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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 3 of 13)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #207

Dec 292012

Camry

  • 43,360 miles

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

Defective throttle body...found out this is common with Camry. Over 1,000 to replace. Outrageous for a car with 43K miles and original owner. Thos should be a recall item by Toyota.

- Belmont, MA, USA

problem #206

Oct 032012

Camry

  • miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while attempting to park, the vehicle began to accelerate independently. The vehicle did not respond as the contact applied extreme pressure to the brakes and eventually crashed into another vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle was injured. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis where they were unable to replicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN and failure mileage was unavailable.

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #205

Jun 072012

Camry

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated the that while attempting to reverse in rainy weather conditions, the gear would not shift into reverse. The contact placed the gear into drive with the brakes depressed to release the gear shifter and the vehicle suddenly accelerated rapidly. The contact had to crash the vehicle into an electrical box to bring the vehicle to a stop. The contact received injuries to the leg. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure and the current mileage was 35,000.

- Gaithersburg , MD, USA

problem #204

Mar 312012

Camry

  • 60,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While traveling 30 mph the contact attempted to accelerate and noticed that the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the throttle body was replaced. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileage was 60,000.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #203

Mar 182012

Camry 6-cyl

  • 18,450 miles
I was entering my parking spot. I was coming to a halt when suddenly the vehicle bolted forward at full acceleration, jumped the curb, sped across the grass, and crashed into a tree. The airbags did not deploy. I sustained neck and rib injuries. Toyota has the vehicle and will shortly send me the results of the edr data analysis.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #202

Dec 292011

Camry

  • 118,982 miles
I stopped my car at my mailbox at the foot of my 45% incline short driveway and put it in park with the engine running. After getting out to get my mail, I re-entered the car, put the car in drive, and touched the accelerator. The car engine "roared" more loudly than I had ever heard and lunged forward uphill towards my brick home. I slammed the brake pedal one time as hard as I could and the car stopped. I had not expected it to stop. There was no collision, but thank god I did not kill or injure some innocent person or myself. I now refuse to drive the car, which is a real problem for me and my family. I understand your Agency has failed to force Toyota to include the 2005 model in your recall to install new braking system override. This is unconscionable.

- Madison, MS, USA

problem #201

Nov 162011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 42,600 miles

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

I was pulling into a parking spot in front of a friend's townhouse when the car suddenly accelerated. I was able to stop the car by putting both feet on the brake. The car stopped about one foot before crashing into the front wall of the townhouse. Although I have not experienced the problem since this incident, I am now somewhat afraid to drive the car now, nor do I feel right about selling the car.

- Lake Oswego, OR, USA

problem #200

Oct 172011

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 49,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact was pulling into a parking space when the vehicle accelerated and crashed into the door of a store. The contact stated the failure occurred before in a similar situation, but the vehicle was not involved in a crash. The contact was concerned that this was a safety issue. The vehicle was towed to a collision repair shop where it had not been inspected. The failure and current mileage was 50,000. Updated 11/29/11 updated 12/07/11

- Forest Hills, NY, USA

problem #199

Aug 252011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 53,000 miles
My 2005 Camry has 53000 on it, very well maintained. Was driving 25 mph on a traverse when the engine suddenly died. I tried to restart the car without success. Called a towing service, however, 10 minutes later I was able to start the car and drove home. The "service engine" light remained on. At first chance I drove my car to my local mechanic who told me it was the throttle body, but suggested to bring my car to the Toyota dealer because he had seen so many of Camry throttle malfunctions that he thought there might be a recall. I took his advice, brought it to the dealer who confirmed that my throttle body was bad and needed replacing. However he told me that he could not guarantee that the "service engine" light would not go off unless I had an engine flush and a full tune-up. This did not sit well with me, so I declined the services. I paid him $100 as a diagnostic fee. When he went to get my car, the engine would not turn on at all. I called a towing company who took it back to my mechanic. He replaced the throttle and reset the service light. The car is now running, but because of my mechanic's statement and many similar throttle complaints recorded on the internet, I strongly feel that the throttle issue should be investigated.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #198

Jun 102011

Camry

  • 99,000 miles
Wife was returning from work when 2005 Camry decelerated from 50 mph to almost dying. When restarted, car would only drive 20 mph for the 13 mile trip home. Luckily, as the car almost died, the vehicles behind were able to brake and allow her to pull into a driveway. Throttle body was replaced. No "service engine" lights gave any advanced warning to the sudden loss of power.

- New Richmond, IN, USA

problem #197

Jun 082011

Camry

  • 56,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle began to decelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technicians advised that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a complaint was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #196

Jul 092011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 78,550 miles
I have been an extremely safe driver for 21 years. Two incidents of unintended acceleration occurred within one hour yesterday afternoon with my 2005 Camry 2005 le. Until this time, the car behaved and drove perfectly for 6 years. It was a dry and hot (93F) day, and the road condition was perfect in both cases. The first time was during a 30-mph cruising along a side street when the car suddenly accelerated by itself and jerked toward one side. I immediately corrected the problem by braking and steering. The second time was at a stop sign on a side street. I was waiting for the other car to pass before I could turn left when the car suddenly tried to accelerated by itself even though my foot was firmly pressing the brake. During this brief struggle between me and the car, the engine made some low, grinding noise, and the car was able to move forward twice, about 6 inches each time, despite my hard foot braking. No accident was resulted in either case. I reported these two incidents to Toyota customer care immediately and was directed to a local Toyota dealership for investigation. The car is currently being examined by a local dealer for potential causes. I am afraid to drive this car if the defect is not repaired.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #195

