2019 Toyota Avalon problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Fuel/Propulsion System (15) · Power Train (10) · Electrical System (7)
🧭 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
30 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (4)
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2020-11-04 · campaign 20V682000 · 1,525,742 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 4Runner, 2019-2020 Avalon, 2019 Corolla Hatchback, 2017-2019 Highlander, 2018-2020 Camry, 2020 Corolla, 2018-2019 Land Cruiser, 2017-2020 Tacoma, 2019-2020 RAV4, 2019-2020 Sequoia, 2017-2020 Sienna, 2019-2020 Tundra, 2018-2020 Lexus ES350, 2017 Lexus GS200t, 2017-2019 Lexus GS350, 2019 Lexus GS300, 2018-2020 Lexus LC500h, 2019-2020 Lexus LS500, 2018-2019 Lexus GX460, 2017 Lexus IS200t, 2019 Lexus IS300, 2019 Lexus I
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 assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an
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.
Equipment:other:labels 2019-03-27 · campaign 19V244000 · 3,634 vehicles
Defect: Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
Electrical System:software 2018-10-04 · campaign 18V685000 · 168,187 vehicles
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles. The air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may erroneously detect a fault during the vehicle start-up self check. If this occurs, the ECU may not deploy the airbags as intended, in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupa
Risk: If the air bags do not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the air bag ECU, free of charge. The recall began October 26, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0X. Note: 18V-122 was superseded by this recall. The software remedy also includes the updates to the software for 18V-122.
Service bulletins (220)
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.
Engine 2026-08-11 · 24TE04 · Warranty Program/Extension
although the flow shut-off valve is covered by toyota’s new vehicle limited warranty for 36 months or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first), we at toyota care about the customers’ ownership experience. toyota is providing coverage for repairs related to flow shut-off valve coolant leak.
Electrical System 2026-01-30 · T-SB-0106-22 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
obsolete notice january 30, 2026: this bulletin is now obsolete. please see t-sb-0001-26.
Electrical System 2026-01-28 · T-SB-0001-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2018 – 2024 model year toyota vehicles equipped with a premium audio with dynamic navigation system require a special service tool (sst) usb flash drive to update the map, points of interest, and system software.
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
Engine 2025-08-07 · 24TE04 · Service Campaign
the specific condition covered by this program is for a small engine coolant leak that can occur from the flow shut-off valve that can allow coolant to drip on other parts of the vehicle. this can cause "engine maintenance required" to be displayed on the instrument cluster or cause the a/c not to f
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.
Showing the 6 most recent of 220 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-04 · Power Train“what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? transmission. yes. how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the ua80 eight-speed automatic transmission used in my toyota is defective. there is a design flaw that causes excess heat inside the transmission to burn transmission flui…”
2026-09-03 · Power Train“while driving the vehicle and stopped at a red light or stop sign, the vehicle failed to accelerate when pressing the gas pedal. i pulled to the curb and turn off the car. after i start the car again, it will work fine. the vehicle has failed to accelerate several random times while driving and stopped at a light or stop sign causing a hazardous si…”
2026-08-30 · Service Brakes“on two occasions, 8 months apart, our car started braking on its own while driving in traffic. in both instances, the on-screen alerts indicated the lda and simultaneously the check engine light. neither time were we trying to switch lanes. in fact, the first time we were on a one-way street. in both instances, we were able to cruise over to a park…”
2026-07-21 · Vehicle Speed Control“on xxx i purchase the vehicle toyota avalon xse, with vin #: [xxx]. i purchase the vehicle at larry [xxx] american toyota in [xxx], with the lien [xxx] kirtland federal credit union bank same city of [xxx]. i was told the vehicle had a 160 point check, yet when i check the thumb drive that was given to me by the business personnel. when i looked at…”
2026-07-09 · Service Brakes“ever since, i purchase my certified 2019 toyota avalon in around june 2022, my car has left me stranded on highways, city areas, and broke down coming out of my garage. i even purchase extended warranty, because of the high mileage it had 77,000 miles. on [xxx] car broke down drive belt had to be replaced, [xxx] [xxx] warning lights, dealership ser…”
2026-06-24 · Power Train“ua80 transmission issues. high pitched whining erratic and hard shifting shuttering and hesitation issue has been diagnosed by dealership toyota technician and independent service center ase certified technicians. car is still drivable, with no warning lamps as of yet. issue became more noticeable after i had the transmission fluid changed by deale…”
2026-06-11 · Power Train“the transmission needs to be replaced. my car has 75,146 miles and my check engine light came on while i was driving down the interstate. i took it to the toyota dealership and they confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced. i was told it would cost $8,600. i was looking for any recalls on my car and saw there were multiple lawsuits inv…”
2026-03-23 · Electrical System“i am writing to formally report a serious and ongoing safety issue involving the telematics / data communication module (dcm) installed in toyota vehicles. this issue presents a clear risk to driver and passenger safety and warrants immediate corrective action. the dcm is responsible for critical telematics and safety systems, including sos emerge…”
2026-03-07 · Fuel/Propulsion System“engine does not start or takes longer to start because fuel line does not hold pressure after turning off engine.…”
2026-02-20 · Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera“i am experiencing the same malfunction with my backup camera/parking assist software that a million other vins were recalled for. i called toyota and was essentially told that not enough people from my cars' "batch" have complained. the malfunction is inconsistent, sometimes the camera works fine, sometimes the screen is totally black, and sometime…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.