What 263 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Toyota Camry

Odometer Fraud: The contact purchased a 2020 Toyota Camry. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale from Facebook Marketplace. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 63,129. After reviewing the Carfax report the following day, the contact became aware that the mileage was 352,000.

NHTSA ODI 11747189

My 12 Volt plug does not work. My infatainment system stopped workin

NHTSA ODI 11736514

While driving the car just shut-off in the middle of the road. If you tried to restart the car it would turn on rev the engine and shut off. The dash display displayed a message " precollision system malfunction" and "secondary brake collision malfunction". Safety wise if this had happened on the highway could have been very dangerous or worse. The car was inoperable and required a tow truck. Luckily we were not on a very busy road during the incident. The problem has been replicated and is currently being tested at Joe Meyers Toyota in Houston, Texas. When the message displayed on the dash, check engine light came on as well as the brake light on the dash.

NHTSA ODI 11716750

It’s reading the LDA warning lights, secondary collision break malfunction, pre collision break malfunction, check engine light. Car is misfiring and could possibly cut off in mid traffic. Dealer said that the Motor has a cracked head gasket. There were no problems prior to these issues.

NHTSA ODI 11710039

My 2020 Camry has been nothing but a problem and Toyota is noncompliant with helping me. The service recall for the fuel pump was fixed at Vaughn Toyota in Bastrop La .. a week later I still had the same issues. They refused to put another fuel pump on my car even thought the fuel pump had a one year warranty. I then took it to Landers in Little Rock and since I had “codes” I had to pay $180 diagnostic fee. Fast forward to now, still have the same crappy fuel pump. I took it to Ryburn Toyota and was told to replace the charcoal canister and vent valve . That was $1000. Problem not fixed. All my lights stay on, I often get a charging system error notification. It goes into reduced power mode. And has left me stranded numerous times on the side of the road. I want whatever is wrong with my car fixed. I have never owned a vehicle with this many problems. I thought Toyota’s were good vehicles but I promise if I ever get rid of this one, I will not purchase another Toyota vehicle again.

NHTSA ODI 11703888

My 2020 Toyota Camry SE suffered a sudden and premature transmission failure at only 114,000 miles. I am a college student and I cannot afford a major repair like this on top of my monthly car payment. The car began showing hesitation and sluggish acceleration on cold starts for a few months, but then suddenly went into limp mode with the Check Engine and Traction Control lights on. The screen displayed a warning saying ‘Malfunction in the electronic control of the engine/throttle/transmission.’ The vehicle became unsafe to drive because it would barely accelerate. If this had happened while I was merging onto a highway, it could have caused an accident. Lakeland Toyota told me the transmission has ‘internal failure’ and quoted me over $8,000 for a replacement. They did not provide detailed diagnostic codes or open the transmission to confirm the mechanical failure — they just saw a code and declared it dead. As a student with limited income, this puts me in a terrible financial situation. I still owe monthly payments on this car and now cannot even drive it. After researching online, I learned that MANY 2018–2020 Camry owners are experiencing similar transmission problems (UA80/UA80E), including hesitation, shuddering, harsh shifting, and early failure. Some owners have reported full transmission failure under 100k miles. There is even a public petition documenting these issues. This appears to be a PATTERN, not an isolated case. A transmission should NOT fail this early on a Toyota, and this sudden loss of power poses a serious safety risk. The vehicle is currently at a transmission specialist for a second opinion, but this may become a widespread issue affecting thousands of Camry owners. I am asking NHTSA to investigate the 2018–2020 Camry transmission problems before more drivers experience unexpected failures in traffic

NHTSA ODI 11703172

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine oil was changed, and the oil warning light was reset. The mechanic informed the contact that the wiring harness had been damaged due to rodent activity and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact reported an issue with the battery draining. The vehicle was diagnosed with a battery failure, and the battery was replaced several times; however, the check engine warning light was occasionally illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11695492

On multiple occasions the doors have Locked or Unlocked automatically while driving. This puts my children at risk not knowing if doors will stay locked while driving. The problem has not been looked at a dealer. I doubt they could reproduce it being so random and infrequent. There were not any warning lamps or messages.

NHTSA ODI 11675646

Only the driver side door unlocks. Started with rear driver side door. Now only driver side door unlocks with key fob. Replaced battery and had fob program still same issue.

