2018 Camry Transmission - 8 speed - why having problems?

After driving my 2014 Camry with 6 speed trans for 5 years and working flawlessy. I loved the car so I decided on a 2018 Camry with the 8 speed trans. I love the way the car handles , brakes smooth,quiet, great tracking. Also like the new electronics. Back to to the 8 speed trans very dissatisfied with it at this time. It never seems to never know what gear it wants. It shifts up when not expected and hesitates when shifting down and then drops 2 or3 gears all at once with more power then needed. I do seem to get some improvement by driving in shift mode limiting the trans to a 5or6 speed in town. I sure hope Toyota comes up with a reprogram for these problems.

THX for response - Also have infotainment issues? Earlier 2018 models reported probs - may be corrected?

After 3 months of putting up with this ridiculous 8 speed transmission in my 2018 Highlander, it started to develop harsh up/down-shifts between 1-2 and the identity crisis between gears as described. I traded it in on the weekend for another manufacturer/model because I just couldn't deal with it any longer. Toyota dealership is aware of the problem but has no fix for it. Drove me crazy how terrible it drove for such a new vehicle. Toyota got this one very wrong and I hope they come out with a fix for everyone else that hates it as much as I did. I lost total confidence in the longevity by the way it's acting and I wanted to post it for everyone to steer them away from this model and others that have this Direct Shift UA80 series 8 speed transmission like the Camry/Sienna until they have fixed it. SHAME ON YOU TOYOTA for charging such a premium for such a terrible product!

My experience is similar on the 8 speed. I have 45K on it now and remains the same. The dealership says there are no error codes when I tell them, mutltiple times), and seems tight lipped about it. This is my 4th HIGHLANDER and love the model but this year is a disappointment because of the 8 speed and also because of the steering. That’s another let down.

Test drove a 2019 Camry with 8 speed and transmission had jerking motion. Sales man said it was because car was cold. I ran away after reading about the problems with the 2018 car. Too bad , nice car I would have bought it.

my 2018 camry after 5k the transmission went out. its in the shop as we speak

I've been told repeatedly that its just something that you get used to. They know its a problem, they just don't care.

Overly complicated 8 and 10 speed automatic skip gears under certain circumstances and they can get confused as to the best gear to select. Just imagine the cost to replace them!

I have the 18 Camry with 10000 mi. And have not had any trouble with love the car.

Transmission shifting is not only irritating but dangerous, the hesitation on acceleration is really terrible. I have just over 5000 miles and regret almost every mile I drove. This is my first and last Toyota.

I have a 2019 Camry LE. Trust me the problem has not been fixed. Too bad I didn't test drive the car longer or pay more attention. The car hesitates at times when I accelerate or lunges. It's loud when I first drive the car for the day (especially when cold). Seems worse when I'm coming to a stop but do not completely stop and then accelerate. An example would be coming to a red light and you have slowed to 10 - 15 mph and then the light changes to green and you press on the accelerator....... pause, hesitation, jerk. Maybe I should sue Toyota for whiplash. Didn't expect this in a new car. My 2002 Camry drove much much better.

I test-drove a 2019 Camry V6 8-speed automatic. It took off quite well from the stop sign, but then as the revs got up, it either quite because it was too close to redline, or it shifted UP about 3 gears. That caused a major hesitation. It did it every time. I'm quite sure its software needs a patch.

I have drove Toyota's for 30 years without any problems. I purchased a 2018 Camry with that ridiculous 8-speed transmission and have had continuous problems with the car jerking into gear. Toyota claims everything is fine with it. Took two Toyota transmission experts on a test drive one morning and they both felt the transmission jerk. Later, they told me that computer shows car's transmission is fine and that perhaps I should not buy a car with a new untested system---and should have waited till the bugs were worked out. So I am stuck basically with a lemon that scares me on the road---that Toyota is not going to fix. Sure, I can try to return it with my state's Lemon Law---but the deck is stacked way against me and I am a disabled veteran without funds or energy to put up the fight necessary to get Toyota to replace the car. After 30 years of brand loyalty I get this in return.

To fix the problem, they would NOT have to fix the transmission or replace it. It is software related. If they would give me the code (program) and a compiler, I could probably fix it. Sue for whiplash? I could possibly be a class-action suit. I mean, it's dangerous. What if a guy misses a stop sign and is coming at you broadside?! You hit the throttle, and the D**N thing hesitates. Sheesh. I'm sticking with Accords if they put the V6 back in it.

