Car: 12 year-old Camry with 124k miles. No abuse or neglect.

Recently, I noticed that it briefly shudders/trembles during acceleration, typically in the range between 35 mph to 55 mph. At first, the shudder was very brief, about 1 to 2 seconds. Then it progressed to 3 - 4 secs. And now (today), it even shudders when I slow down (release the gas pedal w/o hitting the break).

I read that there are several different possible causes. How do I approach this without being taken to the cleaner by shady repair shop? I know, I'm not a car guy.

Two of the Toys I have owned have done this (a 2000 Camry and a 1993 4Runner), but only when the engine was cold. A mechanic said it's just a Toyota thing, but didn't elaborate further.

One of my prior trucks developed a mild shudder during certain acceleration/shifting at around 100k. Turned out to be a broken engine mount. Had it replaced when the engine was pulled to do the timing belt/water pump, and the shudder resolved.

If it has Coil On Plug ignition, you could have a weak coil.
A trip to a parts house with a scanner should tell you. They don’t always throw a code.

Engine/transmission mounts.

Torque converter.

CV (Constant Velocity) joint. They are at each end of the driveshafts and especially if the rubber boot or bellows is torn or damaged and they have lost the grease.

These are my top three to look at first in any car as I'm not any sort of Toyota specialist.

Just went through this with the F150, it had a vibration/shudder/tremble at idle on start up that progressed to slow rpm driving, light throttle, and upon lifting throttle to decelerate.

Turns out the fan clutch bearing gave out, locked it, one of the balls wedged itself and shifted the shaft causing the imbalance. Clutch was then locked up 100% of the time, rubbing the fan lightly on the shroud.

Local shop a neighbor uses found it on inspection, all kinds of speculation from others from a full trans rebuild, engine timing chain replacement, engine mounts, trans mount speculation.

Ended up replacing the fan because the tips were ground down and the clutch, vibration gone.

It's likely that it's engine related, and could be the mounts, find a shop that will inspect it and show you whats wrong, or take it to a good Toyota dealer.

When you say "shudders/trembles", do you feel it in the steering wheel or is it like a hesitation with the engine/drive train (kind of feel it in the seat)?

quote:

Just went through this with the F150

I think his Camry has electric fans as the engine is transversely mounted and not a engine mounted fan/clutch.

Check the engine mounts.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:

quote:

Just went through this with the F150

I think his Camry has electric fans as the engine is transversely mounted and not a engine mounted fan/clutch.

Could be, didn't research that, OP correctly stated there are several different potential causes.

In my case lots of people said "motor mounts" first thing, and the point I was trying to make is that many things can cause a vibration, it's not just "motor mounts" which are actually, Engine Mounts unless it's an EV all kinds of things cause vibrations from bad coils, mounts, fans, water pumps, harmonic balancers, then you can get to internals.

Good luck, check around with people you know to find a shop they trust, that's how I found the guys that did mine, normally I do my own, but I could not replicate the problem at idle in the driveway, they figured it out quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by ShouldBFishin:
When you say "shudders/trembles", do you feel it in the steering wheel or is it like a hesitation with the engine/drive train (kind of feel it in the seat)?

No, steering wheel is smooth sailing at all time. Not the tires, either. I feel like it's the engine.

Torque converter shutter?

is the transmission shudder recall on the 2012 Toyota Camry?
2012-14 Toyota Camry Software Recall | Jay Wolfe Toyota of ...
The 2012-2014 Toyota Camry U760 ATM ECM Software update recall refers to a shudder that can potentially happen in these Toyota models made during these years. The shudder comes from the transmission, especially during acceleration

The automatic transmission torque converter clutch is programmed to "lock" at speeds in the range you describe. If it is locking and unlocking, depending on acceleration or deceleration, or if you are at a speed that is right on the border of lock and it is dithering, you can feel or sense a torque-induced vibration. In 124K miles, your original Toyota ATF has lost its friction modifiers, functionally, and these affect the torque converter clutch performance. Improper friction vs. speed curves, as we measure at work on very expensive equipment, results in noise, vibration, and harshness.

So, it is possible that you are experiencing the result of ATF that is not controlling friction as it should.


If the transmission fluid has been changed, it is possible that the fluid does not have the proper friction vs. speed curve. Many "universal" ATF claim to meet OEM requirements, but may not.


Toyota ATF is very particularly formulated. If you purchase the Toyota ATF for your model Camry, it would be best. One way to help is to simply drain and refill. This is about six quarts. Critically important is looking to see if you actually have a drain plug on the ATF sump pan. If you do, then you can drain and refill to restore friction control. Some people do this three times, driving a few hundred or thousand miles in between drains, to ensure that the transmission is not completely overwhelmed with new fluid. Some people believe that flushing and refilling with a machine disrupts the delicate condition of the oxidized old ATF and results in valve body plugging or worse.

Anyway, it may be the ATF age, and driving when the torque converter clutch is attempting to lock and unlock.

Drive around ~25-40 mph and alternately apply acceleration and coasting. If the shudder occurs when accelerating and it stops when coasting, one or both of the inner CV joints could be bad. There will not necessarily be an obvious visual cue like a torn boot.

My quess is a broken motor mount.

My first thought was that it sounds like it is trying to intermittently drop a cylinder(bad/weak coil) but it picks it back up.

Wheel hop,
Perhaps traction bars ?

Agree torque converter shutter. I had the issue with my wife’s 4Runner. I renewed the tranny fluid, the filter and added a bottle of Shutter Fixx and never had another problem. The friction plates in the tranny get a glaze on them…the Shutter Fixx takes it off. At least this is what the transmission shop told me. I did the repair myself. Hope this helps and good luck!

IANAM, but I'd get on the band wagon for CV joint(s) and/or engine mount(s). My Corolla kinda had the same symptom and the shop replaced the engine mounts. If memory serves, it was around the mileage you have on your Camry. Corolla now has 196,000+ miles. I've put some $$$ into her, but she's purring like a kitten now.