2018 Toyota Camry: jerking or lurching

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · TX

Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2018 Toyota Camry On October 26, 2026, the driver was operating a 2018 Toyota Camry on a public roadway at approximately 45 mph when the vehicle unexpectedly activated its automatic emergency braking system. The dashboard displayed a “BRAKE!” warning, immediately followed by extremely forceful braking, comparable to someone suddenly slamming their foot on the brake pedal. The vehicle rapidly decelerated from approximately 45 mph to a complete stop, despite there being no vehicles, pedestrians, or visible obstacles in front of or near the vehicle. The sudden braking caused the driver’s body to lurch forward. According to the driver, the seat belt did not noticeably tighten during the incident. After the vehicle came to a complete stop, the brakes released, and the car slowly began rolling forward without the driver pressing the accelerator. The driver did not intentionally initiate the emergency braking. This unexpected activation created a serious safety hazard and could have resulted in a rear-end collision, loss of vehicle control, or serious injury. The incident raises concerns about a possible malfunction of the vehicle’s Pre-Collision System (PCS), including its radar sensor, forward-facing camera, calibration, or associated software. A VIN search through the federal safety agency database indicated zero outstanding safety recalls for this vehicle. I am requesting that the federal safety agency document and investigate this incident as a potential safety defect involving unintended automatic emergency braking in the 2018 Toyota Camry.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Engine · WI

My 2018 Toyota Camry LE went into Limp mode while drive on the highway causing jerking while driving and tons of error codes on the dash, and issues with safety systems shutting off and accelration. After towing to a dealership, dealership gave me the following description of the defect: Coolant is coming through the cylinder walls due to a hairline fracture in the cylinder causing 2 of the 4 cylinders to misfire and coolant to mix with usual contents. We aren't able to identify where the cause of this problem is but it makes the most economical sense to replace the engine with a lower mileage engine and replace the neighboring parts to support the less old engine. I was quoted $8300 approximately. the same vehicle just a few years older are recalled already for the exact same thing - the federal safety agency Recall 20V064000. the federal safety agency Recall states: "The subject vehicles are equipped with a 2.5L 4 Cylinder engine (A25A) and may have been produced with engine blocks containing higher porosity levels. Higher levels of porosity could create cracks in the cooling passages, resulting in coolant leaking internally and/or externally. This may lead to engine noise, engine smoke, warning lights/malfunction indicator illumination, an audible chime sounding, and/or, in some cases, engine overheating and possible internal mechanical engine damage (e.g. seizing of internal engine components). If engine overheating or internal mechanical engine damage were to occur on involved conventional gasoline vehicles, a vehicle stall while driving at higher speeds could occur without prior warning to the driver, increasing the risk of crash."

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Transmission · 69,000 miles · GA

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle was jerking and hesitating. The failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted and was able to reproduce the failure. The vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 69,000.

Filed Oct 1, 2026 · Transmission · CA

2018 Toyota Camry approx 126,000 miles. Transmission had always been rough-- previously jerking and was told by dealer technician that shocks needed to be replaced soon. While out of state and traveling in remote area, the car gave out. Was advised by out of state Toyota dealership technician that the transmission had blown and the inside of the mechanism had imploded and the car could not be moved at all. According to review of other consumer complaints Toyota was aware of the mechanical defect with transmission and related defective software but failed to disclose to the consumer. Toyota has failed to issue a recall.

Filed Jun 29, 2026 · Transmission · TX

Transmission began jerking and sputtering which caused the vehicle to lose acceleration ability while traveling at highway speeds. Transmission was confirmed to have failed by an independent shop and required a complete rebuild. No warning lamps or notifications prior to failure

Filed Jun 11, 2026 · Transmission · IL

Transmission has been having intermitten issues with slow or sluggish acceleration. The RPM dial would oscoliate before it would shift or you would it feel the car jerk while driving like its attempting to shift. Ive had this vehicle in and out of multiple toyota dealerships and they always said they could not find any issues with it this was starting back when the car had like 30k miles on it maybe 2 years of ownership now that its out of warranty they find issues with it now and tried to give me a repair for a complete new transmission for 6,000 They did a software update however did not fix the issue now the transmission is noisy and making a loud whinning noise

