2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the brake system, especially the brake actuator/ABS assembly: warning lights, a pedal that needs heavy pressure, and in some reports reduced braking. Many complaints describe the problem appearing after the vehicle is several years old and out of the brake-related warranty extension, with repair quotes around a few thousand dollars. A repeated powertrain-related stalling/acceleration complaint and a heat-and-humidity dashboard issue also appear in the sample.

1. 1
   Brakes

   Brake actuator / ABS assembly warning lights and hard pedal

   • 404 complaints (67%)
   • median 101,118 mi at 7.5 yrs old (374 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,660 (median of 130 quotes)
   • filed 2010–2021

   Complaints describe a cluster of warning lights (Check VSC System, ABS, brake, and related indicators) appearing while driving or after startup, sometimes with a repeating chirp, hum, or clunk from the front of the engine bay. Many owners say the pedal then needs much more force to slow the car, that it felt soft or went toward the floor, and that braking returned to normal after restarting. Several say the dealer diagnosed the ABS actuator or accumulator and quoted a repair of roughly a few thousand dollars; some were told the computer had no stored error and could not find the fault. Reports in the sample mostly fall between about 65,000 and 150,000 miles, with a number also above 170,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a test drive, listen for a pump or chirping noise from the front right of the engine bay when braking or after shutdown, and ask whether the brake actuator or accumulator has ever been replaced or covered. A service bulletin in the input describes brake reservoir replacement instructions for these model years, so ask whether that work was done.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving at approximately 20 miles per hour and coming to a stop when the vsc warning light , brake warning light, and tire pressure warning lights came on. The light remained on after restarting the engine and the brake pedal became more resistant to braking. The problem in my car actually began months before the warning lights came on and was not correctly diagnosed at the dealership. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10512240, filed 2013-05, 64,240 miles

   “On march 2, 2014 I was backing out of the garage when I noticed that multiple warning lights had lit up on the dash, including the words check vsc system . At that point I tapped the brakes to stop the car and realized that the brakes were not working properly. In order to stop the car I needed to push the brake pedal almost to the floor. I tried driving it slowly down the street and at just 15-20 MPH the car was very difficult to stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10567620, filed 2014-03, 98,500 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Stall, rough idle or delayed acceleration

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the engine quitting or losing power, sometimes at speed or when stopped, with the hybrid and warning lights coming on. Some owners report the car jerking or responding slowly when the accelerator is pressed from a stop. Dealers in these reports cleared codes, reset systems, or were unable to reproduce the fault. Reports in the sample range from very low mileage up to about 113,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the vehicle has had the engine-related software service described in the service bulletin for 2AZ-FXE-equipped cars, and check for stored codes or a history of stalling at idle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle suddenly lost power while driving on the freeway. Vehicle towed to dealer. Dealer states vehicle lost communication with bus system causing system to stall out. Dealer cleared codes and reset. Test drove o.k.”

   NHTSA complaint #10296864, filed 2009-12, 36,625 miles

   “Vehicle serviced 3/10/10 under Toyota 90l recall campaign. Dealership stated all systems functional upon completion. On 5/21/14, in safe road conditions and parking lot speeds <10 MPH, driver applied brakes to vehicle in order to pull into parking spot. During braking, vehicle did not slow or stop, but accelerated at a high rate of speed, striking a parking berm and three other vehicles. Police report made; driver not cited but was advised to contact Toyota re brake failure and acceleration. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10633414, filed 2014-09, 80,982 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the brake system, including a scan for stored ABS/VSC codes and a check for actuator pump noise, since that repair is expensive and appears often in owner complaints. Also confirm the open window-switch recall was performed and inspect the dashboard for heat-related damage.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.