My 2019 Camry's transmission is horrible. When accelerating from a stop or after having slowed in traffic and wanting to resume speed the car hesitates/lags when I put my foot on the gas and then jerks. When I put my foot on the gas there is about a 1 to 2 second lag/pause and then a jerk. The engine revs loudly. Once I'm up to 35 - 40 mph the car is fine. Have taken it to the dealership multiple times. They say it's 'normal characteristics' for the car.

Widespread transmission problems: As soon as the 2020 Camry V6 with 8-speed comes out, I will test-drive it and bring my Title and checkbook and see if their software engineers are capable and competent. If they are, SALE! :-)

2019 RX 350, it wouldn’t sift out of 1gear so I had sift it to park after stopping and back into drive 2 times and it started working. So Toyota still has problems. RX 350 has 3000 mile on it.

I have given up on the 2019 Camry's automatic. I will wait to test drive the 2020. I'm glad there's CarGurus to make people aware of this transmission's software problems.

Me to. Was thinking about buying a 2019 also. Will wait and see if problems are fixed with the 2020s.

I bought 2018 car Camry I don’t have any problem this is the best car I have 5 car of another brand car but this is best of all

Anybody wants to sell the 18 or 19 Camry I will give you more than the dealer?

I test rode one and it was great...maybe you past cvt owners forgot what shifting was.

Mark G : You speaking too soon - wait, you will see - you will be like the other victims. John

To All Readers : The Altima: 17, 18, 19, 20 have transmission trouble. Stay away. John

Hey Mark. You come test drive mine. You can keep it for 1 day and then you come back and tell me if you want to defend it. My car has an issue and it's not anything mild. What infuriates me is Toyoya's response. Off the record the manager tells me he's aware of the issue and they get this complaint reguarly but when he fills out the paperwork he writes - no problems found - normal operation. I dropped pursuing it with Toyota. I got nowhere and it's not worth the trouble. The easiest way out is just to trade in or sell the car but of course I lose money. I'm just dealing with it for now but totally frustrated with Toyota. I drove a 5 year old Camry last week and it had none of the issues my car has. Will never buy another Toyota.

TO. Guru C(YDZ: Look, go after Toyo with Lemon Law- they have lots of money. Try get others - go together. Altima similar problems. John

To ALL VICTIMS : UNITE FIGHT BACK. PLAY SAFETY CARD - WILL WORK. John

Can you say, "CLASS ACTION"? :-) But I was fortunate enough to find the problem on a test drive. Lucky for me.

I would surely chime in if someone is planning for a lawsuit. This is just frustrating. And now this is not the normal way of driving and you would never get used to it.

To. LBVWS : You lucky. Can you imagine how bad that car was. Couldn't even fake it thru the Test Drive. You talking 2020? Somewhere, someone joining forces. Does Craig's List post Car Ads? John

Wife and I test drove a 2019 camry and noticed the trans problem, and Toyota refused to acknowledge it exists. We bought a low mileage 2015 model instead. Toyota is knowingly selling these cars with a problem.

I filed Lemon Law for my 2014 Nissan Pathfinder. I bought the 2019 Toyota Camry last June as a replacement. After just 2 days, I noticed that the transmission hesitates when I accelerate coming from a slow down. I already went to the dealer twice to get it check and they told me they can't find any problem. I'm going to give them a chance to fix it and if they can't fix it I'm going Lemon Law. Don't trade your car if you have a problem. You will lose a lot of money. Go Lemon Law and you can get all your money back except for mileage offset.

Good advise for all : Fight Back - GO LEMON LAW

Carcomplaints.com does not report Altima past history transmission probs. Protecting them?

Having the same problem with my Toyota Alphard V6.....until now no fix wth toyota

TO. 250 : Give up on the 2020 Camry - you looking for trouble? John 260.

TO 20 : CORRECT " Alphard " and give year. John 420

toyota alphard 2019 ggh30 v6 3.5

TO 60 : Carefull : 2020 Camry also with probs. Have not fixed yet. John 360

TO WICK 222 : Don't know this Model Alphard. John 360

its okay if you don't know...it's just another car produced in japan which are equipped with that jerky 8 speed transmission.

