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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:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,989 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Toyota Camry Owner Comments

problem #9

Sep 152006

Camry

  • miles

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

Car hesitates when shifting gears, has done it since new only gotten a bit worse now that it is older. Apparently this has been a problem with these cars so why has there not been a recall and why hasnt Toyota fixed it?

- Avondale, AZ, USA

problem #8

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 #7

Dec 142016

Camry

  • 57,000 miles
Takata recall. This car was never recalled by the local Toyota dealer. Air bags failed to deploy in a one car accident. Camry went around a traffic circle and unexpectedly accelerated. The car hit a curb and hit a mid size tree. The tree was destroyed and the car totaled. The car was on a city street when the accident occurred and the air bags failed to deploy. The owner of the car had to go to the hospital for treatment.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #6

Apr 012014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 155,000 miles

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

When the vehicle was started and placed in reverse the engine accelerated. Not being sure what was going on with the car, I kept substantial pressure on the brake and put transmission into neutral. When I did the engine speed proceeded to run away. I quickly just turned the ignition off. I placed the transmission into park, and restarted the engine, and it ran normally thereafter. There have been numerous times in the past year when the engine surged momentarily when the brake was applied, but it was momentary, and not thought significant. These events occurred when slowing to a stop or parking. This most recent and significant event occurred after a short trip, approx. 10 miles. The car had been parked for about 30 minutes. Weather was clear and temperature in the 70's. it is a 4 cylinder Camry, 2006 with about 155K miles. The car has not had any modifications or major repairs.

- Greenbrier, AR, USA

problem #5

Jun 152011

Camry 6-cyl

  • 31,000 miles
Unintended acceleration not caused by the accelerator at least a dozen times over the 2 years I owned the car. The first time was about a month after I bought the car used. As I entered my garage at a creep, I felt the transmission drop into the lowest gear then the car leaped forward. My foot was off the accelerator and poised over the brake petal as I was almost in my parking position. Shortly thereafter, I took car to the T. dealer who reprogrammed the transmission. Similar sudden acceleration in several scenarios occurred at least a dozen times over the next 2 years at low speeds. Each time the sudden acceleration occurred instantly when the transmission dropped from a higher gear into a lower gear. I am a back yard mechanic and have been driving for over 50 years. I feel that one of two things could be wrong. 1. the wrong transmission oil was used. Of the 4 vehicles I have had here, the Camry was the only one which would climb over a one inch edge at the garage entrance without using the accelerator. The Camry did not have much transmission slip which could be a design fault or more probably an oil with the wrong slip characteristics. 2. the transmission lock-up that comes on in overdrive was malfunctioning.

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

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problem #4

Jan 152013

Camry 4-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
I was easing into a parking space in front of a bank and was nearly stopped when my car suddenly surged forward. With a full plate glass window in front of me, I wrenched the steering wheel as fast and as far to the right as possible and don't know how I missed the concrete pillar I then saw immediately in front of me. The next thing I knew I was in the driveway I had just used to enter the parking lot in front of the bank.I then pulled back into the parking space I had just left and got out to figure out what had happened and to see if I had caused any damage. The only real damage was a light on the lawn I had evidently knocked loose from its base and tire tracks in the grass. The only damage to my car was underneath where a screw holding some plastic parts together was lost. I am afraid to drive my car because if this happens again, I may not be so lucky; people may get killed and property may be badly damaged.

- Jenera, Ohio, OH, USA

problem #3

Jul 292010

Camry 6-cyl

  • 100 miles

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

I have late Toyota Camry V6 with the similar to case #10348638 problems - a sluggish accelerator response though not related to stops. I noticed is on the second day after I bought a new car, brought it to a dealership service dept, was told that "a computer needs to adjust to my way of driving". brought it again after a couple of years, no problem found. It does not happen all the time, but almost every day. I found it very annoying and dangerous when it happens.

- Akron, OH, USA

problem #2

Aug 102010

Camry

  • miles
I have a late 2006 Toyota Camry with a delayed accelerator response. The accelerator pedal requires more pressure input from the foot to get an acceleration response from the car. When starting out or making a turn from a stop, the vehicle has a noticeable lag in response to a slow throw input response often times requiring more force.

- Blacksburg, VA, USA

problem #1

Apr 172007

Camry

  • 28,000 miles
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) Toyota acceleration complaint March 24, 2010 ODI number 10321792. Safety issue - 2006 Toyota Camry le on going problem - the vehicle's engine will rev up and lurch forward while at a dead stop. Engine will accelerate and lurch forward on its own. Sensation appears as if there is another vehicle directly behind ours pushing it. Engine is specifications up to standards. It manifests at all speeds, but more noticeable at low speeds and at stops. My wife was stopped and idling at a traffic stop sign on East vestal facing eastbound at and the intersection of pleasanton road here in san antonio, Texas. She was waiting to make a right hand turn onto northbound pleasanton road. While she was stopped a northbound bicyclist traveling on the sidewalk to her left began crossing the street. He was riding upon his bike and when his bike was right in front of the vehicle the automobile lurched forward and knocked him down. My wife had her foot on the brake however; this incident occurred very quickly that she could not react fast enough to prevent the automobile from hitting the bicyclist. The bicyclist assured my wife that he was not injured. He had checked his bicycle and it was not damaged and that the police did not need to be called. The accident so upset my wife that she ended going back home and not going to work that day. The contacted the Toyota service technician assured us that this activity was normal for Toyota. This is why I am reporting this problem. This problem needs to be surfaced and addressed. I am sure that there are other Toyota Camry owners that are suffering from the same problem as we are. I have today contacted Toyota corporation here in the United States and the company has not addressed my concern or even acknowledges receiving my complaint. The bottom line is that I want this problems fixed. Thank you for your attention. [xxx]

- San Antonio, TX, USA

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