NHTSA ODI 11649835

Started vehicle and went to back up. Car slammed into reverse and disply showed Drive start control malfunction. The service engine light came on. I removed the battery to reset the error message and the following dayi took it to the dealership. They checked it out and told me that they didnt find anything wrong with it since it wasnt displaying a service engine light. So i went home with it. The next day it did it again so i took it back to them while the condition was happening. Which insisted of the error message, serv eng light, gearshift indicator displaying drive and park at the same time. Also the door locks were continually locking and unlocking. They put a new water valve plus a neut switch assy and a new xmission lever in it and told me it was fixed. I picked it up and the next day it did it again. Returned it to them and they said that the new part was possibly bad from Toyota, ordered a new one, put it in and said it was all good now. I picked car up and 9 months later its happening again. Not sure what to do. Please help

NHTSA ODI 11644555

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the "Failure - Ignition Control" message was displayed. The contact stated that occasionally the seat belt warning chime failed to turn off while the seat belt was secured. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle occasionally failed to start, and all four door latches failed to unlock while using the key fob. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11633361

Just bought this car in May 2024 and a few months after owning it my check engine light came on. They said the issue is with a coolant bypass valve and the issue is common with Toyota’s like mine. There is currently no recall, warranty is fighting me to fix it and the repairs will cost me over $700! Toyota needs to recall for this issue

NHTSA ODI 11628203

Battery was replaced 6 months ago due to being old, however, on Sept 19,2024 the car was completely dead after 4 days of no driving. Jumped by AAA and taken to dealer. Dealer reported on Sept 20 no issue with battery and no idea what could be draining th battery. Told me I don’t drive it enough even though I just came back from a high mileage vacation and drove it for over 1 hour each way four days prior and two days before that. Told me I need to run for 30 min every other day even if it is just keep it idle in garage. Prior to this battery change I had no such issue letting it sit for days and not start. There seems to be an issue with this year of Camry that is going unaddressed by Toyota and needs a remedy other than drive your car more often as well as being told to buy a maintainer/charger to keep battery charged as told by the tech. This is a widespread problem that needs to be fixed or made right by the company especially when car is under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11615722

coolant bypass valve

NHTSA ODI 11614912

Consistent issues regarding battery draining when car sits over 24 hours. Dealer can not find or resolve the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11611632

While driving my car lost all power and my check engine light came on saying it needed to go to Toyota for inspection!

NHTSA ODI 11591461

Car battery is dead . Battery is drained without cause, especially if car is park for 3 days or more. I have battery replaced before but still dies if not driven.

NHTSA ODI 11589200

Coolant bypass valve not functioning and needs to be repaired. Car can overheat or cause other electrical issues. Dealer stated this is a frequent issue for a lot of models. Not covered under warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11584342

The 12-volt battery has gone totally dead twice. Replaced the battery 2 times. Both batteries were fairly new. I believe there is some sort of drain on the battery that the test doesn't show. at a Toyota dealership, they said I didn't drive the car enough. When the battery failed the last time, I had driven the car over 1000 miles in the previous days before letting the car sit for 2 days. No way should the battery die this quickly.

NHTSA ODI 11582159

After not driving for a couple days I was unable to start my Toyota Camry. The battery had drained for the 3rd time since buying this car in 2020. Safety - N/A Dealer confirmed issue. Yes the dealership No warning lamps.

NHTSA ODI 11572577

The vehicle has a parasitic electrical drain that has lead to my wife being stranded twice.

NHTSA ODI 11557287

I purchased my Toyota Camry 2020 in 2021. I am at 56k miles and my car hasn’t started up without a jump for three weeks now. Car battery and alternator checked in excellent condition but somehow battery always drained. Found out that there was a bulletin back in 2020 on this issue that I was never made aware of so now I’m past 36 and Toyota states I have to pay for the update needed to keep my car running which is ridiculous because had I received this update upon purchase in 2021 this wouldnt have happened. This car is brand new and for them to say I have to pay for this Issue they have neglected to take care of is unfair. There should be a class action suit against Toyota for this.

NHTSA ODI 11547841

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the front end of the vehicle made abnormal exploding sounds and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery had exploded, and the battery was replaced. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Pre-collision Warning Malfunction” was intermittently displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on another occasion, the message "Maintenance Required" and messages indicating the Pre-collision, Anti-Lock and ABS malfunction, and to contact the nearest dealer were displayed. The contact also stated that an alarm persistently sounded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was due to rodents damaging electrical wires. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for a second opinion, and the mechanic determined that the failure was caused by the acidic residues that remained in the hood after the battery explosion. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer to be repaired. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 74,480.

NHTSA ODI 11544682

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, unknown warning lights started flashing on the instrument panel. The vehicle started losing motive power and became difficult to control and pulled to the center lane unintendedly. The contact stated that moments later the failures ceased, and the vehicle started to operate as intended. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Recently the failure reoccurred, and the dealer determined that the failure was caused by a faulty battery. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534275

The contact owns a 2020 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that all four doors on the vehicle failed to lock or unlock as needed. The contact stated that the failure initially started with the rear passenger’s side door after the door failed to unlock with the key fob. The contact attempted to unlock the door with the button on the driver side door, but the doors failed to open. The failure then occurred with all four doors, with an abnormal squeaking sound coming from the doors while attempting to unlock the doors. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11514639