OK Wick - is same transmission - cannot make fix.

I went Online and got the email of the local Toyota dealer -- the manager's email. I wrote and told him that I was going to buy a Camry TRD if it doesn't have the problem with the 8- speed transmission. His reply didn't sound too promising. This is what he typed: ""Toyota has announced an upgrade to the issue you are talking about. We have not done one yet. Guessing the 2020 will have the upgrade complete but that is a guess. ""

TO. BVWS 310 : Thank you for info. Tells you Tranny prob is still unresolved - need stay away. Take look at new '20 Corolla SE made wider - bought one - runs nice, so far. Passenger space tight in back. Need face backward when getting in the back. Roof line too sharply sloped. Has new suspension which better than '19s. Drive at 60 mph and get 39 mpg. Has 2.0 engine 169 hp - good economy. Sporty wheels. John 400

Verified Camry owner here. For all of you beating yourselves up for buying this model Camry, keep in mind I bought mine from Carmax so I got doubly screwed. The transmission jerks every time you creep to a stop or slow down, and hit the gas with even the lightest force. On the highway it's fine, but when you want to pass someone there's noticeable lag and embarrassing acceleration for a car that supposedly has 200+ horsepower. They're great on gas and mine is approaching 30K miles and it's only had the TSB and a recall for one of the pistons. But this car is a total disappointment. Unfortunately I'm in school so I won't be able to trade it in for years, hopefully in that time Toyota offers free 6- speeds to replace the crappy 8-speed.

Another Camry victim just reported in. Wonder how Altima victims are doing? John

Contact a lemon lawyer in your area. Lemon lawyer's take cases on commission, meaning you don't have to pay anything up front. The lemon lawyer gets paid only if you win the case. Some lemon lawyers will charge up front for expert witness fees. They shouldn't charge you for a consultation. Go over.fees with the lawyer first thing. Don't be timid. Find a lawyer in the state where you bought the car.

TO 1KNNB : Thank you for this good info. We must fight back- dealers fight off warranties. Truth is dealers don't know how to make fixes as they wait for manufacturers to come up with them - its the latter who try to avoid the fixes - that's where the Lemon has to come in. John 400

I highly recommend Atty. Adam Zolonz if you are from California. I went with him after my 5 years old Nissan's CVT gave up. My case is a little complicated because my car is part of a class action that's been settled. My case only took less than 2 months.

Who knows anybody in NY, CT area? John 400

alphard v6 owner here back with answer.....i sent my car to a workshop for tuning....and it finally solves my problem....shift like a dream.....there is a bit jerky but not as before....now im happy :)

To Wick 222 : Re alphard - was this a software fix or mechanical - sounds great. John 400

i'm not sure if it is software or mechanical fix. Probably software. But, i can tell the car shifts like a normal car.Cheers!

To Wick222 : The conclusion here is, Toyo did nothing to address the issue. A mark against Toyo concern. John 400

Anyone here filed for Lemon Law?

I have owned 12 Toyotas in last 16 years...including 3 Rav4s. Until now...zero issues. Great products. But I just purchased a 2019 Rav4 with the 8 speed transmission and AWD. The transmission is awful and dangerous. My biggest gripe is that Toyota has been experiencing this in other cars in 2018 but they continue to sell cars with this flawed transmission. Love everything else on the car. WIll try dealer first, then lemon law, then class action. I am retired and can not afford to loose a boatload of cash on this vehicle.

i do wonder if atkinson cycle really one of the factor the car went jerky? compared to usual otto cycle

Believe software issue - control.

May just be the transmission since they already had a software fix that does not work. It only when sales drop enough that hey will fix the problem. Have been looking to buy a Camry since early 2019. Will see how the 2020 make out otherwise look at Mazda.

To 90 : Careful - Complaints are out on the '20 Camry - not fixed yet. '20 Altima out but has had same problems in past- dont know if fixed now. 670

Guys, seriously? I feel this jerk when coming from an “almost stop” but if you control your feet it won’t happen p, and other thing, this is because, as this is a 8 speed, the first gear has a larger ratio of period, when you reduce the car almost stopping, the software reduces to the first gear, which is too low, it could be the 2 no problem.. you guys that have this 8 speed never realized when start the car, the first movement of the car after a large period stopped gives a lot of torque? This is because the first gear were made for it. Everybody has a opinion, but this is a feature of the car.. what that matter?

