2011 Toyota Avalon problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (27) · Electrical System (18) · Vehicle Speed Control (10)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Avalon model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
78 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (1)
Electrical System 2015-01-28 · campaign 15V047000 · 51,495 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles manufactured February 9, 2010, to October 22, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the sub-woofer speaker located in the trunk may experience an intermittent electrical short which may cause damage to the integrated circuit (IC) in the audio amplifier. In some cases, the damaged IC may allow a constant electrical current flow to the sub-woofer.
Risk: A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the audio system amplifier and install a protective cover around the sub-woofer, free of charge. The recall began on July 1,2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.
Service bulletins (274)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-01-07 · T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2005 – 2026 toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. the purpose of this service bulletin is to provide general guidelines and procedures
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
the condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. if these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
to prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. the purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.
Structure:body 2024-12-06 · T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. if these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa
Structure:body 2024-12-05 · T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
toyota vehicles are currently protected with rapgardtm protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. this material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. follow the removal procedure in this bulletin to remove the rapgardtm protective film wi
Structure:body 2024-12-03 · T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. this type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa
Showing the 6 most recent of 274 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-12-03 · Seat Belts · 121,578 mi“the contact owns a 2011 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's side seat belt failed to function as intended. the contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt latch failed to unlock. the contact stated that his wife was stuck in the seat for five minutes doe to the failure. the conta…”
2023-04-05 · Unknown Or Other“the rear trunk lid arms broken lid feel on top of me…”
2022-08-26 · Unknown Or Other“the rear sun screen will get stuck in the up position . at night there is almost no visibility out of the back window. this is a very dangerous safety problem. apparently toyota has had a problem with this feature with no effort made to correct it.…”
2021-12-13 · Engine“the engine has quit while in traffic several times and the check engine light and the skid control lights are the only lights lit on the dashboard. once the car comes to rest and one waits 3 to 5 minutes, the car will restart. we have taken the car to the dealer twice, ( each time the had it for nearly a week) and they could not find the problem. t…”
2021-12-06 · Visibility/Wiper“failure of the sun shade in the rear causes a problem with visability. stays stuck in up or down position. creates a loud distracting grinding noise when in operation and highly reduces visibility through the rear window. particularly when it is stuck in the half way position.…”
2021-04-08 · Unknown Or Other · 45,636 mi“telescoping steering column lock loosens while driving causing steering wheel and brakes to shake. advised my local toyota dealer and they said it was not covered under warranty but i could pay them to repair the issue with a upgraded repair that toyota has identified. a notice was never sent out to toyota owners. this should be a recall notice. …”
2021-02-23 · Steering · 111,800 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota avalon. the contact stated while making a right or left turn, the steering column was loose. the contact stated no warning light was illuminated. the contact stated he was able to readjusted the steering column however, experienced the failure within a few days. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. a dealer…”
2020-12-14 · Latches/Locks/Linkages“2011 toyota avalon. consumer writes in regards to defective key fob and door locks. *ld the consumer stated the door locks failed intermittently. the key fob at times would only unlock the driver's door. all other doors had to be unlocked manually. more recently, the key fob does not work at all as well as the lock switches. the dealer advised t…”
2020-11-10 · Electrical System“headlights flickering constantly and at times one or both will go completely off. will have to manually turn off and then turn on again. both will shine steady for about 2 minutes and then began to flicker again. this happens when parked or when in motion. this only applies to when the lights are on low beam. (this has been happening for a few mont…”
2020-11-06 · Steering · 85,000 mi“i was using the lever to push the seat away from the steering wheel when one side stopped moving, causing the other side to derail. i took the car to jim hudson toyota immediately, and the technician was able to get seat back on track. however, he wasn't able to get the side moving, and stated the entire seat rail would have to be replaced. furt…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.