TOYOTA Camry 2018 SE acceleration delay

Tell your Toyota dealer about this issue. You have warranty.

I noticed the same issue with my 2018 Camry SE. There is a lag before take off and engine is very noisy. I took mine in to the dealer a week into my purchase. It was inspected and I was told everything is working like it should. Really hope Toyota gets enough complains to fix. I'm back to driving my older car, my hubby driving the Camry. I'm too annoyed with it.

Got a new 2018 Camry LE couple of days ago. This is my 4th Camry and never had this hesitation before this 2018 model. It is annoying and can be dangerous. Starting from a rolling stop the hesitation is very obvious. I wish I test drive it before signing. I always trusted Camry but his one is a failure. Toyota need to fix it.

Same here, I bought a Brand New 2018 Toyota Camry LE from Springfield PRIORITY TOYOTA and I have a huge complaint about the performance of the New 2018 Camry. I'hv to put a lot of pressure to speed up and it's beat noise which I didn't like it at all. I took it to the dealership and they said it's running the way it should be but which is not true. This is not my first Camry. Overall I'm not happy at all. I wouldn't recommend anyone for 2018 Camry.

Hey guys ,have the same situation with me , i bouth couple mounth ago camry 2018 xse with 2,5 i4 , and have a lot of problems with it , 1st probelm is a fucking tourqe ,its very slow , i did race with regular honda civic with cvt and i couldnt pass him , 2nd engine very noice , its make a lot of noice but its not going that fast , i am like wtf ? and also the fucking transmission , its 8 speed , but works so stupid , even on sport mode its very slow .. well i just wanna say i am not happy anymore with this stupid car , its a sport only from outside thats it

I have the same poor acceleration issues on my 2018 Camry SE. It can be potentially dangerous when you're on a highway and need to accelerate. You can't predict how the car will accelerate - either it doesn't accelerate or it accelerate too fast because you stepped on the gas too hard. Reported these to the dealer and Toyota. They said it's operating as designed. I am filling a lemon case if this is not addressed.

I also have that issue with my 2018 SE. My wife’s 2015 LE has way more acceleration or get up and go. Like the look but very unhappy with the driving experience.

Well I just bought mine a week ago and was very surprised that my 2013 Camry hybrid has more power and my new one that has only a hundred 129 miles. I love the design but not happy with the performance

Same with me here. Bought Camry couple weeks ago and I'm not happy about it. Delay acceleration, engine is noisy, hear wind sound, and noise in the rear end like thud sound when I stop. It's super annoying because it's brand new!

My wife and I bought a 2018 Camry LE and we are having the same problem. Shifting into Drive while stopped and then in to the manual shift, it says you are in 4th gear. This is our first Toyota and not really impressed!!! Should have bought another Nissan!!!

I purchased brand new 2018 Camry XSE very disappointing acceleration. It hesitates on takeoff. Really dangerous. Was not expecting this from a new car. I always drove V6, very powerful cars. 2018 Camry XSE, sure it looks nice from the outside but performance is horrible. I'm taking it to the dealership. I just hope it's not part of the engine recall! Really disappointed!!! Wish I stuck to GM car V6!

mine is 2015 camry Le. the same thing, apparently that's how 4 cylinders acts. my Camry 1998 V6 has a better response to acceleration. In response to GuruTTP8J, it stated in the service/owner manual is that when switching to manual shift, the gear shall be the 4th. this incase you switch it by accident at a high speed, so you don't damage the gear/motor/tranny. Can't wait to sell this car.

Were having the same problem here with out 2018 camry se. not to mention a few days ago it almost got us killed engaging the collision detection and there was no one even in front of us. Not good when going 65mph in Atlanta on I-85.

I just bought my second Camry and was frustrated with the lag/hesitation during takeoff. During trial and error I figured out its all based on foot placement on the gas petal. If I put my foot to the top of the gas petal the I don’t have any issues. If I put my foot on the floor and press the gas petal I have lag/hesitation. I was thinking I had transmission issues and was disappointed. I hope this info helps someone!

Foot placement doeant have nothing to do with thia pos car.

With my 2018 XSE, I did test drive this car and it did not have this issue with acceleration but the brand new one does. I did email Toyota, I did take it to Toyota to test drive it. They said the car has to get used to the way I drive it. What kind of nonsense answer it that?

It's a Toyota, and they have always been like this!!!

Got mine about a month ago and I have to say that I'm very disappointed with the acceleration as well. Prior to this my wife at a 2001 Ford Focus they had a lot more pep than this. It's a shame to say that a car with these good looks come perform so poorly I mean it performs more like a Grandma's car talk about Turtle take off...

It's a wanna be sports car that feels like it's driving in standard mode or almost as though the emergency brake is always on. Hesitation is really embarrassing. Service manager at the dealership will be taking it for a test drive next week. We'll see if he feels what I'm feeling while driving. He's going to compare it to another exact model. Really wish I could trade it back.

