There are 18 owner-reported steering complaints for the 2009 Toyota Avalonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The steering wheel telescoping lever is faulty in that it will loosen in its own causing the steering wheel to lunge forward toward the dash unexpectedly with little pressure while driving.
THE TELESCOPIC STEERING COLUMN ADJUSTMENT LEVER WILL NOT STAY SECURE AND COMES LOOSE FREQUENTLY WHILE DRIVING ALLOWING THE STEERING COLUMN TO COLLAPSE IN OR PULL OUT. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN I REPORTED TO MY TOYOTA DEALER (GILROY TOYOTA - GILROY, CA) IN JULY OF 2019 WHEN TAKING THE CAR IN TO HAVE THE AC BLOWER MOTOR REPAIRED AND ASKING FOR A SOLUTION. AFTER MULTIPLE CALLS I FINALLY GAVE UP. NOW I'M BACK TALKING TO THE DEALER REGARDING A RECALL ON MY 2018 HIGHLANDER AND ASKING THEM AGAIN ABOUT A FIX FOR MY STEERING COLUMN. THEY NOW INFORM ME OF A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE TELESCOPIC LEVER DETENT CLIP AND A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TSB-0147-13 AND ALSO THAT TOYOTA HAD A WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM - ZTY TO ADDRESS IT WHICH EXPIRED IN SEPTEMBER OF 2019. THE DEALER NOW TELLS ME THEY CAN NOT HELP SINCE IT HAS EXPIRED AND GAVE ME THE NUMBER FOR TOYOTA CUSTOMER CARE 1-800-331-4331 BUT THEY REFUSE TO HELP. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL AND I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM SO I'M NOW STUCK WITH AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD CONTINUE TO STAND BEHIND. DO I HAVE ANY RECOURSE AT ALL?
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY THE AT 70 MPH TELESCOPIC STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSED.
THREE TIMES WHILE DRIVING, THE LATCH THAT CONTROLS THE STEERING WHEEL HAS FAILED. THE STEERING WHEEL DROPS ALL THE WAY AGAINST THE DASHBOARD TO THE LOWEST POSITION. THIS ALWAYS OCCURS WHEN DRIVING. MAKING CONTROLLING THE CAR DIFFICULT. THE FIX IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN FOR OVER $1200.
MY 2009 TOYOTA NOW HAS 85000 MILES ON IT AND I HAVE JUST BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH A TORN CV AND POWER STEERING BOOT ALONG WITH A RETURN HOSE. THE POWER STEERING UNIT IS LEAKING AND THE PRICE TAG TO REPAIR THESE ITEMS IS $1912.21. IN READING MY CONSUMER REPORTS TROUBLE SPOT REPORT I SEE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR OTHER OWNERS FROM 2007 THROUGH 2010 AND I AM SURPRISED THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT RESOLVED THIS PROBLEM BY ISSUING A RECALL FOR THAT SPECIFIC DEFECT.
THE HORN WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO AND THE STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES MOVES. THE CAR SITS LOWER THAN IT SHOULD CAUSING THE TIRES TO SCRAPE. *TR
STEERING PLACEMENT LOCK CAME LOOSE WHILE DRIVING AND STEERING COLUMN DROPPED TO LOWEST LEVEL. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 OTHER TIMES IN CITY TRAFFIC. TRYING TO TIGHTEN THE STEERING PLACEMENT FRICTION LOCK ONLY SEEMS TO HOLD TEMPORARILY. *TR
TELESCOPIC STEERING WHEEL LOCK FAILS WHILE DRIVING AND STEERING WHEEL COLLAPSES. TOOK TO TOYOTA OF TEMECULA VALLEY AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO KNOWN PROBLEM AND NO TSB. I LOOKED ON LINE THERE IS A TSB FOR THIS. THIS FAILURE OF THIS DEALERSHIP PUTS MY FAMILY'S SAFETY AT RISK. *TR
STEERING WHEEL COLUMN COLLAPSES UNEXPECTEDLY UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. CULPRIT IS THE ADJUSTMENT FRICTION LEVER BECOMES DISENGAGED AND ALLOWS THE STEERING COLUMN TO COLLAPSE. THIS HAPPENS REPEATEDLY NO MATTER HOW MUCH ONE ENSURES IT IS TIGHTENED. DEALER AGREED TO FIX UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT TOOK ALMOST 6 MONTHS TO GET PART. IT APPEARED THAT TOYOTA KEPT CANCELING THE PART ORDER ALTHOUGH I WAS TOLD PLENTY OF PARTS WERE IN INVENTORY IN KANSAS CITY. (SERVICE PERSON SAID MAYBE TOYOTA WAS HOLDING PARTS DUE TO A RECALL BUT COULD NOT FIND THAT TO BE THE CASE.) EVENTUALLY, AFTER THE PART WAS ORDERED THE THIRD TIME, AND PRESUMABLY PRODDED BY THE DEALERSHIP, THE PART WAS DELIVERED AND SUBSEQUENTLY INSTALLED. I AM CONCERNED THE PROBLEM WILL REAPPEAR OVER TIME. *TR
LEVER DROPPED HOLDING THE COLLAPSING STEERING COLUMN IN PLACE. HAS BEEN DOING SO FAIRLY REGULARLY SINCE. I CONSIDER THIS A DESIGN DEFECT. THE TOYOTA DEALER STATES THAT ONLY A NEW STEERING COLUMN WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM AT A COST OF MORE THAN $1100.00. I NOTE THAT THERE ARE OTHER IDENTICAL COMPLAINTS, AND SINCE THIS IS CONSIDERED A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL OF AFFECTED AUTOS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN FAILED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,000.
