Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Just bought this car on 3/12/2025 Was assured nothing wrong. When taking off it goes about 8 ft then hesitates causing the car behind to almost hit me. Twice it's happened. Pulling out of busy intersections is dangerous. Also it will down shift while driving regularly. Causing cars to run up on you. It also almost died at.a stop sign. Could be tranmission. Not sure exactly.
I was driving on the freeway at 60 - 65 MPH. I am a cautious driver and am always aware of the conditions around me. Suddenly, my car just took off like a shot. It was going at an extremely high speed on the freeway. I had no control over it. There are dark skid marks on the road from my braking. I tried to turn the car to straighten it out, but the next thing I knew I had flipped into the median. I flipped two times in the air before crashing, hood first, on the median. I did nothing to cause this. I was merely driving, in the slow lane, at a safe speed. It is a miracle I am alive, and even more-so that I wasn't injured. The air bags did not deploy. At the end of the accident, my seat belt was unlatched. I am going to receive a citation for this. I have done research on 2005 Camry's since this happened, and have seen that it is a common problem. …
Takata recall, my power steering has been leaking. 05/2018 I noticed it when I was pulling out of driveway, I reversed out and started to turn a little bit and it started to made a grinding noise and kind of hard to turn.(2) Takata recall my car is overheatng as I was pulling into a driveway I stopped put it in neutral pulled the emergency brake sat there for 3 minutes and the dial went to extremely hot, I turned it off immediately. Ever since then it drives hotter than usual not as hot as it was that day and I can smell burnt rubber when I'm driving or burnt something I'm not getting good gas mileage it idles rough after it's been warmed
November 9th 2013 - as I pulled into a parking space with my foot on the brake, the car took off like a rocket and hit a small tree. When I put the car in reverse, again with my foot on the brake, it shot backward into a parked car. November 25th 2013 - again, pulling into a parking spot with my foot on the brake, the car shot forward, this time, it went right into a brick wall. Approximately 40 bricks rained down on the hood of the vehicle, the front end is smashed in, but this time, I had a passenger that was injured and kept overnight in the hospital. The airbags never deployed. The police that responded were shocked.
Lag time on accelerating, also when coming to a stop does not downshift smoothly and properly, rather it stutters and clunks. This has been an ongoing problem for years. The vehicle is stationary as well as in motion at any speed there is a hesitation before accelerating. Stopping the vehicle fails to down shift in a smooth decline of gears. Possible electronic problem with the breaking ! Possible electronic accelerator unit !
While in process of parking 2005 Toyota Camry 6 cylinder in one-level parking space traveling at less than 5 MPH, with foot on brake, vehicle suddenly accelerated and went out of control, crashing into pole, injuring driver slightly. Was second such incident about one year apart, with stone wall stopping vehicle during first incident, while ripping off entire front end.
I own a 2005 Camry. I was driving on I 95 at 60 MPH when the car lunged twice, then stopped accelerating and went from 60 to 0 in ten seconds making it difficult to coast to a stop on the side of the very busy highway. After towing car to the dealer nearest me, it was diagnosed as the throttle body failure. I wa told it would cost 1,000 to replace it. My car only has 39,000 miles on it. The warranty did not cover this part. Then the dealer repairman said he would clean it out for 145.00 which he did. He said this has to be done every 30,000 miles because of a design problem. I did some research and have found Toyota Camry 02-06 have this flawed part and there are many complaints over the internet documented. I felt very unsafe when the incident happened and now am anxious that it will happen again. …
Toyota Camry 2005 v-6. As accelerated vehicle to merge on highway, the vehicle took off and I was unable to stop or control any steering. I was in the lt. Lane with a diesel truck next to me. I needed to merge soon so looked down to cupholder, grabbed my slurpee while accelerating, the car hit the rt. Lane pads and would not slow down, I steered to the right to avoid hitting the truck,the car was out of control I screamed "oh my god, what's happening" hit the cement highway divider at which time I lost consciousness. The care went into oncoming traffic and flew off the south bound freeway, stopping in a ditch. I was wedged between the drivers seat and door, unable to move. …
In 2006, my daughter was driving her 2005 Toyota Camry on us41 at 45 MPH. The engine cut off and stalled while she was driving in light traffic in the center lane. No accident was caused and she safely pulled over to the side and called me. I went there and tried to start the car 2x's. Each time it started, it raced to 4000 RPM and cut out. I waited 15 minutes and started the car again. The computer takes 15 min to reset and was able to drive her car to Toyota at 20 MPH in limp mode. It was diagnosed as the throttle body malfunctioned. I have the service invoice from both incidents. On April 17 2010, the she started driving her car and the check engine light came on. She was close to home and was able to get the car home safely at the reduced speed again. And parked it. April 19,2005, I started the car and the check engine light was off and the car worked fine. …
I pulled out of the driveway with my 91 yr grandmother.the engine shut off at the first stop light in traffic.I restarted the engine,slightly pushed on the gas pedal.the engine revved high on its own,the car violently shot forward, I managed to turn the corner then the engine died.a motorist pulled over and helped me push the car into a nearby school parking lot.after a few minutes I restated the car and it revved up itself ,accelerated too fast and died.I had to call a tow truck to take it home and again on Monday to the repair shop.the mechanic determined it was a defective throttle body,it had frozen in a wide open position,not responding to the gas pedal..the solution was a brand new throttle body,part cost was well over $900 dollars.I still have the defective throttle body,the plate is still frozen in an open position.my grandmother was well frightened.there was no police report. …
Fuel System complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2005 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 26 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2005 Toyota Camry, 4% of the model year's 721 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Camry fuel system problems?
No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for the 2005 Toyota Camry, though it has 5 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 2005 Toyota Camry fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 2 fires and 3 injuries to fuel & propulsion system 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.