A new 2025 Toyota Camry owner was left disappointed after finding an abnormality in the car’s driver’s seat. Anderson (@eldela690r) published a TikTok showing off the fist-sized imperfection.
Numerous commenters who replied to his video stated that instances like this speak to a larger problem with the automaker. Once hailed as a dependable purveyor of meticulously engineered vehicles, some say Toyota’s experiencing a fall from grace.
Deflated Chair
Anderson begins his video by recording the driver’s seat of a 2025 Toyota Camry. He points out that a section of the chair’s cloth covering appears to be indented. Next, he begins to poke and prod at it.
When he does, the cloth section of the seat caves in more. It seems that the car seat cover wasn’t appropriately stuffed. Or that it came out of the factory with oversized upholstery, which resulted in a bunched-up, messy aesthetic.
Anderson can be heard narrating off-camera in his video. He asks viewers if they’ve had the same problem with their car. “Hi, anybody have this issue with a new 2025 Toyota Camry?” he questions.
While pointing at the defect, he voices his ire. “What the [expletive] is this? Look,” he says. Next, he continues to demonstrate how this portion of the seat is pushed in and wobbly. “Brand new 2025 Toyota Camry SE,” he says. Following this, he pans his camera up to the passenger’s seat; it doesn’t appear to have the same issue.
“And the other one is perfect,” he says before returning to the driver’s seat. “Look at this one,” he remarks at the end of the clip, audibly displeased.
Toyota: Drop in Quality?
Numerous commenters who replied to his video offered up their criticisms of Toyota. One person replied that the Japanse auto brand isn’t exactly known for incredible interiors. They wrote, “Yeah the issue is it’s a Toyota. They have fisher price interiors.”
However, another person claimed that Toyota has dropped the ball when it comes to the fit and finish of its vehicles. Additionally, they speculated that this overall decline will ultimately ruin the company’s long reputation for dependability.
“They have degraded in quality so bad,” they said. “I returned my 19 Avalon and stopped buying Toyota products. They now hope to ride on the 90s and pre 2010 models that lasted. They are going to kill their image with the trash they are selling now.”
Another 2025 Toyota Camry owner chimed in, stating that she’s experiencing difficulty with another part of the vehicle. “Wanna know what’s annoying about mine that apparently lots of people are having issues with?” she asks. “My sunroof rattles! I’m having to take [it] into Toyota to hopefully be fixed.”
New Quality King?
For years, Toyota and its luxury counterpart, Lexus, have dominated Consumer Reports’ reliability rankings. However, the third-party assessment group took stock of all major auto manufacturers’ 2022-2024 models. And, according to these findings, Subaru is now the most reliable car brand.
It scored three points higher than Lexus’ 65 predicted reliability rating, and six more than Toyota’s 62. However, Toyota’s lineup still dominated Consumer Reports’ top ten vehicle picks for 2024. The Camry Hybrid, the Prius and Prius Prime, the Highlander Hybrid, and the RAV4 Prime all received staunch recommendations.
Subaru had two models on the list, the Crosstrek and the Forester.
Many still question Toyota’s current commitment to quality. Folks on this Toyota Nation forum asked one another if they believe the company has “slipped” in recent years. One person claimed that Akio Toyoda, the brand’s President and CEO, said its commitment to build excellence has faltered since 2003.
Additionally, Cars.com published the same claim. According to the outlet, during an interview, Toyoda said scaling the business upward had consequences. Creating so many vehicles meant Toyota couldn’t inspect them as thoroughly under lighter workloads.
Floppy Car Seats?
As it turns out, Anderson isn’t the only one with a balled-up bunch of loose seat covering in his car. In a separate Toyota Nation post, a 2025 Camry XSE driver said that they’ve been having the same issue in their model’s leather chairs.
“I have a 2025 Toyota Camry XSE with red interior. My driver side seat, part of it is deflating, like there isn’t foam inside that part,” they wrote.
Upon seeing the problem, the forum user brought their new Camry to have it looked at. Initially, service techs were able to resolve the issue. However, the repair didn’t last for long. “I took it to the dealer and they said it was all fixed. Then shortly after it happened again,” they said.
Moreover, they added that the car suffered from other build quality problems. “Also the driver side actual door sounds like it’s going to go off its hinge,” they wrote. “I’ve had many cars and never heard that before. I feel like I will keep wasting my time bringing it to the dealer and never getting anything full[y] resolved. I think the car might be a lemon.”
Toyota also issued a recall for 168,000 2021-2024 model year Sienna minivans. The reason: improperly installed third-row seats.
Motor1 has reached out to Toyota via email and Anderson via TikTok comment for further information. We’ll be sure to update this article if either responds.
