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2011 Toyota Avalon

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2011 Toyota Avalon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

78 reports with mileage · 28 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Steering. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

Electrical System complaints

25 reports
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45,000 miles · Nov 2, 2014
Electrical System

OCCASIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT LOCK WHEN I USE THE FOB OR USE THE DRIVERS MANUAL LOCKING SWITCH ON THE DOOR. THIS IS HAPPENING WHEN I EXIT THE VEHICLE. I HIT THE FOB LOCK BUTTON AND THE CAR BEEPS ONCE, BUT THE FRONT DRIVERS DOOR DOES NOT LOCK, AND THE DOOR LOCK DOES NOT MOVE TO A LOCKING POSITION, IT STAYS IN THE UNLOCKED …

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OCCASIONALLY, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT LOCK WHEN I USE THE FOB OR USE THE DRIVERS MANUAL LOCKING SWITCH ON THE DOOR. THIS IS HAPPENING WHEN I EXIT THE VEHICLE. I HIT THE FOB LOCK BUTTON AND THE CAR BEEPS ONCE, BUT THE FRONT DRIVERS DOOR DOES NOT LOCK, AND THE DOOR LOCK DOES NOT MOVE TO A LOCKING POSITION, IT STAYS IN THE UNLOCKED POSITION. WHEN I HIT THE LOCK BUTTON ON THE FOB, THE CAR BEEPS 8 TIMES AND STILL DOES NOT LOCK. IN ORDER TO LOCK THE CAR, I HAVE TO ENTER THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND MANUALLY LOCK THE FRONT DRIVERS DOOR. THE PROBLEM OCCURS ABOUT ONCE PER WEEK. IT STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10651947

15,610 miles · Mar 30, 2014
Electrical SystemFuel System, GasolineService BrakesCrash

FEBRUARY 25, 2014, I ARRIVED FOR MY 2 P.M. DOCTOR'S APPT AND DROVE VERY SLOWLY INTO A PARKING SPACE. I WAS CONSTANTLY BRAKING BECAUSE THE TOYOTA AVALON SPORT 2011 HAS LOTS OF LOW TRIM IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND I DID NOT WANT TO SCRATCH THE CAR. I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, STOPPED THE CAR, THEN OPENED THE DOOR TO CHECK THE W…

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FEBRUARY 25, 2014, I ARRIVED FOR MY 2 P.M. DOCTOR'S APPT AND DROVE VERY SLOWLY INTO A PARKING SPACE. I WAS CONSTANTLY BRAKING BECAUSE THE TOYOTA AVALON SPORT 2011 HAS LOTS OF LOW TRIM IN THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND I DID NOT WANT TO SCRATCH THE CAR. I KEPT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, STOPPED THE CAR, THEN OPENED THE DOOR TO CHECK THE WHITE LINE TO SEE IF I WAS IN MY PARKING SPACE. THEN, THE MOTOR BEGAN ACCELERATING VERY RAPIDLY. BEFORE I COULD TURN THE ENGINE OFF, THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND I FELT LIKE I WAS AIRBORNE. WITHIN SECONDS, THE CAR HIT THE VERY TALL HEAVY METAL AND GLASS DOORS OF THE DOCTOR'S OFFICE AND STOPPED. THE CAR WAS COVERED WITH GLASS. THE METAL DOORS OF THE OFFICE WERE DAMAGED. PLEASE NOTE, THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE CAR: GRILL, HEADLIGHTS, FENDERS AND HOOD WERE DAMAGED. THANKFULLY NO ONE WAS INJURED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10575701

34,500 miles · Apr 24, 2013
Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

THE PASSENGER AND REAR DOOR LOCKS DO NOT OPEN WITH THE REMOTE KEY NOR WITH THE DOOR-LOCK SWITCH ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THE PASSENGERS COULD NOT ENTER THE CAR. THEIR DOOR HAD TO BE UNLOCKED MANUALLY FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND NEED QUICK ENTRY FOR ANY REASON...ST…

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THE PASSENGER AND REAR DOOR LOCKS DO NOT OPEN WITH THE REMOTE KEY NOR WITH THE DOOR-LOCK SWITCH ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. THE PASSENGERS COULD NOT ENTER THE CAR. THEIR DOOR HAD TO BE UNLOCKED MANUALLY FROM INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THIS IS A SERIOUS PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY AND NEED QUICK ENTRY FOR ANY REASON...STORM, FIRE, EXPLOSION, PERSONAL ATTACK. THE TOYOTA DEALER COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10509389

Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2012
Electrical System

I HAVE CHECKED MY ODOMETER READING AND FOUND IT TO BE APPROXIMATELY 3% UNDER ACTUAL. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA, THE ODOMETER MAY VARY FROM EIGHT TO 10 PERCENT, WHICH IS WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) TOLERANCES. THEY ALSO STATE THAT IF THE ODOMETER IS READING LOW THEN THE SPEEDOMETER WILL ALSO BE READING LOW AT OR ABOUT T…

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I HAVE CHECKED MY ODOMETER READING AND FOUND IT TO BE APPROXIMATELY 3% UNDER ACTUAL. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA, THE ODOMETER MAY VARY FROM EIGHT TO 10 PERCENT, WHICH IS WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DOT) TOLERANCES. THEY ALSO STATE THAT IF THE ODOMETER IS READING LOW THEN THE SPEEDOMETER WILL ALSO BE READING LOW AT OR ABOUT THE SAME PERCENTAGE. I HAVE DRIVEN MANY OTHER CARS AND HAVE A HABIT OF CHECKING BOTH MY ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER READINGS FOR ACCURACY. THIS IS THE FIRST CAR THAT I EVER OWNED WHERE THE READINGS ARE THIS INACCURATE. IS TOYOTA'S COMMENT REGARDING DOT TOLERANCES CORRECT? WITHIN THIS AMOUNT OF INACCURACY, I FIND THIS TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN ESPECIALLY DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING. IS TOYOTA ALLOWED TO ADJUST THE ELECTRONICS THAT DRIVE THE ODOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER TO IMPROVE THE ACCURACY? THEY SAY THAT THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MAKE ANY CORRECTIONS TO THE SYSTEM. HAS THIS PROBLEM BEEN PREVIOUSLY REPORT? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10470469

1,300 miles · Dec 17, 2010
Electrical SystemCrash

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LEXUS RX350 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE REAR DOOR WAS OPENED, THE CHIME DID NOT INDICATE THAT DOOR WAS OPEN WHILE THE CONTACT WAS REVERSING OUT OF THE GARAGE; THE VEHICLE DOOR CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AND WAS DAMAGED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A WARNING CHI…

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 LEXUS RX350 (NA). THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE REAR DOOR WAS OPENED, THE CHIME DID NOT INDICATE THAT DOOR WAS OPEN WHILE THE CONTACT WAS REVERSING OUT OF THE GARAGE; THE VEHICLE DOOR CRASHED INTO THE GARAGE DOOR AND WAS DAMAGED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A WARNING CHIME. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT SOMEONE FROM THE DESIGN DEPARTMENT WOULD CONTACT HIM. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 1,300.

NHTSA ODI #10371008

Official recalls

1

15V047000 · Electrical System

Jan 28, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.