2018 Toyota Camry: sudden loss of power

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Acceleration · OH

transmission failure and power loss while driving

Filed Sep 7, 2026 · Brakes, Engine · NY

After taking the car on a short drive: Pre-collision malfunction; parking brake malf; ICS malf; chk eng reduced power; secondary collision brake malf; rough idle and driving; sometimes won't accelerate (revs only); cruise control won't work; battery drained when off (12.5 v to 10.5 in one day; battery just under 3 years old); after replacing battery: OBD 2:P0302

Filed Jul 24, 2026 · Engine · 42,572 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message “See Dealer” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with water pump failure. The dealer was notified of the diagnosis but advised the contact to disregard the warning. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle back to the residence, the vehicle started to lose power and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was returned to the independent mechanic to have the water pump replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,572.

Filed Jun 13, 2026 · Transmission · CT

The 8-speed automatic transmission (Aisin UB80, the 4-cylinder variant of the UA80 family) failed at approximately 53,000 miles. Symptoms prior to failure: harsh shifting, RPM flare to 4,000 between gears before hard engagement ("thud"), loss of power in Reverse, and a metal-on-metal noise from inside the transmission when power was applied. No dashboard warning lights illuminated at any point. Safety risk: the vehicle would not shift normally and lost power in Reverse, with the engine revving to high RPM before abrupt gear engagement. This created a real risk of sudden loss of forward propulsion in traffic, abrupt unintended acceleration on engagement, and inability to safely reverse. The failure occurred without prior warning indicators. The problem was confirmed by both an independent service center and an authorized Toyota dealer. The Toyota dealer performed a road test and a transmission fluid sample analysis. The dealer documented, verbatim: "vehicle will rev up to 4k before shifting and will only shift if you let off the gas... took a transmission fluid sample and found fluid was burnt with clutch pack material suspended in fluid. Transmission will need to be replaced." Quoted repair: approximately $10,747. The failure mechanism — burnt fluid with suspended clutch pack material from heat-driven internal wear — matches the defect alleged in three active federal class-action lawsuits naming this transmission family (filed in U.S. District Courts in Texas, California, and New Jersey, late 2025 through early 2026). It also matches multiple Toyota Technical Service Bulletins (T-SB-0330-17, T-SB-0010-18, T-SB-0152-19) and the defect Toyota has acknowledged on the 2017-2018 Sienna and Highlander under Customer Support Program ZJC by extending warranty to 10 years/unlimited miles on the same transmission family. The failed transmission is no longer in my possession; the vehicle has been sold. Diagnostic documentation is available upon request.

Filed May 30, 2026 · Transmission · FL

The transmission on the 2018 Toyota Camrys are the worst. Ever since I got my car it has had loss of power with acceleration it jerks randomly when driving and it’s very unpredictable. It makes me nervous every day I drive it & it gives me anxiety that at any second my transmission will just completely fail. I did research and soooo many people are having the same issue. This needs to be fixed.

Filed Feb 9, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · OH

Poor acceleration and lose of transmission control ….complete safety hazard and the car has a failure to lose power while driving…..a humming noise and the car jerks while shifting gears

Filed Jan 30, 2026 · Transmission · FL

While driving my 2018 Toyota Camry in active traffic, the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating despite pressing the accelerator pedal. The engine remained on, but the vehicle would not move when pressing accelerator pedal. This occurred without warning and created an immediate safety hazard because surrounding traffic was moving normally and I was unable to maintain speed or clear the roadway. The loss of acceleration occurred while the vehicle was already in motion, not during startup, and placed me at risk of being rear-ended. There were no dashboard warnings prior to the failure. The condition appeared intermittent and unpredictable. This issue is extremely dangerous because a driver cannot rely on the vehicle to accelerate when needed to avoid collisions or safely merge, cross intersections, or keep up with traffic flow. What Happened After the Failure The vehicle required pulling over / restarting / limping to safety due to inability to accelerate normally. This defect makes the vehicle unsafe to operate in normal traffic conditions. ⸻ Additional Safety Concerns I have discovered numerous consumer complaints and ongoing litigation involving 2018 Toyota Camry automatic transmission failures, including reports of hesitation, loss of power, and failure to accelerate. This suggests a systemic transmission defect, not normal wear and tear. This failure presents a serious risk of crash, injury, or death, especially in intersections, highways, or congested traffic. Requested Action I am requesting that the federal safety agency: •Investigate this issue as a potential safety defect •Review similar complaints involving 2018 Toyota Camry automatic transmissions •Require corrective action, including recall or mandatory repair, if a defect is confirmed

Filed Jan 14, 2026 · Transmission · CA

Faulty transmission resulted in loss of power while driving at high speed

Filed Dec 28, 2025 · Transmission · OH

My son was driving down Interstate 71 at approx 65 mph in our 2018 Toyota Camry when it lost power. He was able to pull off to the side of the road and turned the car off. Once the car was restarted, he was able to drive it (at a maximum speed of 35 mph) to the closest exit where he pulled into a gas station. While trying to back it into a parking spot, the car would not go into reverse. We had the car towed back to the dealership that we purchased it new from (Kings Toyota). Approximately 3 days later we received word that the transmission needed to be replaced at the cost of 8200.00.

Filed Dec 10, 2025 · Transmission · CT

In short: I had a whining noise coming from under my hood, my car was changing gears roughly. When I was driving on I-95 N and my car lost power/ the ability to accelerate on the highway. I had to make my way to the far-right lane and exit the highway. My safety was at risk at this point (no warning lights came on my dashboard). My car lost the ability to drive. I had my car towed to the Toyota dealership. The mechanic recorded a video of my car giving details of the issue (I have the video). My transmission needs to be replaced (internal failure noted by the mechanic), and my car has yet to reach 65,000 miles! This is ridiculous. I seen many complaints on the federal safety agency site regarding this vehicle and the transmission. A class action lawsuit needs to take place, and Toyota needs to pay 100% of these repairs. I can be reached at [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 23, 2025 · Electrical, Steering · CA · crash · fire

My 2018 Toyota Camry (VIN [XXX] ) crashed and burned completely on Nov 16, 2025. while driving on the Freeway the vehicle stopped suddenly without any notice on dashboard all electrical turned off steering wheel locked and lost control hit left fwy barrier which caused car to spun couple times and when it came to a complete stop was not able to turn car or even turn emergency lights on and couple seconds later was rear ended by another vehicle which caused vehicle to catch on fire and vehicle was fully in flames after reviewing history of vehicle I never received notification of Toyota Recall 18V‑200, which addresses defective pistons that can cause engine stalling, rough running, loss of power, or sudden failure. Based on VIN and production date, my car likely falls within the recall. Police and fire reports are available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 21, 2025 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · NJ

I was leaving a doctor's office and getting on the highway. When I pressed down on the accelerator, I experienced a sudden loss of power, the check engine light came on, as well as warnings about the front collision system being deactivated. It remained dangerous for me to stay on the highway but it was also difficult to exit the highway safely given the loss of power. When I brought it to a Toyota dealership, they did a diagnostic and it said my transmission had an "internal failure" despite the fact that it only has 85k miles on it.