Problems · by component
1996 Toyota Camry air bags problems
45 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1996 Toyota Camry cite air bags, 11% of all 421 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
45
11% of all complaints
Crashes
31
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
38
Reported by owners
What owners say about the air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“DRIVER AND PASSENGER AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, BRAKING WINDSHIELD AND BRUISING DRIVER WHEN CAR BARELY MOVING FORWARD. TAPPED ANOTHER CARS BUMPER, NO OTHER DAMAGE TO EITHER VEHICLE.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH MAKING A LEFT TURN, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO BOTH THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT AND REAR DOOR WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THE CONTACT SUSTAINED WHIPLASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A SALVAGE YARD. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE CRASH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,000.”
“WAS INVOLVED IN A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT WHERE VEHICLE WAS AT A COMPLETE STOP WAITING TO EXIT FREEWAY: BACKUP ON FREEWAY EXIT, WAS REAR ENDED AT HIGH SPEED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. CAUSING CHAIN REACTION CRASH, VEHICLE WAS SANDWICHED BETWEEN TWO VEHICLES. VEHICLE FLOORING BECAME DEFORMED WHICH MAY HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSING AND MOST IMPORTANTLY FOR THE SEAT BELT TO FAIL CAUSING ME TO BANG MY FACE INTO THE STEERING WHEEL. I FOUND THE SEAT BELT WAS UNBUCKLED AFTER THE CRASH. AIRBAGS DID DEPLOY. *TR”
“1996 CAMRY WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT THEN SURGED FORWARD INTO THE INTERSECTION WHERE IT WAS STRUCK BY A MOTORCYCLE AND PICK-UP TRUCK. CAMRY AND MOTORCYCLE BOTH TOTALED. AIRBAGS IN CAMRY DIDN'T DEPLOY ON IMPACT BUT HAD A DELAY. POLICE INVOLVED WITH CASE. CAMRY DRIVER CITED FOR FAILURE TO YIELD TO A RED LIGHT WHICH DRIVER WAS STOPPED AT INITIALLY. NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION. WITH TOYOTA IN THE NEWS, FOUND REPORTS OF OTHER 1996 CAMRY'S WITH SUDDEN ACCELERATION SO FILED THIS COMPLAINT. FAMILY MEMBER WAS OWNER AND DRIVER OF CAMRY. MOTORCYCLE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES THAT RESULTED IN DEATH 5 YEARS LATER. *TR UPDATED 05/10/10 *BF UPDATED 07/08/10.*JB”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY. WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL AT 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTING ACCELERATING WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE REACHED SPEEDS OF 60-80 MPH WHILE RUNNING TWO STOP SIGNS. HE HAD TO CRASH INTO A TREE AND ANOTHER VEHICLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. HE SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE RIGHT ARM. HE CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER IN REFERENCE TO RECALL # 96E001000 (ROSTRA PRECISION CONTROLS). HE WAS ADVISED THAT THE RECALL ONLY APPLIED TO SIX CYLINDER VEHICLES. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 200,500. UPDATED 01/12/10. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED 2 NIGHTS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, THE CRUISE CONTROL CAME ON AND THEN WENT OFF. UPDATED 01/13/10.*JB”
“1996 TOYOTA CAMRY. MY SON WAS INVOLVED IN A 5 MPH ACCIDENT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE CAR HE REAR ENDED, YET THE TOYOTA WAS TOTALED AND AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. UPON RESEARCH ON THIS SITE, TOYOTA CAMRY 1996 HAS A ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF AIRBAGS THAT DO NOT DEPLOY. MY SON HIT THE STEERING WHEEL AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO HOSPITAL. *TR”
Showing 6 of 45 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.