2012 Toyota Camry Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
AvoidComplaint Index
79/100
#4 most-complained of 15 Camry years
The 2012 Toyota Camry ranks 4th worst out of 15 model years, with 589 complaints and a Complaint Index of 79, earning an Avoid verdict. Transmission & Powertrain problems lead at 24% of complaints, followed by Engine issues at 20%.
- Complaints
- 589
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes / fires
- 84 / 6
- Injuries / deaths
- 65 / 0
- NHTSA overall rating
- 5 / 5 ★
- EPA combined MPG
- 26
- 22.5 city / 32 hwy
Top 2012 Toyota Camry problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Transmission & Powertrain142 (24%)
- Engine116 (20%)
- Other91 (15%)
- Airbags75 (13%)
- Structure & Body73 (12%)
- Electrical System66 (11%)
- Brakes60 (10%)
- Steering58 (10%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires34 (6%)
- Fuel System26 (4%)
What owners report
- Airbags failed to deploy in side-impact and T-bone collisions even at moderate speeds around 30 to 40 mph.
- Some owners describe sudden unintended acceleration while stopped with a foot on the brake, leading to rear-end collisions.
- Brake pedal reportedly failed to stop the vehicle during low-speed maneuvers, resulting in collisions with fixed objects.
- A dark shadow band appeared across the top of the windshield in low-light driving conditions, obscuring visibility.
- Rear-end electrical and body damage was reported following a low-speed collision, with owners noting no clear resolution.
2012 Toyota Camry recalls
2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 13V442000Oct 17, 2013Other802,769 vehicles
Equipment:appliance:air conditioner
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.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 13V014000Jan 16, 2013Structure & Body3,235 vehicles
Seats
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.
Remedy: 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.
2012 Toyota Camry fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 22.5 MPG
- Highway
- 32 MPG
- Combined
- 26 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,500
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2012 compared with other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2012 Toyota Camry reliable?
- Among the 15 model years with data, the 2012 Camry ranks 4th worst with a Complaint Index of 79 and 589 complaints, giving it an Avoid verdict relative to other Camry years.
- What are the most common problems with the 2012 Toyota Camry?
- NHTSA complaints show Transmission & Powertrain issues make up 24% of complaints, followed by Engine problems at 20% and Airbag issues at 13%.
- Does the 2012 Toyota Camry have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2012 Camry, one covering a clogged air conditioning condenser drain hose and another covering occupant detection sensor recalibration, neither classified as do-not-drive.
- How does the 2012 Camry compare to other years?
- The 2012 Camry's Complaint Index of 79 is worse than the 2013 model (50) and much worse than the 2017 (21) or 2022 (7) models, but better than the 2011 model (100).
- What mileage do problems typically appear at on the 2012 Camry?
- The median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 40,000 miles, though Transmission & Powertrain issues showed a higher median of 80,000 miles.