UsedScore

2009 Toyota Camry: Avoid

Owners filed 562 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Camry in its first five years on the road, about 149 for every 100,000 sold: 2.4× the rate of a typical Camry year. That's more than twice a typical year, across more than one problem area.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is speed control (43% of complaints, median 15,000 miles).

Complaint index
2.4×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Camry year
Rank
14th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
562
first five years; 149 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
10
campaigns
6th generation, 2007–2011 · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2007–2008 Toyota Camry XLE

Photo: 2007–2008 Toyota Camry XLE · IFCAR, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Speed control43% · 243 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  2. Brakes12% · 68 complaints · median 22,000 miles
  3. Air bags5% · 28 complaints · median 24,000 miles
  4. Engine9% · 50 complaints · median 30,000 miles
  5. Powertrain7% · 37 complaints · median 13,000 miles
  6. Suspension9% · 52 complaints · median 38,000 miles
  7. Electrical5% · 28 complaints · median 26,000 miles
  8. Steering5% · 26 complaints · median 27,000 miles
  9. Visibility6% · 33 complaints · median 45,000 miles
  10. Body and structure3% · 18 complaints · median 33,000 miles

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

What owners describe

Air bags

Many owners of this Camry report that air bags did not deploy in front, side, or rear-impact crashes, sometimes resulting in injuries. Others describe warning lights staying on, melting dashboards raising deployment concerns, or being told their vehicle wasn't covered by related recalls.

Warning signs:
Some owners noticed the air bag or SRS warning light illuminated, or a passenger air bag-off light staying lit, before any crash occurred.
What shops did:
Dealers sometimes replaced a spiral cable or wiring harness for warning lights, but many owners report air bags were never repaired or the vehicle was towed away destroyed with no repair attempted.
Mileage:
most between 35,000 and 110,000 miles, among 57 complaints that give it

“The vehicle was towed from the scene and repaired at a local shop. It took one month for the local repair facility to fix the vehicle”

“I realized that my srs lights were staying on. After going through vehicle manual it pointed out that it was due to disabled air bag”

Brakes

Owners of this Camry describe brakes that intermittently lose stopping power or fail outright, frequently accompanied by warning lights such as VSC, ABS, or brake alerts. Repairs have included actuator, sensor, or rotor replacements, but some owners report the issue returning or dealers unable to find the cause.

Warning signs:
Many report VSC, ABS, or brake warning lights, unusual noises, grinding or squeaking, vibration, or pulling to one side before or during the failure.
What shops did:
Dealers have replaced brake actuators, stroke sensors, ABS modules, rotors and pads, or reprogrammed the brake computer, though some owners say the problem could not be duplicated or recurred after repair.
Mileage:
most between 30,000 and 105,000 miles, among 152 complaints that give it

“The check vsc system light and the check engine red triangle with exclamation point light came on after the brakes totally failed”

“The contact noticed a loud metal to metal sound when depressing the accelerator pedal”

Speed control

Owners describe their Camrys suddenly accelerating on their own, sometimes with the pedal sticking, occasionally leading to crashes. Dealers frequently found no fault, and some owners say recall repairs for the floor mat or pedal did not fully resolve the issue.

Warning signs:
Some note engine revving or roaring, jerking, vibration in the pedal or floor, clunking noises, or slow pedal return before the acceleration event.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not reproduce or diagnose the problem; some vehicles received floor mat or accelerator pedal recall repairs, though a few owners say the issue recurred afterward.
Mileage:
most between 10,000 and 35,000 miles, among 233 complaints that give it

“The accelerator 'grabbed' and began to speed uncontrollably”

“Take off is not smooth since it temporarily stalls and then suddenly jerks out at a higher speed”

Summaries are written with AI from the owner complaints shown on NHTSA's site and checked against them; quotes are word for word.

Recalls (10)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 16V396000June 20167,749 vehicles

    Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory.

  • NHTSA 15V689000October 20151,814,284 vehicles

    Visibility: power window devices and controls

    Toyota Motor Company (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Tundra, Sequoia, Corolla, Corolla Matrix and Scion xB, 2008-2011 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid, 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2009 Camry and Camry Hybrid, 2006-2011 RAV4, 2006-2010 Yaris, and 2009-2010 Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. During the manufacturing of the Power Window Master Switch (PWMS), grease lubricant may have been inconsistently applied to the sliding electrical contacts.