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 May 28, 2026 · Transmission · FL

I own a 2018 Toyota Camry equipped with the UA80 8-speed automatic transmission. I have experienced the following symptoms: burning smell coming from the transmission, hesitation and jerking during acceleration, and previously noticed a knocking/clunking noise that eventually stopped on its own. These symptoms are consistent with the known UA80 transmission defect involving excessive heat buildup, premature fluid degradation, and torque converter failure. I am aware that Toyota has known about this defect since at least 2016 and has issued multiple Technical Service Bulletins without offering a permanent fix or recall. The transmission has not yet been inspected by a dealer. I am filing this complaint to add to the public record and support a formal the federal safety agency investigation.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · FL

When driving, the car would go into limp mode and wouldn’t get out of 2nd gear. it was super jerky as well. when taken to a mechanic, it was diagnosed with malfunctioning transmission among some other things such as brakes and tires. we take fairly great care of our vehicles and get them seen for regular maintenance. once the car started acting up, the check engine light came on. it is now unsafe to drive and two mechanics have confirmed an issue with the transmission, which is now also in a class action lawsuit for transmission failures. it’s had hiccups before over the past two years (started around 85000 miles) but never to that extreme and every time we took it into a mechanic they never saw the issue before until now. the hiccups we just delayed shifting and simultaneous RPM increase but stoped after a few seconds and letting off the gas, and then would correct itself. mechanics chocked it up to just needing a tune up and never saw the issue themselves, it happened randomly and just every once in a while.

Filed Mar 31, 2026 · Transmission · GA

The vehicle experienced a complete transmission failure following a period of abnormal operation. The component that failed is the automatic transmission (8-speed). Prior to total failure, the vehicle began exhibiting multiple symptoms, including delayed engagement when shifting into drive and reverse, hesitation during acceleration, and inconsistent power delivery at low speeds. At times, the engine RPM would increase without corresponding acceleration, followed by sudden jerking or surging once the transmission engaged. These issues created unsafe driving conditions, particularly when attempting to merge into traffic or accelerate from a stop, as the vehicle did not respond predictably or immediately to driver input. This posed a safety risk to both the driver and surrounding vehicles. The symptoms progressed over time and ultimately resulted in a complete transmission failure, rendering the vehicle undrivable. The problem has been confirmed by a dealership, which diagnosed the vehicle as requiring a full transmission replacement. The transmission is available for inspection upon request. There were no prior warning lights or dashboard indicators before the onset of symptoms. The initial symptoms appeared suddenly and worsened over a short period of time. The vehicle has been regularly maintained according to recommended service schedules, with no known gaps in maintenance. Based on the nature of the failure and similar reports of transmission issues in comparable vehicles, this appears to be a premature component failure rather than normal wear and tear. This issue appears consistent with broader reports of transmission malfunction in similar model vehicles, raising concerns about reliability and safety.

Filed Mar 27, 2026 · Suspension, Transmission · 80,000 miles · DC

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that there was a transmission leak and ball joint failure. The vehicle was repaired. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2026 · Transmission · MI

I began noticing louder noises coming from my Camry over the last couple months. The car started jerking forward more, stalling and hesitating to pick up speed, and I became increasingly concerned about my ability to control the car. Took the car in on Tuesday February 24th for a routine oil change at suburban Toyota of Troy and I informed them of the issue. Completed oil changed and They informed me that transmission fluid looked good, we just flushed it last year, and there was nothing they could notice right away wrong. They said they initially could not detect a problem but eventually noticed hesitation and jerking of the car when testing it. The dealer informed that a software update might help the jerking. I was told there was no guarantee that the update would help. There were also no warning lights on the dash at any time. I was not told that I should do the update right away and so I planned to bring the car back. Two days later, on 2/27/26, upon driving my car for five mins, it began jerking, making very loud sounds, and failed to accelerate. I had never experienced this issue to this degree and It was very scary and dangerous to experience this during rush hour traffic. The car then completely gave out, stopped driving altogether and the car began smelling like something was burning. I had it towed back to the dealer. the dealer told me that the transmission is a complete failure. The car is in otherwise good condition. This is extremely disappointing because I just paid this vehicle off and now I have to pay Toyota 8900 for a new transmission or get a new car.