Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1996 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owned a 1996 Toyota Camry. While driving 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal clicking noise coming from the vehicle. The vehicle began to speed up in excess of 100 MPH and crashed head on into a guardrail. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained brain injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed and deemed destroyed. The contact stated that this was the second time the vehicle accelerated independently. The manufacturer was contacted after the first occurrence and advised to have the vehicle diagnosed at a Toyota dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the specific details of the diagnosis and repair could not be provided. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. …
I am the owner of the 96 Toyota Camry identified by the VIN number provided. I have experienced an abnormal speeding of my car as explained below: this past Friday, jan 13th about 6:30 pm central time, I was traveling on I-65 south (from birmingham, alabama to hoover, alabama). About 15 to 20 minutes on the road, when I was just about to reach my destination, my vehicle started accelerating abruptly even when the foot was off the pedal. I stepped on the brakes but the engine kept revving upwards of 3000 RPM. In great distress, praying to jesus, I kept hardly pressing the brakes and was able to shift gear to neutral. It started reviving up higher in neutral. Shifted to park and stopped the engine. It seems, there is something wrong with the design of throttle or the parts involved in the vehicle's speed control system. I towed the vehicle to my place. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Toyota Camry. While driving down a hill at 15 MPH, the vehicle starting accelerating without warning. The vehicle reached speeds of 60-80 MPH while running two stop signs. He had to crash into a tree and another vehicle to stop the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. He suffered injuries to the right arm. He contacted the manufacturer in reference to recall # 96e001000 (rostra precision controls). He was advised that the recall only applied to six cylinder vehicles. The current and failure mileages were 200,500. Updated 01/12/10. The consumer stated 2 nights before the accident, the cruise control came on and then went off. Updated 01/13/10.
1996 Camry was stopped at a red light then surged forward into the intersection where it was struck by a motorcycle and pick-up truck. Camry and motorcycle both totaled. Airbags in Camry didn't deploy on impact but had a delay. Police involved with case. Camry driver cited for failure to yield to a red light which driver was stopped at initially. No further investigation. With Toyota in the news, found reports of other 1996 Camry's with sudden acceleration so filed this complaint. Family member was owner and driver of Camry. Motorcycle driver sustained injuries that resulted in death 5 years later. Updated 05/10/10 updated 07/08/10.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the vehicle would frequently exhibit an abnormal increase in engine rpms. In addition, the emergency brake was inoperable. While driving and attempting to avoid a crash, the brakes were depressed but there was no response. The contacted had to steer abruptly to avoid the crash but the vehicle then abnormally accelerated. The contact was unable to stop the acceleration until crashing into the rear of another vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not inspected for the failures. The failure mileage was 122,000.
96 Toyota Camry with 185K miles accelerated to a high speed for unknown reasons. Trying to halt the car, a landscaping tree was hit, the wheel blew out, eventually stopping the car. Vehicle did not respond to gear, pedal or shut off of vehicle from commands given. Instead, after hitting landscaping tree runover, near miss pedestrians, tire blowout, then halted. Police tested (on police report verified) turn on of vehicle in which car resumed high speed revving.
Tl contact owns a 1996 Toyota Camry. While driving 10 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle, which caused her to rear end another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. NHTSA recall # 96e001000 (vehicle speed control) was found. The mechanic has not inspected the vehicle to determine the cause of failure. A police report was filed. The current and failure mileages were 100,000. Updated 02-01-08.
Tl* the contact owns a 1996 Toyota Camry. While driving the vehicle, it independently accelerated. The contact engaged the brake pedal and shifted into neutral to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The VIN was not available. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000. Updated 10/06/16
We had a situation described below. I shall be grateful if you could shed some light on it. This incident involves Toyota Camry 1996. It is a critical situation. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated. [redacted] description of the accident: Monday (4/25/2011) was the trash collection day at our development. We have two cars: Camry and Lexus. We had to pull one car out to bring the trash can in. It was approximately around 6 p.m. My wife volunteered to pull the car out, so that I could bring the trash can in. My wife pulled the car out on the driveway and parked, still her foot was on the brake. As she was bringing the gear to drive, as soon as it reached the reverse gear, the car speeded backward in an uncontrollable speed and with in seconds it hit and shattered our neighbor?s mail box and its metal post. The car stopped. I was standing and was shocked to see what was happening. …
I just recently bought a 1996 Toyota Camry, the car runs great besides the fact that it sometimes starts to self accelerate. The pedal gets stuck in press mode and the car just picks up incredible sudden speed. In prior occasions I have suddenly just put the car in neutral and then the engine revs up to 6500 RPM. I've also noticed that this problem occurs when the outside temperatures are really hot. On certain occasions I have came very close in becoming involved with an accident. In these scenarios I have even put the car in neutral and shutting it down. I have even opened the hood many of times and have seen that the cars accelerator wire is fully clinched to the max. This has been a very big safety concern for me and has endangered my life many of times. …
Acceleration complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 1996 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 1996 Toyota Camry, 12% of the model year's 417 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1996 Toyota Camry acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 1996 Toyota Camry, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1996 Toyota Camry acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 135,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 1 fire and 8 injuries and 4 deaths to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.