What's Wrong with the 3rd Generation Avalon?

The Worst 2005-2012 Avalon Problems

TRW Crash Sensor Defect

There's growing concern that some sort of electrical overstress is messing with airbag control units (ACU) in certain Toyota vehicles.

Musty and Moldy A/C

Toyota air conditioners smell like mold in numerous vehicles. So what's causing the musty smell and just how dangerous is it?…

Toyota believes the problems are caused by stuck gas pedals or misplaced floor mats that trapped the gas pedals. Independent testing by NASA and other outside laboratories agreed with Toyota and concluded driver error was also a contributin…

Rodents Chew Wires

Somewhere in the mid-2000's there was an industry-wide push by automakers to replace plastic and glass-based wiring insulation with a more eco-friendly soy-based coating. It's biodegradable, commendable, and a complete disaster for owners. …

Melting Dashboards

One of the automotive world's worst science projects is coming to an end. Toyota dashboards have long been known to melt under the heat of the sun. The melted dashes warp and extrude a strange, goo-like substance that is oddly shiny and sti…

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

2006 Avalon complete loss of engine oil with no warning light 67 (100%)
2006 Avalon cracked dashboard 35 (52%)
2006 Avalon oil leak 21 (31%)
2005 Avalon oil leak 18 (27%)
2007 Avalon cracked dash board 17 (25%)

Worst Topics

Engine 173 (100%)
Interior 93 (54%)
Lights 29 (17%)
Body 24 (14%)
Steering 18 (10%)

Worst Years

2006 168 (100%)
2007 82 (49%)
2008 67 (40%)
2011 37 (22%)
2005 31 (18%)
2009 11 (7%)
2012 7 (4%)
2010 2 (1%)

Timeline of 3rd Generation Avalon News

Toyot
a has blamed a musty A/C smell on microbes [i.e., mold] growing o the evaporator surface and now a lawsuit wants them to do something about it.
Posted on
July 31, 2018
Tagged
#lawsuit
Source
carcomplaints.com
Owner
s who have been hoping to see Toyota pay for damaged to the electrical system by rodents may want to look away.
Posted on
June 16, 2018
Tagged
#lawsuit
Source
carcomplaints.com
Damag
e from rodents plus the extra cost of renting a car while waiting for repairs, led to about $16,800 in costs assosciate with soy-based wiring. While an insurance company paid the bulk, a new lawsuit filed in Massachusetts wants to know when Toyota is going to pay for the decision to go with soy?
Posted on
December 9, 2017
Tagged
#lawsuit
Source
carcomplaints.com
When
Toyota switched away from using plastic or glass-based inulation in favor of soy, it invited in some very unwelcome Toyota loyalisits.
Posted on
December 18, 2016
Tagged
#lawsuit
Source
carcomplaints.com
It's
been a while since Toyota announced their extended warranty program for melting dashbord in 3.5 million vehicles. So, how are things going?
Posted on
September 13, 2016
Tagged
#lawsuit
Source
carcomplaints.com
How h
ot do you like your seat heater in the winter? If you like it really toasty — as in, with an actual flame — you’ll probably love one of 7,700 Toyota vehicles with seat heaters that catch on fire.
Posted on
June 13, 2016
Tagged
#recall
Source
carcomplaints.com
NHTSA said no to the investigation.
Posted on
May 3, 2015
Tagged
#news
Source
carcomplaints.com

See All News About This Generation

By the Numbers

8 model years
Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.
405 complaints
Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.
63rd in reliability
Overall reliability rank out of 81 eligible generations.