2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid reliability: common problems

Owners of the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid filed 118 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and vehicle speed control. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 118
involving a crash: 10

What fails most often

1 Service brakes 50% of all complaints
2 Vehicle speed control 16% of all complaints
3 Structure 14% of all complaints
4 Electronic stability control 13% of all complaints
5 Engine 9% of all complaints
6 Visibility 9% of all complaints
7 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
8 Air bags 5% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Service brakes: 59 complaints (50% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Vehicle speed control: 19 complaints (16% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 16 complaints (14% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Electronic stability control: 15 complaints (13% of all).
Engine: 11 complaints (9% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 118 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

warning lights, check engine27 · 23%
brake failure10 · 8%
unintended acceleration6 · 5%
oil leak or consumption4 · 3%
smoke, burning smell, fire4 · 3%
airbags did not deploy3 · 3%
rollaway, parking brake3 · 3%
vibration3 · 3%
knocking, grinding or other noise2 · 2%
steering or power steering problems2 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Service brakes	59	4
Vehicle speed control	19	1
Structure	16	3
Electronic stability control	15	0
Engine	11	0
Visibility	11	0
Electrical system	8	0
Air bags	6	4
Steering	3	0
Engine and cooling	2	0
Latches, locks, linkages	2	0
Powertrain	2	1
Wheels	2	1
Exterior lighting	1	1

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Reports of extra effort in brake pedal application, strong vibration and noise when attempting to do a quick stop. This issue has resulted in three separate car accidents with three different drivers, wherein two collided with another vehicle and one struck an object, all within a 2-month period.
Service brakes · crash · 2015-08-09 · NHTSA complaint #10747302
Air bag did not deploy. The car was put on a flatbed and brought back to our residence some 50 miles away. Neither of us are thrilled about getting behind the wheel of this car again and so it sits in our garage.our plans are to get rid of this car even though we loved it up until this point.
Structure · crash · 2015-03-31 · NHTSA complaint #10703014
This was a multi car pileup on a road with 40mph speed limit which resulted from a vehicle ahead making an abrupt stop. This resulted in about 4 cars behind it having to come to stop resulting in a chain reaction.
Structure · crash · 2015-02-28 · NHTSA complaint #10691215
Neither of us was injured; however, the air bags did not deploy. Had this been something stationary that we had the collision with we would have been injured. Can you tell me why this would happen? I am now very concerned for my safety in my car.
Air bags · crash · 2014-10-24 · NHTSA complaint #10649676
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota camry hybrid. The contact stated while reversing, the vehicle erroneously accelerated to 75 mph and the contact crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the defect.
Powertrain · crash · 2014-05-08 · NHTSA complaint #10587264
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 toyota camry hv. The contact was driving 15 mph when another vehicle crashed into her vehicle from the front driver side. The contact stated that neither the frontal or side air bags deployed and the vehicle sustained moderate body damage.
Air bags · crash · 2011-05-05 · NHTSA complaint #10399234
The contactâs wife stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the VSC and ABS warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with needing the brake master cylinder replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure.
Service brakes · 2021-10-27 · NHTSA complaint #11438335
The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, she smelled a burning odor and she saw smoke in the vehicle. The contact stated she also felt heat on her back. The contact stated as she continued to drive, the seat became increasingly warmer. There were no warning lights illuminated.
Seats · 2021-09-27 · NHTSA complaint #11434555

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20105
20113
20123
201315
201435
201510
201615
20175
201810
201913
20214

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 3,104 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Camry Hybrid has 68 complaints (21 years in the data). This year has 118, above average.

What to check before buying

Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Electronic stability control. ABS/ESC sensors, steering angle, codes after suspension repair.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, vehicle speed control, structure. Total complaints: 118. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (23%), brake failure (8%), unintended acceleration (5%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 2009 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.