FaultScore

2021 Toyota Camry driver assist problems

21 of the 196 complaints about the 2021 Toyota Camry are about the driver-assist systems — 11% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 68,000 miles.

F

21

Complaints

7

Crashes

0

Fires

4

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Automatic Emergency Braking 6 28.6%
Assist 4 19.0%
Warning 3 14.3%
Warnings 2 9.5%
Adaptive Cruise Control 2 9.5%
Back Over Prevention 1 4.8%
Blind Spot Detection 1 4.8%
Forward Collision Avoidance 1 4.8%
Rearview System Braking 1 4.8%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every Toyota Camry year

2018 74 35.7%
2019 46 22.2%
2020 29 14.0%
2021 21 10.1%
2022 12 5.8%
2023 15 7.2%
2024 10 4.8%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

St Joseph, MO Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

I was involved in a multi-impact collision while driving my 2021 Toyota Camry. Certified crash data from the Airbag Control Module (ACM) confirms five crash events including a frontal collision (delta-V of -9.3 mph) and a rollover (roll angle 9.8°, roll rate 45.6°/sec). Despite these conditions, no airbags deployed—not the frontal, knee, or curtain airbags. The driver was belted, there was no airbag warning light, and power was maintained. Toyota later stated the system worked “as designed” and found no defects. However, federal safety standards (FMVSS No. 208 and 226) suggest this type of crash should have triggered the airbags, especially due to the frontal delta-V and verified rollover. I request a formal investigation. Crash report available upon request.

NHTSA complaint #11691049 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Hampstead, NC

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

1. Driving on the highway with adaptive cruise control feels like taming a wild horse. Pulls side to side, even after alignment and total check up from Toyota. 2. Engine Maintenace required now warning light. This came on at 106,458 miles on Toyota Camry 21 LE. Randomly turned on. Off when air con was turned off, light came back on when air con was turned on. Took to Toyota dealership, repaired at no cost, Coolant bypass valve circuit short to battery or open, known concern by Toyota. DTC p268115 Confirmed and repaired at no cost, customer care warranty. 3. Headlights full of water, condensation at 70,000 miles. Regular Maintenace each 5k miles, bought extended protection plan for 4k, purchased car brand new in 2021 0 miles. at 70k the headlights I noticed condensation inside the headlights. I thought it would go away, later at 100,000 miles both headlights at the same time started to flicker, then DRL only worked, and turn signals and side markers. LED assembly went out completely dead. DRL then stopped working. Headlight retaining clips pulled away from the body of the car. Completely plastic. Headlight seal is completely worn and is peeling away from the headlight. Toyota just inspected car at 106,000 miles nothing said about the headlights. Now at 114k, Need to replace entire headlight on my own. 1 headlight is 1900 at toyota. must replace entire assembly, since it is a LED module. cracks in top mounting latches, entirely plastic. LED circuit board inside headlight covered in corrosion. Kioto Mexico DM026 is the chip inside the headlight located under the LED module. LED lights last 10-15 years. I didn't know I was supposed to reseal a headlight after 3 years. Toyota never told me this, not in the manual either. My headlights are done for. it costs 3000-4000 for OEM. No help from Toyota so far. Quaity issue with LED headlight unit on both sides. Plastic housing falling apart, cracking, clips snapped and breaking, no accidents. others have this issue

NHTSA complaint #11683993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Moriah, NY, NY

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

The rear camera has stopped working. It started working intermittently approximately 6 months ago and now it does not work at all. The warning light saying that it was not available would come on when it first started having a problem but that stopped when it stopped working completely. It will show rear cross traffic alert at times but no picture and not every time there is traffic. It has been inspected for any sign of damage to camera wiring, none found

NHTSA complaint #11681517 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 68,000 miles San Diego, CA

BACK OVER PREVENTION

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the camera and side view mirror for the blind spot monitor alert message were displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another local dealer, Kearny Mesa Toyota (4910 Kearny Mesa Rd., San Diego, CA 92111); but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11625997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 68,000 miles San Diego, CA

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the camera and side view mirror for the blind spot monitor alert message were displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V865000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact called another local dealer, Kearny Mesa Toyota (4910 Kearny Mesa Rd., San Diego, CA 92111); but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11625997 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Easley, SC

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

When I do these checks I have my hands lightly on the wheel ready to correct the car when needed. The lane control assist tends to stay to the left of the lane, crossing over the left side lane markers, it also tends to head towards the right side of the lane, crossing over the right side lane markers without compensating. At times it does compensate but it causes the car to go back and forth in the lane without settling out. There have been times when the car is steered to the right with no compensation and without my correction would have gone off the road. The lane warning system doesn't always work. If I did not have diligence when using the system I would no doubt have gone off the road and crashed. The dealer has not checked the car, they say this is how it works even on their personal Toyotas. These problems have been prominent and have existed since the purchase of the car in 2021.

