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CarComplaints.com Notes: How can we give the 2006 Camry our "Seal of Awesome" when the NHTSA data shows engine problems in the triple digits & multiple deaths/injuries/crashes etc?

The problem with NHTSA data for the 2006 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.

In other words, it's our opinion that the 2 deaths & other injuries/fires/crashes reported to the NHTSA are significant, but (unfortunately) not out of the ordinary for any vehicle, once you factor in the effects of the extended national media coverage of Camry unintended acceleration issues.

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 2006 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:
61 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
36 / 2
Average Mileage:
38,516 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.

2006 Toyota Camry engine problems

engine problem

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2006 Toyota Camry Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #101

Sep 182021

Camry

  • miles

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

I was driving my 2006 Toyota Camry on a level residential road at 35 mph and stopped at a red light. Upon turning left, the car unexpectedly accelerated at a high speed. I stepped on the brakes but the car did not stop nor slow. I was driving towards a very busy intersection. I tried to shift the gear to park, but the car was still running out of control. I turned left onto a side street in order to avoid the intersection. I was going too fast and jumped the curb, crashed into a Toyota Tundra truck parked on the driveway, and ricocheted into the retaining wall of the neighboring property. I was wearing my set belt, the airbag deployed and hit my chest. There were long tire marks on the street and a witness reported the squealing sound of brakes. Paramedics and police arrived immediately. My blood pressure was checked and I was advised to go to the ER. In the hospital, I was checked for reflexes, stroke and heart problems and got a X-ray of my chest. Everything was ok and I was sent home after 5 hours, although my chest was severely bruised and painful for about 2 weeks. It took me a month to drive again. I kept thinking about what caused the accident. I am certain that mine was a case of sudden unintended acceleration. While there were over 7 million Toyota cars subject to unintended acceleration recalls from 2005-2012, my 2006 Toyota Camry was not included in these recalls.

- Cardiff, CA, USA

problem #100

Feb 132020

Camry

  • 66,136 miles
While on the street as I was backing my car into a parking space adjacent to the street curb the car suddenly accelerated in reverse at high speed, crashing over the curb and sidewalk, rear end first. My stepping on the brakes in an attempt to stop the car was unsuccessful; the car did not come to a stop until it crashed into an iron fence which bordered the yard causing damage to the fence and the car. A similar incident occurred quite a few years ago when the same car suddenly accelerated in reverse out of control and I was unable to bring it to a halt until it hit a parked car. I do not know what caused either of these incidents to occur.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #99

Sep 082019

Camry 4-cyl

  • 149,000 miles
The contact owned a used 2006 Toyota Camry. While driving low speeds, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning and the brake pedal failed to operate. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed head on into a pole. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was leaving a hospital when the failure occurred and was treated at the same hospital for a cracked cervical spine, a cracked jaw, and a cracked tooth. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was totaled and towed to a tow yard. The cause of the failure was not determined. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 149,000.

- Williamsville, NY, USA

problem #98

Oct 042019

Camry

  • 119,000 miles

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

On Friday, October 4th (2019) I was waiting in line at a red light (on state street at the intersection with haywood road in asheville, North Carolina). Suddenly my Toyota 2006 lurched forward and banged into the car ahead of me. I stomped on the brake. The car stopped, then jumped forward again and banged the car ahead of me again. My husband, sitting in the passenger seat, threw the gear shift into 'park' and our car stopped. As I was just waiting in line at the light when the car spontaneously surged forward, we feel this was a case of 'Toyota sudden unexpected acceleration.' Our insurer has appraised the damage to car at just below $3000. We no longer consider this car safe to drive. Our insurer did not require a police report. There were no personal injuries, so police were not called.