Hello we get the same problems in europe with Lexus LX570 . Car sometimes wont accelerate it just shifts to neutral for 3 seconds before shifting . Toyota and lexus are avoiding the issue .

Has anyone bought a 2020 Toyota with the 8-speed automatic? I want a Camry XSE but, of course, I wouldn't pay $100.oo for a 2018 or 2019.

To 690 : Walk slowly on the '20 Camry - need wait see how goes. '18, '19 were disasters. Nice looking car but trouble could still be lurking. - John 1070

To John: I emailed a local dealer here to ask if the 2020 had Navigation available. It does, but here's the kicker!! He also sent pictures of some real good deals on some 2019's. The 2019's were NOT new! They each had about 9,000 miles on them. That tells me something!

To 700 : Stay away :17,18 & 19,s They have the audacity to keep selling them. Dealers need lawsuits - only way take off market. The guy with the 9,000 mileage was lucky to get rid of it - wonder how much lost. Re '20s they not in clear - you need to keep searching the owner feedbacks - you do not want to get stuck in a disaster. You cannot live with the tranny problem.

Message above to 700 - SHOULD BE TO 720 John 1080

@Mark What a troll response, especially since you've never driven one. I've never driven a CVT and probably never will. They are all notorious for a huge variety of issues. I've owned several VWs, the last two of which had the Borg-Warner designed DQ-250 DSG (6- speed dual-clutch wet-plate direct-shift gearbox) and both behave(d) extremely well although a DSG is an experience somewhat different from a torque-converter type automatic. I compare them to the 2010 and 2018 Camrys my SO owned. She loved the 2010 6-speed auto. It behaved well like I expected from a torque-converter transmission. It was predictable and would downshift quickly when you needed torque and power. Compared to the two VWs and the 2010 6-speed automatic Camry, the 2018 8-speed automatic Camry is horrendous. I've driven all these cars and others in the past. None of them is like this 2018 Camry. The 2018 Camry w/8-speed auto hesitates badly on starts, hesitates between gears, upshifts skipping 2 or 3 at a time, downshifts badly, often with huge hesitation, making its behavior unpredictable with incomprehensible gear selections. I've experienced every other Camry 8-speed auto complaint posted here in my SO's car. The behavior is so bad that my SO has resorted to paddle shifting manually all the time and sport mode a significant part of the time to get predictable behavior. The car has been back to Toyota several times. Toyota always says it is behaving as designed. If its behavior is what Toyota intended, then they should fire their transmission design team and the team who reviewed its suitability for purpose. I see a class-action in Toyota's future. The used value for Toyotas with this 8-speed transmission tanked within months of the 2018 model year release. Trading out is not financially feasible for years now, so she's stuck with it for the foreseeable future.

the reduction of components from the 6speed really makes the car burst more torque at 1st gear which is suck. I drove back my 6speed toyota and hell yeah. Like butter and cream. Silky smooth. Even though software fix can fix the jerky 8speed yet i still feel the jerkiness and unnecessary torque after i applied the power after a bump. Due to that, i think Toyota f**k up the transmission this time in terms of mechanical. Cheers!

To 230 : Look, anyone who bt 17, 18, 19 needs file lawsuit. Totoyo should not be getting away with this - incl dealers who have audacity to keep selling a known faulty product. John 1170

THAT DOES IT ! I am going to email this URL to the local Toyota dealer's manager and let her read all the irate comments. You all should consider doing that too. You just search for "Toyota dealer (your city)". When you get there, there will be a "Contact Us". If you click on that, you will have 4 'Send To' options: New cars, Used cars, Service, Management. I use management. I know about "water off a duck's back", but WTH.

To 760 : Straight ahead. Need more victims join you. John 1170

Help

Have 2018 Camry transmission problems

'17s.'18s, '19s all have trouble - new 8 speed transmission came out. Too late now but you needed to hold off buying something new until complaints come in. Dealers now have audacity to keep selling them as used at cheap price. Only option is try selling back to dealer or try join network of any lawsuits against them Need record of your registering complaints and they not doing anything about it. John 1210 to 10.

