2012 Toyota Camry: engine and transmission complaints
ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
39%
213 of 548 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
39% of relevant owner complaints on the 2012 Toyota Camry are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.
Better than 56% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 96 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 33%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS05/14/2014CRASH3 INJURED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON A SLIGHT INCLINE WITH THE ENGINE TURNED ON. WITHIN 3 MINUTES, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD AND DOWN A HILL BEFORE CRASHING INTO A TREE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE DRIVER WAS INJURE…
CAR TOTALED IN SEVERE ACCIDENT AFTER OWNERSHIP OF EIGHT MONTHS. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON MCLOUGHLIN BLVD IN PORTLAND OR AND MY TOYOTA WAS STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A CHRYSLER WITH SUCH FORCE THAT IT HIT SEVERAL OTHER CARS (BELIEVE THE POLICE OFFICER SAID 6.)
I REAR ENDED A JEEP WRANGLER GOING ABOUT 30 MILES AN HOUR ON THE INTERSTATE. THE JEEP WAS STATIONARY AND MY CAR WAS IN MOTION MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND I HIT MY FOREHEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH CAUSED A LARGE KNOT AND CUT ON MY FOREHEAD.
Three of 213 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (2)
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE
Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, …
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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 conditionin…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Toyota Camry
Ask the seller whether the transmission has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown shuddering, slipping, delayed or harsh shifts, or a whine at speed.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many transmission faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the transmission.
2 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
