TOYOTA AVALON · model year

2018 TOYOTA AVALON

31 NHTSA complaints, 12 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2018TOYOTAAVALON carries 31 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 12 crashes, 0 fires, 7 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 2018 AVALON is air bags with 6 filings, followed by unknown or other (5) and steering (4). 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 2 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 2018 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.

31
Complaints
12
Crashes
0
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
2018 TOYOTA AVALON — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2018 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

31 filings

Crashes Reported

12 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
AIR BAGS6
UNKNOWN OR OTHER5
STEERING4
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM3
SERVICE BRAKES2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
POWER TRAIN1
WHEELS1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS1
LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING1
STRUCTURE:BODY1
SEAT BELTS1

Recalls (2)

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

20V01200013/01/2020

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300,

Recent Complaints

20251125CrashAIR BAGS

Involved in a 2 vehicle accident on October 26th. My car is totaled and so is the other car. No airbags deployed and my drivers side seat belt failed to lock in the accident. I was injured and taken by ambulance to hospital.

20251125CrashSEAT BELTS

Involved in a 2 vehicle accident on October 26th. My car is totaled and so is the other car. No airbags deployed and my drivers side seat belt failed to lock in the accident. I was injured and taken by ambulance to hospital.

20230713CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Date of safety issue: July 12, 2023 Location: Piper Glen Shopping Center, Rea Road, Charlotte NC (destination was Run For Your Life at 6416 Rea Road - within the shopping center). Time: Approximately sometime between 1:30 and 2:00 ET Police Report Complaint # - [XXX] On July 12, 2023 I entered a parking lot at a busy retail establishment. I chose a parking space that has a curb and bushes between the space and Rea Road. Due to the busyness of the parking lot it is imperative to drive slowly and cautiously. As I turned into the parking space the car suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb and crashed into the bushes. The brake did not stop the car until it jumped the curb. I then put the car in reverse and it again accelerated and the car spun to the left and then finally stopped. Thank God for the curb and the bushes which prevented the car from surging into traffic on Rea Road. And, thank God no one was in the path of the car when the car accelerated in reverse. That was a miracle a

20230122STRUCTURE:BODY

Hello, My name is [XXX]. I bought my car from Longo Toyota in El Monte about 15 months ago. The car was certified preowned and had a Carfax report with no accident reported history. That is exactly why I bought the car, because this was going to be my family car. So I bought it and have been driving around my daughter, who just turned one for over a year. I also work as a Behavioral Therapist and drive around kids with autism in my car on a daily basis. It wasn’t until I decided to trade in my car that it was discovered that the Avalon car has frame damage, which was discovered by third-party. A car condition expert came to check out the car and discovered the frame damage by using a true frame meter and a paint meter. Now Longo Toyota in El Monte has gave me the go around and hasn't even checked for frame damage. Longo Toyota is asking me how much would I want for my car and asking me about my car's value. There is clear fraud going on, and the fact that this is the largest car dea

20221219CrashAIR BAGS

Air Bag did not deploy during a major front end collision. Resulted in total loss of the vehicle.

20221128FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Intermittently, unpredictably, for several seconds at a time, the engine almost quits, especially when accelerating So far, it has not happened in heavy traffic, but if it did, it would create a possibly major safety hazard. I have not taken it to a dealer yet. Just learned about the fuel pump problem that is associated with my 2018 Toyota Avalon. Plan to contact the dealer tomorrow. I have not seen any instrumental warning or notification. There is no warning that the engine is about to lose power and so far the engine has not stopped, but recovers to normal operation.. This has been occurring over the last couple of months. I fear for my wife's safety so that she will be unable to drive this 2018 Toyota Avalon 3.5L sedan until it is repaired.

20210829STEERING

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 c

20210624ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My car check engine light lane sensor light and Lad light came on and card had rough handling i took it to Toyota of plano and they worked on charged me $650 so i was was happy they fixed the problem after one day the lights came back they said it was the rodent damage a Rat chewed the wire because what i learned toyota is using soy base wires it attracts Rats they should not use it it is a safety hazards now my safety feathers don't work i can not afford $600 every other day so please recall this problem Thanks so many accidents can be avoided,

20210624FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

My car check engine light lane sensor light and Lad light came on and card had rough handling i took it to Toyota of plano and they worked on charged me $650 so i was was happy they fixed the problem after one day the lights came back they said it was the rodent damage a Rat chewed the wire because what i learned toyota is using soy base wires it attracts Rats they should not use it it is a safety hazards now my safety feathers don't work i can not afford $600 every other day so please recall this problem Thanks so many accidents can be avoided,

