369 of the 4,245 complaints filed about the Toyota Avalon are about the steering — 9% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 1997.
369
Complaints
9%
Share of all complaints
27
Crashes
2
Fires
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The steering latch to adjust steering wheel unlocks while I’m driving causing my steering wheel to drop literally while I’m driving.
NHTSA complaint #11688670 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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I was driving my 2007 Toyota Avalon returning home from work and was driving on a local road at approximately 25 MPH and turning my vehicle towards right on a curved road and the steering wheel seized and car veered and jumped the curb causing the passenger side bottom of car protection plastic guard clips damaged. No other damage to car observed other than minor scratches to front bumper due to tree limbs on grassy island next to curb. Hit the brakes hard and was able to stop vehicle stopping just before it could hit the tree on side of road. No warning lights were illuminated. No air bags were deployed. Was able to restart the vehicle and reversing down on the road and eventually was able to unseize the steering wheel. Was able to drive the car home and will be taking it to either Toyota dealer or vehicle repair shop for further diagnosis. No injures were sustained. No police report was filed. Will be calling the manufacturer to notify steering wheel seizure. The mileage of car was around 205,000+ miles.
NHTSA complaint #11681812 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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The contact owns a 2007 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH and attempting to make a turn, the steering wheel had seized causing a crash. The front passenger side and rear passenger side bumper impacted into a guard rail during the crash. No warning lights had illuminated. No air bags deployed. The contact managed to restart the vehicle and the failure was temporarily fixed. No injuries were sustained. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the insurance provider for further diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired as of yet. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
NHTSA complaint #11610510 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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TIE ROD LOOSE I heard a clunking noise while turning the steering wheel to the left at very low speeds. Took car in for service Service Mechanic found left outer tie rod end "with play, loose" Safety issue: potential loss of steering ability while driving Vehicle has been inspected and repaired - (my cost $1308.94) - images attached No warning messages / appeared about a month before I went in... it became progressively worse with time
NHTSA complaint #11602383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Tie rods detached from frame, along with steering parts became unsafe on minor highway speed turnes
NHTSA complaint #11528799 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
STEERING:STEERING WHEEL /HANDLE BAR:YAW/ANGLE SENSOR
The contact owns a 2014 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH for 20 miles, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light became illuminated. The vehicle was parked and then towed to the residence. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering angle sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,917.
NHTSA complaint #11518025 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Steering wheel locked up while driving ! No warning lights. steering bracket assembly is the issue . Same issue with 2000-2004 Avalons …all were recalled and fixed but anything after those years are not recalled or fixed . This is clearly a defect and should be recalled again before someone has a bad accident .
NHTSA complaint #11504939 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Purchased car used 11/2020 Jan 14 2021 had 2 open recalls steering casting defect and wire harness filter to deflect noise from ecm . I lost control of communication of operations. 12/2022 steering lock bar The past 2 years uncovered everything on my own. Learned somebody died in 2003 Avalon in Texas about steering locking up. Plan to talk to class action lawyers over airbag and steering. And arrange my own lawyer with settlement lawyers to make this repair and all tsb to be performed. I will never buy a car unless I can find all tsb problems associated with that car. I hope recalls can be opened especially when you guys in government state safety ,compliance and emissions do not expire. Recall
NHTSA complaint #11500232 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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The telescopic steering wheel lever comes loose which will cause the wheel to lurch forward if the brakes are pushed in hard. This could be dangerous. This has happened twice in 2 months.
NHTSA complaint #11499704 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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.
NHTSA complaint #11479139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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I am the owner of the 2007 Toyota Avalon that my son was driving. He experienced a very dangerous situation where his steering wheel getting locked while driving on Dec 10, 2021 afternoon. He stopped the car immediately by slamming on the brakes. The car was towed to a local Toyota dealership, Toyota of Redlands, California. The Service Manager Todd Klingbeil was able to reproduce the issue based on the earlier Toyota Recall information for 2000-2004 Avalons, and they replaced the steering bracket assembly. It is clear that my 2007 Avalon car experienced similar Steering locking issue/defect like in the Toyota Avalon 2000-2004 recall bulletin. I brought the matter to the attention of Toyota (manufacturer), but they simply ignored the matter saying there is no recall for 2007 Avalon, and they would not cover the cost nor reimburse me. And they never responded to my fax, emails and phone calls.
NHTSA complaint #11451263 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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Two times the power steering locked/hard to turn momentarily while driving and turning. Check power steering fluid full and no leak, power steering belt is good. Stop driving the car for now. First incident happened on Dec. 15 and the second last Dec. 23.
NHTSA complaint #11445753 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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The steering tilt lock mechanism is failing. Vibrates loose while driving. It is a non-wear item. Toyota had to recall 2009-2012 models of Avalon for the same problem. My vehicle is a 2015 and is out of warranty and only has 50,000 miles. I did have a service center check it and they confirmed the problem. You can repair this non-wear item you must replace the complete steering column assembly. With parts and labor the cost is @ $1500. Whatever they did to redesign the mechanism since the 2012 model year to fix the problem was not effective. Toyota responded to my letter and declined to take any responsibility.
