Owners have filed 2,936 complaints on the Toyota Avalon, covering 1995–2022. The system named most often is Air Bags (501 reports). Worst years by volume: 2008, 2006, 2003; cleanest: 2022, 2020, 2017. 431 reports describe a crash, 24 a fire, 24 a death. On average the car was 5.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Toyota Avalon
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 2,936 Avalon complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Air Bags 501 Read
I was in a major accident. I was driving along a local road, probably about 30mph. I was struck by another car on the driver's side of my car, and then spun into a median and struck a tree. Much of the car was destroyed. The windshield was broken and displaced from the frame on the driver's side. No air bags went off.…
2018 toyota avalon. Consumer writes in regards to air bags that did not deploy during auto accident. *ld
The contact owns a 2018 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while waiting at a traffic light, a vehicle traveling at high speeds crashed into the vehicles front passenger side. None of the frontal air bags deployed. The police was present and a report was issued. The passenger was taken to the hospital by…
Vehicle Speed Control 409 Read
The contact owns a 2007 toyota avalon. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. As a result, the vehicle crashed into three other vehicles and the engine caught fire. The contact was taken to the hospital where she sustained both hand and neck injuries. A…
Date of safety issue: July 12, 2023 Location: Piper Glen Shopping Center, Rea Road, Charlotte NC (destination was Run For Your Life at 6416 Rea Road - within the shopping center). Time: Approximately sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 ET Police Report Complaint # - [XXX] On July 12, 2023 I entered a parking lot at a busy…
I reported noise when I made turns to the left or right. I bought the car into the dealership and advised of the issue. I was told that they would check all components of the car and change the oil and rotate the tires. This was at 19,611 miles. I was told that the power steering sound I heard was electric and that it…
Steering 316 Read
I was traveling on I-294 south in the vicinity of, south highland, illinois traveling about 70 miles per hour. I was next to the median. There was a car next to me that was behind an 18 wheeler, pulling an extra trailer. The 18 wheeler swerved to miss a car and as a result of the 18 wheeler swerving, the car next to…
The contact owns a 2018 toyota avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V024000 (air bags) however, the part for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving…
2013 toyota avalon. Consumer writes in regards to steering wheel malfunction. *smd the consumer stated while driving, he heard a strange noise coming from under the passenger seat. As he made a turn, the steering wheel did not respond and instead of snapping back into a 12 o'clock position, it stayed locked into the…
Electrical System 229 Read
The contact owns a 2021 Toyota Avalon HV. The contact stated that while driving, all the instrument control panel lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer eight or nine times where it was diagnosed there was moisture in the brakes, the brake assembly, sensor harness, sensor in the grill, gear…
Travel on the street and may hit an object (could be an empty trash container. Vehicle left the travel lane, going up on the sidewalk, stuck 2 garbage cans and through the numerous bushes
The contact owns a 2012 toyota avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system). The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician disconnected the sub-woofer as a temporary remedy due to the part not being available to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the…
Exterior Lighting 208 Read
March 2011 notice high beam light out on my 2009 toyota avalon. Went to replace it & found no bulb just electrical connection. After review of bulb area I noticed the bulb had disappeared within its confinement area. Bulb must have melt away
The contact owns a 2019 toyota avolon. The contact stated that there was discoloration on the headlight units. As a result, the contact could not see the road clearly at night and his vision was impaired. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to dch toyota of torrance (2909 pacific coast…
The contact owns a 2019 toyota avalon. While driving in low light conditions or at dusk, the headlamps failed to provide sufficient illumination. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The vehicle was taken to joseph airport toyota (1180 w national rd, vandalia, oh 45377, (937) 898-8060) to be…
Service Brakes 165 Read
I represent the family of a fatally injured rollaway victim. It is on their behalf I am reporting the circumstances of this incident and to strongly urge that NHTSA update the rollaway requirements specified in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114. On August 22, 2020, It is believed that while attempting to…
The contact owns a 2014 toyota avalon . The contact stated that while driving at various low speeds, light pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle inadvertently accelerated. The contact stated that there were four incidents of unexplained acceleration when the brake pedal was applied. The fourth…
The contact owned a 2013 toyota avalon. The contact stated that his wife was driving and crashed into a vehicle stopped short at a yellow stop light at 20 mph. The accident braking system did not work. The wife suffered a cracked sternum was transported to the hospital. There was a police that was filed amd the…
Power Train 151 Read
2008 toyota avalon. Stopped in traffic, foot on brake. Without warning, car accelerated forward. Pushed harder on brake and car nose-dived and collided with pu truck stopped ahead. Avalon front bumper went under rear bumper of pu . Air bag did not deploy. Floor mat still in place. $5600 damage to avalon, none to pu
I have a 2008 toyota avalon that I had only 4 months prior to the accident. The car appeared to be in excellent condition until my husband took it to the delta sonic carwash to have it clean. As he was coming out of the car wash, he shift from neutral to drive and the accelerator failed , sticking in full…
2008 toyota avalon _ sudden acceleration when attempting to move car up slightly from rest while turning into a parking lot. Car was going less than 10 mph when engine revved violently & car accelerated uncontrollably & crashed into barriers & head on into a brick wall. Car had to be towed to body shop & has heavy…
Engine And Engine Cooling 145 Read
1/7/12-12:30 am I was stopped at a red light. My foot was on the brake. Suddenly the motor began to race. I stood on the brake put the shift into park and turned off the ignition. After a short period ( about 30 seconds) I turned the ignition on and everything was normal. 1/10/12- I called the dealer and they gave me…
The contact owns a 2008 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, he heard a noise and pulled over when the vehicle engine suddenly caught fire between the firewall and the rear of the engine. The contact extinguished the fire. The service manager and district manager inspected the vehicle and found…
Driver was pulling into a parking space when the car had unexpected, sudden acceleration and hit a concrete wall. Driver was wearing a seat belt; air bags deployed. The person was uninjured except for chest bruises. The car had been taken in when it was recalled and was " fixed" in response to 2 recall notices by the…
Avalon years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Air Bags,seat Belts | 1 | — | |
| 2021 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2020 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2019 | Air Bags | 4 | — | |
| 2018 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 2017 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2016 | Air Bags | 2 | — | |
| 2015 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 2014 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2013 | Air Bags | 17 | 1 | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 7 | 1 | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 13 | — | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 5 | — | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | 8 | 1 | |
| 2008 | Air Bags | 22 | 3 | |
| 2007 | Air Bags | 38 | 1 | |
| 2006 | Air Bags | 49 | 3 | |
| 2005 | Air Bags | 30 | 3 | |
| 2004 | Air Bags | 24 | — | |
| 2003 | Air Bags | 40 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Air Bags | 25 | 2 | |
| 2001 | Air Bags | 31 | 1 | |
| 2000 | Air Bags | 35 | 2 | |
| 1999 | Air Bags | 12 | 1 | |
| 1998 | Air Bags | 21 | 1 | |
| 1997 | Air Bags | 10 | — | |
| 1996 | Air Bags | 7 | — | |
| 1995 | Air Bags | 7 | 2 |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 475 |
| Average complaints per series | 6.2 |
| Worst single series | 34 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.4 years |
A model average of 6.2 hides a worst series at 34. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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- No ads, no tracking — and much more
How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Avalon?
By complaint volume, 2008, 2006, 2003 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Avalon years are the cleanest?
2022, 2020, 2017 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Toyota Avalon have?
2,936 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 1995–2022. Of those, 431 describe a crash and 24 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.