Advise to all prospective 2020 Cam buyers. Stay away for now - must wait for complaints to come in - otherwise will be sorry.

John, after the holidays I'm going to test drive a 2020 Camry XSE V6. When I tried the 2018, I gave it full throttle from a stop sign. It took off okay for the first 100? feet. Then it quit. I mean it was like the tranny shifted up to 7th gear or something. So that will be one test I'm gonna do. I will also do some of the problems noted here in Guru. I will inform everyone how the 2020 did. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL . . . . except Toyota.

To.770 : Look, I say you were lucky in finding tranny trouble during test drive of the '18. Does not mean will luck out again. I know you are in the typical rage of buying car - as is typical with others. But I say, try control rage. First find out if its same 8 gear tranny or was it changed. Second and know it hurts, wait spring time for feed back on various screens : Car Complaints, etc. You are spending big bucks on XSE - I would not want you to be sorry. At this point, you need discipline - like a Marine. John 1220

John, I buy a car every year or two, but I still have my 2017 Accord Touring. I REALLY ! like it. I call it my Honda Gadget. It's got everything, even can work the windows and sunroof with the remote. Honda screwed up the Accord in 2018. It would take 10 paragraphs to describe all of it. I looked at taking a step up. I looked at the Audi A4, but to get the options, they were talking $70k +. C'est la vie. THANKS FOR SERVING. Don

I have not heard anything that the transmission problems with the camry and toyota rav 4 have been fixed for 2020. I have just bought new tires for my 20 yr old car and had some front work done since I guess I will not be buying a new car. It is amazing that anything in the mid 20,000 dollar range has a problem or is crap. Because toyota is greedy and incompetent they will now have 3 years in a row with cars with 8 speed transmission that people do not want to buy. Amazing.

Good point ELFO123445, and the Camry XSE-V6 with all the extras is $38,000.

To 770 : Don : I see you have done research in the past - thats what I want to see. How is the H gadget seat holding up? H seating has bad reputation. Read many complaints about them, leaving drivers in pain. Stay the course on '20 Cam - wait. John 1240

John, I think I've heard that about the seat too. I have no problem whatsoever. Maybe I'm not "wide" enough. LOL The seats are automatic positioning. You set the seat front/back/tilt/height and then hit the Set button. When you get into the car it goes to your setting. The wife who uses the other 'remote', has her settings. Since I'm now a widower, I use only one remote, but I use both settings. That way when I open the door, the seat goes way back for easy getting in. When I close the door it moves to my setting. (I like to drive up close to the steering wheel.) Knees are close to the dash at 6' 1" LOL

To 820 : Sounds great - I say keep the Gadget. John 1240

2019 RAV4 tranny is no better. Don https://www.carcomplaints.com/Toyota/RAV4/2019/transmission/hesitates_and_lurches_at_sl ower_speeds.shtml

To 820 : I say again : forgo '20 Cam John 1240

I emailed a local Toyota salesperson about the specs on a TRD they have. I also asked if the Camry’s transmission issues had been rectified. He answered my question regarding the specs, and completely ignored my question about the transmission.

To 10 : Exactly what I thought - tranny trouble continues on 2020 Cam. BEWARE ALL. They will still sell you the car knowing it has trouble. This blatant fraud. They need law suits by present owner. Your report very useful. John 1,270

I went for 15k service last Friday. I told them about the hesitation problem for 3-4 seconds when I accelerate coming from slow down. It took almost 4 hours because they updated the software. I still have the same problem. That's the fourth time I complained about this. I now have a case for Lemon Law. I will give another 6 months or a year for them to fix it then I decide if I'm going to file Lemon Law or not.

Check Lemon Law - believe need proof that 3 attempts were made to correct problem that still exists. Why giving another 6 months? Time delay is a disadvantage - waiting too long. Keep work sheets given you. John 1360

Check Lemon Law - believe need proof that 3 attempts were made to correct problem that still exists. Why giving another 6 months? Time delay is a disadvantage - waiting too long. Keep work sheets given you. John 1360 Is this a 2019 or 2020?

