KnownCarProblems2011 Toyota Avalon Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Toyota Avalon, most often about the steering (29% of complaints, typically around 40,000 miles). It is 11th of 23 Avalon model years by number of complaints and has 1 recall.
Most common 2011 Toyota Avalon problems
Steering
31 complaints · 29%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: column.
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH, the steering wheel became loose. The failure recurred intermittently as the contact drove at various speeds. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure…
While driving the steering wheel adjustment lever drops on it's own and the steering moves in and out. It's hazardous for driving as well as for knee injuries.
Electrical
25 complaints · 24%Half of these problems showed up before 39,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel.
Key fob will not open all doors. Inside master window assemby will not open all doors. Master assembly replaced by Toyota 5/28/15 at 25,941 miles. Problem has returned on or about 10/24/16 at 38,000+miles. Problem is now intermittent and the dealer could not duplicate.
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…
Visibility and wipers
14 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 37,000 miles.
Rear window sunshade makes a loud grinding noise in the down position. It must remain in the up position at all times. Visibility is zero at night. It started a couple weeks ago. The loud noise is while in reverse and continues unless you manually place the shade in the up position. This continues regardless of in…
The rear sunshade is stuck in the upright position without being activated and does not go down when the car in put in reverse. This is a very dangerous and potentially fatal situation at night when visibility is poor. There are a plethora of complaints about the sunshade on the internet. When I asked the dealership…
Speed control
11 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 15,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
From a dead stop, car irregularity hesitates when one is beginning to move forward. For an instance one gets the feeling the automobile is going to stall. This is a bit unnerving.
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. After briefly tapping the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made a loud abnormal noise and experienced a brief period of unintended acceleration. As a result, the contact struck a palm tree at 5 MPH. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to or after the failure. The…
Other or unspecified
10 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 45,000 miles.
Purchase the 2011 Toyota Avalon on june 13, 2010 which on my first service date I complained about the steering column and harsh feeling of the car due to the steering column. Buena park Toyota kept telling me that there was nothing wrong right up to the last service that was done the end of june 2014. On june 30th…
Telescoping steering column lock loosens while driving causing steering wheel and brakes to shake. Advised my local Toyota dealer and they said it was not covered under warranty but I could pay them to repair the issue with a upgraded repair that Toyota has identified. A notice was never sent out to Toyota owners.…
Brakes
8 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles.
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…
While driving 5 MPH from parking spot to front of restaurant to pick up passenger, car suddenly accelerated very fast without depressing gas pedal. Both feet were applied to brake pedal and car did not slow down or stop until it hit cement pillar causing extensive damage, totaling the car and causing injury to driver.
Body and structure
6 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 36,000 miles. Parts named most often: body.
My drivers door lost a nut on the top bolt of the door closing mechanism. The door began to click when opened and closed. Within a week the bottom nut of the same door closing mechanism began to pull through the metal. Toyota dealership refused to repair it and sent me to a body shop. The body shop manager told me he…
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. When the front passenger and both rear doors were locked, the contact could only unlock them from inside the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed that the door activators failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not…
Engine
5 complaints · 5%1/7/12-12:30 am I was stopped at a red light. My foot was on the brake. Suddenly the motor began to race. I stood on the brake put the shift into park and turned off the ignition. After a short period ( about 30 seconds) I turned the ignition on and everything was normal. 1/10/12- I called the dealer and they gave me…
Purchase the 2011 Toyota Avalon on june 13, 2010 which on my first service date I complained about the steering column and harsh feeling of the car due to the steering column. Buena park Toyota kept telling me that there was nothing wrong right up to the last service that was done the end of june 2014. On june 30th…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2011 Toyota Avalon recalls
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2011 Toyota Avalon
- What are the most common problems with the 2011 Toyota Avalon?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (31 complaints, typically around 40,000 miles); electrical (25 complaints, typically around 39,000 miles); visibility and wipers (14 complaints, typically around 37,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2011 Toyota Avalon have?
- 1 recall listed by NHTSA, the latest from January 28, 2015 (electrical). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2011 a bad year for the Toyota Avalon?
- It is 11th of 23 Avalon model years by number of complaints, with 106 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.