Anyone think we should look into a class action lawsuit against toyota? So they have to fix the issue? Have same problem..4th Camry. Trying to get a diff car..dealer will hopefully work with me..onky had it 2 weeks.

It would be a good idea Shannon. I'm in Canada, where are you located? I'm just waiting for recall for my 2018 Camry XSE! Tomorrow I will have it checked out by server manager at the dealership but he will only tell me that the car is supposed to drive that way. Some people say it's the way they're building the new transmissions now. I would love to get something different. I will put up a fight with the dealership to try and get something different. I've had my car almost one month.

I'm in Alabama mark - but I bought mine in Georgia. They shouldn't be able to get away with selling such crappy vehicles.

https://www.facebook.com/2018-Camry-disgruntled-consumers-2080150885577695/ Starting a FB for people disgusted with Toyota in order to get a class action lawsuit started.

Class action lawsuit but would that help those of us who are in Canada? By the way, has nothing to do with where your foot is on the gas pedal, that sounds ridiculous. It has everything to do with the way they built the transmission. And Toyota in US has blocked my emails because they are bouncing back.

Something needs to be done..i found an article about some other vehickes..sounds jist like toyota. http://www.lemonlaw.com/wordpress/zf-9- speed-transmission-problems-continue- plague-jeep-fiat-land-rover-honda-acura- drivers/

I can't find the Facebook page

Omg!! I have the same problem with my 2018 Se Camry as well. Few weeks ago I took the car to the dealer and the service manager drove test the car and told me this is the way they made and this’s how supposed to be. We need to do something about it

My daughter was complaining about the acceleration on her new 2018 Camry SE (even with ECO mode turned off) so I just took it for a 25 mile city and freeway drive here in Los Angeles and I didn't experience any acceleration issues. It felt perfectly fine to me. ECO mode was turned off during my drive. The car has 232 miles on it. Gas mileage is pretty lousy. Just filled up for the first time and it only got 19.4 mpg (mostly city miles).

Omega did you take it on the highway..tey to pass anyone? Press the accelerator down and see the lag? My service person even hated my car..said if enough people complained they may do something. If you're within 3 days take it back..get something elae..

Does anyone have the contact info for the president/CEO of Toyota?

Ok people, we're all complaining to each other here about the problem but is anyone complaining to Toyota? That's where you should be going otherwise nothing will be done. Take your complaints to Toyota and maybe something will be done.

I bought my SE in February and used only for regular 35 mile/day commute. Had not done any long trips until this past Friday. OMG, what a slow ass response. There were 4 people in the car. I merged lanes and stepped on a gas pedal and no response for almost a second. The car behind almost rear ended me. I felt so embarrassed in front of my friends. How can we file a complaint so that it would grow into a lawsuit or something. This is not only ridiculous but dangerous. There is gotta be a fix! My 2010 SE was way better. I regret replacing that beast with this piece of crap.

So everyone where have you gotten to with your complaints? Do you all still have your cars or did you get rid of them?

I can understand some of these concerns especially about the transmission being sluggish. But most of these complaints are from lack of knowledge about the cars settings and features. If you don't like pre collision turn down the sensitivity or turn it off. If the transmission is really bothering you that much ( yeah its stuck in granny mode) then go to a 3rd party and have them reprogram the shift points to your liking. Some of you took the "sport" name too literally. This is NOT a sports sedan. At all. It just looks like one. That's it. It's still your mom and pop car under the shell. Toyota isn't going to make any more drastic changes to the powertrain and tranny until the next generation. Either mod it, stick to sport mode or trade it for a Honda.

To HawkerHK: Have you driven this car, do you own one? Everyone here should know that the features can be disabled. It has nothing to do with the features. It all has to do with the hesitation of the transmission. If you drove this car, you would know what I'm talking about. Definite hesitation on pickup. Toyota needs to address the transmission. I have the XSE model and yes they all have the same problem. The car looks good and if not for the hesitation, it would have good pickup. Coming from a last model of the Grand Prix and all my other V6 cars, I know what good pickup should feel like. Honda is no better for pickup. All the foreign cars are no better!

Yes I have driven the car and yes I own one. You would be surprised how many people don't know how to disable or modify the settings on their car. Most people don't even know how to back up their phones and update the software. It didn't take long for me to notice the purposeful design of the transmission shift points. A few drives in Eco, Normal and Sport are pretty eye opening. Switch to the Eco status bar and it becomes crystal clear why it behaves the way it does. The entire purpose is to keep you in the Eco good graces in Eco and Normal mode. The throttle response is tailored to keep you in the range unless you force a hard acceleration override. I started laughing once I figured it out because it's so......overdone and heavy handed. Normal mode is just slightly less overbearing then Eco but it's all in the name of MPG. Throttle response in Sport mode is touchy and instant. If anyone is having clunking sounds, hard shifts etc then a re-flash/reprogram is probably necessary. But it still needs to relearn shift patterns...ie more odd shifts./jerkyness. Most folks have unrealistic expectations about this vehicle and it's purpose. It's not a sports sedan. It just looks like one. It's purpose is to save gas and get the most MPG. Speed and responsiveness is a distant 3rd. If you want a sport sedan feel keep it in sport or the best option is to have the transmission points customized to your liking. I'm sure a shop is out there now having fun with this engine and the 8 speed transmission. The "hesitation' is literally by design to keep the engine revs low enough to remain in the eco range.

