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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:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,384 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 transmission problems

transmission problem

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2005 Toyota Camry Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #55

Dec 062005

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles

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

2005 Toyota Camry. Consumer sent additional correspondence related to transmission and driver side window issues. Note consumer has previous correspondence in the system under ODI 10186844 the consumer stated while test driving the vehicle with the technician, the transmission hesitated on acceleration and slipped a few times. After waiting for the vehicle for about 45 minutes, the technician could not find anything wrong.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #54

Mar 132012

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 101,000 miles
Car was parked in driveway. The key was removed from ignition. The car drifted down the driveway in reverse into a tree, causing approximately $7000 in damage to car. Testing of the car later revealed that the key could be removed from ignition when the car was not in park. Toyota is currently investigating. The consumer stated the vehicle was inspected and later returned to him. He assumed the vehicle had been repaired. There was no mention of the inspection or what had been done to his vehicle. On May 27th, the consumer's wife was driving and she noticed the vehicle suddenly downshifted into second gear. The consumer checked the vehicle and noticed the ignition and transmission problem occurred again. The consumer received a letter outlining the problem was due to spilled soda that caused the ignition interlock system to stick. Updated IVOQ 07/03/12

- Villanova, PA, USA

problem #53

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 #52

Aug 282010

Camry

  • 80,558 miles

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

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota Camry. The contact was driving approximately 10 mph when she began to hear a clicking noise coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an authorized dealer where the transmission was replaced. The failure did not recur. The failure and current mileage was 80,558.

- Livermore, CA, USA

problem #51

Jul 212010

Camry 6-cyl

  • 54,435 miles
My 2005 Toyota Camry xle V6 car has serious transmission issues. It hesitates and takes several seconds at slow speeds to find a gear to shift into. The engine revs and the rpms increase but the transmission does not engage. This is especially troublesome when making turns and makes me vulnerable to being rear ended in right hand turns, but exposes me to being broadsided in left hand turns. Just last week during a left turn my car would not engage and I was extremely close to having the passenger side where my child sits hit! this car also bucks several times when attempting to shift at speeds between 25-35 mph. This car has trouble climbing small hills and also jerks and downshifts when going down hills, even at slow speeds when my foot never lets pressure off the gas pedal. As I said the most troublesome issue is when it has difficulty selecting a gear at lower speeds. More than just an annoyance, it is indeed a safety issue and I am now afraid that I may be hit on the passenger side during left hand turns. This happens every day that I drive my Camry. When telling the dealer the first time of these issues he basically said get used to it. The next time I took my Camry in for service and complained again about the issue they said there was a service bulletin put out by Toyota about resetting the computer and they then performed this maintenance. Fortunately I did not pay for this service as it did nothing to help remedy the situation. I will be taking it in for another oil change soon and complaining yet again about this issue!

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #50

Jan 222010

Camry

  • 67,700 miles
Driving on snow packed roads to salt lake city. At around 65 miles of driving the transmission went out in my Toyota Camry. We had no warning at all, until the car woud no longer drive and the inside was filling up with smoke. We had to have the Camry towed to a repair shop and then towed back to vernal ut. We took it to a transmission repiar shop and they told us, that a rod had come out of the transmission and the only way it would do that, is to go from a wet road to a dry road. We were on snowy roads the whole time. We have not replaced the transmission, since it will cost us nearly $5,0000. We don't have that kind of money and it is not our fault. We feel that this is a manufactor defect on the transmission. Now I have a 2005 Camry, that I can not drive and am still paying for. If we would have had any indications of the transmission going, we would have taken care of it. But as I said we had no warning. The car just quit going.

- Naples, UT, USA

problem #49

Mar 052010

Camry

  • 565 miles

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

I have a 2005 Toyota Camry and I have been complaining about the transmission shifting since about 6 months after I bought it. They told me that they would reflash the computer that controls it and that should fix the problem. It has not. Am I going to have a run away vehicle next? the car drags and then goes fast. They did not seem to do anything, but give me lip service.

- Peachtree City, GA, USA

problem #48

Jan 202010

Camry

  • 91,000 miles
I have been a loyal Toyota owner for 20 years and I would like to tell you about my latest experience with my 2005 Toyota Camry. After 91,000 miles, I needed to get a new transmission. I typically drove my Toyota to 150,000 miles and never had any problems with the power train. I contacted Toyota customer service, they initially said they might be able to help me but never followed up. I tried to contact customer service, but could not get through. I recently had my car repaired for $3300 at aamco to get it drivable. They had to fix the transmission and the wiring to get the car working again. Several electrical connectivity issues existing; and still remain. The only good news was the ECM was operating correctly. Now that aamco fixed my car, I've noticed that my cars about 400 - 600 RPM lower than before. Other problem with the car include dash lights going out after 4 years. Clearly this is not a good situation when it takes several hundred dollars of labor to replace a $2 light bulb. The lights that are out are the fan speed, heat dial and the lights on the dashboard for the shift indicator. I believe there is an electrical issues with the 2005 Toyota Camry that also need investigation.

