Toyota Camry knocking problems

Filed Oct 14, 2026 · Acceleration · 12,000 miles · NY · crash

The contact owns a 2023 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while attempting to exit the driveway at an undisclosed speed, the engine unexpectedly revved, and the vehicle accelerated forward, striking a trash bin. The contact stated that depressing the brake pedal caused the engine to rev higher. Upon shifting into Reverse (R), the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated at a high rate of speed, striking and knocking down three trees on the property. Depressing the brake pedal again while in reverse(R) similarly caused the engine to rev higher. The collisions resulted in heavy denting on all sides of the vehicle and significant undercarriage damage. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The failure mileage was 12,000.

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 Apr 27, 2026 · Steering · 150,000 miles · NV

The contact owns a 2013 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, there was a knocking sound coming from the steering column. The contact stated that while driving downhill on several occasions, the steering column and dashboard vibrated abnormally. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 150,000.

Filed Mar 5, 2026 · Brakes · TN

The Vacuum Pump for the Power Assist Brake System failed on my vehicle, the dealership would not provide me with the failed unit as they "have to send it back to Toyota". My brake assist was very inconsistent, sometimes barely had any which lead to very poor braking, accompanied with a KNOWN problematic knocking noise with an active TSB. I complained about this issue when I bought this used vehicle that was barely driven, at the local Toyota Dealership knowing the vehicle was made at the same time that other vehicles built in the same timeframe with the same issue were recalled, they told me it was just "injector noise" and it didn't apply to me. I brought it up again a few months later as it got worse, they told me it was "normal noise, use injector cleaner" and sent me off. I brought it up there last month about the Brake System Error message, they told me it was because the car wasn't on, however it never did this when I bought it nor do other cars on their lot. I brought it up again to the dealership this week as it got a lot more frequent that I would have poor brake assistance, the knocking was loud enough to hear in heavy traffic, and they finally told me the vacuum pump had failed. The dealer told me they couldn't do anything about the recall, would not cover it as goodwill warranty even when it is simmilar/same failure as the recall and previously complained about it, and the full repair would be over 1,800 dollars. I called Toyota Customer Hotline and explained that the failure was the same as the known issue in their recall on the same vehicles and the active TSB, they would not tell me why my VIN was not included in the recall, they would not extend a goodwill coverage on it as being it was the same failure, or take a complaint. Symptoms were present at the time of purchase, starting with inconsistent brake assist and light knocking, ended with excessively loud knocking and significant increase in frequency of the inconsistency and brake error message.

Filed Jan 21, 2026 · Transmission · CO

I bought this car used with about 100k miles, took it for a test drive around the block at the local dealership and didn't hear anything at the time. When I took it on the freeway for the first time I heard the Whining noise. It only happens when there is a load on the transmission and gets louder as the speed increases. On top of that, it seems like it starts out in second or third gear sometimes I can't move until it downshifts which is extremely dangerous considering I've been sticking out in the street and other cars are coming! This apparently was a new design starting in 2018 and many people have been cursed by this transmission the more I keep reading up on this. I've owned many toyotas in the past and I've never had any issues, especially with the transmission. I've been quoted anywhere from $6k to $10k to replace the transmission and I cannot even remotely be able to afford that at this time. I feel like I'm driving a ticking time bomb, I need to listen to music to not drive me nuts and I can still hear the whine! If it weren't for this problem I couldn't really have any other complaints, but unfortunately this is a Very Big problem. The more I read this was a first year design and it looks like it failed miserably, I would call it a lemon. Every day I drive this car it slips while shifting gears, shifts too often or not enough. This thing should be replaced. Please, I am a loyal Toyota customer and hate that this has changed my mind. Please replace these faulty 8 speed transmissions.

Filed Dec 4, 2025 · Engine, Steering · SC

I am reporting a serious safety hazard involving a 2010 Toyota Camry purchased from GA Carz 4 Less, LLC through the GovDeals.com platform. The seller provided no disclosures of mechanical issues. Immediately upon receiving the vehicle, it exhibited violent engine knocking, shaking, heavy oil leakage, and repeated engine shutdowns. Two certified mechanics inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the engine has catastrophic internal damage involving camshaft timing system failure and severe internal wear. Both mechanics stated that attempting to operate the vehicle at highway speeds could have caused the engine to explode due to internal failure and pressure spikes. This was an alarming and dangerous finding, especially since the vehicle was advertised without any safety warnings or disclosures. Additionally, the Carfax mileage in March 2025 was 193,653 miles, but the vehicle delivered to me showed over 208,000 miles—an undisclosed increase of more than 18,000 miles. This raises potential concerns regarding sustained driving after the auction despite severe mechanical issues. The seller listed the vehicle twice before selling it, suggesting possible prior knowledge of the engine condition. I later found numerous online complaints reporting similar instances of this dealership selling vehicles with severe undisclosed defects, indicating a broader safety problem affecting multiple consumers. The condition of this engine creates a risk of sudden shutdown, engine seizure, explosion, fire, and loss of vehicle control, which could cause serious injury or death. I am requesting that the federal safety agency review this matter, investigate the safety risks associated with these undisclosed engine defects, and determine whether this dealership’s practices pose a danger to the public. This complaint is being filed to prevent potential harm to future buyers and to document a serious safety hazard that I experienced firsthand.

