What breaks most · 1995 to 2019 model years
Toyota Avalon problems by year
Owners have filed 3,005 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Toyota Avalon across model years 1995 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2006 for speed control and throttle complaints, 2008 for exterior lighting complaints and 2003 for air bags complaints. The quietest years are 2017, 2016 and 2015.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2008, 2003
- Fewest complaints: 2017, 2016, 2015
- Complaints on file
- 30051995 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 2006342 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 44227 fires · 302 injuries · 16 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 52kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 81Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | 8 | 0 | Brakes (hydraulic) (9) | |
| 109 | 10 | 0 | Engine and cooling (19) | |
| 125 | 12 | 1 | Steering (40) | |
| 176 | 24 | 2 | Visibility (19) | |
| 92 | 15 | 2 | Air bags (22) | |
| 168 | 41 | 2 | Steering (33) | |
| 128 | 29 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (24) | |
| 111 | 31 | 1 | Air bags (32) | |
| 287 | 48 | 2 | Air bags (182) | |
| 201 | 27 | 3 | Air bags (127) | |
| 210 | 35 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (69) | |
| 342 | 52 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (102) | |
| 218 | 42 | 6 | Speed control and throttle (82) | |
| 329 | 21 | 6 | Exterior lighting (200) | |
| 76 | 10 | 7 | Exterior lighting (23) | |
| 39 | 5 | 7 | Speed control and throttle (13) | |
| 88 | 13 | 1 | Steering (26) | |
| 23 | 6 | 4 | Body and structure (5) | |
| 92 | 6 | 4 | Body and structure (22) | |
| 67 | 4 | 4 | Forward collision system (17) | |
| 18 | 1 | 2 | Forward collision system (6) | |
| 13 | 1 | 3 | Engine (3) | |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (2) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 4 | Electrical system (3) |
What fails on the 2006 Toyota Avalon
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 30% |
102 | 34 | Shop all speed control and throttle parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 17% |
57 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2006 Toyota Avalon |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 14% |
48 | 2 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 10% |
34 | 0 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Toyota Avalon |
| Air bags | 7% |
24 | 13 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 6% |
21 | 3 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2006 Toyota Avalon |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
20 | 2 | — |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 5% |
17 | 3 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2006 Toyota Avalon |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
2006 toyota avalon. Consumer states unintended acceleration *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle suddenly accelerated out of control. The consumer stated it happened after the recall was performed. *jb
-
1. High beams and day running lights inoperable (discovered january 2018). 2. Transmission overheated and caused car to decelerate in april 2018.
-
Car was idling in park, placed shift into reverse, car accelerated forward with motor racing into a bench, destroying it. Jammed shift back into park shut off motor. Restarted car. Place shift in rev and backed off bench. Car worked properly. Had car towed to repair shop.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Toyota Avalon years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2008, 2003 carry the most filings on the Toyota Avalon. The 2006 alone has 342 complaints, led by speed control and throttle.
What is the most common Toyota Avalon problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is speed control and throttle with 102 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Toyota Avalon problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Toyota Avalon complaints that include mileage is about 52,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.