    Risk: If the sliding electrical contacts are not protected by lubricant, debris and moisture that get into the switch may cause a short circuit and the switch assembly may overheat and melt, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the switch, applying a lubricant if no abnormality is found.

  • NHTSA 14V743000November 20143,233 vehicles

    Seats: front assembly: seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    Fix: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 13V014000January 20133,235 vehicles

    Seats · Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Fix: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary.

  • NHTSA 12V491000October 20122,519,424 vehicles

    Visibility: power window devices and controls

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Camry, Camry Hybrid, RAV4, Corolla, Corolla Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, Yaris, Scion xB, Scion xD and Pontiac Vibe vehicles. The power window master switch assemblies in some of these vehicles were built using a less precise process for lubricating the internal components of the switch assemblies. Irregularities in this lubrication process may cause the power window master switch assemblies to malfunction and overheat.

    Risk: If the switch overheats, it may melt, possibly resulting in a fire.

    Fix: Toyota will notify its owners, and dealers will inspect the switch and apply a special grease that inhibits heat build up or replace any switch damaged by the defect, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 12V091000March 2012186,798 vehicles

    Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2009 camry vehicles manufactured from july 1, 2008, through february 28, 2009, and model year 2009-2011 venza vehicles manufactured from october 20, 2008, through january 4, 2011. During assembly of the contact-type stop lamp switch, silicone grease may have come in contact with the surface of the switch which could cause contact resistance. If this occurs, warning lamps could illuminate, a no start condition could result, the shift lever may not shift from the “park” position, or the vehicle’s brake lights could become inoperative.

    Risk: Inoperative brake lights would not warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 10V035000February 2010271,417 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Gulf states toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold between september 1, 2005 and june 2, 2008 without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

    Risk: This does not meet the standard requirements.

    Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge.

  • NHTSA 10V036000February 2010153,418 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.

    Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge.

  • NHTSA 10V017000January 20102,230,661 vehicles

    Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 avalon, model year 2007-2010 camry, model year 2009-2010 corolla, corolla matrix, rav4, model year 2010 highlander, model year 2008-2010 sequoia, and model year 2007-2010 tundra vehicles. Due to the manner in which the friction lever interacts with the sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor assembly, the sliding surface of the lever may become smooth during vehicle operation. In this condition, if condensation occurs on the surface, as may occur from heater operation (without a/c) when the pedal assembly is cold, the friction when the accelerator pedal is operated may increase, which may result in the accelerator pedal becoming harder to depress, slower to return, or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position.

    Risk: The accelerator pedal may become hard to depress, slow to return to idle, or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will install a reinforcement bar in the accelerator pedal which will allow the pedal to operate smoothly.

  • NHTSA 09V388000October 20094,445,056 vehicles

    Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

    Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.

    Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.

    Fix: Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Service bulletins

Toyota sent NHTSA 457 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2009 Camry. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • TSB003220 · August 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most 1979 ?
  • T-SB-0094-21 Rev · November 2022TSB: Some 2005 ?
  • TTT063620 · March 2022TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions
  • T-SB-0014-22 · March 2022TSB: This Service Bulletin includes procedures to replace damaged or loose front carpet floor retainer(s) without replacing the carpet assembly.
  • Toyota Safety Re · March 2021Toyota Safety Recall and Service Campaign - Technician Certification Requirements
  • T-TT-0636-20 Rev · March 2021TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • T-TT-0636-20 · December 2020TT: Some Toyota vehicles installed with Toyota Complete Maintenance Care (TCMC) brake pads may exhibit a groan or squeak noise in various driving conditions.
  • ZJA-Dealer Packa · June 2018Dealer Package: June 22, 2018 A correction was made to the coverage parameters.

All 2009 Camry bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2009 Toyota Camry reliable?
Owners filed 562 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Toyota Camry in its first five years on the road, about 149 for every 100,000 sold: 2.4× the rate of a typical Camry year. That's more than twice a typical year, across more than one problem area. Ratings compare Camry years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.
What are the most common 2009 Camry problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve speed control (43%), the brakes (12%) and the air bags (5%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2009 Toyota Camry been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 10 recall campaigns for the 2009 Toyota Camry, the most recent in June 2016 (seats). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.

Sources

Owner complaints, recalls and manufacturer communications from NHTSA's public data files, as of September 24, 2026. Complaints are counted once each, over the model year's first 60 months on the road. UsedScore is not affiliated with NHTSA or Toyota. The 2009 Toyota Camry on NHTSA.gov · How we rate