I contacted an attorney about a class action lawsuit. Waiting to hear back from the preliminary investigation. Toyota isn't going to do anything - unless someone pushes them. Hopefully this will be the push they need.

Are you a mechanic? Are you in US or elsewhere? I'm in Canada but makes no difference on the car, it's still the same car. I tried the different modes, they all feel the same. The car seems to want to stay in ECO which I can't stand. It's very jerky and the car makes all these creaking sounds. I never expected that from a new car. I'm trying to make a deal with the dealership to trade it in for different car. What do you think of the XSE V6 model? I did test drive it and found a bit of hesitation but then it picked up rather smoothly.

I'm in the U.S makes all kinds of creaking sounds? Are you talking about the engine or the car itself ( build quality) The XSE V6 is too pricy for my taste although I did enjoy test driving it quite a bit. Both will hesitate some due to the heavy handed Eco band, the V6 tends to overcome this easier but that's because it will be out of the band more often. If you can get a great deal on the V6 I'd go for it but at current cost I'd have to pass. At current sticker that's true sport sedan prices and I can get more zoom for my buck elsewhere.

I hear creaking sounds under the car when backing up. New car shouldn't be making all these sounds. The XSE V6 had some hesitation too but picked up much more smoothly than XSE. Currently the dealership is offering to take back my car to sell me the V6 model but they want the difference paid. I was also looking at Buick Lacrosse but all my cars have been GM cars and they have their problems that can't be explained but I like the power of those cars. I don't think I'll like the feature that turns the engine off in the Buick at a stop light. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. I'm also worried how the XSE will handle in the snow.

I reported the lag/hesitation on acceleration on my Camry 2015 to Toyota Headquarters and their answer was "it's working as it was designed", therefore, my next car will not be a Toyota! At this time I own four Toyotas and I do not recommend a Toyota brand anymore.

ToyotaNation has multiple threads and a long running one about the transmission problems and lag in the ICE variants due to the AT. Glad I have the eCVT in the Hybrid SE. Toyota got it right with the Hybrid. Quick and instant torque thanks to the elctric motor and battery, and 45 - 55 mpg depdning on how I drive and if I'm hypermiling. V6 Camry is a waste of money when the Accord with its turbocharged engine is even faster lol

I recently traded in my Camry XSE 4 cylinder 2.5 for the XSE V6, much better performance, much better pickup. Not at all like the XSE 2.5. I hated that car. Dealership took it back. I've driven the Honda Sport, NO power. The XSE V6 is fun to drive too. Toyota needs to have a serious look at the 2.5 and make a change.

Guys I use to have a 2015 Rav4 Limited and my blood pressure problems start with that car. Garbage, tiny engine and the ffff problem of that turbo delay. I think that is how they call it. A month later after buying that car I was furious, thanks God it was a lease. NOW I bought a 2018 Highlander LE plus V6 3.5L. a bigger engine this time, I said my self Man stress over. WTF a few days after I was at the hospital (high blood pressure) I can't believe this. The olders garbage cars go out faster than me in a light. Well I think this call turbo delay boost and is created to save gas but in a busy city you are death. I am wondering if there is any OBD device that can be reprogrammed the ECU and delete this program. Well I am very happy when I see the car in the garage. By the mean time my wife took this car. I don't want to damage it. Now that I don't drive it my blood pressure is better. Let me tells you guys I am a Toyota fan. This is my number 5. 1- 2010 Venza v6 same problem about acceleration. 2- Rav4 Limited 4cil. Same problem 3- 2016 camry se, same problem 4- 2018 Camry se worse good looking but garbage 5- 2018 Highlander LE plus same problems guys. Wahooo it took me 5 different models to realize that from 2015 and on they must improve this beautiful feature in their ECU. I am planning to change to Honda and try other brand if I don't find any solution about reconfiguring the ECU. Thanks to all. This is been my experience with all my cars. Anyway they are great cars when you are going on vacations with no rush. Sorry I don't have any picture of my 2018 red camry se.

I buy last Camry 2018 se upgrade, but I have a issue during driving when I press the break and when I release it and press accelerator It takes jump. But no body address it. It’s really annoying for me. Don’t buy Camry 2018se update

shannon, i agree with you on a class action lawsuit. I do not have the driving issues but the gps is horrible. Im done with Toyota and I believe Honda will overtake them in sales after this fiasco

I bought my 18 Camry on Labor Day weekend currently 1600 miles. I too have experienced the same issue but I tried what the person said above about lifting your foot off the floor while pressing the gas (essentially applying more pressure to the upper pedal) and it worked as crazy as it may sound.

As I mentioned earlier, I traded in the 2.5 engine for 6 cylinder but have noticed that when taking off from stop, at times the transmission will kick hard into gear. They really need to get rid of the 8 speed transmission.

