Showing the 2012 Camry Hybrid XLE FWD: as EPA lists it. NHTSA's overall rating for that drive: 5 stars (FWD). Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
About every 2012 Camry
The 2012 Toyota Camry has 645 complaints filed with NHTSA, most about transmission and drivetrain with 146 complaints. Its fuel economy is 24 to 40 mpg combined, with a 5-year fuel cost of $8,120 to $13,530 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives an overall rating of 5 stars. There are 2 recall campaigns covering air bags, electrical system, accessories, and others, which may apply to this car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
39 mpgcombined; city 40, highway 37; the Hybrid XLE FWD
Five years of fuel
$8,330U.S. average; Ohio $7,440 at local prices; the Hybrid XLE FWD; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2012 Camry, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 645 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Camry. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Power train
146
1
0
3
Unknown or other
88
6
2
4
Air bags
83
46
0
49
Vehicle speed control
73
26
0
14
Electrical system
68
6
3
3
Structure
68
15
0
11
Steering
65
4
0
6
Engine
62
5
2
3
Service brakes
61
24
0
8
Fuel/propulsion system
25
0
0
0
Suspension
18
0
0
0
Visibility
18
0
0
0
20 more parts
Wheels
17
2
0
0
Seat belts
14
1
0
4
Seats
13
0
1
0
Exterior lighting
10
3
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
8
2
0
0
Equipment
8
0
0
0
Tires
6
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
5
1
0
1
Visibility/wiper
5
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
4
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
3
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
3
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
3
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
3
0
0
0
Traction control system
2
0
0
0
Back over prevention
1
0
0
0
Child seat
1
0
0
1
Insert, padding
1
0
0
0
Interior lighting
1
0
0
0
Other/i am not sure
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2012 Camry over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
Risk: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
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.
Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 566 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2012 Camry, the latest on Feb 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (259), electrical system (125), structure (80), power train (43), engine (34).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2012 Camry.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Camry Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
24 / 34 / 28
Camry Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 30 / 24
Camry Hybrid LE Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
42 / 38 / 40
Camry Hybrid XLE Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
40 / 37 / 39
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data