Reliable Auto DB

2012 Toyota Camry reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 644 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Camry over 15 years — 72 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Camry years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Inactive sensor control module.

2012 Toyota Camry SE
Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

644

Per year

72

Recalls

2

Years on the road

15

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (146 of 644), then Air bags (83) and Speed control (73). Those filings include 95 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, and 55 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Camry has 301 complaints, 41 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Camry. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall Electrical system 2013-10-17 · NHTSA campaign 13V442000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall air bags, frontal, inactive sensor control module 2013-01-16 · NHTSA campaign 13V014000
Summary 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.
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.

Complaints by component (644 total)

Powertrain
146
Air bags
83
Speed control
73
Structure
68
Electrical system
67
Steering
65
Engine
62
Service brakes
61
Fuel and propulsion system
25
Suspension
18
Visibility
18
Wheels
17
Seat belts
14
Seats
13
Exterior lighting
10
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
Equipment
8
Tires
6
Hydraulic brakes
5
Visibility and wipers
5
Engine and engine cooling
4
Adaptive and mobility equipment
3
Forward collision avoidance
3
Fuel system, gasoline
3
Latches, locks, and linkages
3
Traction control
2
Back-over prevention
1
Child seat
1
Insert and padding
1
Interior lighting
1
Other or not sure
1
Show 23 more Show less
Crash-flagged

95

Fire-flagged

6

Injury reports

55

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

420114220127220139820147220154220165020175020184920193620204020213020222620238202418202572026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "2012 Toyota Camry LE developed severe transmission shudder/vibration during normal driving, especially around 25–35 mph and 45–60 mph. The vehicle also experienced noticeable vibration when shifting into Reverse and…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-08-18
  • "The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed uphill during flooding conditions, the vehicle slipped and hydroplaned. The contact attempted to correct the steering…"
    Air bags · filed 2026-07-14
  • "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…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-04-27
  • "I am noticing there is some wiggling and play with the driver’s seat. Every time I hop inside the car, I feel the seat wiggle back a little bit. I notice some movement back and forth when accelerating and braking and it…"
    Electrical system, Seats, Unknown or other · filed 2026-02-23
  • "The "incident" is not a fault or flaw of my car in any way, but rather is caused by the auto industry's general shift to LED/HID headlights. In my opinion, they make driving unsafe for external observers because they…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-02-19

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2012 Toyota Camry 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2012 Toyota Camry HV 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Camry 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 24 34 28 MPG $2300
Camry 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 21 30 24 MPG $2700
Camry hybrid LE 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 42 38 40 MPG $1600
Camry hybrid XLE 2.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 40 37 39 MPG $1650

Specs and fitment

7th generation, 2012–2017
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.5L and 3.5L; 5W-20 only if 0W-20 is unavailable) , 4.6 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R17 (LE/SE) to 235/55R18 (XLE); 225/45R18 (SE/XSE)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 13V-442 covers certain 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. The air conditioning condenser drain hose may become clogged, water may accumulate in the condenser housing, and water may leak through a seam onto the air bag control module, which can cause a short circuit of the module. Dealers seal the condenser housing and install a protective cover on the air bag control module. Recall 14V-576 covers certain model year 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Sienna, and Highlander and model year 2015 Lexus RX350 vehicles. Fuel may leak from one of the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment. Dealers replace any suspect fuel delivery pipes.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Camry See every Toyota Camry model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Camry reliable?

Owners have filed 644 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota Camry over 15 years — 72 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Camry years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system and Inactive sensor control module.

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Camry?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (146 of 644), then Air bags (83) and Speed control (73). Those filings include 95 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, and 55 that report an injury.

Is the 2012 Toyota Camry more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Camry has 301 complaints, 41 per year. The 2012 has more complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Camry been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Camry has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Camry?

Owners have filed 644 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Camry with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Camry get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Camry is 32.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 Toyota Camry?

8th generation (2018-2024).

Is the 2025 Toyota Camry available with a non-hybrid engine in the US?

In the United States, every 2025 Camry trim uses the hybrid powertrain; gasoline-only and V6 engines are not offered.