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CarComplaints.com Notes: Beware of the NHTSA complaint data for the 2005 Camry. It is almost certainly misleading.

The problem with NHTSA data for the 2005 Camry is that for months on end, the news media repeatedly told the public that several Toyota models had an unintended acceleration defect, & to go to safercar.gov (the NHTSA's website) to file a complaint.

So, the NHTSA received a disproportionate number of complaints about Toyota unintended acceleration issues because of the national news media attention, to the point where their data is unreliable taken in context with any other vehicle that did not receive national news attention.

CarComplaints.com typically receives more complaints per day about vehicles than the NHTSA does, but the news media did not repeatedly say "go to CarComplaints.com to report your Camry acceleration problems" like they did about the NHTSA -- so although we have less complaint data than the NHTSA for the 2005 Camry, our data for the Camry is a far more statistically accurate representation of the Camry's reliability than what the NHTSA data shows.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
142 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
70 / 5
Average Mileage:
38,920 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Toyota Camry engine problems

engine problem

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2005 Toyota Camry Owner Comments (Page 11 of 13)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #47

Nov 112009

Camry

  • 65,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2005 Toyota Camry. I was parking my car on city street. Slowing to stop, foot on brake. Ready to place shifter in park. My car took off "like a rocket" I could not stop it, my foot never left the brake, but it did no good. Car accelerated like my car was "floored", did not stop until it rear-ended another parked car. Now I worry about possible "at fault accident" on my insurance record, a citation from laws enforcement and damage to both cars!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as well as sheer terror. Thankfully, no injury to humans.

- Ottumwa, IA, USA

problem #46

Oct 162009

Camry

  • 89,500 miles
Hi, I have a 2005 Toyota Camry. I read a recent article regarding the Lexus and Toyota having unexpected acceleration. This has happened to me 3 times in the last 30 days. The first couple of times I was coming to a stop at a stop sign and at a red light. I was applying my brakes and the car suddenly accelerated for a couple of seconds. I had to put a lot more pressure on the brakes to stop. The third incident happened in a parking lot. I pulled in the lot behind another car and was applying the brakes. I was stopped with the brakes applied and suddenly the car accelerated. Luckily I still had my foot on the brakes otherwise I would have hit the car in front of me. I did, however burn rubber as the tires spun while I had to press down hard on the brakes. I took it in to my mechanic. They called a Toyota dealership in modesto, ca to see if there was a recall for this problem or if they had heard of a similar type problem. They said there was no recall for this problem and were not aware of other incidents. To me this was a very scary situation. When you apply the brakes you would expect to stop, not have the car accelerate. This could very easily result in a crash.

- Oakdale, CA, USA

problem #45

Jun 282009

Camry

  • 46,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While exiting a parking space the vehicle accelerated without intention. As a consequence he rear-ended another vehicle, no one was injured but there was over $3000 damaged to the other vehicle. He filed case # 0909144743 with the manufacturer the failure mileage was 46,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #44

Jan 272007

Camry

  • 25,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was entering a car wash on hwy51 in amite city, la. I lightly tapped the accelerator. The car lunged forward as if I had stomped the accelerator. I took my foot off the gas. It continued to accelerate as quickly as possible. I used to brakes with no results. I put my full weight on the brakes with no results. I was terrified as I zoomed out of the car wash and into an area where there is heavy pedestrian as well as vehicular traffic. I could tell that I was going as fast as the car would go. I quickly scanned the area and saw that no one was directly in front of me. I crossed the sidewalk, pine street and the parking lot of a convenience store. I hit a telephone poll, an iron poll and a large poll on a sign for gas. Both my legs were broken/ both bones were broken just above the ankle on the left leg. The large bone was broken just below the knee on the right leg. I still have problems with both. My daughter was dying with cancer. I was in the hospital, later rehab, then a nursing home while I recuperated. I was not released until late March. Was not able to see my daughter who lived in Texas. I went to see her as soon as I was released. She died a month later. Not being with her and her family during that time was as bad as the injuries. All lawyers stated that it would be too expensive to pursue. Toyota examined the car and poo pooed the idea that they were in any way responsible. I was very worried about someone having a worse accident.

- Greensburg, LA, USA

problem #43

Aug 042009

Camry

  • 39,000 miles
I was driving my mother's 2005 Toyota Camry when it crashed into a tree when the car accelerated rapidly over about 10 ft. On its own - no feet on either pedal. I was going very slowly at the time as I was turning around and had just put the car into drive from reverse. I kept telling myself to remove my foot from the accelerator and did so. Since the car was pointed slightly uphill at the time, no braking should have been needed.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #42

Jul 032008

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,100 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While coasting around a corner at 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly began accelerating on its own. The contact applied the brakes, but the vehicle did not respond. The vehicle rear ended the preceding vehicle. There were no injuries. Five days prior to the failure, while driving 25 mph, the cruise control engaged by itself. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 30,100. Updated 10/14/08 the consumer stated weeks before the accident, there were problems with the electrical system. Updated 10/15/08.

- Beach Haven, NJ, USA

problem #41

Mar 262008

Camry

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2005 Toyota Camry stalled while driving. Consumer states that the vehicle needed a new throttle body assembly. Consumer states that the warranty was overdue by 120 days.

- West Hartford, CT, USA

problem #40

Oct 102006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 200,000 miles
Toyota Camry 2005 the car wont slow down it wont go below 27 mph, very dangerous.

- N Ft Myers, FL, USA

problem #39

Oct 152007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While idling, the vehicle revs and accelerates on its own. The vehicle was taken to the dealer four times, but they have been unable to duplicate the failure. The current mileage was 33,500 and failure mileage was 28,000.

