2019 TOYOTA CAMRY — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

The 2019 model year UA80 transmission abruptly failed while driving at under 88,000 miles, just a bit beyond the warranty period. I have to sell the car as is and take a $10,000 loss because of this defect by Toyota. My mechanic has photos and will document all the details. My safety was absolutely at risk when the vehicle abruptly stopped on the road while driving during a major rain storm but luckily nothing bad happened. Thankfully I was on a local surface street and not the freeway or a busy intersection. I was towed to my mechanic that has been servicing my vehicle since 2021. My mechanic did a thorough inspection and determined the transmission had failed. He also confirmed this is a chronic problem with several make and model years for several Toyota and Lexus vehicles that use the UA80 transmission. I also learned several class action lawsuits against Toyota were recently filed. There was really no warning other than it ran a little rough in the morning 2 days prior to the car stopping abruptly on the road. This was just a week or so after being with my mechanic for regular service. There are no replacement UA80 units available from Toyota, they are on back order due to all the failures, so my only option is to walk away and take a huge loss or spend $9,000 on a used unit that will ultimately have the same issue. I am probably going to sell at a loss and get a different vehicle.

Transmission shifting issues even with regular fluid changes. Struggles to find gear and occasional slip especially when its colder outside. Seems to be a widespread issue that needs to be addressed.

Front Right tire strut broke off from where it attaches to the body. Found when lifting car for oil change and looked corroded. If this broke on the highway it could be deadly. Car was towed to a repair shop where they replaced that and the front left strut which they say also showed corrosion. No other parties inspected this. No warning messages or symptoms were present before the failure.

vehicle started making a nasty whining noise. Talked to Toyota, they stated it was normal. ive kept up on the transmission service as noted, and performed all said services before they were due, vehicle just rolled over to 108k and the whining noise got louder, and now the transmission is bad, called a friend at a different Toyota dealer and he stated that they have a lot of camrys with bad transmissions, and that toyota knows about it but wont acknowledge the issues.

While driving, the vehicle experiences unintended braking and refusal to accelerate. ABS, traction control, pre-collision system, and secondary collision brake warnings illuminate. Toyota dealer diagnostics documented ABS and brake system fault codes C1201 and C1A50. The vehicle also produces a loud whining/buzzing noise from the brake actuator area while stationary. Dealers have recommended transmission replacement despite active ABS/PCS fault codes and safety system involvement. The condition temporarily resets after battery disconnect but returns. This presents a safety risk due to unintended braking and loss of vehicle control. When this happened I was in the street with my daughter in the back we could have got injured.