UsedScore

2018 Toyota Camry: Use caution

Owners filed 500 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota Camry in its first five years on the road, about 141 for every 100,000 sold: 1.9× the rate of a typical Camry year. That's above average, so use caution.

The biggest problem area, counting serious complaints more, is the brakes (25% of complaints, median 29,000 miles).

Complaint index
1.9×
per vehicle sold, vs. a typical Camry year
Rank
13th of 14
1st = fewest complaints
Complaints
500
first five years; 141 per 100,000 sold
Recalls
8
campaigns
8th generation, 2018–2024 (first year of the generation; redesign years often run worse) · Updated September 24, 2026 · How we rate
2018 Toyota Camry LE

Photo: 2018 Toyota Camry LE · Kevauto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Problem areas

Ranked by severity-weighted complaints · share · median miles
  1. Brakes25% · 124 complaints · median 29,000 miles
  2. Powertrain23% · 114 complaints · median 8,000 miles
  3. Engine19% · 94 complaints · median 15,000 miles
  4. Speed control13% · 67 complaints · median 6,000 miles
  5. Fuel and propulsion16% · 81 complaints · median 21,000 miles
  6. Air bags3% · 13 complaints · median 29,000 miles
  7. Electrical8% · 42 complaints · median 12,000 miles
  8. Steering8% · 38 complaints · median 39,000 miles
  9. Driver assistance6% · 28 complaints · median 18,000 miles
  10. Visibility4% · 22 complaints · median 10,000 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

Brakes

Owners of this Camry commonly report brakes that either grab abruptly at low speeds when parking or maneuvering, or that lose power assist over time, requiring much harder pedal pressure to stop. Many connect the power-loss issue to a brake vacuum pump or booster failure and a related recall, sometimes waiting for parts or experiencing near-misses and crashes.

Warning signs:
Owners often noticed a "Low Braking Power" or "stop in a safe place" warning message and illuminated brake lights, or sudden jerking and grabbing when braking at low speeds.
What shops did:
Dealers and mechanics frequently diagnosed a failed brake vacuum pump or booster needing replacement, though many say the recall repair part was unavailable for a long time.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 105,000 miles, among 77 complaints that give it

“Brakes periodically grab severely when first driving the car. Usual occurrence is when first backing from garage or parking space and trying to ease the brake pedal.”

“the brake pedal was difficult to depress. The contact stated that the brake and parking warning lights were illuminated.”

Engine

Owners of the 2018 Camry describe hesitation, jerking, stalling, and unexpected acceleration or deceleration, along with engine knocking noises and occasional rodent-damaged wiring. Many say dealers struggled to duplicate or fix these issues, while some link their experiences to recalls or software updates for fuel pumps or transmissions.

Warning signs:
Owners report delayed or rough acceleration, engine knocking or shaking, check engine or master warning lights, sputtering, and stiff or unresponsive brake pedals.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate or diagnose the problem, sometimes applied software updates, replaced water pumps, fuel pumps, ignition coils, or vacuum pumps, or told owners no issue was found.
Mileage:
most between 5,000 and 40,000 miles, among 73 complaints that give it

“Lag and hesitation when going to full throttle on the gas pedal. It hesitates for a second and then finally grabs on to accelerate.”

“The transmission performs poorly, regularly stalling between shifts, causing a lag in acceleration.”

Powertrain

Owners describe a transmission that hesitates, jerks, or struggles to find the right gear, especially when accelerating from a stop or after decelerating. Many say dealers had trouble diagnosing or fixing it, with some eventually needing a transmission replacement.

Warning signs:
Owners note hesitation or delay when pressing the gas, hard jerks or thuds when shifting or coming to a stop, high RPM revving without acceleration, and occasional stalling.
What shops did:
Dealers often could not duplicate or diagnose the issue, sometimes reprogrammed the transmission computer, and in some cases eventually replaced the transmission, occasionally delayed by backordered parts.
Mileage:
most between 0 and 25,000 miles, among 92 complaints that give it

“The transmission can't decide what gear to go in and a vibration occurs and lunges the car forward a bit”

“Upon completing a turn and reapplying gas pedal the car appeared to be in neutral or stuck between gears”

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

Recalls (8)

Check a VIN on NHTSA ›
  • NHTSA 25V028000January 2025858 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Camry, 2019 Lexus NX300, and 2019 RX350L vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 21V890000November 2021227,490 vehicles

    Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Camry vehicles. The vane cap inside the vacuum pump may break, causing the pump to fail, which could result in a sudden loss of braking assist.