- North Potomac, MD, USA

problem #47

Jan 052010

Camry

  • 33,500 miles
I was in a multi-storey car park and I spotted a free space 20 yards ahead. I took my foot off the accelerator, and the vehicle begun to lose speed normally. I applied the brake gently to turn right into an empty spot. I was braking to a halt at an appropriate distance from a retaining wall when suddenly, with no warning, the Toyota lurched forward at an incredible rate of acceleration, struck the wall then bounced back several feet and the engine cut out. I suffered severe neck trauma, due first to the sudden acceleration and then the impact. The airbag did not deploy despite the fact that the damage to the front of the car was according to an expert consistent with an impact speed of 30 to 35 mph. Earlier in the same trip, I was stopped at traffic lights with the car in drive and my foot on the brake. Suddenly the car vibrated and lurched against the brake, trying to move ahead. I had to brake hard to prevent it from doing so. The lights changed and I proceeded towards the parking garage where the accident described above subsequently occurred. The damage to the front of the car has not yet been fixed and the car has not been used since the accident. I reported this accident to Toyota customer service who arranged for someone from their local service company to examine the vehicle at the body shop where it was located. The main conclusion of their examination was that they found no problem with the brakes. In fact, my complaint was not about the brakes, which had always worked perfectly normally. Their report also said "we are happy that you did not sustain injuries in this incident". I am sorry to inform them that I am still suffering from severe back and neck pain from the injuries that I sustained.

- Los Altos, CA, USA

problem #46

Aug 012006

Camry

  • 5,000 miles
Numerous occasions of unexplained acceleration and were reported to Toyota who reported could not find a problem. Numerous occasions of braking problems and were reported to Toyota who reported could not find a problem. Numerous occasions of steering problems and were reported to Toyota who reported could not find a problem. Numerous occasions of transmission problems and were reported to Toyota who reported could not find a problem. Vehicle was returned to Toyota under ca lemon law in 2006 or 2007.

- Santa Cruz, CA, USA

problem #45

Jun 072007

Camry

  • 26,196 miles

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

2005 Toyota Camry xle--beginning in March 2007 my Camry began to accelerate from a stopped position. My Camry would take off at high speeds from a complete stop and applying the gas pedal. This occurred several times. I took my car to my dealer bill page Toyota in falls church, va. The first time the acceleration occurred was after 2 years and in March 2007. I was on constitution avenue, right lane in DC--which either turns right or goes straight. Constitution avenue is 3 or 4 lanes each East and westbound--I was heading eastbound. When the light turned green, the car in front of me turned right, thank goodness because as I took my foot off the brake and unto the gas, my car shot forward so fast my brakes wouldn't stop my car. Upon slamming on the brakes which were shuddering so badly, I thought my car was never going to stop and hit the next car (rush hour). I stopped short of hitting that car. I was so scared. My service manager said couldn't reproduce and that there was nothing wrong with my brakes or car. He told me that the shuttering is normal when I slam on my brakes--a safety feature to stop the car. Computer said nothing wrong. Had the acceleration problem at least 3 more times. I was at a parking meter, 1st space. Got into my car, turned on the key, released my emergency brake, and took my foot off the brake and unto the gas. I wanted to make a right turn. There were 2 people on the sidewalk, and thankfully they did not walk in front of my car--I would have run over them. My car took off so fast from a stopped position that I had a hard time stopping my car. I immediately took my 2005 Camry to the dealer. Again service manager told me computer says there is nothing wrong with my car--think computer/software glitch. Last week Toyota Corp said won't fix B/C not on recall and only intermittent, which is the problem. Told me I own the car, it's out of warranty won't pay to fix. Help! when driving it's like russian roulette!

- Arlington, VA, USA

problem #44

Feb 072010

Camry

  • 72,000 miles
I have a 2005 Camry. The car started off fine and within a minute it did not accelerate even with the gas pedal down all the way. The engine check light was on and I let it idle for 10 mins. It started running fine and there was no longer the check engine light. Now the car was able to accelerate. 4 days later, I stopped at a traffic light and made a turn to the left and the car slowed down and did not accelerate thereafter.

- Richmond, VA, USA

problem #43

Feb 102010

Camry

  • 90,000 miles
I own a 2005 Toyota Camry and since I bought it from the dealer it had been having problems with the automatic transmission system and the accelerator. For example when I stop at a traffic light and I begin to accelerate the car takes to long to shift to the next gear and while this time elapses for about 2 to 4 seconds the car keeps accelerating with no gear at all, this almost make me crash the other day trying to avoid a collision with an aggressive driver that got in my way and I could not advance with the car at that crucial moment and get out of the way of the situation since the gear was not ready for me to accelerate and advance. Another problem that I have been noticing is that while at low to medium speeds the ABS braking system fails to brake the car after it gets over a bump in the road; several times it had happened to me that after I get a bump I have to apply the brakes 2 to 3 times in a rapid succession to come to a complete stop. Also sometimes while driving at low speeds with low rpms the car stalls without warning and the wheel gets very hard to maneuver, I even have to stop the car in the middle of the road to start the engine again and continue with my trip. All this complaint was given to Toyota in priors calls I made to them but the dealers they send me to see said that was normal operation of the car, that there was nothing wrong.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #42

