2015 Toyota Avalon problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (5) · Service Brakes (5) · Forward Collision Avoidance (5)
🧭 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
20 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module 2020-01-17 · campaign 20V024000 · 2,891,976 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Forward Collision Avoidance: Crash Imminent Braking 2015-11-03 · campaign 15V728000 · 30,812 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an
Risk: A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Service bulletins (314)
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
Electrical System 2025-06-13 · T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign
the air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. the procedures outlined in this service bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and repairing refrigerant leaks.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 314 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-23 · Service Brakes“brake system that was identify as a malfunction in safety defect…”
2026-07-10 · Power Train:automatic Transmission · 165,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. the contact stated that the transmission shuddered. no warning lights illuminated. the contact stated that the failure did not occur once the vehicle speed exceeded 45 mph. th…”
2026-01-06 · Power Train · 251,617 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2015 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, the contact noticed that the title listed the mileage at 133,510, with the note " not the actual mileage" next to the mileage. it was later discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. the vehicle was a private sale. at …”
2025-08-14 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 83,829 mi“the contact owns a 2015 toyota avalon. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal grinding sound coming from the brakes. the contact stated that the brake warning light illuminated, and the brake independently activated. the vehicle was taken to a specialty brake shop, where it was diagnosed that the brake …”
2025-05-15 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“accident june 12, 2024 air bag did not deploy. hit on passenger side no air bags deployed. air bag not able to be reset…”
2025-05-04 · Unknown Or Other“05/04/2025 first of all, we love our avalon. however, for the last 6 months or so, water is getting in the car and ends up soaking the carpet on the left front floorboard carpet. we have checked everything we can think of to find the source of the leak but was uneasily. we had to have some scratches fixed and took the car to a body shop to see i…”
2023-10-03 · Tires:sidewall“i have tire size p225 / 45 r 18. michelin primacy mxm4. the compalint tire exploded at 65 mph (the speed limit). the falure caused the car to swerve into the next lane which was occupied by another car at the time. my safety was at risk when i momemtarily lost control of the vehicle and others were at risk when i enetred an occupied lane. problem …”
2023-09-08 · Vehicle Speed Control · 109,400 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2015 toyota avalon. the contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, drove over the curb, and crashed into bushes. the air bags did not deploy. the contact did not sustain any injuries. there was no police report filed. the contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. the veh…”
2023-04-25 · Service Brakes“while driving the pre-collision system (pcs) turns on unexpectedly, without any warning lights or sounds, and applies the brakes. this happens when i am driving in traffic with plenty of space between the car in front of me. i typically drive between 3-6 seconds behind the car in front of me to allow for at least 300 feet in space when driving at…”
2023-03-06 · Service Brakes · 39,000 mi“the contact owns a 2015 toyota avalon. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and made an abnormal sound. additionally, the air bag warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. the manu…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.