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #97

Apr 072019

Camry

  • 140,000 miles
On Sunday, April 7th, I was traveling westbound on the southern state parkway at exactly fifty-five mph and exited at exit 17N. The exit ramp there is sloped uphill and parallels taylor road. There is a stop sign at the end of that ramp at hempstead avenue. Just as I was coming to the end of that ramp at very slow speed and almost to that sign, the engine suddenly sped up with extreme acceleration and the car lurched forward. I slammed my foot onto the brake pedal which kept the car from moving further forward and then before I could do anything else, the phenomenon ended and the engine returned to its normal idling speed of approximately 700 RPM on the dashboard tachometer. I drove home and parked the car in my driveway. The following morning, Monday April 8th, I made an appointment for that day to bring the car to a Toyota dealer. As I was preparing for that, I started the car and everything seemed normal. I put it into reverse in order to back out when the engine again suddenly sped up to extreme acceleration. Again, I slammed my foot onto the brake pedal and this time I put the gear shift into park which kept the car from moving further. The tachometer needle was rotated clockwise and well up into the "red" zone which begins at 6000 RPM. In a moment or so, the phenomenon again ended and the engine again returned to its normal idling speed.

- Merrick, NY, USA

problem #96

Jan 112019

Camry

  • miles
Pedal acceleration is off. Sometimes it will not go and then suddenly when you press the pedal it jerks. Scar only accelerates when pedal is pressed at a perfect angle

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #95

Dec 252018

Camry

  • 90,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. While attempting to pull out of the driveway, the vehicle did not accelerate. The contact released the accelerator pedal and depressed it harder, in which the vehicle responded. Later the same day, the vehicle did not accelerate when approaching an intersection. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #94

Jul 282018

Camry

  • 71,000 miles
Car was placed in reverse while stopped to parallel park along curb with steering wheel turned slightly to the right. Car accelerator went full throttle with very little driver input. Driver hard pressed the brake to stop, skids marks of rear tires confirm, car kept accelerating, driver turned to avoid a parked vehicle causing the car to aggressively slide sideways up and over the curb while still accelerating. Driver slapped the shifter into neutral and straightened the wheel. The car straightened out and the momentum carried it forward (rather than reverse from the unintended J turn) colliding into a house. Car mileage approximately 71,000. No floor mats in floorboard, no other debris. Air bags did not deploy. No injuries. First reported incident of accelerator (speed control) malfunction.

- Longview, TX, USA

problem #93

Apr 102017

Camry

  • 221,798 miles
"takata recall" at the beginning of your complaint description below, I purchased this used vehicle from a buy here pay here lot believing it would be a safe vehicle for me and my family I have been driving this car for a few weeks now and notice jerking/shifting issues while driving in motion acceleration both city and highways while turning etc., component parts or system unknown, I believe this to be a safety issue/problem for me as the owner of this vehicle, thank you!

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #92

Mar 292016

Camry

  • 3 miles
I was driving on the free way, suddenly many lights came on like ABS, engine check, brake and more. Meanwhile cluster went brighter and gauges went crazy. So I pulled over and got off from free way. Not car went more crazy. Speedometer show zero and brake applies by itself like emergency brake. So I am pregnant and scared. So I left the car B Y the street and went home. It happened just today in the morning. I am living in zip 91367. Please advice and help.

- Woodland Hills, CA, USA

problem #91

Oct 112015

Camry

  • 200,000 miles

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

On several occasions while driving my car has accelerated and I thought my transmission was going bad until on 2 occasions the car surged forward when my foot was on the brake. This has also been reported to Toyota. The second surge caused an accident.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #90

Oct 112015

Camry

  • 252,000 miles
I had my foot on brake and was putting into reverse to back into a parking space when suddenly it lurched forward and hit an escalade that was parked about one foot in front of me. It totaled my car and her car. It was so sudden I don't know if it went into reverse or not. I believe the only thing that stopped me was the impact with SUV. This was reported to Toyota, I am waiting for an inspection of vechicle.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #89

Oct 232015

Camry

  • 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that upon depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle accelerated excessively. As a result, the contact depressed the brake pedal in order to stop the vehicle and turned it off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 101,000. The VIN was not available.

