The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact that while driving 60 MPH and attempting to complete a turn, upon depressing the brake pedal, the contact became aware that the brake pedal was stiff and had seized in the depressed position. As a result, the contact briefly lost control of the vehicle, coming to a complete stop in a field after leaving the roadway and engaging the parking brake. The service brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V890000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The VIN was included, and the remedy was available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 101,000.
Toyota Camry spongy pedal problems
43 of the 17,932 owner complaints about the Toyota Camry describe soft or spongy brake pedal, most of them for the 2018 model year.
- owner complaints
- 43
- worst model year
- 2018
- typical mileage
- 32,026
By model year
Often reported together
Brake failure 9ABS 6Grinding brakes 2No deployment 2Transmission failure 1Sudden acceleration 1Stalling 1Misfire 1
What owners say
The cars "Brake Power Low" warning light illuminated on the dash. This was covered as the Brake Vacuum pump for another 2018 Camry that we have, but is not a recall for our other Camry. I am taking it in to Servco Hawaii to diagnose the issue, but again, this was the same issue that our other Camry had. The brake is spongy, and I checked the brake fluid to ensure that it was topped off. This was the first time that I noticed the brakes being spongy.
My 2010 Toyota Camry LE dashboard is physically sticky, extremely shiny, & material of dashboard is melting & breaking down. It produces fumes at higher temperatures & seems to add fog to glass.The entire dashboard material is impacted. It has drip marks, bubbling, and erosion & getting worse. The area where the passenger airbag would deploy from is impacted, as well as overall integrity of physical dashboard across entire dashboard. The vehicle is available for inspection. My safety and the safety of others is being put at risk by the following: Multiple significant safety issues for driver & passengers from dashb1) visibility issues from extreme glare onto windshield result in blinding and/or distractiing driver, 2) Integrity of dashboard material is compromised (spongy, sticky, breaking down & worse with heat in normal conditions of use) 3) the dashboard is impaired where airbag would deploy from, 4) exposure to chemical fumes and particles from dashboard materials continues as it breaks down. I had Toyota Dealership Service Manager to view & inspect this dashboard in person on [XXX]. The service manager sat in driver seat and observed problem with extreme glare, touch to confirm stickiness, and I pointed to example of drips of melting dashboard, small pieces chipped & eroded from dashboard. The service manager also confirmed the passenger airbag does deploy from the dashboard (when asked). The toyota service manager then checked for recall or service program related to this issue. A customer service program would have replaced this for free - but showed as expired. I was then provided an estimate for dashboard replacement of $3128. This is serious defect that demands a safety recall. It impacts the safety and integrity of my vehicle and others on the road in the U.S. My vehicle only has 75,560 miles. No sensors or warning lights exist for dashboard material I'm aware of. The problem has been evolving overtime and getting worse. Merits safety recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF I
The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while at a complete stop and depressing the brake pedal, the engine revved to 3500-4000 RPM. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal harder to prevent the vehicle from moving, and the RPMs decreased. The contact stated that the failure recurred several times. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician, who retrieved data from the vehicle and sent a report to the manufacturer. The contact stated that he followed up with the manufacturer and was informed that the technical department had not yet submitted a report. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
Brakes peddle drops to low. brakes are spongy. similar to recall the federal safety agency campaign number: 21V890
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal was stiff while depressed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,773.
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, he depressed the brake pedal however, the brake pedal felt spongy. The contact depressed the brake pedal forcefully to the floorboard to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact parked on the side of the road to inspect the vehicle but was unable to locate the cause of the failure. The contact was able to continue driving at a slower speed to his residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had the brake master cylinder and brake booster replaced. The vehicle was repaired but continued to experience the failure. The contact called an unknown local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
1st Occurance: Approaching stop sign getting off freeway and brake pedal was hard to depress and brakes slow to work, pulled emergency brake to stop vehicle just in time. No warning lights, no squeaking brakes or grinding noises. We had a long drive approximately 4-5 hours freeway with 1 hour stop before reaching our destination where this occurred. 2nd occurance: Next day in city traffic driving 35-40mph. Noticed brakes getting less effective with each use eventually having to use emergency brake as main brake. Still no lights or noises from vehicle. Pulled over and called Carmax where I financed and had MaxCare to make an appt for brakes to be fixed and diagnosed. Appt was made for a week or so out and in the meantime, driving home to park the vehicle… 3rd and last occurrence:(same day) while approaching a traffic light, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. No brake warning light.No dashboard warning lights on at all. The brake pedal was depressed to the floorboard to stop the vehicle and vehicle did not stop. Pumped the brake pedal a few times and still nothing. Vehicle ended up getting deemed totaled by insurance. Also note: the airbags did not deploy. The accident was a head-on collision with a rock wall going 40-45mph. Seatbelts fastened. Passenger was dazed from hitting head during accident and bleeding. Right leg received a 7 in cut which is now a knurly 3-4 inch scar. I was left carless and basically homeless with no where to stay in an unknown city for weeks until I was able to purchase a bus ticket home. Due to being stuck 6 hours away from home and carless I lost my job. My life has been completely turned upside down and my mental health is continuing to decline. I am unable to take kids to school or sports as well as the park for simple family quality time.
The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that he received a recall notice regarding the Power Braking Assist failure. The contact stated that while driving at 55-60 MPH, the warning message "Low Power Brake. Please Stop in Safe Area." Was displayed. The contact stated that the brake pedal became rigid and failed to respond when depressed. The contact depressed the brake pedal harder and it responded. The contact veered to side of the road. Then the contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 49,000.
Brakes on this car has always been kind of spongy and brake pedal goes down very far before they engage. One day driving along, I came to a stop light, and as I pressed the brake pedal it seemed to accelerate but stopped just short of the bumper of a police officer. I complained about it to the dealer during warranty but they said the pedal was normal after checking it. Even after changing brake pads and rotors there is still a very spongy feel to the brake pedal which is kind of scary as it goes very low and always has/
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 spongy pedal
Which Toyota Camry years have soft or spongy brake pedal problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2018 (8 complaints), 2002 (7 complaints) and 2003 (7 complaints).
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used Toyota Camry?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history