All I can say to the owners of the 2018 Camry with all of its transmission shifting, hesitation and delay, and abrupt shifting is.... I feel your pain. My last Camry lasted 15 years; the thought of keeping this one that long is not a good thought at all. I never expected this kind of poor performance from a Toyota product. Very, very disappointed.

Thank you Shannonga32 for pushing this class action lawsuit against Toyota for their 2018 Camry transmission issues! I have tried to address this issue with Toyota corporate as well as my local Toyota dealership and was told "this is just how our CVT works..." We need consumers to push Toyota to correct the programming for their CVTs or else this issue will be swept under the rug. I will continue to file complaint issues to Toyota corporate so they can track this type of issue. I also have issues with my car clock - does anyone else notice that their clock tends to always run faster? Ex: I'll set my clock to match my phone, but a few months later, my car clock would be a few minutes earlier...

On Aug 13, 2018, I purchased 2018 Toyota Camry LE, 8 miles on it. I am so UNHAPPY with this buy. It has acceleration issue, it does not pick up the speed. Engine is too noisy. Two times rear seat belt alarm went off when no one was sitting there. I was told by Toyota dealer to wait till it has 1000 miles on it because during engine break-in period it does not pick up the speed. Now I have 1,046 miles on the car and it still has the same acceleration issue and does not pick up the speed when it takes off from stop. Since year 2002, I had been driving Toyota Camry LE 1999 until it got totaled in a road accident in July 2018. That old 1999 Toyota Camry LE was way better than the new 2018 Toyota Camry LE. Based on my excellent experience with 1999 Toyota Camry LE, I purchased 2018 Toyota Camry LE but this new car is just a piece of trash. At this point I am not sure what my options are. Can I return the car to the dealer??

I have the same issue. Boutght mine about two months ago. The hesitation with the gas pedal is dangerous. I bought the XSE and have almost been in a couple accidents because it wouldn’t go. This is my third Camry. My mother and aunt also have one and none of them had this issue. Get it together Toyota. Hopefully we can all get the issue resolved.

I am having the same issue on my 2019 Avalon Limited.

I switch my 2011Venza(I love it they need it again) and I feel the same issue with the acceleration. I read the manual and switch the ECO to NORMAL and the issue is resolved. This type of transmission (8shifts) works little different than normals transmission.

Guys, I am a valet Manager and I have been driving all kind of cars every day. I still do it now. Let me tell you something. Almost all new cars are having this "improvement" let's call it like that and believe me, there are other makes with more delay than Yoyota. For example Infinity SUVs. Insane. They call that turbo delay and is for saving gas. Try to drive your car on Sonday with no traffic and no rush to work and you will see how good it runs but if you live in a busy city those cars wont work. Cars I feel that problem. Toyota, Infinity, Nissan,Honda, Lexus, Range Rover, Chrysler... Cars I don't feel it are: BMW, Ford, Volvo, Mercedes... As I know this turbo delay were implemented by Rolls Royce and Limousines to avoid drink drippings and rough acceleration. This also save gas, that's also has to be with the 8 gear transmission. If you think your Toyota is the worst you should try a Chrysler 200 with 9 gears. I have a camry 2017 and a Highlander 2018 both garbage untill you drive them in a day you are not hurry. I switch from 2015 Rav4 to the Highlander expecting a bigger engine will be better. I was wrong!!!!!

Coming from an 05 Camry LE 4cyl that I have driven from brand new for 13 years my new 2018 XSE 4cyl it definitely does not have the same get up and go. I noticed it right off the bat. I have found tho that turning off ECO mode helped some and last week I turned on Sport mode and it seemed even better. But you should not have to do all that just to pull of at a decent speed from a stop light. I also found that placing my foot at the top of the gas pedal helps tremendously but when you've drove a car for 13 years and your foot is resting on the floor/bottom of gas pedal it's very hard to get used to elevating your foot. I'm going to join some of the groups to see if anything comes of this. I thought it was just me...

I have an 2018 V6 XSE. Change the stock air filter with a K&N one and add a GTE Stage 1 performance chip. Keep it in sports mode. You will never have a delay or power issue. Yes, its a pain to hit Sports mode every time I start the car but it is worth it. Leave in eco mod and get 36MPH on the highway. No Lie!!!

Same problem here on a 2018 XSE. 1st Toyota & my last. The lag is dangerous & also embarrassing as it makes it sound like I cant drive. I've had the car a month & right now I am furious with it. I am very tempted to take it back to the dealership tomorrow & selling it. As for the Entune 3.0... Don't get me started on that.

So I had the car for three months. I traded it for a 2019 Camry XSE and it doesn’t have that issue. I did take it to the dealer. I found there was a reset they could do to the transmission computer reset. I asked the dealer to do it and they said it was fine it didn’t need it. I was three for three hours. He said my vin number wasn’t one that needed to be done.

