TOYOTA AVALON · model year

2013 TOYOTA AVALON

185 NHTSA complaints, 20 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013TOYOTAAVALON carries 185 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 20 crashes, 3 fires, 25 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 4/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 AVALON is vehicle speed control with 22 filings, followed by visibility/wiper (21) and unknown or other (21). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 51 investigation files overlapping the 2013 AVALON, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

185
Complaints
20
Crashes
3
Fires
25
Injuries
0
Deaths
2013 TOYOTA AVALON — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 4.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 4.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

185 filings

Crashes Reported

20 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 4/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL22
VISIBILITY/WIPER21
UNKNOWN OR OTHER21
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM14
STRUCTURE13
AIR BAGS13
STRUCTURE:BODY12
SERVICE BRAKES12
VISIBILITY6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE6
SEATS5
SEAT BELTS4
ENGINE4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
POWER TRAIN3

Recalls (4)

13V50500017/10/2013

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING

Toyota Motor Engineering & manufacturing North America, Inc. (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Camry and Camry HV, model year 2013 Avalon and Avalon HV and model year 2014 Corolla vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the windshield wiper switch assembly may short circuit. As such,

13V44200017/10/2013

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser may become clogged causing water to accumulate at the bottom of the air conditioning condenser unit housing. The accu

20V02400017/01/2020

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags a

15V72800003/11/2015

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equippe

Recent Complaints

20250606AIR BAGS

he Occupant Detection System (ODS) in my 2013 Toyota Avalon has failed. The vehicle does not consistently detect an adult passenger in the front seat, and the “Passenger Airbag OFF” light remains illuminated, even when someone is seated properly. This means the airbag will not deploy in a crash, which is a serious safety risk for my passengers. I first noticed this issue several months ago. I took the car to a local certified repair shop, where they diagnosed a failure in the ODS sensor. I then brought it to a Toyota dealership for further inspection. The dealership confirmed the issue but required extra time and labor charges just to reach the same conclusion, even though I had already informed them of the diagnosis. Despite this being a clearly safety-critical system, I was told that no recall was active, and the repair cost would be entirely out-of-pocket, which is prohibitively expensive. As a result, the issue remains unresolved. There is a constant indicator light on the dash

20250102VISIBILITY/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.

20241223Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

Straps, yes The straps do not stay tight and do not keep my child restrained Yes After checking the straps on the car seat they become loose no longer restraining my child in her seat

20240707UNKNOWN OR OTHER

There is a very strong musty smell. 80% of the time it's when I turn on AC. 20% just at random driving times. Whenever car has sat longer then a few hours with all windows up. When open doors is has very musty smell. I have done everything to do with cleaning vehicle. This is a hybrid I'm a lil scared when it comes to electrical fire . Do to this musty smell. That means there is some type of fluid gathering somewhere. So what does Toyota plan on doing?

20240612UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a smell of moldy old water what is going on ? Why is water filling up in my trunk? What do my head lights bulb keep going out? WHY HAVEN'T YOU GUYS DONE ANYTHING? For real I have a darn battery in my trunk come on. I already had to purchase a battery .

20240225VISIBILITY/WIPER

Rear window shade stuck in 'UP' position, cannot see out the rearview mirror, especially at night. Makes for very dangerous driving.

20240219TIRES:SIDEWALL

SIDEWALL TIRE FAILED AFTER 3 MONTHS. NO HAZARD ON ROADWAY, SIDEWALL SEPARATED WHILE TRAVELING AT 70 MPH CAUSING CAR TO GO OUT OF CONTROL WITH NEAR ACCIDENT. AFTER INSPECTING TIRE IT APPEARS TO HAVE VERY LITTLE MATERIAL DEPTH INDICATING A DEFECT BY MANUFACTURER.

20240215STRUCTURE:BODY

I recently took my car in for maintenance and I was offered a complimentary car wash. 1 week after the wash, I noticed there were cloth fibers stuck between the rear side body panels. When i pulled them out, there was evidence of rust and corrosion right underneath. I suspected the cloth fibers were from the dealership's car wash so i contacted them. They confirmed the fibers are from their machine but claimed the rust is caused by a pre-existing problem (there is a small gap between the side body that was noted in the pre-inspections), when asked if the rust was noted during pre-inspections as well, they refused to answer my question. There was no evidence of rust or corrosion on the car before this incident and there are other fibers stuck in the side body panels as well which i haven't taken out yet. I have previously taken my car through car washes but this incident has never happened before. Toyota's service center refuses to look into the matter further.

