2013 Toyota Avalon Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Avalon years
- More complaints than other years 9th of 28 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Avalon. That ranks 9th out of 28 Avalon model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is structure (25 complaints, 18%), typically at around 1,000 miles. Complaints mention 14 crashes, 1 fire, 18 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
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- 137owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 14complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2013 Toyota Avalon problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 25 | 18% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 22 | 16% | 26,400 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 22 | 16% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 21 | 15% | 35,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 14 | 10% | 49,190 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 14 | 10% | 25,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 12 | 9% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 9 | 7% | 700 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Seats | 5 | 4% | 7,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 5 | 4% | 18,500 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 3% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 4 | 3% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 3 | 2% | 23,340 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 2% | 14,200 | — | — |
| Power Train | 3 | 2% | 55,150 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 2 | 1% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 2 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 2 | 1% | 1,800 | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 1% | 7,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 1% | 1,415 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 1% | 1,200 | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 82,500 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2013 Toyota Avalon recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Problem: 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 and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Forward collision avoidance: crash imminent braking
Problem: 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 equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object.
Risk: A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Equipment:appliance:air conditioner; air bags; electrical system
Problem: 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 accumulated water may then leak through a seam in the housing onto the air bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.
Risk: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:switch/wiring
Problem: 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, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."
Risk: A short circuit could cause inoperative windshield wipers, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiper switch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Electrical overstress (EA19001) — opened Apr 19, 2019, closed Sep 19, 2024, led to recall 20V024.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
I am submitting this complaint to report a safety-related incident involving the moonroof glass on my 2013 Toyota Avalon. Vehicle Information: - Make: Toyota Avalon, 2013 - VIN: [XXX] - Mileage at time of incident: Approximately 120,000 miles While driving under normal road conditions, the moonroof…
Car into a brick wall, hit on front passenger side at 15 mph no airbag deployed.
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 âPassenger Airbag OFFâ light remains illuminated, even when someone is seated properly. This means the airbag will not deploy in a…
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…
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
Other Toyota Avalon years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Avalon | 8 | 0 |
| 2021 Avalon | 21 | 2 |
| 2020 Avalon | 10 | 3 |
| 2019 Avalon | 71 | 4 |
| 2018 Avalon | 24 | 2 |
| 2017 Avalon | 14 | 2 |
| 2016 Avalon | 23 | 3 |
| 2015 Avalon | 41 | 2 |
| 2014 Avalon | 96 | 4 |
| 2013 | 137 | 4 |
| 2012 Avalon | 30 | 4 |
| 2011 Avalon | 106 | 1 |
| 2010 Avalon | 46 | 7 |
| 2009 Avalon | 91 | 7 |
| 2008 Avalon | 349 | 6 |
| 2007 Avalon | 243 | 6 |
| 2006 Avalon | 360 | 7 |
| 2005 Avalon | 228 | 7 |
| 2004 Avalon | 205 | 3 |
| 2003 Avalon | 293 | 2 |
| 2002 Avalon | 116 | 1 |
| 2001 Avalon | 134 | 2 |
| 2000 Avalon | 173 | 2 |
| 1999 Avalon | 92 | 1 |
| 1998 Avalon | 178 | 1 |
| 1997 Avalon | 125 | 1 |
| 1996 Avalon | 109 | 0 |
| 1995 Avalon | 80 | 0 |
See all Toyota Avalon problems by year, every Toyota model, or the Toyota VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Toyota Avalon?
Owners most often report structure, unknown or other, vehicle speed control problems. The top one, structure, accounts for 25 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2013 Toyota Avalon?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2013 Toyota Avalon a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Avalon model years, the 2013 has more complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.