2017 Toyota Camry Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2017 Camry most often describe air bags that did not deploy in collisions, along with door lock actuators that failed or unlocked on their own. A separate cluster of complaints covers hesitation or unintended acceleration at low speeds, brake noises and occasional loss of braking assistance, and rattles or vibration traced to the steering column and front suspension. Many reports arrive in the first 30,000-50,000 miles.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Air bags did not deploy in a collision

   • 24 complaints (16%)
   • median 49,500 mi at 2.5 yrs old (16 state mileage)
   • 17 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2024

   Complaints describe frontal or side impacts where the air bags stayed folded, often after the vehicle was struck and pushed into a guardrail or another car. Several owners say they were injured and sought medical care, and some vehicles were declared a total loss. In one report the air bag did deploy but did not deflate, and in another an air bag warning light came on without a crash. Some owners say they contacted the manufacturer and were told the vehicle would be inspected. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 100,000 miles, with many in the 20,000-65,000 mile range.

   Recall 16V906000

   What to check: Check that the vehicle's air bag recall work and any open campaigns are complete, and have a shop confirm all air bag warning lights behave normally at start-up. A history report on prior collision damage is worth reviewing.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling at an estimated speed of 20mph and with the front of my Camry, struck the back of a non trailered semi truck and my air bags did not deploy and my drivers seat broke causing me to get slammed into the seat belt which resulted in back, neck, shoulder and knee injuries.”

   NHTSA complaint #11384152, filed 2020-12, 35,000 miles

   “On november 4th, 2017, I was involved in an accident which was determined by the police report to be a hit-and-run accident. We were never able to find the person who hit my car while I was driving. My car was severely damaged as a result of spinning across 7 lanes and hitting the sub-dividers. Please see attached pictures of the vehicle below. Unfortunately, none of the 8 airbags in the car deployed. My face was slammed very hard against the steering wheel as a result of the impact. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11078823, filed 2018-03, 51,000 miles
2. 2
   Vehicle speed control

   Hesitation or unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 17 complaints (11%)
   • median 22,547 mi at 2.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 6 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2017–2024

   Complaints describe a pause of a second or two when pulling away from a stop, jerking during light acceleration, and in some cases the engine revving while the car is held at a stop or the car moving forward on its own. Some owners report the pedal going to the floor without response, and a few describe braking that did not stop the car. Dealers often could not duplicate the condition, and some vehicles were not repaired. Reported from very low mileage up to about 50,000 miles, with several cases in hot weather or during long drives.

   What to check: During a test drive, try several slow starts from a stop and light-throttle acceleration, and ask whether the dealer has any record of throttle or transmission reprogramming.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I bought a new 2017 Toyota Camry xle in april 2017 and soon thereafter started noticing some unusual, unintended acceleration and jerking during slowing down/deceleration. The car jerks and tries to maintain speed against the driver's intention to slow down gradually and/or stop, specifically noticeable at 20 and 30 MPH speeds. During slow down, seems like car switches gear abnormally to maintain speed when it's supposed to be slowing down gradually. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11111275, filed 2018-07, 695 miles

   “During driving or from a stop the car hesitates to accelerate. On the dash board the RPM meter displays a jerking motion as well as the car physically. Usually occurs while driving long distances and when outside temperature is above 85f.”

   NHTSA complaint #11396882, filed 2021-02, 45 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Brake noise and intermittent loss of brake assist

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report a clunk from the front brakes when reversing or braking, which some dealers traced to brake pads shifting or the wrong pads being fitted. Others describe the brake pedal going to the floor or a 'check brake system' message with a loss of power assist, and in some cases the ABS, stability control and speedometer stopped working together. Complaints mention dealers updating the ECU program or replacing the ABS actuator. Mostly between about 20,000 and 55,000 miles, with some reports at low mileage.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Listen for a clunk from the front wheels when reversing and braking, and ask whether the brake pads fitted are the correct part. Have the brake system scanned for stored ABS codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “In the process of backing the car out of the garage, with the car in reverse, application of the brakes had no affect on slowing the car. After about 69-80 feet (across the driveway, my lawn and my neighbor's lawn) it crashed into the neighbor's shed. There was $6000 damage to the car , some back pain and destruction of the shed.two months later, the same incident occurred but the car was stopped by putting it into first neutral gear and then park before any damage. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11060764, filed 2018-01, 6,056 miles