NHTSA complaint #11437591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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At approximately 42000 miles with no significant issues and no front end damages, the steering failed as I was driving at highway speed (70 mph) on a 2 lane road approaching a 90 degree curve. The power steering warning light and a separate triangle warning light appeared at the same time as I felt a pop and lost power and response in the steering wheel. Thankfully, I have driven heavy power equipment in the past and was able to control the vehicle to the shoulder and there was no surrounding traffic. I was able to proceed to my residence at a slow speed on the road shoulder with no power steering and an almost unresponsive steering wheel. After being towed to the local dealer, it was determined the torque sensor failed and the entire steering column required replacement. I had no warning of this impending failure. The airbag recall was done on this vehicle by the dealer several weeks prior to this with no reports of an issue. It is unknown if the airbag recall service impacted this catastrophic failure. The dealership was in possession of the faulty part on 8/27/2021, when the repair was completed. I understand there were previous recalls on Avalons pre-2005 for this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11430947 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? 1- AUG 2020- MEGA MOTERS- PURCHASSED AUTO- CARFAX AND AUTO GURO- RECOMMENDED THIS VEHISCAL AND SALES PITCH INCLUDED THESE COMPANIES- HE SAID HE DOES GOOD BUSINESS- HE SAID HE WILL FIX ALL ISSUES IF THE ISSUE WAS WITH-IN 30 DAYS- CAR DROVE FINE- HE PUT AN INSPECTION STICKER- IT DID NOT SMOKE THEN BECAUSE HE HAD A HELPER WHO STARTED THE CAR AND PLACED INSPECTION STICKER READIN 10;2021? BUT IT WAS AUGUST 2020? THE HELPER DROVE IT TO THE FRONT OF THE DEALERSHIP- AFTER I PAID 7000.00 AND THUS DID NOT SEE START UP SMOKE AT THE DEALERSHIP 2. AT START UP - TOOK MY TWO SISTERS FOR A TEST DRIVE- GREY SMOKE- SAME DAY- AS PURCHASSED - SHOCK ISSUES-SUSPENTION AND DEALER- MY SISTER WAS DRIVING AS i CALLED TO TELL HIM i LOVED THE CAR AND IT SEEMED TO RUN FINE- EXCEPT FOR THE SMOKE ANDRED OIL LIGHT AND THE SHOCKS- SUSPENTION- UNCOMFORTABLE SCRAPING SOUND- I WILL FIX- AS HE SAID HE FORGOT TO PUT THE NEW OIL CAP ON OIL AND SENSOR- HE SAID HE WOULD PLACE THE TIRE SHOCKS TO FIX SUSPENTION. 2- I LIVE FAIRLY CLOSE- AND ONLY DRIVE SHORT DISTANCE- LIGHT OF OIL CAME ON- BUT GAGES READ NORMAL- MILES WERE AT 9800, DROVE FINE- JUST WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE LOUD SCRAP SOUND ON ANY DIPS ON ROAD AND THE SMOKE- AT START UP - AND DEALER AT MEGA MORTOR- SAID- TO BRING IT IN HE FORGOT TO PUT A SENSOR AND THE SHOCKS HE HAS THEM AT THE SHOP AND THE NEW OIL CAP- 2 RETURNED THE FOLLOWING MORNING- NO ONE WAS AT THE SHOP- I CALLED HIM HE SAID HE WOULD BE THERE AT 10 AM- - THE CAR SMOKED AT START INCREASED- - HE WAS NOT THERE AT 1030AM- CALLED HIM HE SAID HE COULD NOT FIX IT AS HE WAS BUSY- HE ASKED ME TO COME IN THE NEXT DAY- i CALLED NO ANSWER- CALLED AGAIN- AND HE SAID HE NEEDED ME TO BRING IT SATURDAY MORNING- AND HE WILL FIX- HE WAS RUDE AND SAID HE WAS BUSY- IT WAS SEPTEMBER- AND THE CAR IS HAZARD- IT STOPPED ON MY WAY INTO HIS SHOP AND GOT IT HOME- I GOT COVID 10-2020 TO 4/2020- LONGHAUL-
NHTSA complaint #11418364 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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.
NHTSA complaint #11397586 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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MY PAID CASH FOR THIS TOYOTA AVALON $5000 WORTH $2200 THE CAR HAS 6 RECALLS NONE OF WHICH WERE EVER INVESTIGATED BY TOYOTA OR ANYONE ELSE. I FIRST GOT THE CAR STARTED DRIVING AND THE BELT STARTED SMOKING BEFORE 3 YRS THE BATTERY WAS CHANGED OUT BY ADVANCED AUTO FREE / WE PAID FOR A NEW BELT THEN THE TIRE WENT OUT 2 X FOUND OUT THEIRS A WHEEL ALIGNMENT ISSUE WITH THE ARMS THAT NEED REPLACING TOY DEALER AND AMERICAN BEST RECOMMENDED NEW ARMS AMER BEST PRICED $800 TOY DEALER PRICED $3-5K AMONG BRAKES WIPERS SUSPENSION ETC ! TOY SHOULD BE LIABLE TO FIX THE CAR PARTS AS I WENT THERE FOR HELP INSTEAD THEY SEND AN EST FOR THOUSANDS TO FIX WHEN THERE ARE 6 RECALLS REMAINING ! I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT 10/30 SOMEONE HIT ME WHILE DRIVING FROM BEHIND . THE CAR I BELIEVE WAS IN AN ACCIDENT PRIOR TO OWNERSHIP. EVERYTHING I MENTIONED IS HAZARDOUS AND UNSAFE FOR MANUFACTURERS TO CONTINUE TO BUILD UNSAFE CARS ON THE ROAD!
NHTSA complaint #11373914 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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.
NHTSA complaint #11373521 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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?
NHTSA complaint #11366645 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
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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.
NHTSA complaint #11338711 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.