Wait, what does one of the most reliable cars in the world from one of the most trusted brands get to do in this article, right? Well, it turns out that the Camry in its hybrid moniker has not been having a smooth sail through the years. The previous XV50 generation has seen a reasonable number of recalls and complaints consistently breaching the three-digit mark every year, as reported by the NHTSA. In contrast, the all-new XV70 gen, showcased as the 2018 model year has seen a drastic drop, registering just 27 customer complaints and no recalls to this date. That said, like any other car, there are certain commonly known fault points that a prospective buyer should be aware of when getting one of these, especially from a pre-owned slot. With base prices of $27,950 brand new, does it make sense over competition like the Honda Accord Hybrid and the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid? So, should this sedan be on your purchase list? Let's find out?
2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid User Complaints and Problems
Mechanical Complaints
- Transmission- The 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is not known for any major mechanical issues but a few owners have been complaining about the erratic behavior the transmission puts out occasionally. The vehicle is said to not accelerate or jerk hard in stop-and-go situations, mostly taking a few seconds before the transmission picks up the right gear. Though this issue has been reported to the dealer, they are left without any fix as the issue could not be replicated a second time by the technicians.
- Service brakes- Grabby brakes are possibly the only known and concerning issue with the 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid, which too, is limited to a few batches. As reported by the NHTSA, owners complain about the brakes on brand new vehicles grabbing unpredictably, causing the vehicle to come to a halt abruptly. At least two low-speed crashes have been reported by the NHTSA on this issue.
Electric System complaints
- Infotainment-The media system on the Toyota Camry Hybrid phone has connectivity issues. Though the system recognizes the device, users complain about the inability to access phone media from the infotainment system. The issue is said to be the system’s incompatibility with a certain version of the mobile operating system. No information about updates is available.
Structural Complaints
- Steering- The steering on the 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid tends to get stiff at certain points on its turning circle as the vehicle mileage increases. This is one issue to look out for when getting a used one as the steering shafts are known to fail prematurely. Replacements would cost in upwards of $700 including labor.
- Dashboard- The dashboard on the 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid is said to go tacky when driven on parked under the sun for some time. When this happens, an object placed on the dash surface can cause permanent scratches on it. Though it has been raised as a built quality issue by owners, no statements from the automaker have been released in response.
2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid Recalls
There are no recalls for the 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid yet.
Should you buy a used 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid?
Is this even a question at this point? The Toyota Camry, albeit combined, has been a top seller in the US for many years now, coming out as one of the handful of cars that can cross the 400,000 yearly sales marker. We have been seeing and experiencing this family sedan for many years now that there are no known failure points that should cause a rise in concern, say apart from when there is a widespread issue from one of its vendors. Moreover, the 2018 model year comes out as one with the least complaints and recalls so far making it one of the best model years as far s as reliability goes. So as far as buying one goes, it should be more or less a blind pick.