NHTSA complaint #11606345 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Easley, SC

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

When I do these checks I have my hands lightly on the wheel ready to correct the car when needed. The lane control assist tends to stay to the left of the lane, crossing over the left side lane markers, it also tends to head towards the right side of the lane, crossing over the right side lane markers without compensating. At times it does compensate but it causes the car to go back and forth in the lane without settling out. There have been times when the car is steered to the right with no compensation and without my correction would have gone off the road. The lane warning system doesn't always work. If I did not have diligence when using the system I would no doubt have gone off the road and crashed. The dealer has not checked the car, they say this is how it works even on their personal Toyotas. These problems have been prominent and have existed since the purchase of the car in 2021.

NHTSA complaint #11606345 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sacramento, CA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Driving very slowly into my 36 foot deep garage I took my right foot off the accelerator pedal when the 2021 Toyota Camry suddenly unintended accelerated forward 15 feet and crashed through the rear garage wall, the automatic brake didn't work,. Then with my foot on the brake pedal, it continued at high speed across 35 feet of concrete patio and came to rest on top of thick hedge with front wheels spinning off the ground. I then shut the engines off. I believe this accident was caused by 'Sudden Unintended Acceleration", a fault in many Toyota and Lexus vehicles.

NHTSA complaint #11603571 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Mountville, PA

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

For three consecutive days, while driving on the highway (speed between 50-60 miles per hour, with a speed limit of 60 miles per hour), the car experienced unstable posture, skidding, and sudden severe shaking, as if it were traveling on water, especially frequent on bends! When driving at a lower speed (between 45-60 miles per hour, with a highway speed limit of 65 miles per hour), it feels like driving on a slippery road. The first time this happened, the road surface was normal and not slippery; the second day, the first occurrence was during rain, and I thought it was due to wet road conditions, but the second and especially the third time, the road surface was dry, and there were no wet or slippery road conditions. Today is the third day and the same issue occurred again. Personally, I suspect it may be the result of improper intervention by lane assist functions.This is the first time I've encountered this situation in all my years of driving."

NHTSA complaint #11581069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Mountville, PA

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

For three consecutive days, while driving on the highway (speed between 50-60 miles per hour, with a speed limit of 60 miles per hour), the car experienced unstable posture, skidding, and sudden severe shaking, as if it were traveling on water, especially frequent on bends! When driving at a lower speed (between 45-60 miles per hour, with a highway speed limit of 65 miles per hour), it feels like driving on a slippery road. The first time this happened, the road surface was normal and not slippery; the second day, the first occurrence was during rain, and I thought it was due to wet road conditions, but the second and especially the third time, the road surface was dry, and there were no wet or slippery road conditions. Today is the third day and the same issue occurred again. Personally, I suspect it may be the result of improper intervention by lane assist functions.This is the first time I've encountered this situation in all my years of driving."

NHTSA complaint #11581069 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lockport, IL

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

When I turn off the LTA switch, it stays on..in other words the steering is affected, and warning beeps sound when I cross into another lane. This is both irritating and dangerous. I brought it in to Orland Toyota for service. The service advisor related that the Technician who worked on it said the computer in the car shows that it’s working properly, and they are going with that. When I protested, he said there is nothing they can do about it..He further said that I would have to turn off the sway warning every time I turn on the car.The service manager told me that cars he drive home every night, sometimes have problems with the LTA. The only entry re this problem on my service receipt is: “Tech: HOUSE TECH (996) Internal”. The problem began right after the vehicle turned 24,000 miles and persists to the present. Thanks for your help..

NHTSA complaint #11554805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lockport, IL

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

When I turn off the LTA switch, it stays on..in other words the steering is affected, and warning beeps sound when I cross into another lane. This is both irritating and dangerous. I brought it in to Orland Toyota for service. The service advisor related that the Technician who worked on it said the computer in the car shows that it’s working properly, and they are going with that. When I protested, he said there is nothing they can do about it..He further said that I would have to turn off the sway warning every time I turn on the car.The service manager told me that cars he drive home every night, sometimes have problems with the LTA. The only entry re this problem on my service receipt is: “Tech: HOUSE TECH (996) Internal”. The problem began right after the vehicle turned 24,000 miles and persists to the present. Thanks for your help..

NHTSA complaint #11554805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sacramento, CA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

My car had parts eaten by rodents. Practically parts of the car are made from rodent food. The car also lacks a protection system against animals getting in the car. All systems started failing.