There is nothing wrong with this behavior. Watch your tachometer when you are pressing the gas and experiencing hesitation. The revs are increasing and then you feel acceleration. The car with 2.5 lt engine will not give you instant torque from 1000 rpm. One way to make it more responsive is to manually put in a lower gear (S4 for example) and the floor. The car will be more responsive. Or buy V6. Your car is cruising at low rpms to save on gas.

Same problem on my 2018 XSE. The acceleration is ok once it actually gets going but the 2 second delay is terrible. Also about the maps, I wish Toyota would just give up on its navigation. It makes so many stupid decisions. Nothing comes close to Google Maps. Why wouldn't they want you to have that?

I've found that there is a delayed throttle response, loud droning noise during high acceleration, and a somewhat clunky feeling when the hybrid models kick on and off when parked, the majority of manufacturers are switching to the (I think this is the right acronym) CVT or continuously variable transmission which all preform the same, it's a poor design that needs service usually every 30k MI. Don't let any dingus car salesman tell you it doesn't need regular service. Other than that if it's properly maintained it will perform safely and reliably, as far as Toyota goes. These trans are the reason Ford is going through a lawsuit right now.

My 2018 XLE with V6 and 7200 mi. has similar acceleration issues. After several dealer visits and discussions with Toyota, dealer downloaded a printout from the car entitled "Vehicle Control History Report" which indicates "Accelerator signal and brake signal input simultaneously" occurred numerous times. Whether this is my doing something inadvertently or sensor malfunction remains to be seen. Might this explain pressure on top vs. bottom of accelerator pedal observation? I never use my left foot on brake in normal driving and I am unable to reproduce the accelerator delay when purposely depressing both pedals simultaneously. Hope this helps somebody.

I had similar hesitation and acceleration issues when I first bought my 2018 SE. The dealer told me to follow the manual guidelines for the first 600 to 1k miles, and watch my rpms. I was guilty of pushing the car way too hard too soon. The car seems to have adjusted and is now driving great. I'm hearing this same stuff about a lot of new car brands.

It's the electrical throttle response. Toyota did this to counter all the runaway acceleration problems years ago. My short wife says I'm nuts but it drives me crazy. Toyota dealership csaid it's normal and on the driver. Her car so whatever. My Pentastar runs great.

Just purchased a 2019 LE about 2 months ago. I've had this same problem since I had the car. It hesitates/lags when I press on the accelerator. The engine is loud and revs up. The other day I was going to get on the interstate and had to gun it on the entrance ramp and my new car sound like a hot rod. It seems to be the worst when I first drive it for the day. I back out of my driveway and put my foot on the gas and it's loud. I get to the stop sign and push on the gas pedal and nothing for about 1 to 2 secs and then it jerks and takes off. I took my car to the dealership this morning and they acted like they were unfamiliar with the problem but after looking here I would say they shouldn't be. As far as Eco mode.. my car does not have that option. Adjusting the transmission shifting points ? Doesn't sound like a good idea to me on a new car. Sounds like a good way to invalidate the cars warranty. They had someone ride with me while i drove which did absolutely no good. He said the revving engine was normal. I told him he needs to drive it to feel the performance but he said they prefer the customer drive it ??? Anyway, I insisted they keep the car overnight and drive it in the morning. I have a strong feeling they are going to tell me there is nothing wrong when there is obviously something wrong. I previously had a 2002 LE and it was much quieter and more powerful and smooth. I thought I was getting an improvement but at this point I most definitely did not. The problem is still going on in the 2019's unfortunately i'm a victim.

There are two factors at work here: 1) The programming of the Drive-By-Wire throttle system. 2) The programming of the TCU (Transmission Control Unit). In order to boast class leading Fuel Economy numbers (28 City / 39 Highway) there had to be sacrifices in performance. The default mode of operation is for the throttle to open as little as possible and the transmission to shift to the highest gear as soon as possible, even if the engine bogs down. The only way to override this sluggishness is to over press the accelerator which results in non-linear throttle response. A reprogramming of the software would alleviate most of this, but Toyota is more concerned with fuel efficiency than performance so I don't see them doing anything about it.

Plain and simple... this is a POS car. I've worked for Toyota for a few years and still can't understand the devotion. They've always felt cheap, hollow, and plasticky... even in top-of-the-line models. I'm still in awe of the fact that a 33000 crapbox doesn't have remote start, Sirius radio, and can't get out of its' own way. And whatever you do... get road hazard tire and wheel coverage. Those tin can rims are wrapped in Bridgestone Tissue Paper All-Seasons. Never in all my years of driving have I ever had a tire sidewall cut from a pot hole... only 2 weeks in on this pile. I can only hope I can park it in a bad neighborhood or under a really old tree during a storm and fix this terrible mistake. They should change the motto from "Let's go places" to "You've finally given up."

The answer to this issue by a local Toyota service was,Remember this cars have a CVT Trans.For them is Normal for this to Happen? I drove a 2018 Camry for over 2 months while my truck was in their shop having a frame replacement .The 2016 Camry it its a better car.I guess Toyota made a mistake with the newer model.Upssss.