I went to Car&Driver to look at reviews of the 2020 Camry. There was a loooooong detailed article, but it never once said anything about any transmission problem(s). If I test-drove the XSE-6cy and it passed all the tests that you all listed above, AND I could get the Manager to sign my paper saying I get a full refund if the transmission balked, . . . . . then I probably still would not buy it! DON

An update on the horrendous Toyota 8-speed direct-shift transmission. I found out from Toyota that part of the behavior is attributable to the transmission shifting to neutral between gears. This is the source of the lag and sudden jerks when engine RPM climbs while in neutral. Add to that apparent confusion in the transmission control module as to what to do next. If the need to traverse neutral between gears is mechanical, then no control module fix will ever fix the fundamental design problem with this transmission.

To 840 Cannot believe Mgr will sign money back warranty. I say he will not accept fact that tranny is faulty - answer they give is : this is normal operation. Only way will make your case is : complete inoperable failure. Is gamble on your part Sounds like you really want buy it. Try suppress "buy urge" till spring after more feedback. Look how sorry the buyers are. 1370

Pls note : Above message to: 840 from 1370, is meant to be message for : 860. from 1370

Took my 2019 Rav4 in for 2nd service. Complained about the 8 speed issues all are having. I actually felt sorry for the service writer as I could tell they had been given a script of what they could and could not say. Techs said they could not duplicate problem. I think we are stuck but I vote with my pocket book, this will be my last Toyota. (I have purchased ten Toyotas in last 16 years...all have been excellent until now.)

To 10 : Believe should vote with the Lemon Law Document 3 visits with failed repairs and join Group action suing : ‘17, ‘18 , ‘19 , ‘ 20. 8 speed trannies. Is big win. John 1390.

I bet Margaret could fix that indecisive transmission. . . . . Don

To. 870 : THATS IT _ YOU FOUND SOLUTION. NOW DONT NEED LEMON LAW. John 1420i

So what's it specifically going to take for Toyota to issue a fix? 1. Class action suits? 2. Government interventions? 3. Prison time for Toyota executives, who knowingly ignore serious problems? Sell all their assets and force them and their families onto the streets, until such time that the problems are rectified? Absolutely. I'm all for governing bodies intervening and forcing a fix within a short deadline, or force the manufacturer to stop all sales of product within a geographic area. Toyota (and others) need to be hit extremely hard - force them. They literally don't care, thus we as the customer and governing bodies should not care either and force these scum bag executives into taking action.

March ahead to Lemon law office. John 1420.

I made my second last trip to the Toyota dealer. My salesman said the 2020 has the same drivetrain as the 2019 and he did not deny the problem which I told him about. He proceeded with some mumble-jumble about the intelligent trannys nowadays have to learn the driver's style of driving, and etc etc etc. I will go there one last time with a paper showing the addy of this site and a RAV-4 Review site which has even more complaints. The paper will tell them to look up the sites. I'll run about 5 copies and without talking I will just drop them off at random desks. C'est la vie. . . . . . DON

Cannot understand why cannot solve problem since 2017. Altima has similar problems - they heavily advertise but do not see any on the road - buyers in the know. John 1430

I had a 2018 Camry LE. Nice car, the transmission did slip a bit at times, but not always. It wasn't a major issue for me, I just adjusted to it, because the car had a lot of nice qualities, and I mean, it's only a car. I put 50,000 miles on it quickly, more than I expected, so I decided to trade it in for a 2020 Camry LE. I could tell right away with the 2020 that they had corrected the issues I had with the 2018. I haven't had any transmission issues with this one, no issues of any kind. Nice car. Just an FYI.

To Vamjf : Wow this some revelation for 2020. See 940, indicates trouble still there. However you must have very current production. with fix? Lets hope so - stay tuned. John 1500

I've had the 2020 Camry LE for a month and a half so it's pretty recent. And, I don't think it was on the lot long. Already have 3,000 miles on it. Solid and smooth. I could tell in my test drive that this car didn't have the issues my 2018 had. I liked the 2018 a lot, but the 2020 is a nicer car. Not just tweaks to the transmission they may have applied, but there are a number of other items that they have corrected with the 2020 that needed adjusting. So, I just suggest if anyone is interested in a 2020 that they just give it a test drive and decide.