NHTSA complaint #11499476 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Wilson’s Mills, NC Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

To the best of my knowledge the following information is true. The car accident was on June 1, 2022. My vehicle is at the Collision repair shop. Will provide their phone # upon request. It would be great if the black box was checked regarding brake assist and other safety features. You have my permission to examine car, take and or check black box. You can take pictures or video as needed. I always keep the brake assist on. I do not depend on brake assist. The posted speed limit is 45 mph. I usually set my cruise control for the posted speed limit. I looked down briefly and next thing I knew my car hit the personal vehicle in front of me. The vehicle my car hit in the rear was a 2011 Ford Expedition. There was damage to his bumper and it appeared to be a wrinkle in back door. There is a trailer hitch on the Ford Expedition. The driver was only person I talked with. He did not appear to be injured. He did not report any injuries. He drove off as soon as the highway patrolman gave us our exchange information. The airbag cover cut inside my left lower arm above my wrist. Wound was larger than a 50 cent piece. The wound swelled up instantly and was bleeding. I do not think the airbag hit my head. I do know steering wheel airbag is to prevent head injuries. The knee airbag caused an abrasion below my knee. EMS had to bandage my wrist with a thick bandage to stop and control the bleeding. I ask them to bandage below my knee to cover broken skin incase it bleed. The insurance adjuster examined car and took pictures June 16, 2022. I called collision center as instructed. Car was towed to collision center same day for assessment of damage. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure of the brake assist not working before the accident. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

NHTSA complaint #11469705 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 100 miles Broomall, PA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the Forward Collision Avoidance became inoperable nearly causing the vehicle to crash on several occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to stop as designed. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and an engineer was sent to inspect the vehicle. The engineer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact insisted that the system was inoperable and had not operated as designed since the vehicle was delivered new. The failure mileage was 100.

NHTSA complaint #11465961 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Rosedale, NY

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

When I use cruise control with the radar feature in my 2021 Camry LE, the steering loosens so much that I don’t have good control when changing lanes. I feel that this is a serious safety issue. I had a 2018 Camry LE and when I used these features, this odd steering issue never occurred. Note that when I take OFF the radar feature on the 2021, this steering issue does not occur.The dealer checked it out and claims their is no problem with the cruise feature.

NHTSA complaint #11460000 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Westford, MA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Partial brake assist and auto emergency braking failure to engage contributed to a rear end collision on February 12, 2022. Toyota contracted with an outside engineering firm to inspect brake system and their report did not address the lack of engagement of the auto emergency braking system part of Toyota Safety Sense 2.5 which the enabling switch does not activate. The Toyota Legal Claims department issued an incomplete report that they claim absolves the vehicle but after multiple attempts to reach the issuing department noone has addressed my questions or concerns. Therefore I consider this an incomplete and unresolved safety issue .

NHTSA complaint #11458490 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Westford, MA Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Update to previous Complaint filingNHTSA ID Number: 11451933 . Toyota has not accepted responsibility yet acknowledged that the ABS "worked" when the problem was that the Auto Emergency Braking system did not work . In addition a Toyota dealer service employee drove the car and agreed the brake pedal was abnormal. This malfunction resulted in an accident with no injuries but has caused the driver to be in constant fear of driving this vehicle again. We have 2 years left on the lease and will never buy another Toyota product again based on their history of concealing defects (fined in 2014 by DOJ) and their lack of proper customer satisfaction management in this case.

NHTSA complaint #11457038 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

East Helena, MT

LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST

Can not turn off the lane departure warning (LDW) feature. It can only be placed at a low setting. Surging when depressing brake. Noticed this occurring when slowing pulling into the garage, was not a deal breaker as was barely moving and never got to close to hit anything else in the garage. Once it snowed this surging began happening when braking to slow down to make turns. This surging was scary, even with studded snow tires. Driving home from work one evening, it had rained and was turning to black ice; going around a slight curve on the bridge and close to the white line; the car decided to pull me away from the white line. This was the final straw, not going to allow a car to make the decision to pull on black ice or other driving conditions. I did not want to become a statistic by having this vehicle cause a car wreck and hurt myself or other drivers. I had contacted Toyota Care and they said it was not a warranty issue. That is when I knew it was time to get rid of this hybrid after only 5 months. Other issues with this vehicle: can not lift the driver’s side windshield wiper, massive design flaw. Anyone who lives in snowy climates need to be able to lift their wipers to clean off the snow and/or leave the wipers up so they don’t freeze to the windshield. Another item I contacted Toyota Care about is the bumper/fender/wheel casing. This separated – cheap plastic. Again, they said not a warranty issue. Didn’t have this problem with the Corolla.

NHTSA complaint #11446379 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jamaica, NY Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I was driving 20-24 mph, and while I was driving on yellow light there was another car came in-front of me from different intersection. And my car got hit really bad.

NHTSA complaint #11445902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jamaica, NY Crash 1 injured

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

I was driving 20-24 mph, and while I was driving on yellow light there was another car came in-front of me from different intersection. And my car got hit really bad.

NHTSA complaint #11445902 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2021 Toyota Camry problems

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