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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:
17 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
14 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,671 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2006 Toyota Camry Owner Comments (Page 2 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #24

Nov 112014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 87,000 miles

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

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 #23

Nov 142014

Camry

  • 109,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. While driving 65 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the spiral cable needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V168000 (air bags). The failure mileage was 109,000. The VIN was not available.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #22

Aug 302009

Camry 4-cyl

  • miles
2006 Toyota Camry. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle sudden acceleration. The consumer stated on two separate occasions, he experienced sudden acceleration. The first time the accident happened, he was pulling into a parking space, and all of a sudden the vehicle accelerated, went over a curb and impacted the side of a building. He immediately shut the engine off, using the key. The air bad did not deploy. The second incident happened on June 30, 2014. He was pulling into a parking space, when the vehicle accelerated out of control, it went over a curb and into a fence. He immediately turned the key to the off position and the vehicle stopped. The air bad did not deploy in the second accident. The consumer sold the vehicle on August 27, 2014.

- Sewell, NJ, USA

problem #21

May 102014

Camry

  • 155,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the air bag sensor remained illuminated on the driver side. In addition, the front passenger side air bag sensor indicated "air bag off" intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who adjusted the wires under the front passenger seat and the sensor did not illuminate; however, the failure recurred one month later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

problem #20

Apr 052014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 111,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, he crashed into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered bruised lungs and cracked ribs. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 111,000. Updated 07/08/14

- Derwood, MD, USA

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problem #19

Apr 112014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 139,000 miles
In 2008 my 2006 Camry had the warning light for the seat belt come on. Wellesley Toyota corrected the problem. I took the car back in 2009 twice for the same problem. The problem reoccurred in 2010 and I had it repaired at another Toyota dealer. Since then it comes on and other times goes out. Now it is permanently on.

- Newton, MA, USA

problem #18

Aug 132013

Camry 4-cyl

  • 48,750 miles

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

Wife was driving and noted that the red airbag warning light had gone on. We stopped. I moved the seat and began driving. The airbag warning light was off. The light remained off until early 2014, when it began alternating periods of on and off. On March 27, 2014, we took our Camry to our Toyota dealer. The dealer wrote (report is in the computer holdings of Toyota motor sales, U.S.a.): "found the seat track floor covering has come loose which once the seat has moved it caused the cover to [be] pushed against the airbag connector underneath the seat. This causes the light to come on due to no communication at the drivers side airbag squib connector. (code B1821)" the dealer repaired the wiring. It is evident now that each time my wife or I moved the driver's seat there was a possibility of disruption of the airbag electrical circuit. The seat is driven by an electric motor, so there was no chance we disrupted the wiring as might happen with a manually readjusted seat. This is a serious safety defect caused by poor engineering design and not a "wear and tear" issue. The airbag electrical circuit should have been designed so as to have been safe from disruption by movement of the driver's-side seat. On April 9, 2014, Toyota announced a recall for an airbag electrical connection design defect--in the steering column rather than under the seat--similar to what we experienced. Based on our experience, the recall does not go as far as it should have.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #17

Jan 052014

Camry 4-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle spun uncontrollably and then rolled over. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained minor lacerations and bruising, and a police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was ruled as being destroyed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 64,000. Updated 02/11/2014

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #16

Dec 032013

Camry 4-cyl Diesel

  • miles
The 2006 Toyota Camry involved in a frontal collision (which is a total lost) does not has the airbags deployed at the moment of the accident as designed.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #15

Oct 082013

Camry 4-cyl

  • 89,065 miles
Driving home from work I hit a large deer, approximately 200 pounds, at 45 mph, direct front end contact, causing damage to the whole front hood, grille, both front fenders, radiator, headlights, air conditioning system. Air bags did not deploy, no injury to me. Received my car from the body shop October 25th and everything looked great. After driving approximately 800 miles noticed a little body misalignment and on the 18th of October I drove to the body shop to have them look at the alignment problem and check the air bag warning light. They are working on the body issue, which I could care less about, however, after doing a scan of the car systems, with the hand held scanner, the air bag warning is not a sensor issue due to the collision with the deer, but it is in the passenger seat sensor/wiring which should be a Toyota issue. I have researched this and there are several complaints online, but I have not seen a re-call from Toyota, the fix for this situation is to replace the passenger seat at a cost of about $3400. My biggest concern is why did the air bags not deploy and now is the total air bag system not functioning?

- Bloomingdale, GA, USA

problem #14

Sep 012008

Camry

  • 46,823 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that that the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. The dealer performed two diagnostics that located failures at the air bag pinfit and the passenger's side front seat. The air bag pinfit and the passenger's side front seat were replaced however, the failure was not corrected. The air bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 46,823 and the current mileage was 89,000.