Follow up on a post I made a week ago (2019 Camry with the lag/hesitation). I took my car in and the service tech rode while I drove and said what he was observing was just the normal characteristics of the car and was explaining how the transmission shifts differently in the new version of the camry's. I kept the car with them overnight so they could drive it for themselves in the morning. The next morning they called and said that it was just something I was going to need to get used to. They put it on their computer and there was nothing showing a problem. I went to get the car and spoke with the guy and he said, yes he observed what I was talking about and that they have had a lot of complaints for the same thing. He said one person brought his car in 5 times and they never found a problem. He said he knows it's frustrating. That was all said off the record. On the invoice it simply said - no problems found. It did seem to drive differently after my visit. The transmission is shifting smoother now and the hesitation lag does not happen every time. I suspect they did something even though they said no problems found. Still, for a new car it's not acceptable. I contacted Toyota and reported it. They assigned someone to the case. They are basically saying that since I had an earlier model toytota that i'm used to the way the older models shifted and it was changed for the 2018's. She seemed very familiar with the problem and I do think they are getting a lot of people that are unhappy with this. She was telling me all about what has changed with the transmission and it sure seemed like she had been done the same road many times as she explained. This is not just a case of getting used to the new car shifting differently. The problem is that i put my foot on the gas and the car acts like it went dead.. sits there a second or two and then jerks as it goes into gear. It's very annoying. They can't all be that way or nobody would buy one. She also told me that in the 2018's there is a change they can make. A programming change that makes the transmission shift more similar to the older models but the trade off is fuel economy. I told her that's fine. I'd be more than happy to have worse fuel economy and a car that drives correctly than what i'm experiencing now. She said it can be done on 2018's but she doesn't know about the 2019's. I have an appt to go back in and drive another new 2019 to see how it compares to my car. I'm pretty sure it will drive better than mine but I am curious to feel a different 2019 to know how it compares. If it's the same then I'll just have to accept that I made a mistake with my car purchase. I'll know in a couple of days.

Why don't you all write the car website and magazines that review cars and complain to them about this. And ask them why they didn't catch this issue in their reviews. Shame them into making sure they mention this in their next reviews, describing how the problem started with the 2018 model. If Toyota won't respond to individual customers, maybe they will respond when reviewers mention this to their audience.

Don’t expect Toyota will fix the problem, I tried already and didn’t work, therefore, we have two options, boycott the Camry’s and/or start a class lawsuit against Toyota.

Same problem on my new 2019 Camry XLE 2.5, 200 miles yet. When someone needs better MPG, then the person can switch the car into 'ECO' mode. Umable to understand 'Normal' and 'Sport' modes give no better acceleration when you really need it... There is no feeling of 2.5L engine when try to accelerate from a Stop. Toyota should understand that it has done terrible mistake in Camry 2018 onward models by playing with excellent transmission found in 2017 and older models. Many customers need powerful acceleration to survive while joining highways. Last week, a Toyota technician told that the car will learn the way you drive after few hundred miles. I don't think it will ever be aggressive like Camry 2017 and older models.

I have 2018 Camry L. when I was buying it had 38 miles. now it is being 1 year and complaint to my dealer several times and Also to the Toyota. But they are saying some stupid answers to convince me I am totally disappointed. I don't like the way they have designed the gas paddle. every single day having uncomfortable drive, lag issue, poor performance, have to give too pressure for the gas paddle. my previous car 2003 Camry performed way better than this model. I was so happy when I was buying this car a year ago, and now I felt why did I buy this and suffer. hope everyone's issue solved with who has problem with 2018 Camry.

This is what one owner wrote on Cars.Com about a possible fix "Great once you get the transmission software fix by JohnCarmry from Bronx, NY on Sun May 27 2018 My wife is the main driver and complained from day one that the transmission slips. Also acceleration was extremely hesitant. She wanted me to return the car for her safety. I did some googling and found she was not alone in her assessment. I did a bit of research and found out the TSB-0330-17 is a possible fix. I went to my dealer and played dumb. I told them of my wife’s complaints and they said, ’the tech drove the car there is nothing wrong with it.’ I laughed in their faces and said you are telling me you don’t know about the thousands of complaints about this car online’ They said ’no. You are the first person to complain.’ Keep in mind this is a high volume dealership in NYC. They probably sell 300 Camry’s a week! I told them I’m not leaving until you fix the car. It’s not safe. Finally I mention the TSB (Toyota Service Bulletin) and pull it up on the Toyota website. They are stunned and actually ask me to write it down! I almost lost my mind! Anyway now they claim they need the car the whole day to perform the update. They gave me a rental and I was on my way. I picked the car up at he end of the day and low and behold it acts like a normal car! You hit the gas and it takes off! My wife is happy. Toyota service is a joke. If I keep it (it’s a lease) I will never go back to Toyora once out of warranty. I plan on writing a letter to the CEO of Toyota USA. Hope this review helps others! Don’t take NO from your dealer. They don’t want to pay to fix the car under warranty or trigger a recall which is probably what is needed. Good luck! You will love the Camry after the update! Pretty zippy and responsive!"

