191 of the 4,245 complaints filed about the Toyota Avalon are about the glass, mirrors and wipers — 4% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2013.
191
Complaints
4%
Share of all complaints
0
Crashes
1
Fires
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2016 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the sunroof glass shattered. The contact stated that there was no glass inside the vehicle because the sunroof shade was in the closed position. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,500.
NHTSA complaint #11691211 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
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.
NHTSA complaint #11633747 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Installed new Rainex wipers two days ago. Driving tonight in rain and the exterior of the windshield has a film on it that makes it difficult to see when the wipers cycle when near streetlights or when cars with headlighs on are approaching. Seems really dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11626532 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear window shade stuck in 'UP' position, cannot see out the rearview mirror, especially at night. Makes for very dangerous driving.
NHTSA complaint #11573876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
2019 Toyota Avalon XSE with 41,400 miles. Complete failure of the Climate Control Panel. No buttons or lights would work, resulting in lack of any fan, heat, air conditioning, window defroster, mirror defroster or seat heat. Found no fuses blown. On one occasion since then both seat heat lights came on indicating full heat but did not produce any heat. Two days later Panel began to work normally for a 1 hour drive. Later this day there was another complete failure of the same panel. Took car to dealership the next day and panel functioned normally enroute. When dealership diagnosed the problem the Climate Control Panel had failed again and the problem could not be duplicated. No trouble codes were stored in the system. They performed a master reset of the system thinking an update may have been corrupt. Panel worked when leaving the dealership later this day. The next morning the Panel initially did not work, but 20 minutes into a 1 hour drive it started working normally. That evening the Panel failed again on vehicle startup and has not worked since. Took it back to the dealership this morning and did not turn vehicle off, thinking the failure might show up in the car’s system until the service advisor could drive it to a maintenance bay. After 3 hours the problem could not be diagnosed. The lead mechanic contacted Toyota corporate to inquire if this problem has been encountered previously and for a possible solution. Overall this may not be a safety issue warranting any further action. However, if the windows or mirrors were to fog up, there would be no defroster capability for either of these. In this situation it could quickly become a dangerous situation while the vehicle is moving. This should be investigated further.
NHTSA complaint #11530193 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The dashboard melts/gets sticky when it is hot and humid outside. Once the dashboard is in the sticky state, it appears wet with melted/sticky plastic. When we look out the front windshield while driving, the sun reflects off of the extra shiny sticky dashboard and the experience of the entire front dashboard surface reflecting the sun is like looking directly into the sun. You cannot see out the front windshield because the glare is too severe because of the shiny dashboard top. Even with sunglasses on and visor down, it is impossible to see ahead of the car while driving because of the blinding glare. The glare off of the sticky dashboard and the reflection of the dashboard onto the inside of the windshield is very scary. The Toyota dealer said that they are aware of the issue and extended the warranty to replace the dashboard because of the problem, but they did NOT issue a recall. The extended warranty expired, ironically, this vehicle has been kept in a garage since it was bought in 2007 and only has 50,000 miles on it now...so we didn't know there was a problem until several years after their extended warranty expired in 2017. The dealer said that I would have to pay out of pocket to replace the dashboard and they would not pay for it. We called Toyota "Resolution Department" and they said the same thing. We asked them if they admit that it is a factory defect and it creates a dangerous driving situation, why would they not want to make it right?
NHTSA complaint #11518741 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby. Brights are essential to see far and when you’re driving through hills, going up a hill you need your brights to extend higher than your normal lights do. This is a commonly complained about problem for the 2008-2010 models of this Toyota Avalon. Toyota has issued a technical service bulletin back in 2011, but it is a major defect and I believe it should be fixed regardless of whether a customer pays for a warranty or not. A mechanic told me also that they are not sure why Toyota has not warrantied vehicles with this issue. The solution is replacing the headlight housing. So there is clearly a material defect, and I believe it affects safety. Vehicles are required to have high beam headlights for a reason, and the high beams on this vehicle burn out commonly on certain vehicles, and replacing bulbs does NOT solve the problem. It is a very expensive repair as well. What kind of car manufacturer doesn’t recall or acknowledge a material defect or design flaw in such a crucial safety feature or a vehicle such as headlights? It’s an expensive, annoying, and dangerous issue that continues to happen. There are so many complaints about this high beam issue for the 2008 year. In my mind this really reduces Toyotas reputation and credibility since they did not and will not recall these headlights. We just have to deal with their faulty design. Fix your mistakes instead of making customers foot the bill for your poor craftsmanship. This is pathetic.
NHTSA complaint #11516621 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The rear window retractable sun visor motor/gears have failed. When this happens, it leaves the sun visor in the up position in the rear window at all times. This makes it very, very, hard to see anything out the rear window at night, also pretty hard when it's raining or cloudy out. I understand this has happened to quite a lot of these cars and is a VERY expensive repair cost. I feel this is hazard that Toyota should bear the cost of fixing, because of the sheer amount of vehicles this has happened. Thank you for keeping us all informed and safe from these types of things!