Vamjf : Did you have 2018 and traded for 2020? How much was money loss for trade? John 1500

Well, ouch of course, it's never ideal. But, they pretty much gave me what the Kelley Blue Book value was for trade-in of the 2018. I had higher than average miles, so I got the low end value, but pretty much in line with blue book. And, on the purchase of the 2020, Toyota was kicking in good cash at the time, so it all worked out in the end.

Vamjf: I'm not trying to be a smart-azz, it's just my cautious nature. Are you an employee of Toyota, or working for them, or in any other way connected to said Company? Thank you for your time. . . . . . Don

Odd question, but no connection to Toyota except owning one of their cars. Since I had both the 2018 and 2020 I thought my input might be helpful. Later.

Thank you for the verification, Vamjf. I will go look at the 2020's now. Six days ago, I came very close to getting a Challenger RT. Glad I didn't. I will certainly put the XSE-V6 through its paces <--- I mean I have printed out the things talked about in these postings. . DANKE ! . . . . DON

To Don 960 : Vamjf1 was correct in checking your message integrity. Knowing car salesmen, in general, someone of them would easily post your statement. As you may know, Amazon is said to pay for "good" product reviews as far as from China. John 1520

John 1520: 100% true. Let me state this, John 1520... How can you tell if a car salesman is lying???? . . Ans: His lips are moving!..... DON. heh heh

*smh* so glad I had heard about this problem when I went to get rid of the 2016 Malibu lemon I had. I wanted a Camry in the first place, but got suckered into the Malibu because it was cheaper and got a better warranty for the same money. Six months later the car had problems and I was getting the run-around, GM refused to admit there was a problem. But I digress. The Toyota dealer was trying so hard to get me in a remaindent 2018 - IN SEPT 2019 WITH NEW 2020s ARRIVING -- that should speak VOLUMES. However, I had done my research and insisted on a 2.5L / 6-speed A/T model. Got a nice 2015 LE with 57k miles. Wasn't the color I would've liked, but at least I wasn't jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. Now my old man is talking about trading up to a new Camry for the 0% interest everyone is offering. I warned him about this problem, I hope he listens.

Do you guys still have a problem with the jerkiness of the transmission? Has it caused any problems or did you learn to deal with it? My 2015 Scion tC has the same jerking on downshifts, mostly when just cruising it. Happens maybe 30% of the time but it does jerk and makes me wonder if the transmission will fail from these motions. I made a complaint with Toyota corporate and the

Warren, What did Toyota say about your complaint? I get this hesitation and jerkiness problem a lot. I got 30k miles now, I'm thinking of going Lemon Law.

Compared to the Camry 2003 transmission, the 8 speed is not as smooth. When I take my foot off the gas, it immediately drags/starts slowing whereas my 2003 coasts forever like a dream ride.

So I keep hearing from Scotty Kilmer and other mechanic videographers that Toyota has fixed the problems with their 8-speed in the last couple months. I also kept hearing from consumers that the problem was unique to 2018 and 2019 model year vehicles (so ones built the respect years prior, 2017 and 2018) and the 2020 Toyotas didn't have the issue. I also heard that the issue is non-existent in the V6 but I can't get any verification and I haven't driven one myself. There doesn't seem to be any official announcement of an update and it doesn't look like Toyota acknowledged that the jerky 8-speeds was an issue. Can anyone confirm this? Do the 2020 Camrys still have jerky transmissions or has Toyota fixed it?

I bought my 2019 Toyota Camry in Jan. of 2019. (I know, a bad time to buy a new car, but back problems kept me from checking out and test driving more cars.) My car has just under 5,000 miles on it almost 2 years later. Anyway, I was making a left turn (from a stop sign) out of my neighborhood and the car hesitated then, all of a sudden it rev'd up, and shot forward. I'm sure the neighbors thought I was hot rodding. This happened again on a separate day when I was waiting to turn left at a traffic light. There was a pickup truck coming from the opposite direction, but he was far enough away, so I gave it some gas to start my turn. My car hesitated and I thought the pickup was going to hit me, but then my car rev'd up and lunged forward as previously. I thought that maybe it had something to do with making left turns, but one day I was driving about 40 mph on a 45 mph road and I gave it gas to increase my speed to 45 ----- the same thing happened ---- hesitation, rev'd up, and lunged forward. It still does it, but I'm trying to be very careful driving it because I don't know if I'm going to be the next traffic fatality, or worse, cause someone else to be killed or maimed. I also mentioned it to the service rep when I took my car in for regular maintenance and asked if they could check it. He told me they had checked it and it was okay. I looked at the service report (very difficult to read their service reports) and I couldn't find where they had checked the problem. I started looking for info via the Internet on this problem and found other sites that had people complaining about it. So, the next regular maintenance I took my car in for, I mentioned it to the service rep and told him about all the complaints I'd read concerning this problem of hesitation, etc. I said it seems that it must be normal for this car and that's why the mechanic said it was okay. He agreed that it's normal for this car. I think, next time, I'm going to have them put it in writing that it's normal for this car, or else FIX IT!