- Ada, MI, USA

problem #13

Jun 262013

Camry 4-cyl

  • 46,216 miles
Vehicle airbag warning light came on for passenger side. Dash message said airbag off even though passenger was in the seat. Car was taken to dealer who said "the computer got confused, probably because weight exceeding trigger threshold was removed from seat & replaced while car was running". computer needed to be "re-calibrated". I was charged $95 labor to re-calibrate. In my opinion for the computer to disable the airbag because something was moved in or out of the seat is a serious safety concern. If there is proper weight, the bag should be on, otherwise off, but not disabled requiring a trip to the dealer to fix and an exorbitant labor charge to fix.

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #12

Dec 042012

Camry 4-cyl

  • 28,100 miles
The airbag warning light came on in the car. We brought it to the dealer and were told that there is an internal open inside circuit in the side air bag of the passenger seat. Because this is an integral problem with the seat, it needs to be replaced. Approximate cost with tax is $3400. Other similar complaints are on the internet. I believe that there is a systemic issue with the seat/air bag system.

- Columbia, MD, USA

problem #11

Jun 102009

Camry 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 113,417 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was continuously illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that there were no recalls for the vehicle and in order to repair the air bags, they would have to remove the passenger's seat and replace it with a new air bag assembly, all at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was notified who also advised the contact that there were no recalls and that he should contact the dealer for the repairs. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 113,417 and the current mileage was 234,000. Updated 012/14/12 the consumer stated the local dealer offered $1,000 assistance of the total cost ($3,300) as a goodwill gesture. The consumer declined. Updated 12/17/2012

- Fort Washington, MD, USA

problem #10

Nov 022012

Camry 4-cyl

  • miles
The air bag warning light stays on all the time.

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #9

Oct 052012

Camry 6-cyl

  • 82,000 miles
I was traveling sw around 35mph and entered an intersection with the green light. Another (unlicensed) driver also traveling at the same speed entered the intersection traveling ne, his light was red, but he ran it. My front end impacted his drivers side (near the front tire) both of his air bags deployed, yet neither of mine did. My front end (frame) bent like a V-shape, and fluid from the radiator drained onto the hot engine. I had to be evacuated from the car by the local emt and was taken by ambulance to emergency. I have photos that would love to share especially Toyota, so they can explain to me why the air bags failed, and put me into what is going to be months of therapy.

- Hartsdale, NY, USA

problem #8

Mar 262011

Camry 4-cyl

  • 49,202 miles
I bought a Toyota Camry 2006 from maple hill auto group in kalamazoo, mi in March of 2011. The car had 49,202 miles on it at the time. When I test drove it, I noticed the airbag light was on. I expressed concern to the salesman who indicated "oh, that's just a sensor issue, that can be fixed quickly." I purchased the car with some reservation about the light. When I picked up the car, the light was off (they had taken it to the local Toyota dealership to fix). Everything was fine for about 5 months in August when the light came back on again. I returned it to maple hill auto and was told by the salesman that "the airbag light was not part of powertrain warranty and therefore would not be fixed. I then took it to the Toyota dealer who informed me that they could "tweak"it again but in evidently the entire front seat may have to be removed at a cost of about $3000, which of course I don't have. So they "tweaked" it again and it was okay for a while. Now, July 2012, it has come back on again. On my sales agreement with maple hill auto it states "dealer will repair air bag light issue." Obviously, this has not happened. The car only had 49,000 miles on it when the light was on originally. The original warranty for Camry is supposed to be 60,0000 miles for this issue. I feel that I have been scammed and lied to by the dealer who only took it to Toyota to get the light temporarily off so I would buy the car. I believe they knew it was a more serious issue because I believe Toyota told them it would be a recurring problem. Now I feel stuck as I cannot afford to replace a seat and I don't feel a 2006 Camry I paid $12,350 for should have this issue. Aren't they supposed to be about safety? now I am forced to drive around in an unsafe car, including with my grandchildren. I think maple hill auto should fix this problem at no cost to myself.

- Kalamazoo, MI, USA

problem #7

May 012006

Camry

  • 6 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the air bag indicator illuminated. After taking the vehicle to the dealer the contact was informed that the indicator was repaired after resetting the air bag module. After a period of time when the contact would move the seats the air bag indicator would illuminate again. The dealer was notified of the recent failure and the contact was instructed that the air bag sensor would need to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would not cover the cost of the sensor replacement. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 6 and current mileage was 90,060. The VIN was not available.

- Decatur, AL, USA

problem #6

Oct 202011

Camry

  • 54,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Toyota Camry. The contact was driving 35 mph when he crashed into the side of another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was destroyed and the contact as well as a passenger was injured in the crash. The police arrived to the scene and advised that the air bags should have deployed in the crash. The failure and the current mileages were 54,000.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #5

Apr 022010

Camry

  • 28,273 miles
I was pulling slowly into a parking space in front of an office building. When I gently applied the brake, the car suddenly zoomed forward and struck the front of the building, shattering a large glass window and its frame and area around it. This stopped the car. I put it into reverse and backed into the parking space. The air bag did not inflate. Fortunately, the occupant of that office had just left. Otherwise she would have been hit by flying glass. I had never before had trouble of this kind with this Toyota. The damage was repaired, but I sold the car to the auto body shop.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

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