2018 Toyota Avalon problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (4) · Steering (3) · Fuel/Propulsion System (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Toyota Avalon model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
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.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2020-01-13 · campaign 20V012000 · 1,830,752 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna
Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.
Service bulletins (178)
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 2025-08-20 · T-TT-0790-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some customers may experience echoing on the line calling the vehicle when using bluetooth hands free. this is caused by the phone hands free volume being too low.
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
Showing the 6 most recent of 178 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-11-25 · Seat Belts · 💥 crash“involved in a 2 vehicle accident on october 26th. my car is totaled and so is the other car. no airbags deployed and my drivers side seat belt failed to lock in the accident. i was injured and taken by ambulance to hospital. …”
2023-07-13 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“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 retail establishment. i chose …”
2023-01-22 · Structure:body“hello, my name is [xxx]. i bought my car from longo toyota in el monte about 15 months ago. the car was certified preowned and had a carfax report with no accident reported history. that is exactly why i bought the car, because this was going to be my family car. so i bought it and have been driving around my daughter, who just turned one for over…”
2022-12-19 · Air Bags · 💥 crash“air bag did not deploy during a major front end collision. resulted in total loss of the vehicle.…”
2022-11-28 · Fuel/Propulsion System“intermittently, unpredictably, for several seconds at a time, the engine almost quits, especially when accelerating so far, it has not happened in heavy traffic, but if it did, it would create a possibly major safety hazard. i have not taken it to a dealer yet. just learned about the fuel pump problem that is associated with my 2018 toyota avalon…”
2021-08-29 · Steering“at approximately 42000 miles with no significant issues and no front end damages, the steering failed as i was driving at highway speed (70 mph) on a 2 lane road approaching a 90 degree curve. the power steering warning light and a separate triangle warning light appeared at the same time as i felt a pop and lost power and response in the steering …”
2021-06-24 · Lane Departure: Warning“my car check engine light lane sensor light and lad light came on and card had rough handling i took it to toyota of plano and they worked on charged me $650 so i was was happy they fixed the problem after one day the lights came back they said it was the rodent damage a rat chewed the wire because what i learned toyota is using soy base wires it …”
2021-05-09 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking · 15,770 mi“the pre-collision braking system does not appear to work. several times when cars in front of us have slammed on their brakes, the pre-collision braking system does not respond. we own a 2016 prius with the same feature and it always responds ' flashing a warning and applying the brakes. we complained to the dealership multiple times, and they s…”
2021-03-27 · Unknown Or Other · 33,000 mi“i have been having trouble with my radio hanging up phone calls and several other things. after taking my car several time i was told it will be replaced. i took my car and left it over night march 18th and march 19th. it had a charging light on so they said it's best if it says over night. when contacted the satellite radio company to give th…”
2020-11-20 · Exterior Lighting · 4,000 mi“my auto high beams daily fail to work correctly during night time driving, the low beam would be on, the turn signal control lever will be pushed all the way forward. the green light on the dash panel is showing a headlight with a word "auto" would illuminate and the high beams would cycle on & off as they should with the auto high beam system. th…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.