Toyota · Avalon · 2011
1
Recall
106
Complaints
-
Not Rated
The 2011 Toyota Avalon has 1 recall and 106 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Most reported issue: steering (26 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
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 allow a constant electrical current flow to the sub-woofer.
Remedy Status
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.
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's side seat belt failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt latch failed to unlock. The contact stated that his wife was stuck in the seat for five minutes doe to the failure. The contact attempted several times before the seat belt unlatched. Additionally, the contact stated that the seat belt became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 121,578.
the rear trunk lid arms broken lid feel on top of me
The rear sun screen will get stuck in the up position . At night there is almost no visibility out of the back window. This is a very dangerous safety problem. Apparently Toyota has had a problem with this feature with no effort made to correct it.
The engine has quit while in traffic several times and the check engine light and the skid control lights are the only lights lit on the dashboard. Once the car comes to rest and one waits 3 to 5 minutes, the car will restart. We have taken the car to the dealer twice, ( each time the had it for nearly a week) and they could not find the problem. This is a very serious problem because the engine stops without notice causing loss of power steering and total loss of control. The lights for check engine and skid control are sometimes on when this happens, but not always; and the fact that these lights are lit does not predict this event happening.I think there might be a sensor in the engine that is faulty.
Failure of the Sun shade in the rear causes a problem with visability. Stays stuck in up or down position. Creates a loud distracting grinding noise when in operation and highly reduces visibility through the rear window. Particularly when it is stuck in the half way position.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE MAKING A RIGHT OR LEFT TURN, THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOOSE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED HE WAS ABLE TO READJUSTED THE STEERING COLUMN HOWEVER, EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE WITHIN A FEW DAYS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 111,800.
HEADLIGHTS FLICKERING CONSTANTLY AND AT TIMES ONE OR BOTH WILL GO COMPLETELY OFF. WILL HAVE TO MANUALLY TURN OFF AND THEN TURN ON AGAIN. BOTH WILL SHINE STEADY FOR ABOUT 2 MINUTES AND THEN BEGAN TO FLICKER AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS WHEN PARKED OR WHEN IN MOTION. THIS ONLY APPLIES TO WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ON LOW BEAM. (THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR A FEW MONTHS).
I WAS USING THE LEVER TO PUSH THE SEAT AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL WHEN ONE SIDE STOPPED MOVING, CAUSING THE OTHER SIDE TO DERAIL. I TOOK THE CAR TO JIM HUDSON TOYOTA IMMEDIATELY, AND THE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO GET SEAT BACK ON TRACK. HOWEVER, HE WASN'T ABLE TO GET THE SIDE MOVING, AND STATED THE ENTIRE SEAT RAIL WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. FURTHERMORE, I WAS TOLD I HAVE A LEAK IN THE ROD AND PINION SYSTEM BECAUSE THE INNER SEAL NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALTHOUGH, I SERVICE MY VEHICLE REGULARLY WITH FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA, AND NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN SAID ABOUT THIS.
WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING COLUMN TELESCOPIC LEVER COMES LOOSE AND THE COLUMN DEPRESSES. IT HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES WHILE PULLING UP ON THE BOTTOM OF THE STEERING WHEEL, DURING SHARP TURNS FOR EXAMPLE, AND THE LEVER UNLOCKS. THEN AS SOON AS YOU PRESS ON THE STEERING WHEEL, PERHAPS SOME TIME LATER, THE STEERING WHEEL GOES COMPLETELY INTO THE DASH. IT IS ALMOST AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS FALLING AWAY FROM ME, AND I HAVE PARTIALLY GONE THROUGH TWO (THANKFULLY EMPTY) INTERSECTIONS BECAUSE I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR BECAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN COLLAPSED UNEXPECTEDLY.
THE REAR SUNSHADE DOES NOT WORK AND OBSTRUCTS YOUR VIEW OF THE REAR ROAD. IF YOU GOOGLE IT I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS COMPLAINT.
I RAISED MY REAR SUNSHADE AND COULDN'T LOWER IT. IT WAS DURING THE DAY RUNNING ERRANDS AND VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE OUT THE BACK WINDOW. I CHOSE NOT TO DRIVE MY CAR LATE EVENINGS AND NIGHT BECAUSE OF SAFETY AND VISIBILITY .I NEED MY CAR 24/7, I PAID FOR THE SHADE TO BE LOWERED BUT IT'S INOPERABLE. THIS SUMMER I KNOW I WILL NEED THE SUNSHADE.
