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 2009 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The BRAKE & ABS lights started coming on although there was no apparent problem. Then, when those lights illuminate on the instrument panel, the speedometer & tachometer stop working. Often, the needles will bounce or they will just set at zero. This can occur at any speed & on all road conditions. This does not affect cruise control in anyway. I can set & stop the cruise control at any time. Eventually, it starts working again but it is totally random. Now, the Air Conditioning stops working when the ABS & BRAKE lights are on. The High Beam instrument panel lights are also affected. The headlights work but the instrument panel does not always reflect this or it shows that High Beams are on when they are not & vice versa. My mechanic could not identify the source of the problem. My research shows that the ABS Module is defective & the problem occurs in 2007-2009 Camrys. …
We (my wife and I) were driving our vehicle Sunday November 5th 2023 in the morning and experienced a serious issue. While on the highway, the car was stuck with the gas petal in the down position (we did not realize this until after we were able to successfully power down the car) and continued to accelerate in an uncontrolled manner. We were fortunate that our breaks were able to stop the car, and we navigated it to the shoulder of the highway. We then put the car in park, all while the engine was full throttled. We powered down the car and removed the keys. We waited a few moments and tried to power the car again - the engine however remained full throttled. We turned the vehicle off once again and then realized the gas petal was stuck in the down position. We were able to manually get the petal unstuck at this time. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. While driving 10 MPH, the vehicle accelerated on its own while attempting to park. The contact stated that the brake pedal was being depressed at the time of the failure. The contact was unable to control the vehicle as it crashed into several parked vehicles. The contact sustained injuries to the hands and legs that did not require medical attention. The georgia police department filed case number: 18-067932. The police department had the vehicle towed to an unknown location. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. While parking the vehicle, it accelerated to 25 MPH without warning and crashed into a building. A police report was filed. The rear passenger sustained minor injuries, which required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to the dealer (harr Toyota, 100 gold star blvd, worcester, ma 01606) where it was determined that the vehicle was remedied per NHTSA campaign number: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control) years ago. The dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.
My 2007 Toyota Camry le was rear-ended at around 40-50 miles per hour and it was pushed into the car in front of me. So I was struck from the back and then the front. The other two cars' airbags deployed but mine did not. I notice there are front and side tests done on cars but never when one is rear-ended. I went to the emergency room with a headache and stiffness in my neck and was diagnosed with whiplash - head and back. Everyone I've mentioned this to wondered why my airbags did not deploy. Can you tell me if it should have? Fortunately my seatbelt worked and restrained me and I did not bump my head on anything other than the headrest. Just wondering if I should be concerned that my airbag did not deploy. Oh, and my just-paid off Camry was totaled -- over $12,000 in damages so I have to buy another car and wondering if I should consider another vehicle. …
I was in a parking lot of a shopping complex and I was trying to look for a parking spot. There was a parking spot between 2 cars on the right side, I slowly turned right into the spot, the car was in the spot and the car was straight and my leg was on the brakes. Unexpectedly the car started accecelerating on its own, then the car with great speed climbed up the curb and hit the hair salon shop. The shop had 2-3 feet high brick wall and main door and other things are made with glass and metal frames. The car smashed the wall and glass door completely and landed inside the shop. I had to press the brakes really hard and finally it stopped there was a tire burning smell, I saw there was big drag tire mark on the shop floor. The air bags did not open. Fortunately nobody was injured nor there was any damages to other cars in the parking lot. …
Tl contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. While driving 25 MPH over railroad tracks the vehicle accelerated resulting in a crash. The contact did not report any injuries. The contact applied the brakes until the brake pedal touched the floorboard; however, the vehicle did not stop. When the steering wheel locked, the windshield wipers began to function. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Toyota dealer to be repaired for the body damage but it was not examined for the cause of failure. The contact stated that a few months later the accelerator pedal recall was repaired; however, after the repair was performed the vehicle surged forward intermittently until the brakes were applied. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the brake system was repaired. The failure had not recurred but there was a rocking noise in the engine. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Toyota Camry. While driving approximately 55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle accelerated on its own at a high rate of speed. The contact had to apply extreme force to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The gear was shifted into neutral as the rpms increased. The gear was shifted into park and the vehicle was turned off, but was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was engine failure due to NHTSA campaign numbers: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control) and 09V388000 (vehicle speed control). The previous owner did not have the recall repairs performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to Toyota world of newton (66 hampton house rd, newton, nj 07860, [phone]) and both recall repairs were performed. …
This past Sunday 2-14-10 at about 6 pm I nearly lost my life when my vehicle accelerated unexpectedly fully climbed up the alleviated side walk and crash into the building that's when it finally came to full stop although my foot was on the brake and fully depressed down I'm thankful their was no one standing right in front of the parking space that entered into words can't describe the fear and anxiety that I felt at that time and now. Let me please informed you that I've already performed all the recall issues that iwas told involved my vehicle immediately at this point I don't know what to do please help me I've often experience a lost of power with my vehicle when I enter the interstate although I depressed the acceleration to catch up with current traffic the vehicle does not responded sometimes it felt like it shot off. …
I have a Toyota Camry 2009. My car went through the recall services, Toyota had for the acceleration problems through one of their dealers. However, on 02/08/2013, I was involved in an accident, wherein I felt this problem myself. On a busy road I May have been driving between 35-40 MPH, when all of a sudden, when I applied brakes, my car wouldn't stop but accelerated to maybe double the speed and hit the car in front of me. It appeared as if there are no brakes in the car.the impact was so severe, that I am still nervous and shaken up with the incident. The person driving the car I hit, thought I was speeding. But it definitely was the acceleration problem. This problem has not yet resolved and could lead to many more accidents. I have reported this problem to Toyota dealership and on their suggestion to the Toyota customer experience team. …
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.
Acceleration complaints in other Camry years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2009 Toyota Camry?
NHTSA has 266 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2009 Toyota Camry, 21% of the model year's 1,293 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (65 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 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 2009 Toyota Camry acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 17,000 miles, and 64% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 85 crashes, 2 fires and 34 injuries and 2 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.