Sudden Unintended Acceleration: I had been out doing errands in the morning. I returned home, pulling up in front of my townhouse which is on a cul de sac. After gently coming to a stop, I planned to back up just a bit to park my car along the curb. (I did not have my foot on the accelerator, as the car normally goes gently backwards when you put it in reverse.) When I put it in R, the car accelerated backwards and crashed into a car that was parked along the curb about 15-20 ft behind me. I instinctively put the car in D to stop going uncontrollably backwards. The car shot forward; the brakes did not work. The car was out of control, making very loud revving sounds and loud screeching sounds from slamming on the brakes. Somehow, it did finally come to a stop by itself ¾ of the way around the cul de sac. Wanting to get out of the middle of the street, I instinctively turned the car back on and drove it slowly to my driveway. The car functioned normally. I could have badly injured or killed someone; in my cul de sac, there is often a lot of activity involving people of all ages, including children and babies. A police report exists. The car I hit was totaled. I had the car towed to my mechanic. He said the car didn’t throw any codes. He inspected it, but did not find anything wrong with it. The local Toyota dealership refuses to touch it because it’s been in an accident. I called Toyota (Plano TX) on 10/5: filed a claim with them on 10/7. A 3rd third-party inspector from Engineering Analysis Associates inspected the car and did a Bosch download from the black box on 10/14. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. I don’t absolutely know which component or system failed or malfunctioned. I am wondering if it’s a "ghost" software glitch (see Bookout vs Toyota litigation). Something similar happened to my husband in April 2025 when he was parking in a parking lot. The car is available for inspection upon request.
Toyota Camry brake failure problems
338 of the 17,932 owner complaints about the Toyota Camry describe brake failure, most of them for the 2007 model year.
- owner complaints
- 338
- worst model year
- 2007
- typical repair cost reported
- $2,000
- typical mileage
- 44,000
By model year
Often reported together
ABS 48Sudden acceleration 27No deployment 24Grinding brakes 11Spongy pedal 9Fire or smoke 9Check engine light 8Warning lights 6
Trouble codes mentioned
P0171 1C1391 1C1256 1
What owners say
2018 Camry XSE, Vacuum pump went on my car less then a year ago. I had my car towed to the dealership for the recall to be fixed. Since that incident my car hasn’t been the same. While stopped at a light my dash board lite up with every issue the car could possibly have. Lane departure assist, secondary breaking system failure, engine coolant too hot, emergency brake failure and then the check engine light came on. I was able to get my cat to the side of the road and eventually make it home. I brought my car back to Toyota and a day later I was informed I might need a new engine, 8,000 dollars. I am very diligent about oil changes, tune ups etc. My car has 140,000 highway miles. I travel a lot for work. This car has never had a major issue until the recalled vacuum pump was repaired. All these complaints from other people with primarily the same issue cannot be wrong. It is definitely a manufacturing issue and I shouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket for an issue that the dealership caused. Now I either have to buy a new car or pay 8000 to repair my current vehicle. I will never buy another Toyota again
The contact owns a 2015 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and attempting to decelerate, there was an abnormal sound while depressing the brake pedal and the brake went to the floorboard. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder and brake pump might need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,600.
I am reporting a brake failure issue that matches the symptoms described in the federal safety agency Campaign Number 19V‑544 (Toyota recall for brake booster vacuum pump failure). My 2018 Camry has experienced loss of brake assist, making it difficult to stop safely and requiring excessive pedal pressure. Despite these symptoms and the known recall for this issue, my VIN is not currently included. This raises concerns that the recall scope was too limited and that my vehicle should be included. I have contacted both the dealer and Toyota corporate, and I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this defect further and consider expanding the recall. This is a serious safety issue.
