Toyota · Avalon · 2013
4
Recalls
159
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2013 Toyota Avalon has 4 recalls and 159 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: unknown or other (19 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.
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Rollover Resistance
10.7% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object.
Remedy Status
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Toyota Motor Engineering & manufacturing North America, Inc. (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Camry and Camry HV, model year 2013 Avalon and Avalon HV and model year 2014 Corolla vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the windshield wiper switch assembly may short circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."
Remedy Status
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiper switch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
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 potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
Remedy Status
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.
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.
Remedy Status
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 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Car into a brick wall, hit on front passenger side at 15 mph no airbag deployed.
Straps, yes The straps do not stay tight and do not keep my child restrained Yes After checking the straps on the car seat they become loose no longer restraining my child in her seat
1) System Failure: Back window shade. It is available for inspection at any time. 2) Safety of me and others put at risk: When the shade is down I can not see out the back window posing a significant risk to those behind me particularly pedestrians 3) Has problem been reproduced: Yes 4) Has the component been inspected: No the motor operating the shade has not been inspected 5) Warnings prior to system failure: None Description: The window shade is meant to automatically retract out of sight when the transmission is placed in reverse. It does not retract at all. It stays fully extended covering the entire back window. This problem drastically impairs my ability to see out the back window at all. While being a problem at all times driving the vehicle it is particularly problematic when backing up at night; you simply can not see anyone behind you backing out of a parking space in a mall for example.
SIDEWALL TIRE FAILED AFTER 3 MONTHS. NO HAZARD ON ROADWAY, SIDEWALL SEPARATED WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH CAUSING CAR TO GO OUT OF CONTROL WITH NEAR ACCIDENT. AFTER INSPECTING TIRE IT APPEARS TO HAVE VERY LITTLE MATERIAL DEPTH INDICATING A DEFECT BY MANUFACTURER.
I recently took my car in for maintenance and I was offered a complimentary car wash. 1 week after the wash, I noticed there were cloth fibers stuck between the rear side body panels. When i pulled them out, there was evidence of rust and corrosion right underneath. I suspected the cloth fibers were from the dealership's car wash so i contacted them. They confirmed the fibers are from their machine but claimed the rust is caused by a pre-existing problem (there is a small gap between the side body that was noted in the pre-inspections), when asked if the rust was noted during pre-inspections as well, they refused to answer my question. There was no evidence of rust or corrosion on the car before this incident and there are other fibers stuck in the side body panels as well which i haven't taken out yet. I have previously taken my car through car washes but this incident has never happened before. Toyota's service center refuses to look into the matter further.
The Cylinder head gasket in the engine has failed and is now leaking coolant under the body of the car. This has been inspected by a certified Toyota Dealership and has been maintained by one since we bought the car. There were no warning signs or problems with the car other than feeling off (sounding slightly different than normal) so we went to get an oil change and inspection done on the vehicle. This car was just serviced three months prior for regular maintenance and the vehicle had no indicated issues at that time and was inspected again by the same Toyota Dealership. The vehicle is available for inspection. This issue seems to have started very suddenly without warning and will cause severe engine damage in my vehicle if not replaced soon.
There is a very strong musty smell. 80% of the time it's when I turn on AC. 20% just at random driving times. Whenever car has sat longer then a few hours with all windows up. When open doors is has very musty smell. I have done everything to do with cleaning vehicle. This is a hybrid I'm a lil scared when it comes to electrical fire . Do to this musty smell. That means there is some type of fluid gathering somewhere. So what does Toyota plan on doing?
I had a smell of old water in my vehicle while trying to figure out from where it was coming from .I noticed in left and right rear ceiling quarter panels both wet and had water damage. Then I opened my trunk and it also had the same stale water smell. Under the spare tire on the very bottom of trunk there was at least 2 gallons of stale water. I have not had this looked at by the dealer or a mechanic. Do to it being a hybrid im very worried do to electrical components near the rear back seats where leak stains and water is . Also in my trunk is a hybrid battery next to were water was filling up. There's no damage to anything on the vehicle inside or out the vehicle has not been in no accidents. I'm available upon request for inspections. I have provided pictures of damage on rear ceiling panels . Thank you and I look forward to hearing from someone as soon as possible
The rear window spontaneously shattered into little fragments of glass and fell into the backseat section of the vehicle. This happened once while parked at work in a gated lot and security camera with motion sensors caught the incident happening on video. Temperature was in the high 80 F, and happened in August of 2022. After 5 months later the rear window shattered again while parked on driveway. Safety of anyone in the back seat is at risk due to sharp glass. Unable to convince the dealer this is a factory defect. Manufacturer said they can do a visual inspection but in realty results will be pointless since the car have not been in any accident. No warning appeared before rear window shattered.