I have a 2019 Camry SE. It doesn't have driver mode (ECO, NORMAL, or SPORT) buttons. I'm currently in the process of breaking it in. So far, I haven't mashed the gas pedal down like I would on my my 2006 Hyundai Sonata V6. On the older car, I get instant gratification because of the "old-fashioned" 5-speed AT and the V6. I don't expect the Camry SE to have the same throttle response as the Sonata. But, when I do give it gas, it goes. I haven't seen a hesitation or delay....so far. It's everything I expected from a 4-banger on a heavy midsize sedan. I not quite halfway yet through my break-in period. I haven't taken the car above 60 mph yet. I can simulate overtaking by accelerating from 40 mph to ~60 mph and it goes without fuss.

The break-in period of my 2019 Camry is now over at an odometer reading of 700 miles. During the latter half of the break-in period, I started using the paddleshifters, testing different RPM ranges for both upshifts and downshifts in 40 mph stop and go traffic. I combined them with switching back to regular D mode and then back to paddleshifters again. Whatever lingering roughness there was with the transmission disappeared almost like magic. As soon as my odometer reached 640 miles, I started using the freeway and high-revving the engine. I had no problems accelerating at the on-ramps and merging into 80 mph traffic. We have fairly decent on-ramps where I live. I'm already at 80 mph before the ramp merges with the freeway. And up to now, I've been driving without disabling ECO mode in Settings.

I had the same problem with my 2018 Camry XSE 3.5 from a dead stop I turned off the traction control and it runs fine, with T.C on will delay the motor or the transmission not sure

Traction Control auto turn on when car speed reaches 30+ Mph. Increased consumer awareness dropped Camry sales that made Toyota to restart 0% financing for 60-months. If the issue is not fixed soon by Toyota, even 84-months 0% financing won’t help.

Had the same problem with acceleration when getting on the highway and it can be a dangerouse situation. Next time I got on the highway I put my car in sport mode and it did much better. You sould not have to put your car in sport mode just to get on the highway.I expected more from my 2019 camry se with 203hp it is sad that my 03 honda civic with 127hp has better pick up.

I have had the problem

I have a 2018 Camry SE. The problem has been occurring intermittently for me but today it was really bad. I got onto the road hit the accelerator but it just revved and almost got hit from the back

Same here, I have a 2019 Camry SE and when I give full gas on 2nd gear, it seem's like there's a short lag before my engine start making power, bothered me so bad

Put it in the manual shift. I rented one and I hated the acceleration on it. After I put in the manual shift it gave me the power it should give in automatic. But I shouldn't have to do that when I need to merge into higway traffic or give me a little boost when I need it.

I recently bought a 2019 Camry LE, and I am having/had the same issue with the acceleration. After reading an earlier post where the person advised to push the top part of the accelerator (pedal) and the acceleration responds better actually works. It takes getting used to, but if you initially push the top part of the pedal, you will get a better response.

I finally had the software fix described in TSB-0330-17 installed in my 2018 Toyota Camry. It has significantly reduced the acceleration lag. Not completely gone especially when I am going uphill. But clearly better and safer. The installation was a little time consuming for the dealer. And it was prolonged because they had some problem downloading the software fix to their shop computer. So, while most dealers may simply be ignorant about the TSB bulletin (probably hundreds of bulletins for all the toyota models over many years) , there may also be a disincentive to do a widespread installation on affected cars (and many people like my wife drive in such a way that they never run into the acceleration lag). However, once I simply insisted to the dealer that I wanted the software fix installed as per TSB-0330-17 they complied. I did it as part of the free set of service visits that they gave me as part of my toyota purchase and there was no additional charge for the software installation.

Hey guys idk if this will help for you but it helped for me and immediately felt a difference. I hate that acceleration lag and I’m sure it’s a design to save gas. I did a little testing and on the dash in my 2019 Camery Se, there is a setting to turn off the eco indicator and idk if it turns off the eco mode itself but I definitely don’t feel the acceleration lag. I’m going to touch up on the owners manual to see if it actually does something.

I've had a '19 Camry SE for five months now and the throttle hesitation thing has been driving nuts. More importantly, IMHO, it's legitimately dangerous at times (e.g., making a left turn at a traffic light in heavy traffic). After reading some of the comments in here (especially Enkreo's), I went ahead and tried disabling the ECO mode indicator via the settings (the SE's don't have the ECO/NORMAL/SPORT buttons). I wasn't expecting this to help at all...because I THOUGHT the ECO mode indication option on the SE simply turned off the ECO mode light/indicator and didn't do anything to the actual driving mode/performance of the car, AND the manual SEEMS to suggest that's the case. So, I don't THINK I'm experiencing a placebo effect or anything - I wasn't expecting it to help at all... However, as of right now, I think it actually helped - the throttle hesitation doesn't seem as bad now, and what lag there is seems more consistent/predictable. I don't think anything has changed regarding downshifting and/or gear selection (which I think might be separate problem from the throttle hesitation, which makes the overall way the car drives seem even worse)...BUT I do think the throttle hesitation has been improved...which seems to be making the shifting/gear selection more tolerable. I'll post again if anything changes. Also, I'll be taking my car in for it's first service in a month or so. I'm planning on trying to get them to apply TSB-0152-19. Maybe that will help even more...

