Toyota Camry Years to Avoid

Why 2009 made the avoid list

2009 Toyota Camry

AvoidTop issue: speed control · 43% of complaints · median 15,000 miles

Owners of the 2009 Camry describe air bags not deploying in crashes, brakes that lose stopping power or fail outright with VSC or ABS warning lights, and sudden unintended acceleration. Some say dealers couldn't find the cause or that repairs didn't fully fix it.

Full 2009 report ›

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints on NHTSA's site and checked against them; the counts and mileages come from our data.

Best Toyota Camry years to buy

2017 Toyota Camry

Best betTop issue: air bags · 15% of complaints · median 35,000 miles

Owners filed 101 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Camry in its first five years, about 26 for every 100,000 sold: 0.5× the rate of a typical Camry year. 15% of them involve the air bags, at a median of 35,000 miles.

Full 2017 report ›

2022 Toyota Camry

Best betTop issue: air bags · 16% of complaints

Owners filed 63 complaints with NHTSA about the 2022 Camry in its first five years, about 21 for every 100,000 sold: 0.4× the rate of a typical Camry year. 16% of them involve the air bags.

Full 2022 report ›

A best bet drew 0.6× the complaint rate of a typical Camry year or less in its first five years on the road. How we rate

1. Speed control20% of complaints · 846 complaints · median 4,000–21,000 miles by year · worst years: 2008, 2009 and 2010
2. Brakes13% of complaints · 561 complaints · median 1,000–32,000 miles by year · worst years: 2009, 2012 and 2018
3. Powertrain11% of complaints · 492 complaints · median 1,000–28,000 miles by year · worst years: 2012, 2018 and 2019
4. Engine10% of complaints · 437 complaints · median 5,000–53,000 miles by year · worst years: 2009, 2018 and 2019
5. Visibility10% of complaints · 437 complaints · median 3,000–51,000 miles by year · worst years: 2008, 2009 and 2011

Complaints owners filed with NHTSA in each model year's first five years on the road, all years combined. A complaint can name more than one area. Worst years are the rated years with the most complaints about that area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

Questions owners ask

Which Toyota Camry years should you avoid?

Counting complaints owners filed with NHTSA in each year's first five years on the road, per vehicle sold, the 2009 Camry drew the most: each more than twice the rate of a typical Camry year, spread across more than one problem area. The 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2018 also ran above average; use caution with them.

What is the best year for a used Toyota Camry?

The best bets are the 2017 and 2022 Camry, which drew far fewer complaints per vehicle sold than a typical Camry year. The 2022 drew the fewest for its time on the road (0.4× the rate of a typical Camry year). Years from 2023 on haven't had five years on the road, so they aren't rated yet.

What is the most common problem with the Toyota Camry?

Across every year, the problem area owners report most is speed control (20% of complaints), followed by the brakes (13%) and the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (11%). A complaint can name more than one area.

Has the Toyota Camry been recalled?

Yes. NHTSA lists 44 recall campaigns covering Camry model years 2008 to 2026, the most recent in August 2026. Enter a vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether its repairs were done.