Jun 302011

Camry

  • 83,700 miles
The vehicle (parked in 8th or 9th slot) was going reverse at 5 mph(towards ne) in a parking lot of an L-shaped shopping center located on nw corner of intersecting streets at which the driver having pressed on gas pedal lightly causing car unintentionally accelerated, lurching towards ne spinning twice leaving skid marks on pavement uncontrolled, hitting spare tire of Jeep SUV parked in same row of cars towards ne and bolting backwards to tree on parking island next row ne at which tree was uprooted falling on 3rd car parked on second slot of that row, 1992 Camry, damaging slightly front fender when tree limbs hit it; some tree limbs fell on roof of vehicle with slight damage.

- West Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #194

Feb 162011

Camry

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact applied the brakes but the vehicle did not decelerate. The contact was unable to control the vehicle as it accelerated into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into a vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and the contact was transported to the hospital for treatment of a head injury. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer and the manufacturer was both notified but no assistance was offered to the contact. The failure and current mileage was 50,000.

- Temple Hills, MD, USA

problem #193

Apr 232011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 62,000 miles
Throttle body failure caused the car to "die" while accelerating. Throttle body had to be replaced. The 2005 Camry SE, 4 cyl, had approx. 62,000 miles at the time.

- Pa, PA, USA

problem #192

May 212011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
May 21, 2011 after picking up grandkids from school the car was accelerated and lost power when entering I-35 South bound. The engine light on the on the instrument panel was on also. The car had to be pulled over to the shoulder, put in park and restarted. This happened two more times before getting home. May 22, the same thing happened again, so we took the car to auto zone and have diagnostics ran. The message shown related to the throttle control being stuck and the codes were AA1, AA2 and AA3, all relating to faulty throttle control parts. May 23, called Toyota to file a complaint and hopefully get assistance. We were denied assistance since our we do not maintain service through a Toyota dealer and the car is 10,000 miles out of power train warranty. Fowler Toyota charged us $1061 to diagnose, and repair the electronic throttle control system. Our car is a 2005, Toyota Camry. VIN[xxx]. the problems occurred each time the accelerator was depressed. The car would just lose power and die, the engine light was illuminated on the instrument panel. Car would have to be put in the park position and restarted. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Moore, OK, USA

problem #191

May 102011

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact stated when he stopped at a traffic light with his foot on the brakes the rpms increased excessively; he then thrust the gear into neutral. Approximately four seconds later the vehicle returned to normal. The manufacturer informed him to contact another division within Toyota who inspects the accelerator failure; however, they were not notified. The failure mileage was 77,000. Updated 6/8/11 updated 06/15/11

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

problem #190

May 052011

Camry 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 2 mph and attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal but the vehicle would not slow down until the vehicle was shifted into park yet the vehicle crashed into a wall in the parking lot. The contact was uninjured. The vehicle was then towed to an auto body center where the technicians were unable to diagnose the cause of the sudden acceleration. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. Updated 07/08/11 the consumer suffered minor injuried. 07/22/11

- Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, USA

problem #189

Oct 012010

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. While driving at any speed, the contact noticed that the vehicle would suddenly stall without warning. The failure began October 2010. The dealer was notified who informed the contact that there were no related recalls. The contact did not inform the manufacturer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they replaced the electronic accelerator. The current mileages were 106,000. The failure mileages were 100,000. Updated 3/1/11 updated 07/01/11

- David City , NE, USA

problem #188

Jan 082011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 59,900 miles
On Jan 8, 2011 I made a 2-hour round trip on a federal highway. I used cruise control on my 2005 Toyota Camry at speeds between 65 & 70 miles per hour, depending on posted speeds. I thought I was safe using cruise control because 2005 models are not among vehicles recalled in recent years...as I approached my exit ramp at the end of my trip I stepped on the brakes, but the brakes did not work. Not only did the brakes not work, but my car lurched forward & accelerated toward the car in front of mine, as if I had hit the "resume" feature after having hit the "cancel" feature. But I had not touched those buttons. In fact, I do not use those buttons. I use the brakes or the "on/off" button to turn off set speeds because using those features allows me to keep my eyes on the road. I prefer to use the "set" feature to engage cruise control each time rather than the "resume" choice because the "set" feature provides smoother rides than the "resume" feature...I barely missed striking the car in front of mine as I downshifted to slow the 2005 Camry. I called the Toyota dealership from which I bought the car & spoke to a manager of the service department. He told me my experience could not have happened. I took my car to the dealership & explained the problem to a different person. The manager of the service department appeared and insisted I agree to pay $100 for Toyota to look at the car because the car was out of warranty. The same representative then suggested I was trying to get free service from Toyota. I refused to pay for an inspection, asked to speak to his supervisor & only then did the rep relent to inspect the car without payment. The local reps reported they could not duplicate the problem & concluded the systems were operating as designed. The dealer kept the car 2 more days so an inspector traveling from DC could examine the car. The expert reached the same conclusions as local folks. I do not know if Toyota has reported this incident. Updated 01/31/12 updated VIN. Updated IVOQ 0

- Glen Allen, VA, USA

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