My Camry has received two professional transmission services as per the manufacturer recommendation, within suggested timeframes as it is now 176k. The transmission ( surely this is not something new to hear) Has FAILED. No prior sign or code. THIS VEHICLE DIED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY! It stopped automatically shifting and would not accelerate. There have been other owners of this same car, year ect. THAT HAVE LOST TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING!!!! Want to get to the bottom? HOW MANY 18CAMRYS MAKE IT TO 300k or even 200k without a new transmission. Most die 65k !! Lemon Come on. Toyota mechanics, YouTube, Toyota nation, dealerships, it is a well known fact that the 18 Camrys being that they cheaper out on so many parts, and added this new transmission, they’re known for failure! [XXX]. This company is [XXX] people. With jobs, kids, and now you’ve got to fork out minimum 6k and wait for 3-6 months to have car back??? How many people have been homeless due to this? 👋 I had a job and a home, boss wouldn’t let me work from home! I’ve rode a bicycle to work, in Florida to the next town over. Even with a loan, I’m out a car for months, so how many loans offer a no pay for 6 months? I’m hungry. Most people trans died in the 65k This is a rip off. The car can give back its safety award. The brakes gave out on me. The oil pan The brakes The trans The fuel pump. And the NOTORIOUS front bumpers. They come un snapped in every newer body style Carolla and Camry. Wing out beside fenders. And collision syste I’ve had people beside me in the same model car take a pic of my quick release snaps that I used to safely secure the bumper. This car is a lemon! Mine is a unicorn with trans failure despite the maintained by a local aamco owner (transmission specialist) trans dying at 178k “wow that is impressive!” Are you guys going to do anything? Or has Toyota paid you off? No one gives a heck about consumers. We’re the modern day native Americans . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INF
The contact owned a 2012 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while her [XXX] daughter was driving at 35 MPH during traffic, the vehicle suddenly accelerated while attempting to depress the brake pedal. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter kept on depressing the brake pedal but the vehicle continued increasing its speed up to 39 MPH and the brakes failed to respond. As a result, the vehicle rear-ended a vehicle that was in front, then that vehicle crashed into another vehicle that was in front of her. The contact's daughter suffered from whiplash, but no medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center, where an appraiser deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving my 2018 Toyota Camry SE and the brakes went out on me. I managed to keep pumping the brake and slowly apply the emergency brake to bring the vehicle to a stop. After a look by a mechanic, it turned out that the problem was with the brake vacuum pump. The internal parts were completely destroyed. I had to go to a Toyota dealership (Longo Toyota of Prosper) to get a replacement part. I purchased the part for $691.85 and had somebody install it for me. I later found out that the federal safety agency had issued a recall on this EXACT part for my vehicle after the incident and TOYOTA failed to inform me of this issue. To follow up with the recall, I took the vehicle to Toyota, and they did NOTHING to the vehicle and just checked it off from their recall list. The reason I am filing a complaint is because TOYOTA is refusing to reimburse me for the part that was part of a recall. I filed 2 claims in which I provided them with the receipt and bank statements showing that I purchased the part from a TOYOTA dealership. Now, they are claiming that the reason they denied my claim is because I did not provide them with a written letter stating HOW the repair was done, even though a Toyota dealership took a look at the part as part of the recall process and told me that everything looked good. I got the person that worked on the vehicle to write a lengthy letter stating precisely how he did the work. I am trying to file another reimbursement claim request, but now their Reimbursement page is down and has been down for at least a week now. I have attempted to try to submit the claim through my laptop, phone, and my iPad and all are giving me the same error message. It is absurd that Toyota almost got me killed and now is refusing to even reimburse me for something they had to cover to begin with. I will provide you will all the documents that I've been trying to submit to Toyota. At this point, I don't know how to get them to acknowlege this issue.
Driving very slowly into my 36 foot deep garage I took my right foot off the accelerator pedal when the 2021 Toyota Camry suddenly unintended accelerated forward 15 feet and crashed through the rear garage wall, the automatic brake didn't work,. Then with my foot on the brake pedal, it continued at high speed across 35 feet of concrete patio and came to rest on top of thick hedge with front wheels spinning off the ground. I then shut the engines off. I believe this accident was caused by 'Sudden Unintended Acceleration", a fault in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles.
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brakes failed to respond as intended. The brake fluid low message was displayed. The contact was able to safely pull the vehicle to the side of the road and inspect the brake fluid; however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,580.
I was driving my car and out of nowhere my brakes stopped working I was really scared because I didn’t know what was going on thanks God I didn’t have an accident when the car stopped I check the cluster and it said “ breaking power low stop in a safe place” I look it up on the internet and it said that the problem is that the vacuum pump assembly isn’t working and that the Toyota Camry 2018 thro 2023 they all have that problem “recall” I was wondering if my car qualifies to get that part for free
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Camry vehicles. The vane cap inside the vacuum pump may break, causing the pump to fail, which could result in a sudden loss of braking assist.
- Risk
- A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will repair or replace the vacuum pump, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 16, 2022. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 21V890000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum
- What is wrong
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.
- Risk
- A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1‑888‑270‑9371, or Lexus customer service at 1‑800‑255‑3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are J0K/JLD.
Recall number 18V211000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic
- What is wrong
- Toyota is recalling certain model year 2010 camrys. The length of the power steering pressure hose on vehicles equipped with the 4-cylinder (2ar-fe) engine may be insufficient, such that the gap between the crimp on the pressure hose and the brake tube for the left rear brake may be insufficient. Under these circumstances the brake tube may interfere with the crimp and may wear and then perforate.
- Risk
- A brake tube perforation may result in brake fluid leakage. A leak in brake fluid may impact braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Toyota will notify owners and, if necessary, dealers will replace or adjust the brake tube free of charge. The safety recall began on march 4, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 10V040000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of alaska, colorado, idaho, illinois, iowa, kansas, maine, michigan,minnesota, montana, nebraska, nevada, new hampshire, new york, noth dakota, south dakota, vermont, wisconsin, and wyoming. A condition can occur where accumulated moisture can temporarily freeze in the brake vacuum hose if the vehicle is used in extremely cold climates for an extended period of time.
- Risk
- This can result in the elimination of vacuum assist to the brakes that can increase stopping distances and could lead to a vehicle crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new design brake vacuum hose.
Recall number 97V156000 · Recall details
Questions about the Toyota Camry brake failure
Which Toyota Camry years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2007 (33 complaints), 2002 (31 complaints) and 2003 (31 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix brake failure on the Toyota Camry?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $2,000 (median of 21 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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