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2005 Toyota CamryProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 721 owner complaints about the 2005 Toyota Camry, most often about the vehicle speed control. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-396 the manufacturer reports only 24% of affected cars repaired.

2005 Toyota Camry
31
CarFlaw IndexUse caution2.3× the Camry median · #5 of 40 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 24%Owner complaints721324 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage39kVehicle speed control, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through April 9, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2005 Toyota Camry has problems

721 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Vehicle speed control272155
Power train8415
Steering716
Service brakes, hydraulic6619
Air bags6545
Seat belts468
Engine and engine cooling353
Electrical system3310
Equipment242
20 other systems17129

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

2005 Toyota Camry recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

24%repaired · 2017 Q4

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 16V-396 · Jun 2, 2016 · 7,749 vehicles · 1,831 repaired

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

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Engine and engine cooling

Recall 11V-539 · Nov 9, 2011 · 420,326 vehicles

Risk. IN SOME CASES, THE BELT FOR THE POWER STEERING PUMP MAY BECOME DETACHED FROM THE PULLEY WHICH COULD RESULT IN A LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND A SUDDEN INCREASE IN…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
–no report yet

Front: buckle assembly

Recall 04V-595 · Dec 15, 2004 · 150,061 vehicles

Risk. IF THE SWITCH BECOMES UNSEATED, THE FRONT PASSENGER OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM MAY MISTAKE THE REAR-FACING CHILD RESTRAINT FOR AN UNBELTED ADULT OCCUPANT,…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Mileage at failure

When do vehicle speed control problems start?

39kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 221 vehicle speed control complaints. 92% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
87under 30k miles203under 100k miles18100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Vehicle speed control

14 owners mentioned a cost

$900median

Middle half: $600 – $3,265

Steering

11 owners mentioned a cost

$500median

Middle half: $475 – $880

Equipment

8 owners mentioned a cost

$425median

Middle half: $244 – $500

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2005 vs. every other Camry year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Camry median. How we score

'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2005 Toyota Camry safety ratings

2005 Toyota Camry 4-DR. in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2005 Toyota Camry frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2005 Toyota Camry side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
2 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2005 Toyota Camry, and the recalls they led to.

  1. VEHICLE SPEED CONTROLDP05002 · closed Jan 5, 2006
    No recall
  2. ENGINE SURGINGDP06003 · closed Apr 3, 2007
    No recall
In owners' words

What Camry owners report

Recent vehicle speed control complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

When slowly finishing my entry into a parking spot and braking the car suddenly accelerated to a high speed and bolted over the curb with a planter zone into another parked car directly facing my parking lane hitting the front passenger side. My car was still accelerating and hit another car to the…
Complaint 11692979 · Oct 12, 2025
ON 03/29/20 I WAS BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN A RESTAURANT PARKING LOT WHEN I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR TOOK OFF LIKE A ROCKET SHIP AND I HIT A TRUCK. THIS IS MY 1ST ACCIDENT. IT HAPPENED SO FAST BUT I IMMEDIATELY TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR AND BOTH FEET WERE ON THE FLOOR AND…
Complaint 11329918 · Jun 21, 2020 · 104,000 miles
ON 4/13 AROUND 2PM, I ARRIVED AT FRIEND'S TOWNHOUSE (ADDRESS: 203 WILDFELL TRL. CARY NC27513). I DROVE MY CAR INTO A PARKING LOT IN FRONT OF THE TOWNHOUSE SLOWLY WHILE STEPPING ON THE BRAKE. BEFORE I SHIFTED THE GEAR TO THE 'PARKING', MY CAR SUDDENLY SHOOT UP AND HIT THE ELECTRICAL TRANSFORMER BOX…
Complaint 11085113 · Apr 15, 2018 · 10,000 miles

Own a 2005 Camry?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.