NHTSA complaint #11514911 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Dash board is melting which causes it to get shiny which causes it to reflect onto the windshield. This reflection makes it very difficult to see other vehicles, road lines, and traffic direction sighns.
NHTSA complaint #11510757 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The sunroof of my 2019 Toyota Avalon is defective. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety, as well as the safety of my passengers, has been put at risk. My problem has been confirmed by Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg. No warning lamps or messages to indicate sunroof problem. The driver side of my sunroof keeps clogging. I first took my vehicle to Toyota Sheehy of Fredericksburg on 1/3/2023. Sunroof tray was found to have a buildup of organic detritus, causing drains of sunroof tray to be clogged and allowing rainwater to spill over into interior. Sheehy technician cleared the sunroof tray and drains of organic material. Drains were now flowing properly. Technician claimed that sunroof would not have to be drained for at least two years. There was standing water and a heavy mildew smell in the car. Sheehy refused to clean/drain carpet of water. I took it to a detailer and had the detailer vacuum and clean the carpet. Less than a month later, I started experiencing the same issues -- wet carpeting on the floorboard. I took my vehicle to Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg on 2/7/2023. Technician told me that the driver side of the sunroof was clogged. Technician claimed that he fixed the clogged drain of the sunroof. Technician suggested that my sunroof got clogged because I have only driven my car 140 miles this month. Not a rational explanation. He recommended that I replace the carpet due to mold concerns. Why would I replace the carpet if there is a strong possibility of having wet carpet every few weeks? Technician insists that wet floor is not coming from any source other than the sunroof. I suspect that my sunroof is defective. I should not have to worry about wet carpet in my car everyday that we experience rainshowers. Sheehy Toyota insists that nothing is wrong with the structural integrity of the sunroof and that external factors are to blame.
NHTSA complaint #11505992 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
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.
NHTSA complaint #11505008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The reflective trim on the interior of the vehicle creates pain for the eyes and is so high that it interferes with the ability of the driver to see out the front window.
NHTSA complaint #11474248 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear window sunscreen (dark black) stuck in the up position. Poor visibility during night driving with the curtain stuck in the upright position. This has always had this problem and Toyota has not solution.
NHTSA complaint #11461254 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The sun shade in the rear back malfunctions. When it malfunctions you are unable to visibility see when backing up due to the sun shade being in the way which put other people at risk for safety when backing up. Also when this piece malfunctions it makes a gridding nose which can cause a wreck if the person is unaware of the noise in the car while backing up. This function has been looked at by a Toyota Dealer ship which would result of owner paying over $1000.00 to get it fixed or even disabled. There are no warnings regarding the malfunction besides a loud noise while backing up when not functioning properly.
NHTSA complaint #11458601 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
There is a rear windshield shade that comes up automatically during a bright or hot day. It has a button to manually bring it up or down also. Just last month the gear inside the shade is broken and it does not come down. If I manually put it down it will come up automatically when driving, causing a loud noise distracting the driver even though, the driver has not pressed the button to pull it up. Now it is stuck in up position causing loud noise when reversing. And the biggest safety issue that I see is the night driving. Since the shade is up and I cannot make it go down, the visibility in the rear view mirror is very poor or nothing. There is no way for the driver to let it stay in the down position and driving on overcast days or night time is a challenge with no visibility of vehicles behind you.
NHTSA complaint #11449358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
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.
NHTSA complaint #11442918 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
This car has a rear window shade that started going up on its on when it is hot outside. I could not locate this feature in the owners manual. I did read that a safety feature for the shade is that when car is placed in reverse the shade is automatically closed. This feature has stopped working, in fact the shade now will not even lower. I used to be able to manually assist the shade down while someone would press the switch but down it raises back up almost immediately. I checked with Google and apparently this is a common problem. I have finally pulled the fuse to keep the shade down permanently.
NHTSA complaint #11431646 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, WHEN THE SUNROOF SHATTERED WITHOUT ANY OBJECT CAUSING THE IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LOCAL DEALER HERITAGE TOYOTA OWINGS MILLS (9801 REISTERSTOWN RD, OWINGS MILLS, MD 21117: (844) 202-9429), WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SUNROOF NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 8,937.
NHTSA complaint #11416402 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
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.
NHTSA complaint #11387022 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
VISIBILITY/WIPER
POWER SUNSHADE IS STUCK IN THE UP POSITION BLOCKING THE BACK WINDSHIELD AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON WHICH DISABLES TRACTION AND STABILITY CONTROL. THESE MAKE THE CAR DANGEROUS TO DRIVE
NHTSA complaint #11384845 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.