    Risk: A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Dealers will repair or replace the vacuum pump, as necessary, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 20V682000November 20201,525,742 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus IS350, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500, 2018 Lexus LS500, 2019 Lexus LS500h, 2018-2019 Lexus LX570, 2017 Lexus RC200t, 2019 Lexus RC300, RC350, 2017 and 2019-2020 Lexus RX350, 2018-2020 RX350L, 2019 Lexus UX200, 2018-2019 Lexus NX300 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 20V012000January 20201,830,752 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

    Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 19V503000June 20191,325 vehicles

    Equipment: other: labels

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Toyota Camry, Corolla, Rav4, Sienna, and Yaris iA vehicles equipped with factory-installed floor mats. The load carrying capacity modification label may be incorrect. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    Risk: An incorrect label may lead to unintentionally overloading the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Fix: SET will notify owners and provide a corrected label for placement over the inaccurate label, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V211000April 20186,046 vehicles

    Service brakes, hydraulic: power assist: vacuum

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.

    Risk: A sudden loss of braking assist can increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake booster vacuum pump, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V200000March 20181,730 vehicles

    Engine and engine cooling: engine

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry vehicles equipped with a 2.5L, four-cylinder engine. The pistons on these vehicles may be larger than specified, possibly causing the engine to stall.

    Risk: An engine stall can increase the risk of a crash.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the production date codes of the pistons and, if an engine contains a piston from the affected production period, the engine assembly will be replaced, free of charge.

  • NHTSA 18V108000February 201811,807 vehicles

    Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings

    Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry vehicles equipped with V6 engines. These vehicles have fuel delivery pipes that may not be properly connected to the fuel hoses in the engine compartment.

    Risk: The improperly connected hoses may leak fuel, which, in the presence of an ignition source, can increase the risk of a fire.

    Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel pipes for the correct installation, correcting them as necessary, free of charge.

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 393 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2018 Camry. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

  • 24TE04 · August 2026 · Warranty extensionAlthough the flow shut-off valve is covered by Toyota’s New Vehicle Limited Warranty for 36 months or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at Toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience.
  • T-SB-0051-26 · August 2026This bulletin includes basic procedures for performing a rescue charge at battery on high voltage (HV) Ni-MH and Li-ion batteries.
  • T-SB-0110-20 Rev2 · August 2026OBSOLETE NOTICE August 20, 2026: This bulletin is now obsolete.
  • T-SB-0104-21 Rev2 · February 2026OBSOLETE NOTICE February 27, 2026: This bulletin is no longer applicable and is now obsolete.
  • T-SB-0112-24 Rev2 · June 2025Some 2018 – 2021 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which an “Engine Maintenance Required” message is displayed in the…
  • T-SB-0112-24 Rev1 · January 2025Some 2018 – 2021 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which an “Engine Maintenance Required” message is displayed in the…
  • T-SB-0112-24 · December 2024Some 2018 – 2021 model year Toyota vehicles equipped with an A25A-FKS, A25A-FXS, or M20A-FKS engine may exhibit a condition in which an “Engine Maintenance Required” message is displayed in the…
  • T-SB-0103-20 Rev1 · June 2024This Service Bulletin provides updated non-electric water pump leak inspection and diagnostic tips for some 2008 – 2025 model year Toyota vehicles.

All 2018 Camry bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2018 Toyota Camry reliable?
Owners filed 500 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota Camry in its first five years on the road, about 141 for every 100,000 sold: 1.9× the rate of a typical Camry year. That's above average, so use caution. 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 2018 Camry problems?
Owners' complaints most often involve the brakes (25%), the powertrain (transmission and drivetrain) (23%) and the engine (19%). A complaint can name more than one area.
Has the 2018 Toyota Camry been recalled?
Yes. NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2018 Toyota Camry, the most recent in January 2025 (fuel system, gasoline). 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 2018 Toyota Camry on NHTSA.gov · How we rate