20231207UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a tacky dashboard which has a glare on the dashboard hindering vision while driving. I understand is a recall however not for 2013 avalons. I’m a senior which make more difficult for to drive my care comfortably. I would like Toyota to approve the repair for my car. I’ve been a loyal customer for 25 years Sincerly

20231207LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

I have a tacky dashboard which has a glare on the dashboard hindering vision while driving. I understand is a recall however not for 2013 avalons. I’m a senior which make more difficult for to drive my care comfortably. I would like Toyota to approve the repair for my car. I’ve been a loyal customer for 25 years Sincerly

20231007ENGINE

The Cylinder head gasket in the engine has failed and is now leaking coolant under the body of the car. This has been inspected by a certified Toyota Dealership and has been maintained by one since we bought the car. There were no warning signs or problems with the car other than feeling off (sounding slightly different than normal) so we went to get an oil change and inspection done on the vehicle. This car was just serviced three months prior for regular maintenance and the vehicle had no indicated issues at that time and was inspected again by the same Toyota Dealership. The vehicle is available for inspection. This issue seems to have started very suddenly without warning and will cause severe engine damage in my vehicle if not replaced soon.

20230921UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Water is filling up in my trunk not sure how it is getting in . Have noticed a lil water stains along back top of lining. I started smelling a stail water smell when I found a puddle of water under my spare tire . Im extremely worried with winter coming again . Not to mention there is a battery locate in truck as well. So I feel completely unsafe. I have recently had noticed hybrid battery going from high to low then all of sudden died. Had to purchase a new battery. Please is this normal?someone help before it rains again and something terrible happens

20230921STRUCTURE:BODY

Water is filling up in my trunk not sure how it is getting in . Have noticed a lil water stains along back top of lining. I started smelling a stail water smell when I found a puddle of water under my spare tire . Im extremely worried with winter coming again . Not to mention there is a battery locate in truck as well. So I feel completely unsafe. I have recently had noticed hybrid battery going from high to low then all of sudden died. Had to purchase a new battery. Please is this normal?someone help before it rains again and something terrible happens

20230921ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have a electrical issue going on with the driver side headlight. I have had to change the headlight over 3 times now . Seems to go out with in a month or two. While doing my own research Toyota has also changed the light bulb for the old owner more then 3 times. It has only been the driver side headlight that is being affected. I'm a lil worried that at any time a electrical fire or something else bad will happen. So at this time i haven't had new bulb installed. I'm just to nervous. So it's hard at times to see at night fall when driving. The contact stated there is some water buildup underneath the tire in the trunk. The water is entering somehow near the back top right inside and ending in the very bottom of my truck under the tire. There is water damage on the top right corner of of the panel on the inside.

20230311UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I had a smell of old water in my vehicle while trying to figure out from where it was coming from .I noticed in left and right rear ceiling quarter panels both wet and had water damage. Then I opened my trunk and it also had the same stale water smell. Under the spare tire on the very bottom of trunk there was at least 2 gallons of stale water. I have not had this looked at by the dealer or a mechanic. Do to it being a hybrid im very worried do to electrical components near the rear back seats where leak stains and water is . Also in my trunk is a hybrid battery next to were water was filling up. There's no damage to anything on the vehicle inside or out the vehicle has not been in no accidents. I'm available upon request for inspections. I have provided pictures of damage on rear ceiling panels . Thank you and I look forward to hearing from someone as soon as possible

20230201VISIBILITY/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.

20220512STRUCTURE:BODY

The moonroof area has rattling noise at speeds exceeding 60 mph. A similar rattling noise is also noted from the driver side A pillar of the car at all driving speeds.

20220420TIRES:SIDEWALL

The contact owns a Goodyear Tire. Tire Line: Assurance Max Life, Tire Size: 225/45/VR18. The contact stated that he noticed the front driver's side tire had a big bubble on the sidewall. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The local dealer was not contacted. The tire was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The tire mileage was 6,000. The VIN was not available.

20220418VISIBILITY/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.

20220328VISIBILITY/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.

Compare 2013TOYOTAAVALON to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON have?
The 2013 TOYOTA AVALON has 185 NHTSA complaints, 20 crashes, 3 fires, 25 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON?
The 2013 TOYOTA AVALON received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 4/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON?
Yes, the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON?
The most-complained component for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL with 22 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include VISIBILITY/WIPER and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2013 TOYOTA AVALON has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.