2018 Toyota Camry Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Engine
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  4159%
• 25k–50k
  1826%
• 50k–75k
  46%
• 75k–100k
  34%
• 100k–150k
  34%
• 150k+
  11%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Toyota Camry owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

I bought my Camry with 5 miles on it. It's a 2.5L 8 speed Camry SE. immediately I felt something not right when it would shift between 3/4 gear. It would rock back and forth in a jerking motion. The car has trouble shifting in automatic. When putting it into sport mode it automatically starts at 4th geer. It's as if the gear shifters are not able to communicate with the engine. It's stall on me when making a turn and I was almost t-boned June of 2018! Finally a recall on the fuel pump. I go take it in immediately to have the recall fix. Upon doing so the mechanic informed me that my vacuum pump seems to be bigger than the one that standard for my car. He said there's no recall for my vin number but for other cars during that same year there is. So there was nothing I could do but wait for my vin number to be on the recall list. …

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while drivng at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle was towed to the dealer ted after several attempts, the vehicle eventually started. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, howver the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The RPM's increased. In addition, the contact stated that the failure occurred while traveling over 800 miles away from home. The vehicle was driven to the contact's cousins's residence. The contact's husband inspected the vehicle, and noticed metal shavings on the dip stick. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was ade aware of the failure and a case was filed. …

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while his wife driving 75 mph, the vehicle's speed began to decelerate to 10 mph. The contact stated the "See Dealer Immediately" warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to drive at 10 mph to their residence. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with "bad fuel". The contact stated they continued to experience a failure. The contact took the vehicle back to the local dealer, but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact experienced the failure for the third time and took the vehicle back to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the failure with needing an ignition coil to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the wife experienced the failure for the fourth time. …

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "See Dealer" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with water pump failure. The dealer was notified of the diagnosis but advised the contact to disregard the warning. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle back to the residence, the vehicle started to lose power and went into LIMP Mode. The vehicle was returned to the independent mechanic to have the water pump replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 42,572.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal depressed all the way to the floorboard and the vehicle failed to come to a complete stop. The ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V890000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 149,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle chugged, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact drove to her destination, where an acquaintance used a vehicle diagnostic scanner to retrieve DTC: P26CB, indicating a malfunction with the electric engine coolant pump. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with water pump failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied goodwill assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

I gave yesterday a complaint (9/24/25 complaint #11689593). Today at the same location, exit ramp of the AZ 101, going west, the same thing happened. Today, 9/25/25, as I was approaching the car that was waiting to enter 56th street my engine increased from about 5 MPH to about 35 MPH. Instead of hitting the car in front of me I turned into the lane on my left. A car hit my car on the left side. MY CAR ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE!!

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the brake pedal was stiff while depressed. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred on several occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,773.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The contact stated that the vehicle was hesitating while accelerating. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 46,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Toyota Camry. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was due to the coolant bypass valve. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Related recalls

Engine complaints in other Camry years