Since posting info about this hesitation, etc. problem with my 2019 Toyota Camry (it's a 4 cyl. XLE), I found a Federal Government website that allows you to submit a complaint that they will check out. It helps if you have documentation, which I don't (the mechanic didn't even write it down that he checked the problem unless, the service rep just told me he had them check it and it was okay). The website is: https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/ I'm going to register my complaint tomorrow and include (if allowed) the CARGURUS website which shows that there are way too many people complaining about this. For those who have actual documentation, please submit it. Although the NHTSA says they review the complaints and if it's something they will pursue, it might take a while to get a recall.

Same issue with 2019 ES350. Lexus and the dealer denying the issue and call it a feature of 8 speed transmition.

Can anyone who went thru Lemon law for this issue with Toyota or Lexus share their experiences? I have just started the proceeding after many months of trying to convince Lexus that this issue needs to be addressed.

Hello, Can anyone who successfully went thru Lemon law dispute for 8 speed transmission issue, can you please respond?

Everybody has to remember that a Lexus is nothing but an oversize Toyota. The V6 in the Toyota is the same as in the Lexus. Many other parts are common. Jst sayin’.

Since posting the hesitation problem with my 2019 Toyota Camry, they had a recall to replace the fuel pump which was supposed to take care of a different problem. However, it has improved my car's hesitation problem by about 80%. It still has a little hesitation at times, but nothing that is a major problem right now. As some others have suggested, there might be a transmission control setup that needs to be done which might make it near perfect.

I got very very lucky.On September 25th 2017,I went to the Toyota stealership in Dublin,Ga. I found a 2017 Camry LE with leather seats.Gold exterior,a beautiful Camry.Loved the looks.It was a CPO Camry with 8,133 miles.I test drove it for several miles and it drove great.So I went ahead and bought it.Almost a year later,I bought a 2018 Tacoma SR5 V6 from the same stealership.Again,I got lucky as I have had no problems with either car or truck.No tranny problems or any other problems.When I bought the Camry,there were some 2018 Camry's on the lot and I loved the looks of them.But for some strange feeling,I just did not want to chance it buying one over the 2017 Camry.Now,I'm so glad I decided to stick with my 2017 Camry.As they say,hindsight is 2020 and Toyota should have remembered that "IF IT AIN'T BROKE,DON'T FIX IT".They should've stuck with the 6 speed tranny in all Camry's.Mine shifts exactly like it should.I also heard that some owner's have had transmission troubles with some of the 2017-19 Tacoma's.Also,I don't like the dash layout of the 2018 and up Camry's.That's another reason why I shied away from it.When it comes to buying the newer Camry's,remember "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

Toyota doesn't know when to leave well enough alone.They should have to pay at least $20 billion in fines for their downright negligence.I feel if Toyota keeps going,they'll turn their vehicles into 18 wheeler tractors with like 18 to 20 gears in them.Guys,you can't fix stupid.It's impossible.There are no smart pills for it.You can take medicines for crazy,but you can't fix STUPID.And that's what Toyota is.PURE DAMNED STUPID!!! And a total rip off to consumers that deserve better.Toyota just doesn't appreciate good customers,that's the bottom line.If they did,they wouldn't be lying to them about what's going on with the tranny's.They'd take responsibility and fix the problems to keep the customers happy.It's that simple.It's also obvious that they don't care about damaging their reputation.NEGLIGENCE IS THE NAME OF THEIR GAME!!! I'll probably never buy another Toyota again after all the problems others are having with the tranny's.I pure hate negligence.But like I said,I lucked out with the 2 I bought in 2017 and '18.These two will last me the rest of my life.