Manufacturer: TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING, KENTUCKY, INC.
Manufacturer Id: 1088
Model: Camry
Model Year: 2012
Plant Company Name: Toyota Motor Manufacturing
Plant Country: United States (USA)
Plant State: Kentucky
Seat Belts All: Manual
Series: ASV50L/GSV50L/AVV50L
TPMS: Direct
Trim: Hybrid
Vehicle Type: PASSENGER CAR
Model year
COMPONENT
Complaint
2007
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM
IT HAPPENED ON A WINTER DAY WITH LIGHT SNOWING. THE GROUND TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW FREEZING POINT. THE SNOW LAYER WAS THIN, BARELY SEVERAL MILLIMETERS, NO ICE UNDER IT. I MADE A RIGHT TURN AFTER A FULL STOP AT A STOP SIGN. THE ROAD WAS UPHILL, WITH A STEEP SLOPE. WHEN CLIMBING ONTO THE HILL, MY DRIVING WHEELS WERE SUDDENLY STOPPED BY THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM, DID NOT REINGAGE, AND MY CAR STARTED TO DECELERATE AND THEN COMPLETELY STOPPED. A LARGE TRUCK WAS DRIVING BEHIND ME AT A VERY CLOSE DISTANCE. ITS DRIVER COULD NOT IMAGINE THAT MY CAR WOULD SUDDENLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SLOPE WITHOUT ANY GOOD REASON. ONLY THANKS TO HIS GREAT SKILL AND REACTION THE COLLISION HAS BEEN AVOIDED. THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM PREVENTS USING MY CAR EVEN WITH THE LIGHTEST SNOW DUSTING ON THE GROUND. WITH ANY NORMAL CAR, THE WHEELS MAKE A TURN, CUT THROUGH THE SNOW, REACH THE PAVEMENT, AND GET GRIP. ON THE CONTRARY, MY TOYOTA IS UNCONTROLLABLE EVEN WITH THE LIGHTEST SNOW DUSTING AND GENERATES MULTIPLE PROBLEMS FOR ME IN THE NEW ENGLAND CLIMATE. I FAILED TO FIND IN THE MANUAL THE INSTRUCTION HOW TO DISABLE THE TRACTION CONTROL. A MECHANIC AT TOYOTA SERVICE STATION TOLD ME THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DISABLE THE TRACTION CONTROL IN TOYOTAS FOR SOFTWARE REASONS. I THINK THAT THE ABILITY TO DISABLE A TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM MUST BE MANDATORY. OTHERWISE, IN THE SNOWING CONDITIONS IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO START THE CAR MOVING AFTER A STOP, SAY, IN FRONT OF A LIGHT. *TR
2012
SERVICE BRAKES
IDENTICAL PROBLEMS AS RECENT RECALL FOR PRIUS AND LEXUS MODELS, BUT HADN'T HEARD MY MODEL BEING AFFECTED, SO I WANTED IT DOCUMENTED. THE BRAKES WORK ON THIS MODEL, BUT I ALWAYS HAD THE FEELING THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE BRAKE PEDAL MUCH HARDER THAN ANY OTHER CAR I HAD DRIVE TO GET THE SAME EFFECT. AND SO I OFTEN FIND MYSELF HAVING TO PUSH VERY HARD ON THE BRAKES AT THE LAST MINUTE TO AVOID A COLLISION (I HAVEN'T HAD ONE YET) BECAUSE WHAT I THINK IS NORMAL PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES ISN'T CUTTING IT. I THOUGHT THIS MIGHT ALL BE IN MY HEAD UNTIL I SAW THE RECENT RECALL, AND THE DESCRIPTION OF OWNERS' COMPLAINTS WAS EXACTLY HOW I WOULD DESCRIBE IT. *TR
