Five problems related to service brakes have been reported for the 1996 Toyota Camry. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
On September 19, 2014, when my wife was driving a 96 Toyota Camry car home, all of the sudden, the vehicle automatically accelerates, she hit the brake hard but the vehicle still went 40 mph. She almost hit several vehicles before she managed to shift it to the parking mode and stop the vehicle in the up-slope driveway. At this time, the vehicle was still roaring and smokes came out and she turned off the engine. We felt this is a very serious safety issue and is similar to accident happened several years ago. We would like to report it to NHTSA and wish you start a swift investigation. Thank you.
S10 appropriate handling re Toyota safety recall for sudden acceleration. During the months of may through July 2009, the consumer experienced problems with the brakes. Off and on, the brake pedal would go all the way to the floor. The vehicle would not stop, until the ignition was turned off. There was a strange odor coming from under the hood. However, the consumer was able to control the vehicle. It would generally happen when attempting a routine stop. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop, but they couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle. Then on August 19, 2009, the vehicle suddenly accelerated; the brakes did not work and the vehicle was accelerating at a high rate of speed. As the consumer desperately shifted from neutral, second and third gear, she was unable to control the vehicle. She was able to weave in between cars as there was no place for her to pull over without crashing. She put on her hazard lights and beeped the horn to warn other drivers. She then swung into a wide parking lot entrance and slammed the gear into park and came to an abrupt halt.
While braking at 20 mph brake pedal locked up. Vehicle swerved into the next lane, causing an oncoming vehicle to hit it on front right hand side. Dealership mechanic was notified, but the problem was not resolved.
The engine just dies. Usually at a stop or slow down. Probably 1x/month for the last 6 months. Previously it just happened a couple of times last year. The frequency seems to be increasing. So far it has happened only with city driving. I do 90% city driving, but am becoming nervous about taking the car out on the freeway. Our mechanic cannot find any history of these stalls on the car's computer. I have had problems with my isc valve ever since I've had the car. We need to replace the isc valve every year. Toyota has paid for it, but it is annoying not to have this problem solved.
Brakes grab when stopping and makes an excessive amount of noise. A visual inspection showed no failure.