2018 Toyota Camry brake problems
180 of the 771 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota Camry name the brakes (NHTSA’s “Service Brakes” heading — the hydraulic brakes, ABS and brake assist). Filed under the same heading: 17 manufacturer bulletins, 2 recalls. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the brakes
Source: NHTSA complaint database23 of the 180 reports a crash · 1 a fire · 22 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 1 · 2018: 19 · 2019: 12 · 2020: 14 · 2021: 28 · 2022: 49 · 2023: 15 · 2024: 23 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 9
Half of the 72 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the brake problem between 10,000 and 117,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
771 complaints in all about the 2018 Toyota Camry, 9 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Service Brakes” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Toyota Camry brake problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the brakes. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Very loud screeching sound brakes make every time I reverse my 2018 Toyota Camry xse. The sound is so loud my entire neighborhood knows when I leave my home. Dealership said it was normal. Not sure I can't trust my brakes
Car cannot seem to determine which gear it should be in. When in stop and go traffic on freeway and pedal is not depressed, car lurches forward and a clunk is heard as the vehicle downshifts. Clunking sound is made worse in cold, humid, or cloudy weather.
Brakes periodically grab severely when first driving the car. Usual occurrence is when first backing from garage or parking space and trying to ease the brake pedal. Brakes grab and prevent slowing the car smoothly. After driving for a dozen or so yards, problem doesn't reoccur--until is again parked for some time.
Pre-collision system malfunction. Vehicle was in motion when indicator lights started warning of problems with pre-collision warning system
I had just exited a freeway, and was entering the surface streets via a stoplight. After turning onto the surface street, the signal ahead turned red. I attempted to apply the brakes in traffic while traveling at or less than 20 m.p.h., but the brakes did not respond as normal.
What is on file about the brakes
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecalls filed under this heading
- 21V890000 HighNov 17, 2021 · 227,490 vehicles
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Camry vehicles. The vane cap inside the vacuum pump may break, causing the pump to fail, which could result in a sudden loss of braking assist.
- 18V211000 HighApr 3, 2018 · 6,046 vehicles
- Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018 Toyota Camry and Highlander vehicles, 2017 Toyota Sienna and Tacoma vehicles and 2017 Lexus RX350 vehicles. During the manufacturing process, the oil galley in the rotor for the brake booster vacuum pump assembly may have been improperly machined possibly resulting in a sudden loss of brake assist.
17 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2018 Toyota Camry names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2018 Toyota Camry
Source: the same files- engine problems 143 complaints
- fuel system problems 102 complaints
- electrical problems 71 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre brake problems common on the 2018 Toyota Camry?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 180 owner complaints naming the brakes on this model year (23% of everything owners filed about it), and 17 manufacturer bulletins, 2 recalls are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the brakes on the 2018 Toyota Camry?
Yes — 2 campaigns are filed under this heading: 21V890000, 18V211000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do brake problems show up on the 2018 Toyota Camry?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 53,000 miles; half of them between 10,000 and 117,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Service Brakes" heading cover?
The hydraulic brakes, ABS and brake assist. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.