NHTSA lists 30 complaints for the 2012 Toyota Avalon, 8 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 4 complaints mention an injury, with 6 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as TOYOTA AVALON.
Model-generated complaint tags
These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.
Failure modes| Label | Count | Share of tagged | Mean confidence |
|---|
| electrical electronic | 7 | 25.9% | 0.73 |
|---|
| loss of control | 6 | 22.2% | 0.95 |
|---|
| restraint or airbag | 5 | 18.5% | 0.94 |
|---|
| mechanical failure | 3 | 11.1% | 0.79 |
|---|
| structural or corrosion | 3 | 11.1% | 0.59 |
|---|
| noise or comfort | 2 | 7.4% | 0.73 |
|---|
| fire or overheating | 1 | 3.7% | 0.87 |
|---|
Severities| Label | Count | Share of tagged | Mean confidence |
|---|
| high | 10 | 37.0% | 0.96 |
|---|
| moderate | 10 | 37.0% | 0.79 |
|---|
| low | 7 | 25.9% | 0.71 |
|---|
Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 27 tagged complaints of 30 complaints (90.0%).
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Recalls
See new recalls and investigations this week.
4 recalls.
Date: 2020-01-17. Systems: AIR BAGS.
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. (excerpt)
Consequence: 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. (excerpt)
Remedy: 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 (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2018-08-29. Systems: AIR BAGS, SEAT BELTS.
Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles. During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been replaced with parts that may incorrectly tell the air bag management system that the seat belt is always buckled.
Consequence: If the seat belt is falsely interpreted as being buckled, in the event of a crash, the air bags may not deploy appropriately, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting being unbuckled, replacing the inner seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0S.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2015-01-28. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
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 al (excerpt)
Consequence: A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire. (excerpt)
Remedy: 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. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2013-10-17. Systems: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EQUIPMENT.
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentiall (excerpt)
Consequence: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds. (excerpt)
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Manufacturer communications
292 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system| System | Count |
|---|
| EQUIPMENT | 133 |
|---|
| STRUCTURE | 67 |
|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 35 |
|---|
| ENGINE | 17 |
|---|
| STEERING | 13 |
|---|
| POWER TRAIN | 12 |
|---|
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 10 |
|---|
| AIR BAGS | 9 |
|---|
11028712
Date: 2026-01-07. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Some 2005 a 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 procedur
11012742
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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
11012743
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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.
11012744
Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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,
11012735
Date: 2024-12-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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
11012727
Date: 2024-12-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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
11006161
Date: 2024-07-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
Some 2005 a 2024 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 procedur
11007455
Date: 2024-07-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
Some 2005 a 2024 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 procedur
11007444
Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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.
11007445
Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
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,