I had TSB-0152-19 applied/done to my '19 SE 2.5...and after driving it for over a week, I'm convinced it fixed the problem. I think there's still a bit of hesitation because it's an electronic throttle, but overall the throttle and shifting (at low speeds) is much, much more consistent and predictable. I still think the ECO mode indicator option actually the changes the way the car drives (i.e., toggles ECO mode), but the TSB fixed the problem enough that I think the car drives fine with ECO mode on.

Hello, owner of a 2016 toyota camry se here. When I first purchased the car I did not notice the hesitancy issue, but after acquiring about 10k miles, it was much more evident when I was trying to merge on to a highway. The engine went through a series of 'spurts' of speed before finally reaching the desired speed; it would also hesitate before speeding up. I experimented with some of the components of the car and came to the conclusion that cleaning the fuel injector and changing the engine air filter, completely eliminated the problem. Now, the transitions between each gear when accelerating is much smoother and faster. I cleaned out the fuel injectors by simply adding techron's fuel injector cleaner which can be found in walmart for around $7 (I chose the 4000k miles cleaner). You simply add the entire bottle into an almost empty gas tank and fill it up with gas and drive it normally. You can do this 2 times consecutively, which will completely clean out the fuel injectors. Next, the original engine air filter that came with the car was made pretty cheaply. It looks like a giant silkworm cocoon lacking the rubber gasket seal that should line the outer edges of the filter, thereby creating a good seal. I got the one that was also sold in walmart called ULTRA AIR Rigid Panel Air Filter XGA10171. This is shaped the same way as the oem filter but has the rubber gasket around the edge for better sealing. DO NOT get the CA10171---which is exactly like the oem one. The compartment that holds the filter in place is made to snap into place with metal clips instead of screws unlike my dad's 2002 malibu. Toyota probably did this to make it easier for us to change them, but they do not seal properly with the oem filter that lacks the rubber gasket. Once I changed these two things, I noticed the difference within 10 miles. Also, the fuel injector can also clean out your catalytic converter, so that's another plus. I hope this helps some people here!

I know this is an old thread, but here is a follow up to my earlier posts about the TSB for my ‘19 SE 2.5: After driving the car for almost another year, even though the TSB did help a bit, I felt like I still couldn’t get the car to respond/drive in what I would call a “normal” manner. It still had noticeable throttle lag, the throttle wasn’t very sensitive, and both of those issues seemed inconsistent (which was maybe the worst thing) - and I tried playing with S mode, the ECO mode indicator, etc. Nothing I did made the car really respond in a way I thought it should. Well, after researching it A LOT, I just got a Hikeit X5 throttle controller, and after a few days of driving, I’m thinking it might be the best $130 (after coupon code) I’ve ever spent on a car. I was VERY skeptical. However, I’m pretty sure the throttle lag is better now (I’ll post again if I change my mind on that), but the overall sensitivity and consistency are absolutely, unquestionably improved. The car just drives better now, it’s probably safer (at least in some ways), and I no longer have any regret about not getting the V6. The 2.5 has plenty of power for me...IF/WHEN the car responds like I want it to (which doesn’t seem to be an issue anymore). Yah, these things don’t add power per se, but the car definitely feels faster. The extra sensitivity pushes the shift points up a bit (at least when you want), and the car doesn’t think about downshifting for like a complete second after you try to accelerate. And that’s the case even with the throttle controller on a relatively mild setting - I’ve been switching between “sport 1” (which pretty much makes the car feel/respond like it should stock/from the factory IMHO) and “sport 2” (I think it goes up to 8). For the record, I’m not affiliated with Hikeit at all. In fact, from the seemingly unbiased reviews etc I can find about throttle controllers, it seems like all of the reasonably reputable ones (e.g., iDrive, Pedal Commander, Hikeit, etc.) all perform about the same with respect to basic functionality (just some different features and stuff). I was actually leaning toward the iDrive - but a coupon code popped up for this model Hikeit...and it seems like the main difference between the X5 and the iDrive (as well as the Hikeit X9) is the “automatic” mode which I didn’t care about (the gizmo like learns and/or adjusts to how you drive). I really just wanted a nice, simple, more linear throttle response with less lag. So far, it seems like the X5 is making that happen...and my guess is the other devices would do basically the same thing. Anyway, if you’re still not liking the throttle response of your 2018+ Camry, I strongly suggest looking into a throttle controller from a reputable company. One last thing to note - the SEs don’t have the “ECO” and “SPORT” mode buttons like the XSEs do - I’m not sure if these throttle controllers give better control/response than you get with the sport mode in the XSEs.

Same problem with my 2018 Camry, should of stayed with the Honda