THE STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPING MECHANISM DROPS, MAKING THE STEERING WHEEL TELESCOPE ALL THE WAY DOWN WHILE DRIVING THE CAR. IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS THAT WE HAVE HAD THE 2009 AVALON. OUR 2005 DID THE SAME EXACT THING. I AM NOW BEING TOLD THAT WE NEED TO PAY OVER $1100 TO HAVE THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED AND HAVE THE CAR ALIGNED AGAIN. THIS IS NOT A FREAK THING WITH JUST THIS CAR, AS OUR OTHER ONE WAS THE SAME WAY. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE LOCK FOR THE TELESCOPING ON THE STEERING WHEEL MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE STEERING TO MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO REACH THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 53,000.
SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING MY 09 TOYOTA AVALON, THE LEVER THAT LOCKS THE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL IN PLACE BEGAN FALLING DOWN. THREE MECHANICS ALL SAY IT'S A MANUFACTURER DEFECT COVERED BY A BULLETIN AND CANNOT BE REPAIRED, ONLY REPLACED FOR OVER $1000. LAST WEEK A MULTICAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED 100 FT AHEAD OF ME AND WHEN I BRAKED TO AVOID BECOMING PART OF THE DEBACLE, THE STEERING WHEEL DESCENDED INTO ITS LOWEST POSITION, ALMOST FORCING ME TO LOSE CONTROL OF MY CAR. SEVERAL TIMES, I'VE BLOODIED MY KNEE EXITING THE CAR. TOYOTA NA SAYS THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO. THIS IS A PRETTY OBVIOUS SAFETY DEFECT THAT IN A SIMILAR SITUATION AN OPERATOR WILL LESS EXPERIENCE MIGHT BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED. *TR
THE STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPIC LOCK WON'T STAY LOCKED. YOU CAN BE DRIVING ALONG AND THE STEERING COLUMN WILL COLLAPSE AND BECOME VERY LOOSE. I HAD IT HAPPEN WHILE TURNING A CORNER AND IT CAUSED ME TO LOOSE TEMPORARY CONTROL. I REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER BEFORE IT WENT OUT OF WARRANTY BUT THEY ADVISED THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. AT 36,800 MILES I CONVINCED THEM THERE WAS A PROBLEM. AT THAT TIME THEY AGREED TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART AT 1/2 PRICE. SINCE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE IT SHOULD BE REPLACED NO CHARGE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN HE MADE A TURN ON AN UPHILL SURFACE, THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SEVERELY PULL TO THE LEFT (OR DIRECTION OPPOSITE THE TURN) WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES. ON TWO VISITS, A DEALER COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM AND ON THE LAST VISIT, A DEALER WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. WHEN THE CASE WAS ESCALATED TO A REPRESENTATIVE, HE WAS TOLD THAT THE VEHICLE BEHAVED NORMALLY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT SPOKEN WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO-DATE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 20,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 18,000. UPDATED 5/10/10 *CN UPDATED 05/14/10.*JB
THE STEERING WHEEL ON MY 2009 AVALON LIMITED AUTOMOBILE COLLAPSES WHILE DRIVING WITH NO APPARENT REASON. MY VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ADJUSTABLE TELESCOPING STEERING WHEEL WHICH ONE CAN ADJUST FOR COMFORT & THEN LOCK INTO ITS SET POSITION. A LEVER BELOW THE STEERING COLUMN ON THE LEFT SIDE IS MADE TO LOCK SUCH POSITION. IN MANY CASES THE LOCKING LEVER DIS-ENGAGES SUDDENLY CAUSE THE STEERING WHEEL TO COLLAPSE WHILE ONE IS DRIVING. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO MY DEALER BUT TO THIS DATE, THEY HAVE NOT DUPLICATED THE SAME ISSUE. MY OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN SPORADIC; HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE A MAJOR CONCERN OF ANY DRIVER WHEN THEY LOOSES CONTROL OF A MAJOR STEERING ABILITY OF ANY VEHICLE. *TR
The steering latch to adjust steering wheel unlocks while I’m driving causing my steering wheel to drop literally while I’m driving.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026