Water is filling up in my trunk not sure how it is getting in . Have noticed a lil water stains along back top of lining. I started smelling a stail water smell when I found a puddle of water under my spare tire . Im extremely worried with winter coming again . Not to mention there is a battery locate in truck as well. So I feel completely unsafe. I have recently had noticed hybrid battery going from high to low then all of sudden died. Had to purchase a new battery. Please is this normal?someone help before it rains again and something terrible happens
The contact owns a Goodyear Tire. Tire Line: Assurance Max Life, Tire Size: 225/45/VR18. The contact stated that he noticed the front driver's side tire had a big bubble on the sidewall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The tire was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tire mileage was 6,000. The VIN was not available.
he Occupant Detection System (ODS) in my 2013 Toyota Avalon has failed. The vehicle does not consistently detect an adult passenger in the front seat, and the “Passenger Airbag OFF” light remains illuminated, even when someone is seated properly. This means the airbag will not deploy in a crash, which is a serious safety risk for my passengers. I first noticed this issue several months ago. I took the car to a local certified repair shop, where they diagnosed a failure in the ODS sensor. I then brought it to a Toyota dealership for further inspection. The dealership confirmed the issue but required extra time and labor charges just to reach the same conclusion, even though I had already informed them of the diagnosis. Despite this being a clearly safety-critical system, I was told that no recall was active, and the repair cost would be entirely out-of-pocket, which is prohibitively expensive. As a result, the issue remains unresolved. There is a constant indicator light on the dash showing that the airbag system is deactivated when the passenger seat is occupied. To my knowledge, this issue has occurred in other Toyota models as well, and I believe this should be considered for a formal investigation and potential recall. It puts passengers at serious risk in the event of an accident and should not be a customer’s financial responsibility when it involves airbag functionality.
The moonroof area has rattling noise at speeds exceeding 60 mph. A similar rattling noise is also noted from the driver side A pillar of the car at all driving speeds.
I have a tacky dashboard which has a glare on the dashboard hindering vision while driving. I understand is a recall however not for 2013 avalons. I’m a senior which make more difficult for to drive my care comfortably. I would like Toyota to approve the repair for my car. I’ve been a loyal customer for 25 years Sincerly
WAS DRIVING HOME ONE DAY AFTER TAKING MY DAD ABOUT 45 MINS AWAY WAS DRIVING AS USUAL AND THE CAR DIED HAD TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD PUT IN PARK AND RESTART. HAS DONE IT SEVERAL TIMES AFTER WE HAVE HAD IN AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE. SENT ME HOME WITH AN UNSAFE CAR FOR THE 4TH TIME. TRIED TAKING CAR BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT AS ISSUE HAPPENED ON FEB 6 21 AND I PURCHASED ON JAN 27 21 GOING TO CHANGE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEXT WEEK AND SEE IF THATS WHAT IT IS. PLEASE HELP I AM STUCK WITH A 23000 LOAN FOR A CAR I CANT DRIVE SAFELY OR CONFIDENTLY!