Dec 082004

Camry

  • 3,704 miles
I'm concerned the Toyota braking issues go deeper than late model prius. My 2005 Camry le V6 exhibits similar characteristics as being described today - brake failure when driving over uneven, irregular or rough pavement. When this occurs, the brake pedal stiffens and braking action ceases. I've learned to press down V-E-R-Y hard on the pedal during this intermittent behavior. Had taken to the dealer more than once. The complaint along with harsh shifting of the transmission which manifests in the engine over-revving while not actually engaging into any gear, then the transmission finally engages making the vehicle go further/faster than desired/anticipated. Toyota indicated the issues were "an operational characteristic of the vehicle", being dismissive in their response demonstrating a corporate culture of arrogance. Have spoken with Toyota service managers in henderson, nv, santa monica and thousand oaks, ca re: The transmission and they all have similar responses... rolling their eyes toward the sky and lamenting, "ohhh, that V6 Camry transmission" as if some sort of factory 'inside joke'. these are clearly known issues the factory has chosen to do nothing about, thus the service manager's hands are tied. (had been extremely pleased with my former '95 Camry to the tune of 300,000 miles.) it's disappointing Toyota has ceased to be the honorable company they once were.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #41

Feb 052010

Camry

  • 48,000 miles
Constant "jumping" at stoplights. I always have to check to see if someone has bumped into me from behind. This has been an ongoing problem since I purchased the car in 2005.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #40

Apr 032005

Camry

  • 24 miles
I bought my new 2005 Toyota Camry xle V6 from geis Toyota, yorktown height, NY. I have noticed that the RPM meter on the dashboard display keeps going up while running the car, although the accelerator pedal is not depressed. I have complained this to the dealership. They told me that the vehicle need break in period, and the problem will go away. But the problem persisted. I do vehicle maintenance regularly as per factory recommendation. Last year I took the car to fordham Toyota service, manhattan, NY for same problem. The dealership told me that the vehicle need a complete tune-up which they did for a charge. But the problem remained and I got used to press brake pedal to slow down the car to take care of this problem.

- Briarcliff Manor, NY, USA

problem #39

Jan 212008

Camry 6-cyl

  • 21,500 miles
I purchased a 2005 Toyota Camry xle- 6 cylinder, new in fall of 2004. At present I have under 22,000 miles on it. During my limited driving of this vehicle I have experienced at least 5 episodes of unintended acceleration. I recently discovered that another family member had a similar experience while driving my car. The last experience happened on 12/16/09. I had a passenger in the car with me at the time. Each episode is more violent than previous ones. I have had the car looked at thoroughly by the local Toyota dealer. The first time they looked at it was July 6/09. Since they cannot "make it happen" they said, they don't know how to fix it. Since Toyota announced problems I have called them on 2 occasions and have 2 case numbers assigned. The car was last examined by the dealer on 12/22/09. I was told to wait until the recall was official and see if 2005 Camry were added to the list. They have not been. The car is setting in my garage and hasn't been driven since 12/22/09. I hate to think what might have happened had I driven this car as much as I did my previous Camry, a 1994 with well over 200,000 miles at present.

- Oshkosh, WI, USA

problem #38

Aug 272005

Camry

  • 100 miles
I had my new 2005 Camry into the dealership (longo Toyota, el monte, ca) three times in the first month after I purchased it. I explained that there was a major surge in acceleration while breaking. I also had problems with my car "jumping" forward while at a complete stop, and another issue with a lag in acceleration. All three of these issues have happened more times than I can count. There have been many times that I haven't been able to accelerate at first, only to find myself trying to brake (and not succeeding) as soon as the accelerator kicks in seconds later, sending the car surging forward. I've taken the car in to the dealership, and each time I was told that there was no problem - that whatever my issue might be, it could not"T be replicated, and that any ?timing? concern was only the electronic throttle ? and that this was completely normal. The issues with the Camry"S acceleration & electronic throttle are incredibly dangerous, and were almost the cause of a major accident (my 3 year old son was in the car at the time), and countless other minor near-accidents. I am a safe, 33 year old female driver with 17 years of driving-experience, and only one accident on my record (a man rear-ended me on the freeway in 2003). Toyota is such a popular brand, and if there are other Camry owners, then none of us are safe. How many people have to be injured or die before Toyota owns up to their mistake? I continue to see recalls for other Toyota cars, and hope beyond hope that one day my 2005 Camry SE will also be recalled.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #37

Jul 172009

Camry

  • 39,400 miles
2005 Toyota Camry, 39,000 miles. Have had all historical service done at Toyota dealerships, so everything that needs to be done over the years has been done to maintain vehicle. Car stalling constantly. Needs new throttle body, $1200 to fix. For a college student, I don't think so. But, have to get it replaced if I want to drive my car. This problem is sited all over the internet in Camry. Toyota really needs to step up to the plate.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #36

Jun 012006

Camry

  • 5,000 miles
Acceleration hesitation while pulling out into traffic or merging into traffic on the highway.

- Neenah, WI, USA

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