- Renton, WA, USA

problem #88

Jun 192013

Camry 6-cyl

  • 81,103 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. While driving between 20 and 40 mph, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and surged forward when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. Manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,103. The consumer stated the vehicle had to be driven with the over drive option off. During slow traffic, the vehicle was kept in drive 3. this reduced the hesitation/surge events. Updated 08/21/2017

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #87

Apr 042015

Camry

  • 112,000 miles
I bought the car on 2012 and it works nice until one day I start it and when I tried to accelerate it simply don't do anything, it remains at idle RPM. The car start to accelerate with the gas pedal nearly on the floor, the problem was that the vehicle accelerate too slow and at an instant it did it too fast (full throttle).

- Garrochales, PR, USA

problem #86

Mar 282013

Camry 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
First incident occurred while sitting at a red light. The light turned green, I went to accelerate and pedal was stuck, I attempted to press it again and my car just shot forward very rapidly. Thankfully no one was in front of me. This has occurred several times over the years. Other times, I will be at a constant speed on the interstate and car will begin to accelerate very quickly then fall back down. It has done this while cruise control is on and while my foot is on the pedal. I tried braking, the breaks began to slow me down but the rpms still rose rapidly then fell back to normal several times in a row. It seems several people with my same year model and make have the same issue.

- Theodore, AL, USA

problem #85

Dec 072014

Camry

  • 82,505 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 82,505. The VIN was unavailable.

- Abbeville, SC, USA

problem #84

Nov 112014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 87,000 miles
Vehicle referenced left target, stoughton, MA, parking lot at 12:10pm-11-11-14 (with 7yr old grandson car seated behind driver & driver was in seatbelt). When existing lot, another car backed out of parking space and hit rt, back end of ref car. Driver of ref vehicle looked behind at vehicle that struck her and, as she turned forward & barely stepped on gas to move away from vehicle that hit her, there was a loud clicking noise, tires started spinning and car took off accelerating w/O control of brakes, shift or steering. Ref vehicle hit curb, accelerated up hill from parking lot and went airborne, crashed down into guardrail at approx 45-50mph and airbags did not deploy. Driver is sure ref vehicle would have continued traveling forward if not for guardrail! driver of vehicle (and grandson) were taken in ambulance to hospital and in triage all day. Driver suffered head and eye injuries and hematomas from neck down. Grandson reported slight back pain and was released. Thankfully, neither of ref vehicle's occupants were maimed or died. After much research, found there are 2006 Toyota Camry with etc issues. Again, no control of any aspect of car - could not put in neutral, gear shift just "floated" over all gears when trying to use! would like for NHTSA to inspect gas pedal for "whiskers" or other problems that led to this. As driver of this vehicle, I can honestly state that I have a great driving record and I am not prone to "driver error" putting foot on gas pedal instead of brake (and accelerating to that distance) and there was no carpet for pedal to stick under. Checked Toyota dealership where my mom purchased this car (she passed prior to this).they informed me that there were no recalls for this VIN#. makes me wonder about airbag deployment as well. None of this should have happened! any feedback from you would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

- Stoughton, MA, USA

problem #83

Sep 132014

Camry

  • miles
I do not know the exact details of the entire accident, as we did not yet meet the new family, but it took the life of my grandchild. She was not driving her boyfriend was. It was his mothers vehicle and it happened in another state. Las vegas, Nevada. The cause listed in the accident report was a fault of the vehicle. He was following his sisters vehicle, as they just arrived in vegas and was visiting his family. The car accelerated unexpectedly and hit his sisters car then flew into a wall. His mother was killed and my granddaughter instantly. I would like to see a change in the way these recalls are dealt with. I'm just going through any venue I can to get it done. These cars should be flagged "do not register" by department of motor vehicles until the parts are repaired. If I don't smog a vehicle I cannot drive it. Make it that way for all recalled vehicles. Work with the car companies to get this done before more children, families die. Please.

- Imperial Beach, CA, USA

problem #82

Jul 242014

Camry

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle independently accelerated. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

- Gill, MA, USA

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