I JUST PURCHASED A 2013 TOYOTA AVALON FROM CARMAX. DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS OF DRIVING I HAD OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING. ONE. THE REAR WINDOW IS DISTORTED AND WILL NOT COME CLEAN NO MATTER WHAT I ATTEMPT TO USE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A CLEAR VISIBILITY. I ALSO HAVE NOTICED THAT WHILE IN A STOP POSITION, WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND I HAVE TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND REAPPLY TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE A SEVEN DAY RETURN POLICY NO QUESTIONS ASKED. BUT I REALLY LOVE THIS CAR IN BEEN WAITING TO FIND THAT PARTICULAR COLOR EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR WHICH IS BLACK LEATHER. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY RECALL OR OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2013 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSSED THE BRAKES BECAUSE THE VEHICLE AHEAD STALLED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COMPLETE STOP BUT THE VEHICLE BEHIND HIM WAS UNABLE TO STALLED CRASHING INTO THE REAR OF VEHICLE. WHICH CAUSED THE FRONT OF THE FRONT OF THE CONTACT VEHICLE TO RUN IN THE REAR OF THE CAR AHEAD OF HIM. THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, AND NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED FROM VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTATINED BACK PAIN, AND BUMP ON THE HEAD AND NECK STRAIN , THE CONTACT DAUGHTER SUSTAINED CHEST INJURY AND HIS SON HAD TOOTH INJURY CAUSING BLEEDING FROM THE MOUTH. THE CONTACT WAS NOT AWARE OF ANY OTHER INJURIES FROM THE OTHER DRIVERS. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE WAS RECEIVED AT THE SCENE BUT THE CONTACT DECLINE GOING TO THE HOSPTIAL TIL THE NEXT DAY. THE VEHILCE WAS TOWED TO LOCAL MECHANIC WHO DEEMED THE VEHICLE WAS TOTAL LOSS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DEALER OR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 132,000.
CAR STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH A DELAYED ENGAGEMENT OR SLIPPAGE WHEN SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR. THIS USUALLY HAPPENED ONCE OR TWICE A WEEK AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED. IT THEN BEGAN TO OCCUR MORE FREQUENTLY. TOOK CAR BACK TO DEALER NORTHTOWN TOYOTA AMHERST, NY AND THEY CHANGED THE FLUID AND UPDATED SOFTWARE. CAR RAN OK FOR 2 WKS, THEN STARTED SLIPPING AGAIN A FEW TIMES PER WEEK WITH A DELAY WHEN SHIFTING INTO FIRST GEAR. THIS HAPPENS AFTER THE CAR WAS PARKED. TOOK CAR INTO CONTINENTAL TRANSMISSION 909 HERTLE AVE, BUFFALO NY WHERE THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND PULLED THE TRANSMISSION OUT AND FOUND THAT THE UTILITY PUMP HAD FAILED AND THERE WAS SOME DAMAGE TO THE GEARS AND OTHER PARTS. OPTIONS WERE A REBUILD ($3800USD) OR REPLACEMENT NEW TRANSMISSION ($6200USD). CURRENTLY HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT. CAR HAS 22,300 MILES ON IT, IS OUT OF WARRANTY (7 YRS OLD) AND THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REBUILT/REPLACED.
I have a electrical issue going on with the driver side headlight. I have had to change the headlight over 3 times now . Seems to go out with in a month or two. While doing my own research Toyota has also changed the light bulb for the old owner more then 3 times. It has only been the driver side headlight that is being affected. I'm a lil worried that at any time a electrical fire or something else bad will happen. So at this time i haven't had new bulb installed. I'm just to nervous. So it's hard at times to see at night fall when driving. The contact stated there is some water buildup underneath the tire in the trunk. The water is entering somehow near the back top right inside and ending in the very bottom of my truck under the tire. There is water damage on the top right corner of of the panel on the inside.
THE REAR SUN SHADE WHICH EXTENDS AND RETRACTS TO COVER THE BACK WINDOW OF MY AVALON HAS A FAULT WHICH CAUSES IT TO GET STUCK IN THE EXTENDED POSITION, COVERING THE REAR WINDOW. THIS DRASTICALLY REDUCES THE VISIBILITY OUT THE REAR WINDOW AND THERE IS NO OBVIOUS OR SIMPLE FIX FOR THE ISSUE. I HAVE FOUND ONLINE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING A SIMILAR PROBLEM. BEFORE THE SHADE GOT STUCK, IT WOULD RANDOMLY EXTEND OR RETRACT DURING HOT DAYS, WHICH SEEMS TO BE DUE TO A FAULTY RELAY. THIS IS CLEARLY A POOR DESIGN WHICH PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD TO THE DRIVER AND ANYONE BEHIND THE VEHICLE WHILE BACKING UP.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2013 Toyota Avalon has 4 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 159 owner-reported complaints for the 2013 Toyota Avalon.
The 2013 Toyota Avalon received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2013 Toyota Avalon are unknown or other (19 reports), structure (15 reports), visibility/wiper (14 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 4 recalls on record for the 2013 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.