Filed Nov 22, 2025 · Engine · CA

Catastrophic engine failure due to piston pin bushings/connecting rod bushing failing. The engine was removed, disassembled, and inspected by an automotive machinist. There were no warning lamps or messages, only a knocking sound. The Toyota dealership said there was severe knocking from lower engine, and their remedy was a new engine.

Filed Aug 24, 2025 · Electrical, Seat belts · WV

The auxillary for the music has a short in it and Everytime a bump is hit it knocks it loose and it shuts off the whole thing. The screen and maps and music. The screen also freezes and my maps and route stopped working. I had to pull off the road to turn my car off to reset it. I have to do this multiple times if I'm using my screen for directions/maps. It's frustrating and annoying when u expect a brand new vehicle to work properly. It started a few weeks after I took it off the dealership. It also wouldn't connect to Bluetooth very well that's why I had to use the cord. I keep my phone and cord stationary.With the Bluetooth it would just disconnect completely or have static or breaks in whatever I'm listening to. When I hit a bump and the whole system gets turned off sometimes and it doesn't want to come back on when I touch the button. It seems that the whole system is glitching and if u depend on maps/directions to travel it makes things difficult. The next issue i had is with the seatbelt. I couldn't get it to release so I can put it on. The car was started but we hadn't pulled out or put it in any gear and the break was not pushed in. We had to turn it completely off again and wait a few minutes and restart it again. This is dangerous. I hope that the company looks at these complaints and fixes them because they r very scary. U expect a brand new vehicle to not have any issues especially at the prices we pay for them. We bought our vehicle in 2022 and had to wait over 6 weeks for it to arrive because it was ordered. Right now it 08/2025 and we r just now hitting the 30,000 mile marker on our vehicle. We don't drive it much but when we do it's long distances because we live out in the country and it's 45-60 minutes to town and these things can't be happening. Also I use my maps often because these r curvy small back roads where I live and not well marked if I'm going to a new location and I need my auxillary system to work right.

Filed Jun 4, 2024 · Steering · TX

I own a 2012 Camry LE with about 70,000 miles which is in excellent condition and well-maintained. Recently I began to hear a rattle, tapping or knocking sound apparently from somewhere in the left engine or cabin area. I feel confident its sources is possibly a steering column issue. You sort of feel it whenever you have some rough road surface; and if it’s a bump you hear the metal knock. While it doesn’t appear to cause a steering malfunction. The issue or noise does seem to come from the steering column. Independent research on the web has indicated that countless queries have been reported about this same year vehicle and issue. Described as a small $10 plastic part that degrades thereby allowing the vibration or knocking noise to appear. Cost to repair again is $10 for part and 7-8 hour labor roughly $950 from the actual dealer to repair. Damper Electric Power Steering Motor Shaft, 48254‑28040 Steering Motor Coupling Gear Replacement for Camery 2012-2014 is the questioned part that is inferior or of poor design that breaks down and causing the noise

Filed Mar 9, 2023 · Driver assistance, Engine · CT

The a25a-fks engine fails to idle properly and will stall at times due to a cylinder imbalance. ICS malfunction light comes on as well. This puts other people at risk because a vehicle stalling or malfunction of the Toyota Safety Sense system can lead to car accident. Vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics and couldn’t find the root of the problem. Was told to go to a Toyota Dealership. A Toyota dealership inspected the vehicle, done several tests, swapped computer modules and couldn’t find the cause. The dealership replaced fuel injectors, fuel pump and had done a cleaning on the intake and the vehicle still had the trouble code. 4K worth of work and the vehicle still persisted with the issue. What I first noticed from the car was an odd knocking noise when starting the car, followed by excessive white smoke at idle, parking sensors not working, the car improperly starting for the first time followed by a ICS Malfunction, blinking parking sensor icon and check engine light. Code: P219C. The dealership wants to charge me 10K to take the engine apart to either replace a faulty part (within the engine) or putting in a new engine all together. Several recalls for Toyota Camrys from 2018 and 2020 have sighted defects with the engine blocks causing white smoke and stalling. These recalls should be extended to more manufacturing months as this is a noticeable flaw.