NHTSA lists 2 safety recalls and 644 owner complaints for the 2012 Toyota Camry (including the hybrid).
Recalled components: electrical system and air bags. Most-described problem: shaking, shuddering or vibration (103 complaints, 16%). Most-reported area: powertrain (146 complaints, 23%; median mileage when it happened: 80,000).
More complaints than most Camry years
The 2012 drew 216 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 112 for a typical Camry year: 1.9 times as many. It is not a year to avoid, which takes at least twice the typical count and at least 50 complaints.
Years to avoid: 2010 and 2018; best years: 2021 and 2022. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles.
NHTSA listing: CAMRY. Components: Air bags; Electrical system; Equipment: appliance, air conditioner.
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.
The fix and full notice
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.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 Toyota Camry.
Defect petitions: requests for an investigation
NHTSA has 1 open defect petition that names the 2012 Toyota Camry. A defect petition is a request from the public for an investigation, which NHTSA reviews before deciding whether to open one. The petition itself is not an investigation.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received a petition dated September 19, 2023 from the owner of a 2012 Toyota Prius V requesting that ODI reevaluate its decision to deny DP19-004.
NHTSA listing: CAMRY HYBRID. Component: Brakes (foundation components, power assist).
What owners report
Owners have filed 644 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Camry. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Shaking, shuddering or vibration103 · 16%
Median 88,000 miles at failure, from 60 reports with mileage
Hesitation or slow acceleration57 · 9%
Median 75,700 miles at failure, from 44 reports with mileage
Transmission failure or replacement37 · 6%
Median 95,000 miles at failure, from 31 reports with mileage
Airbags did not deploy in a crash33 · 5%
Median 46,500 miles at failure, from 32 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off31 · 5%
Median 48,000 miles at failure, from 25 reports with mileage
Unintended acceleration or surging26 · 4%
Median 24,500 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
Power steering problems or locked steering19 · 3%
Median 54,900 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage
Brake failure or a soft or hard pedal18 · 3%
Median 22,300 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Most named: automatic transmission, torque converter (7); automatic transmission (6) · Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 104 reports with mileage
Air bags83 · 13%
Median 37,000 miles at failure, from 61 reports with mileage
Speed control73 · 11%
Median 29,400 miles at failure, from 59 reports with mileage
Body structure68 · 11%
Most named: body (50); body, door (3) · Median 19,700 miles at failure, from 57 reports with mileage
Electrical system67 · 10%
Median 54,000 miles at failure, from 51 reports with mileage
Brakes65 · 10%
Median 28,000 miles at failure, from 55 reports with mileage
Steering65 · 10%
Median 29,000 miles at failure, from 45 reports with mileage
Unknown or other88 · 14%
Median 53,100 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Toyota Camry recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2012 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2018 Camry drew the most (331) and the 2012 drew 216.
Owner complaints
2012: 644 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Toyota Camry
Model year
Complaints
2010
613
2011
623
2012
644
2013
301
2014
480
2015
286
2016
189
2017
153
2018
771
2019
406
2020
283
2021
165
2022
63
2023
65
2024
50
2025
164
2026
133
Safety recalls
2012: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Toyota Camry
Model year
Recalls
2010
9
2011
5
2012
2
2013
2
2014
3
2015
1
2016
3
2017
3
2018
8
2019
7
2020
3
2021
1
2022
1
2023
2
2024
1
2025
6
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 644 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Toyota Camry, the problems described most are shaking, shuddering or vibration (103), hesitation or slow acceleration (57), and transmission failure or replacement (37). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2012 Toyota Camry safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2012 Toyota Camry earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2012 Toyota Camry?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2012 Toyota Camry. NHTSA is reviewing 1 defect petition that names it: brake actuator valve wear (DP23005, opened Nov 22, 2023). A petition asks NHTSA to open an investigation and is not one itself.
How do I check if my Camry has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Toyota dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CAMRY, CAMRY HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.