2020 Toyota Camry: What to check before buying

The 12-volt battery goes flat after the car sits for as little as 12 hours to a few days, even with lights off and doors closed. Most reports come early, often under 8,000 miles. Symptoms include clicking, flickering dash lights, Smart Key malfunction messages and warnings about engine and transmission electronics after a jump start. Replacement batteries often fail the same way. Dealers frequently find nothing wrong. Some fixes involve a telematics (DCM) firmware update, and one dealer blamed the overhead SOS button. A few owners report sporadic door lock failures.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious crashes, including front and side impacts at 40 to 60 mph. Seat belts sometimes fail to tighten as well. These reports include 9 crashes and 18 injuries, with concussions, broken bones and back injuries. Some drivers see an Air Bag System Malfunction message. Many other complaints involve no failure at all. They concern recall 23V865 for the passenger airbag, where dealers say repair parts are not available. Owners describe waits of 20 months or longer with no remedy.

A failing coolant bypass valve is the most common problem. It brings on an Engine Maintenance Required or check engine light, code P268115 and a coolant smell or slow leak, usually around 30,000 to 34,000 miles. Some owners pay over $700 for the repair, face part backorders, or see the replacement valve leak too. Other reports describe stalling while driving. Causes include a defective low-pressure fuel pump and a cracked plastic intake resonator piece jamming the throttle. One complaint describes an underbody fire at highway speed.

The 8-speed automatic transmission can fail at moderate mileage, with reports at 67,000, 82,000 and 114,000 miles. Warning signs include a whine under acceleration, hesitation, harsh or delayed shifts, revving without movement and limp mode. Some cars lose all forward gears at speed, often with no warning light. Dealers confirm failures but sometimes cannot get a replacement transmission. One report describes a leaking transmission oil pump seal at 70,000 miles. In another, the car rolled while in park and pinned and injured its owner.

The engine loses power or stalls while driving, sometimes in traffic or at 20 mph. These complaints point to the low-pressure fuel pump covered by recall 20V682000. Many owners say their car is not on the recall list even though it shows the same symptoms, and some pay for a new pump themselves. Dealers often cannot reproduce the stall. Other reports mention rough idle, slow takeoff and a shorter range on a full tank. One high-pressure fuel line ruptured, spraying fuel on the exhaust and starting a small fire.

The brake pedal feels spongy or sinks to the floor with no visible fluid leak, and owners suspect an internal ABS problem. Other reports describe an abnormal noise when braking that dealers cannot reproduce. Some cars lose power while brake and collision-avoidance warnings light up together, which one dealer traced to a failed engine computer at 70,599 miles. One crash followed sudden brake lockup at 60 mph, but that car had prior unrepaired crash damage. With only 7 complaints, no clear pattern emerges.

Throttle response is unpredictable. Some drivers report a delay of a couple of seconds when pulling away or changing lanes, and jerky starts from a stop. Others describe the car accelerating on its own, including a low-speed crash in reverse. Some cars shift gears by themselves with a Drive Start Control Malfunction warning. Loose plastic pieces from the intake vacuum box can lodge in the throttle body and make the engine rev and then die. Dealers often cannot replicate these problems.

The driver's seat belt buckle stops latching, so the belt does not hold the occupant in place. Belts may also fail to retract. Dealers fix it by replacing the buckle assembly. One owner was charged $378 outside warranty. Reported mileages range from about 1,000 to 115,000, and one passenger-side buckle began failing after the driver's side. The 6 complaints show no clear mileage pattern, but the failure leaves a front occupant unrestrained.