POWER STEERING FLUID WAS SEEPING AND THEN BECAME A FULL LEAK THAT RESULTED IN LOSS OF ALL POWER STEERING FLUID. VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED, AND TOYOTA QUOTED A $1800 RACK AND PINION REPLACEMENT. MILEAGE OF FAILURE IS APPROXIMATELY 126K MILES.
THE TILT/TELESCOPIC LEVER ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE STEERING COLUMN STAYS IN PLACE VIA SOME TYPE OF FRICTION TENSION. IT REGULARLY DISENGAGES BY ITSELF AND ALLOWS THE STEERING COLUMN/STEERING WHEEL TO FALL DOWN OR SUDDENLY MOVE INWARD. THIS CAN OCCUR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AT BOTH HIGHWAY AND SLOW SPEEDS. IT IS DANGEROUS AS IT CAN MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO HANG ONTO THE STEERING WHEEL. A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH OF THIS ISSUE SHOWS LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED TO ME PERHAPS MORE THAN 50 TIMES SINCE I'VE OWNED THE VEHICLE.
FLIM OVER REAR WINDOW, INSIDE THE GLASS , AROUND THE HEAT ELEMENTS.I CAN NOT CLEAN THE FILM OFF.I CAN NOT SEE THROUGH THE REAR GLASS, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD.
MY PAINT IS PEELING OFF MY CAR ALREADY HAD ONE AREA FIXED ON IT & NOW MORE IS PEELING ON THE ROOF. THIS IS RIDICULOUS I'M STILL PAYING ON THIS CAR & THIS LOOKS HIDEOUS 🤬 TOYOTA NEEDS TO DO SOME RECALLS SOONER THEN LATER.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA AVALON. WHEN THE CONTACT PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, SHE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE UNINTENDEDLY ACCELERATED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A GENERATOR AND SPUN IN THE GARAGE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES AND NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. TOYOTA TOWED THE VEHICLE TO JEFF HENDRICKS TOYOTA: 228 S COLLEGE RD, WILMINGTON, NC 28403 (910) 791-2424, WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY AN INVESTIGATOR WHO TRAVELED FROM VIRGINIA. THE TEST WAS NOT COMPLETED AND THE RESULTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE AS OF YET. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 42,000.
TELESCOPING STEERING COLUMN LOCK LOOSENS WHILE DRIVING CAUSING STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES TO SHAKE. ADVISED MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY BUT I COULD PAY THEM TO REPAIR THE ISSUE WITH A UPGRADED REPAIR THAT TOYOTA HAS IDENTIFIED. A NOTICE WAS NEVER SENT OUT TO TOYOTA OWNERS. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL NOTICE. SAFETY ISSUE WHILE DRIVING. SERVICE BULLETIN (#00206, NHTSA # 10019669) 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. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD CONTINUE TO STAND BEHIND.
REAR WINDOW SUNSHADE MAKES A LOUD GRINDING NOISE IN THE DOWN POSITION. IT MUST REMAIN IN THE UP POSITION AT ALL TIMES. VISIBILITY IS ZERO AT NIGHT. IT STARTED A COUPLE WEEKS AGO. THE LOUD NOISE IS WHILE IN REVERSE AND CONTINUES UNLESS YOU MANUALLY PLACE THE SHADE IN THE UP POSITION. THIS CONTINUES REGARDLESS OF IN MOTION OR STATIONARY, TURNING, STREET OR HIGHWAY
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY FRONT BRAKE ROTORS 4 TIMES ON MY 2011 AVALON.. I CURRENTLY HAVE 173,800 MILES WITH 75-80% OF THIS MILEAGE ON THE OPEN HIGHWAY. SEVERAL MECHANICS HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS PREMATURE WEAR ON THE FRONT ROTORS IS HIGHLY UNUSUAL. MY ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT TOYOTA ABOUT THIS PREMATURE ROTOR WEAR ISSUE HAVE EITHER NO RESPONSE OR A FORM LETTER STATING THEY HAVE NO ISSUES WITH THEIR BRAKES. MY VEHICLE IS SERVICED REGULARLY AND TO ME THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ISSUE. PERHAPS YOU CAN GET THE ATTENTION OF TOYOTA TO LOOK INTO THIS MATTER.
TELESCOPIC STEERING WHEEL LEVER WILL RANDOMLY DROP, CAUSING THE STEERING WHEEL TO COLLAPSE. HAPPENS WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2011 Toyota Avalon has 1 recall recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 106 owner-reported complaints for the 2011 Toyota Avalon.
NHTSA has not published a safety rating for the 2011 Toyota Avalon.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2011 Toyota Avalon are steering (26 reports), electrical system (19 reports), visibility/wiper (9 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 1 recall on record for the 2011 Toyota Avalon. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.