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 2008 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The crash happened in a parking lot on March 19th, 2016. I had entered into the parking spot, by turning right. The car had come to a complete stop and my foot was on the brake pedal. Suddenly I heard a loud revving noise and before I could even react to it, the car had jumped on to the walkway of the building. Since I had stopped, my foot was on the brake pedal and even though I was pressing on it really hard, the car didn't stop. It slowed down a little bit for a fraction of a second, but then accelerated itself again, jumped ahead once more, went through the awning of a business suite in the building and hit a light post. The airbags didn't deploy. The car was totaled. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Camry. While driving 35 MPH, another vehicle turned in front of the contact's vehicle. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated, which caused the contact to crash into the other vehicle. As a result, the contact sustained arm and back injuries and the passenger sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the body damage was repaired. On another occasion, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle accelerated independently. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Experience involuntary acceleration of 2008 Toyota Camry. The car was traveling on a highway. I try to breaks but the car continued until it hit a medium. This was a front on collision. The airbags did not deploy. The car was totaled
There was unexpected and unintended acceleration that resulted in hitting a house and causing a lot of damage.
I was driving my Toyota Camry,2008 model on a dry, flat road in clear,dry weather, going about 55 MPH. The road was 2 lanes with no shoulders on either side. I swerved into the left lane to pass a truck but saw a curve approaching and went to swerve back in behind the truck, braking to slow down. As I did the braking, the car rapidly increases speed so I put on brakes harder but the car kept going at speed. There was no room to go right ( no shoulder) in order to avoid crashing into the truck in front of me,so I swerved left, into the on-coming lane. There were no cars in that lane. My car continued to accelerate and it veered across the lane, into a ditch alongside the road and turned over, landing on the roof. The other 2 occupants of the car and myself had our seat belts on and were now suspended from them and unhurt except for minor scratches and bruises. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Toyota Camry. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 12V491000 (visibility) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the passenger's side window failed to operate correctly. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that after pumping the accelerator pedal several times, the vehicle responded and operated as intended. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. …
I was dropping my children off at school when my Camry went forward and I was unable to brake and my car went directly into a fire hydrant approximately 20 feet away. I was driving at a very slow rate of speed as I approached to turn a corner but the car accelerated straight ahead into the hydrant. I dislocated part of my foot because I was pressing on the brake as hard as I could to stop the car but it would not stop. It was as if I had no control over the car. The brakes and/or anti-lock brakes did not do anything. The anti-lock brakes did not activate. We had the car repaired at our expense but were not aware of the recall at that time and did not have the accelerator looked at. I was told at our last maintenance appointment that the floor mat in my car was secured but that the car would be recalled. …
Slowly entered rite aid parking lot at 5-10 MPH. Turned right into a parking spot. Lightly tapped the brake and the accelerator went faster than if you were driving on the highway. Car jumped the concrete bumper onto the walkway. Had to cut the wheel all the way to the right to avoid hitting the brick wall of the store and drove into the parking lot guard rail. Car went into a high speed skid and when it came out of the skid was still accelerating at a very high speed and had to turn the ignition off for it to stop. There were skid marks and smoke. Air bag did not go off. Waiting to hear from Toyota with a date to have the car inspected. Would like for Toyota to buy back my car which we have spent top dollar having Toyota maintain it for the last five years, which included the 100,000 mile service just a week or two before the accident. Do not feel safe driving this car again. …
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal in her vehicle was out of control. She was driving at approximately 20 MPH onto a ramp and the vehicle just began to speed up to at least 35 MPH. When she tried to use the brakes, she felt as she were pressing on air. She turned the vehicle toward a tree but before it crashed into the tree, she got out of the vehicle. A police report is available. The vehicle was not destroyed. She was told by other occupants in a vehicle behind her that her brake lights were flashing as if she were using her hazard lights. The manufacturer advised her to write a letter regarding the failure; however, a claims manager told her that the manufacturer could not assist her and the vehicle was operating normally. The current mileage was approximately 21,000. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Camry hybrid. The contact was driving approximately 2 to 3 MPH up a hill attempting to stop when the rpms increased excessively. The contact applied the brakes repeatedly and the vehicle continued to accelerate. The gear selector was shifted into the park positon and the vehicle stopped while crashing into the proceeding vehicle which caused a chain reaction crash with a second vehicle. There was minimal impact when the crash occurred. The contact stated that the vehicle sustained scratches to the front end bumper. There were no personal injuries. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer advised the contact that he would receive a follow-up call within twenty-four hours. The manufacturer had not responded regarding the failure when the complaint was filed. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approxiamtely 25,000.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 avalon, model year 2007-2010 camry, model year 2009-2010 corolla, corolla matrix, rav4, model year 2010 highlander, model year 2008-2010 sequoia, and model year 2007-2010 tundra vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a reinforcement bar in the accelerator pedal which will allow the pedal to operate smoothly. GM will notify owners for the Pontiac vibe please see 10v-018.
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Remedy: Toyota filed an amended defect report on November 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal.
NHTSA investigations
Unwanted acceleration, floor mat
The driver side floor mat will not interfere with the throttle pedal if properly secured using the retaining hooks provided by Toyota.however, if the all weather mat is unsecured and moves forward from its intended position it can entrap the throttle pedal at the fully open position after it has been depressed.this can happen regardless of whether or not another mat (carpet) is underneath.when this occurs, some…
Acceleration complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 119 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Toyota Camry, 13% of the model year's 933 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Camry acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-017 (accelerator pedal, Jan 21, 2010); NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Camry acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 25,000 miles, and 49% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 39 crashes, 2 fires and 23 injuries 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.