20210624LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

My car check engine light lane sensor light and Lad light came on and card had rough handling i took it to Toyota of plano and they worked on charged me $650 so i was was happy they fixed the problem after one day the lights came back they said it was the rodent damage a Rat chewed the wire because what i learned toyota is using soy base wires it attracts Rats they should not use it it is a safety hazards now my safety feathers don't work i can not afford $600 every other day so please recall this problem Thanks so many accidents can be avoided,

20210509FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

THE PRE-COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT APPEAR TO WORK. SEVERAL TIMES WHEN CARS IN FRONT OF US HAVE SLAMMED ON THEIR BRAKES, THE PRE-COLLISION BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT RESPOND. WE OWN A 2016 PRIUS WITH THE SAME FEATURE AND IT ALWAYS RESPONDS ' FLASHING A WARNING AND APPLYING THE BRAKES. WE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP MULTIPLE TIMES, AND THEY SAID THE SYSTEM IN OUR CAR PERFORMS A CHECK EVERY TIME WE TURN ON THE CAR AND SINCE IT DOES NOT INDICATE A FAULT, TO THEIR KNOWLEDGE THE SYSTEM IS WORKING FINE. THEY SAID THERE ARE NO OTHER TESTS FOR THEM TO PERFORM. I'VE ADJUSTED THE SYSTEM TO THE MOST SENSITIVE MODE (ACTIVE WHEN VEHICLE IN FRONT OF US IS FURTHER AWAY), BUT THIS HAS HAD NO EFFECT. ALSO, THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WHICH USES THE SAME RADAR SYSTEM AS THE PRE-COLLISION BRAKING WORKS FINE. THERE DEFINITELY IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE PRE-COLLISION BRAKING, AND I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS SAFETY FEATURE WILL NOT SAVE US FROM A COLLISION. THE ONLY WAY SOMEONE WOULD BE AWARE THAT

Mileage: 15,770

20210327UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH MY RADIO HANGING UP PHONE CALLS AND SEVERAL OTHER THINGS. AFTER TAKING MY CAR SEVERAL TIME I WAS TOLD IT WILL BE REPLACED. I TOOK MY CAR AND LEFT IT OVER NIGHT MARCH 18TH AND MARCH 19TH. IT HAD A CHARGING LIGHT ON SO THEY SAID IT'S BEST IF IT SAYS OVER NIGHT. WHEN CONTACTED THE SATELLITE RADIO COMPANY TO GIVE THE NEW RADIO ID, THE SAID IT WAS THE ID. I CALLED APPLE TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY ISSUES WITH MY IPHONE, THERE WAS NONE AND WE EVEN WENT THROUGH RESETTING THE PHONE, JUST IN CASE CASE THE RADIO WAS STILL DROPPING CALLS AND OTHER THINGS. I HAVE A CASE WITH TOYOTA CUSTOMER SERVICE #2103032049. I CONTACTED THEM AND THE DEALERSHIP THE MONDAY AFTERWARDS MARCH 22, I STILL WAS UNABLE TO GET ANY ANSWERS. I HAVE NO PROOF THE RADIO WAS REPLACED, NO ONE FROM TOYOTA OR THE DEALERSHIP, WHICH IS MIKE CALVERT TOYOTA 713-558-8100

Mileage: 33,000

20201120EXTERIOR LIGHTING

MY AUTO HIGH BEAMS DAILY FAIL TO WORK CORRECTLY DURING NIGHT TIME DRIVING, THE LOW BEAM WOULD BE ON, THE TURN SIGNAL CONTROL LEVER WILL BE PUSHED ALL THE WAY FORWARD. THE GREEN LIGHT ON THE DASH PANEL IS SHOWING A HEADLIGHT WITH A WORD "AUTO" WOULD ILLUMINATE AND THE HIGH BEAMS WOULD CYCLE ON & OFF AS THEY SHOULD WITH THE AUTO HIGH BEAM SYSTEM. THEN THE GREEN "AUTO" LIGHT WOULD MYSTERIOUSLY GO OFF AND THE HIGH BEAMS WOULD NOT TURN ON ANYMORE EVEN UNDER THE RIGHT CONDITIONS - THIS WOULD LAST FROM THIRTY SECONDS TO ABOUT FIVE MINUTES..THEN THE AUTO HIGH BEAM SYSTEM MYSTERIOUSLY COMES BACK ON AND ALL WORKING CORRECTLY AGAIN. THIS IS ONLY ON NIGHT TIME DRIVING WHEN THE AUTO HIGH BEAM SYSTEM IS TURNED ON WITH THE GREEN AUTO INDICATOR. THIS IS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND MOSTLY ON DARKER / RURAL ROADS WHERE HIGH BEAMS ARE DESIRED. THIS PROBLEM IS WITH THOUSANDS OF TOYOTAS..AND LEXUS ES ALL MODELS AND THE LAST FIVE MODEL YEARS. DEALERS TURN A BLIND EYE TO IT... ALTHOUGH IT IS OFTEN A

