passed since first use. The issue persists, and this defect should be placed under a recall instead of a time-limited warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11547589

2012 Toyota Camry has Torque Converter Shudder issues and they knew about it. They also ran the Warranty Enhancement program but failed to notify its owners. I never received about this Warranty from them. I had this wired noise for brief seconds when driving at a speed of 50-65MPH and told the Toyota authorized repair and maintenance center about it when I took my car for regular maintenance. They checked my car and also failed to update me on this extended warranty and could not find the issue. They knew that this was an ongoing issue but did not bother to correctly update me on this. I only happen to know about this when my transmission started to slip and was searching if there was any recall and found about their Warranty Enhancement program as mentioned https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10129984-9999.pdf but it was too late. I also called the Toyota Engagement Center to discuss this but they said they can't do anything as the program expired. The car now slows down itself when driving either in 20-25MPH or 55-60MPH and this could lead to unforeseen situations and could be a safety issue for the roads and highways I would like NHTSA to step in and make this a safety recall. It looks like almost all 2012 Camry are affected by this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11525341

Car gears are sluggish when accelerating in between 15 to 25 mph. It does not accelerate and there is lag when accelerating stop to go.

NHTSA ODI 11518096

THE CAR SHUDDERS WHEN SHIFTING GEARS , THIS IS DUE TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER. TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT THIS ISSUE . I CALLED AND THEY SAID THE RECALL WAS SENT TO THE PREVIOUS OWNER BUT THEY DIDN'T GET IT FIXED. TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL ALL OF THESE 2012 THRU 2014 CAMRYS AND FIX THESE CARS WHEN PEOPLE CALL.

NHTSA ODI 11517849

As a background, we bought the car in 2012 brand new. My background is Mechanical engineering, and hence maintained the car very well. Apart from this issue on Torque convertor rest is all good. The car has about 94,000 miles on it. Around few weeks back, the car started to hesitate when it is shifting between 20-25 mph. Sometimes this can be dangerous as you are expecting the car to pick up the speed esp. when joining the freeway etc. and always worried about being rammed in the rear by the traffic. Anyway, I took it to the dealer who said there was a “Warranty Enhancement” program that expired after 10 years. I am not sure why Toyota is permitted to have this Warranty Enhancement program when they full well know this should be a recall. This is widely discussed on all the Toyota forums. The repair is expensive about $2200 (the work is detailed in the Warranty Enhancement program ZE5) and requires software update to be done which the dealers control. With the cost of new cars and also lack of supply I had no good choice but to pay for this repair. I tried to get Toyota Headquarters to see if they honor the “Warranty Enhancement”, but they refused to even though some of this period coincides with pandemic. We have bought several of the Toyota products including Camry, Sienna & Tacoma and never been more disappointed in them than this handling of the issue. I am still at a loss on why NHTSA would let Toyota do this warranty enhancement, and not a full recall. This is putting lives of drivers at risk where one day where it might either lock up or hesitate to pick up full speed when needed. More importantly, the warranty enhancement clearly states that it will only be fixed during that period if the transmission shudder shows. It is bound to show some time, so if they know this is a mechanical and software issue why not do a recall to fix this instead of putting people’s lives in danger? NHTSA please help investigate this safety issue. UPDATE 06/16/2023: This is a brand new design introduced by Toyota in its transmission in MY 2012. So with this defect, what investigation has NHTSA conducted and what was its outcome on this issue? If no investigation is done even with over 1.5 million vehicles impacted, then why not? Please help provide some insight into your department's analysis of this safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11512608

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH and making a lane change, the vehicle started vibrating while depressing the accelerator pedal, but failed to respond as needed. The contact stated that the hesitation lasted for approximately 10 to 15 seconds, before the vehicle jerked forward and accelerated as needed. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer however, the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure became a recurring failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11508771

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that while driving above 50 MPH, the shaking ceased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test showed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

NHTSA ODI 11500820

Ever since I purchased vehicle back May 2016 with 24K miles on it (currently has 107k miles on it) the car has been vibrating between 35mph - 45mph. I took it to the dealer over 3 times within 30 days of purchase and they couldn’t figure it and replaced tires. They said it vibrates because roads are uneven. Didn’t feel like dealing with dealership and left it at that. Last year in 2021 I decided to research it and found out it’s a known issue (Torque converter) needs to be replaced. Toyota would always email me but for the “ warranty repair” they sent it to my old address. I took it to a Toyota dealer to have it inspected now say that if I want it repaired, I have to pay $2500. I even reached out to corporate July 2021 to see if they would ear 50% of costs and declined. Toyota NEEDS to take care of this properly!

NHTSA ODI 11498484

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, while the transmission was upshifting, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11492664

The car shudders in lower gear while accelerating. Engine, steering wheel and the whole car vibrates at lower speed.

NHTSA ODI 11491249

The transmission slips while accelerating through the gears. I understand it is a torque converter issue. The car jerks through each gear, feels like the engine is falling out. It has not been fixed yet as I understand it is about half the value of the vehicle to get it fixed, and I hear the fix can cause other problems with the transmission parts that are not replaced. No warning lights. As this is my only vehicle I'm worried about being in an accident before I can get it fixed. I'm not made of money, and I have to save up first.

NHTSA ODI 11487883

-Toyota Motors Manufactured 2012-2014 certain camry models with faulty torque converters(Ref- https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10129984-9999.pdf). -Car is available for inspection. -Shudder makes the car weaker and unstable. Also Delaying throttle response. Babies feel scared when the car shudders and ultra risky while passing another car. Risk for transmission lock up etc. -The problem has been reconfirmed by Toyota Dealers and Independent Service Centers. You can ask any reputed mechanic shop as well about this well known problem. -There was never a warning light and still no warning light. PLEASE SEE- Toyota Motors is making a fortune by selling a few faulty cars- Also, the above warranty plan was only applicable if the car had symptoms of torque converter failure. But toyota evaded liability to replace Torque Converter by blaming software issue initially (https://techinfo.toyota.com/techInfoPortal/staticcontent/en/techinfo/html/prelogin/docs/cp/e03tofaq.pdf) and limiting the extended warranty to 8 years, knowing that most faulty cars will not display failure symptoms during that time (Average failure time is 70-100k miles) Now, they are selling the revised torque converter with installation for over $3000. But, it is not even the fix. The faulty torque converter also damages the transmission, leading to its failure within a few hundred miles after Torque converter replacement. All those faulty torque converters are bound to fail by 100k miles. Toyota is pocketing $7-10K for those repairs, making the car worthless and owner broke. If you read reports, this extends far beyond 2012-2014 models. Since it is allowing Toyota and its dealers to sell the most expensive repair a vehicle can have...making bank for Toyota Motors and their dealers. They are also able to avoid the limelight on this issue...since it does not affect all the camry models of the same year. I wrote toyota to fix it or provide reimbursement, but they denied. Please Help!!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11485115