- Holiday, FL, USA

problem #38

Aug 152007

Camry

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Sometimes when I'm driving down the road in my 2005 Toyota Camry, it surges with gas even when I do not have the cruise on or am not pushing the gas pedal. I have had one wreck because of it and would like to know how to go about finding the problem. Thanks.

- Paragould, AR, USA

problem #37

Sep 142007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While driving 2 mph, the vehicle surged forward without warning while the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle crashed into a wall. A police report was filed. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The current and failure mileages were 24,000.

- Trevose, PA, USA

problem #36

May 302007

Camry

  • miles
2005 Toyota Camry surging forward without warning. Customer states he was involved in an accident when the vehicle surged forward without warning.

- Norristown, PA, USA

problem #35

Aug 192007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 32,000 miles
Unintended acceleration occurred while operating at slow speed resulting in a collision with parked vehicles and deployment of airbag. My wife is the primary driver of the vehicle and has complained on at least two previous occasions that, while parking, the anti-lock braking system activated and the car accelerated with her foot on the brake pedal. This occurred while traveling at approximately 5 to 10 mph in a right turn. On one other occasion she stated that the brakes would not stop the car and the engine speeded up as she was braked for an intersection ? again she stated that the anti-lock brakes activated reducing braking effectiveness and allowing the engine to accelerate the car. I test drove the car each time and found that it operated normally. These events have occurred during the 2 years we have owned the car. The acceleration during the last event was stronger and resulted in a crash. My wife has a good driving record, knows if she is depressing gas pedal instead of the brake pedal, and the floor mat was not a factor. The 2005 Toyota Camry was new when we purchased it. The car has is located at a local auto body shop for repair.

- Guntersville, AL, USA

problem #34

May 012007

Camry

  • miles
2005 Camry customer states that he felt surges from driving the car** the consumer stated whenever she slows down and accelerate, or change lanes the vehicle throws her back and forth at times.

- Mill Valley, CA, USA

problem #33

Mar 272007

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles
The 2005 Toyota Camry with just over 40,000 miles on it all of a suddend died while I was driving on the road. I was forced to put the vehicle in park and restart it. This occured every time I accelerated after the initial incident. I took the vehicle to the Toyota dealership, and they reported that the throttle body and actuator were stuck. I had oil changed as the manufacturer recommended, and felt that this was a problem that a two year old car should not be having. I was forced to replace the throttle body and actuator at my own expense as thewarranty expired approximately 5,000 miles prior to this incident.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #32

Oct 012006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that when he depresses the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerates instead of stopping. The contact has to remove his foot from the brake pedal in order to stop the acceleration. The failure caused the vehicle to crash into another vehicle on May 7, 2007. The police stated that since the crash occurred on private property, there was no need to file a police report. The manufacturer has not been notified. The contact was referred to NHTSA by the repair shop. The engine size was unknown. The consumer provided pictures of the damaged vehicle. Updated 06/08/07

- North West, DC, USA

problem #31

Sep 072006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Sudden acceleration caused over $8000 damage in 17 feet. I put car in reverse and it started revving up. Then the car took off backwards and hit a tree, immediately after hitting tree the car lurched forward and hit another tree twice.

- Lewisville, NC, USA

problem #30

Sep 112006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 33,406 miles
I was driving slowly through a parking lot to locate a parking space. As I approached a space, I had my foot on the brake. I eased off of the brake to coast into the parking space and was making a right turn into the space. Suddenly the vehicle surged forward without my foot being on the accelerator. I applied the brake, but the vehicle continued to move forward. My car went over a concrete median, and into a lane of traffic. My car struck two cars. It hit one of the vehicles, an SUV, with such force that it knocked the SUV up over a curb into a grassy area. Though I had both feet applying the brakes as hard as I could, the vehicle would not stop, and there was not time for me to think to turn off the ignition. My car sustained severe damage to the right and left sides and to the front. It damaged the front of the SUV and the rear of the other car. There was a passenger in each of the vehicle, and I was the only occupant of my vehicle. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries. I had my car towed to the Toyota dealership. I requested a factory representative inspect the car. They could not determine a cause for the sudden acceleration. The representatives were quite helpful until the inspection was complete. I requested a copy of the report of their findings; however, Toyota corporation will not allow me to see a copy of the report. They said I could contact their legal department or get a subpoena. The customer relations representative at the dealership suggested I file a claim for arbitration, but the national center for dispute settlement states that because the car was wrecked, I do not qualify for arbitration. Meanwhile, I am left with a vehicle that I am afraid to drive.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #29

Dec 232006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,640 miles
On Dec. 23, 2006, around 11:20 am, I was driving at about 5 mph in a parking lot. As I made a slight turn to the left to straighten out, the car suddenly accelerated and hit a parked car. The brakes did not work, even when floored. The car would not stop until it pushed another car up onto the sidewalk and its wheels bumped up against the curb. The car was eventually stopped by turning off the engine using the key in the ignition. (taking my foot off the brake pedal seemed to make it go faster.) the weather was sunny, but the car had been parked outside in the rain the two previous days. I had not used the cruise control anytime recently before the incident. We have not had any problems with this car, although occasionally, the radio turn has turned itself on while we were driving.

- Blacksburg, VA, USA

problem #28

Nov 052006

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15,800 miles
I was slowly turning right to park in front of a store with my foot on the brakes preparing to stop when my 2005 Camry accelerated, jumped the curb and crashed into a storefront window.

- Missouri City, TX, USA

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