Buyer Research

2024 Toyota Camry — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $24,000–$31,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 16 Toyota Camry years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

The last of the XV70 generation before the 2025 went hybrid-only, and 49 complaints is a record that is thin because the car is two years old, not because it has been proven. Read it for what it holds: one recall (rear head-restraint welds, a VIN-lookup item), a structure cluster with no single part in it, a handful of electric-power-steering warnings and lane-assist pulls, and airbag reports that are almost all post-crash non-deployments we cannot inspect for. Nothing in here is a recurring four-figure fault yet, and most of these cars are still inside the 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, which is the real safety net. Confirm the recall, drive it with lane tracing on and then off, and watch the dash for any steering message. We found no expensive recurring fault in these 49 complaints; we also found too few of them to call the year proven.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 49 owner complaints for the 2024 Toyota Camry, and 1 recall campaign.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. The largest single group is the body and structure at 22%. That is notable without being overwhelming — worth checking, not worth panicking about.

One recall campaign covers this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Looked at and set aside: airbags (6) — Six complaints, three of them after a crash where the airbags did not deploy, one a title-paperwork dispute filed under the wrong heading, and one a warning light that came and went. Whether an airbag deploys is a sensor-threshold question that no pre-purchase inspection can test, and the same pattern of post-crash filings appears on every year of this Camry with no recall behind it. Check that the SRS light comes on with the key and goes out after a few seconds, and leave it there.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2024 Toyota Camry

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Rear seat head-restraint brackets may be insufficiently welded (recall)Medium

The one campaign on this year, 24V128, covers 2023–2024 Camry and Camry Hybrid: the brackets for the second-row center and right head restraints may not be welded well enough to hold an occupant's head in a crash. Toyota replaces the 60-percent rear seat-back frame free; owner letters went out in April 2024. You cannot see a weld through upholstery, so this is purely a VIN-lookup question — and a used car that has already changed hands is exactly the one where a mailed letter went to the wrong address.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 1 NHTSA recall campaign on this model year.

Electric power steering warning and momentary loss of assist; lane tracing that yanks the wheelMedium

Five STEERING complaints, one tied to a crash. Two are the kind to take seriously: a 'Steering Power Low' message with the wheel going heavy for a few seconds and then recovering, repeatedly, on a car past 50,000 miles, and an 'electric power steering malfunction' message where the dealer quoted a new rack. Two more are Lane Tracing Assist pulling the car toward an adjacent lane, once with a vehicle in it. On the test drive, turn Lane Tracing on for a few miles of highway and feel how firmly it corrects; then pull over and turn the wheel lock to lock at a standstill listening for a click or hum, and watch the cluster for any steering message. A rack is a warranty job under 36,000 miles and a real bill after.

Repair cost (estimate): $0 under the 36,000-mile warranty; $1,400–$2,600 for a steering rack outside it

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (5).

Pre-collision braking for nothing, and adaptive cruise that slows hard on an empty roadMedium

Five FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE complaints, two involving a crash — one of them rear-ended after the car braked on its own in traffic. This is the Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ suite, and phantom braking under an overpass, at a shadow, or behind a turning car is the pattern owners across several Toyotas describe. There is no part to replace; a dealer can check the windshield camera and grille radar alignment, and a camera aim is a small bill. Drive it on a stretch with overpasses and merging traffic with adaptive cruise set and note whether it brakes for things that are not there. It is a nuisance most of the time and a hazard with someone close behind you.

Repair cost (estimate): $0–$350 for a camera or radar recalibration

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (5).

Moonroof and glass shattering, a bumper cover that let go at speed, and loose trunk and carpet fitsLow

Eleven STRUCTURE complaints and no common part. The ones with money attached: a panoramic moonroof that burst on the freeway with nothing near the car (an insurance claim if you have glass coverage, a $1,000-plus bill if you do not), a rear bumper cover that came loose at highway speed, and trunk rust and water smell on a car sold as certified pre-owned. The rest is trim: driver-side carpet lifting near the pedals, a road-noise boom with the rear windows down. At the car, lift the trunk floor and smell for damp, run a hand along the bumper-cover seams for a loose clip, and check the moonroof glass edge for any chip that could start a crack.

Repair cost (estimate): $50–$300 for trim clips and carpet; $900–$1,800 for moonroof glass

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the body and structure (11).

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Recall 24V128 still open on the NHTSA VIN lookup
✗Any steering-related message on the cluster during the test drive, however brief
✗Lane Tracing Assist that corrects hard enough to feel like a tug rather than a nudge
✗Damp smell or rust bloom under the trunk floor
✗A cracked or chipped edge on the moonroof glass

Good Signs

✓Recall 24V128 shown complete on the VIN lookup
✓Under 36,000 miles with the bumper-to-bumper warranty active on the VIN
✓Windshield camera and radar recalibrated on an invoice after any glass replacement
✓A highway test drive with adaptive cruise set and no unprompted braking
✓Steering feels even lock to lock with no message on the dash