   “2017 Toyota Camry se. I have had my vehicle into the dealership over 8 times now for problems with the door lock actuators and a clunking sound coming from the brakes that has progressively gotten worse. The door lock actuators would not lock/unlock and on two occurrences while the vehicle was in motion the doors unlocked themselves without being commanded. The car was brought into the dealer 4 times for the issue before the dealership finally replaced 3 of 4 out of safety. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11325276, filed 2020-05, 34,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Steering vibration, rattle and pulling

   Mentioned in 7 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe steering wheel vibration at highway speed, a rattle under the dash over bumps that was traced to the steering column, and vehicles that veered or wandered and needed constant correction. Some owners describe unusually light steering with play at the center. Repairs reported include steering column replacement and diagnosis of suspension or alignment issues. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 60,000 miles, with several cases in the 24,000-50,000 mile range.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Drive at highway speed and note any vibration or wander, and go over a few bumps at low speed to listen for a dash rattle. Ask whether the steering column or front suspension parts have been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “At 45000 miles a rattle over bumps and at low speed developed under the dashboard. The rattle increased until I brought it to the local Toyota dealer with 50000 miles on it . Through the process it was discovered the steering column had to be replaced at a cost of $135 diagnostic fee, $555 for labor and $757 for the steering column. The new column solved the problem. The cause of loose part or parts is inside of the column. I contacted Toyota customer service and got no satisfaction. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11324745, filed 2020-05, 50,000 miles

   “On january 25, 2017 at approx. 7:37 pm I started up the vehicle that was not in motion. Before placing the vehicle in motion I noticed the skid and parking brake lights were both on. I then checked the parking brake and it was in the release position (up). I put the vehicle into motion and both lights remained on. At approx. 7:45 pm I was driving cautiously on the highway at approx. 60 MPH. At about 7:47 pm all of the sudden I felt the steering wheel stiffen, and at the same time the vehicle began to decelerate from 60 MPH to speeds of approx. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10947702, filed 2017-01, 25,094 miles
5. 5
   Engine

   Engine oil consumption and top-end noise

   • 8 complaints (5%)
   • median 62,050 mi at 4.2 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2018–2026

   Some owners report the oil level dropping well below full between changes, in one case with the engine nearly dry at the dealer, and others describe a rattle on cold start or a knocking noise from the engine bay. Complaints mention oil consumption testing and dealers being unable to duplicate noises. Two reports describe smoke or fire from the engine compartment. Mostly above 50,000 miles, with the highest-mileage reports around 120,000-200,000 miles.

   What to check: Check the oil level and look for a fuel or burnt smell on the dipstick, ask for oil change records, and listen for a rattle in the first seconds after a cold start.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vvt -I engine made a rattle noise on passenger side when you do a cold start especially first in the morning, because there's no pressure in to the locking pin located inside the actuator which connects to the camshaft, because of this the housing the imput and the output are free to move relative to each other and this create wear inside of this housing. It just goin to wear down and them you're not gonna have proper control of the variable valve timing.”

   NHTSA complaint #11363485, filed 2020-10, 73,100 miles

   “The contact owns a 2017 Toyota Camry. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil and that the engine was nearly devoid of oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11602369, filed 2024-07, 120,000 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection cover the air bag system and any open recalls, all door locks, brake behavior and the front end, and check oil level and service records on higher-mileage examples. Ask for the vehicle history to confirm collision and odometer records.

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.