Mileage: 4,000

20200822FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I OWN A 2018 TOYOTA AVALON THAT IS SUBJECT TO RECALL FOR A POTENTIALLY DEFECTIVE FUEL PUMP. I TOOK THE CAR IN 8/3/2020 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I WAS ADVISED THE DEALER DID NOT HAVE THE CORRECT FUEL PUMP IN PARTS AND THAT IT WILL BE LATE SEPT. OR OCT. BEFORE THEY HAVE THE CORRECT FUEL PUMP. IN THE INTERIM, I HAVE A VEHICLE WITH A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE.

Mileage: 36,000

20200727FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

CHECKING ON THE STATUS OF THE FUEL PUMP RECALL?? WAS SUPPOSED TO GET A NOTICE BY MAY BUT HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE NOTICE YET. I ENTERED THE 17 DIGIT VIN NUMEBER IN YOUR FORM BUT GOT NO RESPONSE.

Mileage: 18,000

20200508CrashAIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V024000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN ANOTHER CUT IN FRONT OF THEM AND IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THE OTHER VEHICLE THE CONTACT VEERED TO THE LEFT, THE CONTACT ENDED UP CRASHING INTO A SIDE BARRIER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO HIS LEFT ARM, LEG AND CHEST/TORSO AREA MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE UNKNOWN DEALERSHIP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, STEERING, AND BRAKING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE HAD RECEIVED REPAIRS TO THE BODY, STEERING, AND BRAKES OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DIFFICULT TO STEER AND THE

Mileage: 10,000

20200508CrashSERVICE BRAKES

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V024000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN ANOTHER CUT IN FRONT OF THEM AND IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THE OTHER VEHICLE THE CONTACT VEERED TO THE LEFT, THE CONTACT ENDED UP CRASHING INTO A SIDE BARRIER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO HIS LEFT ARM, LEG AND CHEST/TORSO AREA MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE UNKNOWN DEALERSHIP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, STEERING, AND BRAKING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE HAD RECEIVED REPAIRS TO THE BODY, STEERING, AND BRAKES OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DIFFICULT TO STEER AND THE

Mileage: 10,000

20200508CrashSTEERING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V024000 (AIR BAGS) HOWEVER, THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH WHEN ANOTHER CUT IN FRONT OF THEM AND IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING THE OTHER VEHICLE THE CONTACT VEERED TO THE LEFT, THE CONTACT ENDED UP CRASHING INTO A SIDE BARRIER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO HIS LEFT ARM, LEG AND CHEST/TORSO AREA MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE UNKNOWN DEALERSHIP WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE, STEERING, AND BRAKING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE HAD RECEIVED REPAIRS TO THE BODY, STEERING, AND BRAKES OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DIFFICULT TO STEER AND THE

Mileage: 10,000

20200124AIR BAGS

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT BECAME AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SUBJECTED TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V024000 (AIR BAGS) AFTER A VIN SEARCH WAS PERFORMED ONLINE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH NHTSA HOTLINE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PART FOR THE RECALL REPAIR WAS NOT YET AVAILABLE. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED NOR MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

20191026STEERING

WHEN DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE SPEED BETWEEN 60-70 MPH THE CAR SUDDENLY JERKS TO THE RIGHT. I HAD THE CAR CHECKED BECAUSE IT FELT SCARY (AS IF I WOULD HIT THE CAR IN THE NEXT LANE) I HAD THE PROBLEM CHECKED THROUGH A REPUTABLE SERVICE CENTER- THE TORQUE STEERING WAS OFF; CAR JERKED WITH ACCELERATION

Mileage: 34,836

Compare 2018TOYOTAAVALON to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2018 TOYOTA AVALON have?
The 2018 TOYOTA AVALON has 31 NHTSA complaints, 12 crashes, 0 fires, 7 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2018 TOYOTA AVALON?
The 2018 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 2018 TOYOTA AVALON?
Yes, the 2018 TOYOTA AVALON has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2018 TOYOTA AVALON?
The most-complained component for the 2018 TOYOTA AVALON is AIR BAGS with 6 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include UNKNOWN OR OTHER and STEERING.
Is the 2018 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 2018 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.