Toyota Avalon Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 196 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the Toyota Avalon across 18 model years. The 2006 model year has the most (57). The words owners use most often: “oil line” (10% of reports).
- 196engine and engine cooling complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 8mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- $2,000typical repair cost reported by owners
- 56%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil line: mentioned in 19 of 196 complaints (10%)
- Engine compartment: mentioned in 11 of 196 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine and engine cooling repair on the Toyota Avalon at $2,000, and half of them between $700 and $6,550.
Based on 20 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2003–2011), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 138 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 196 complaints, 8 mention a crash, 5 a fire, 2 an injury.
Toyota Avalon engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 Avalon | 3 | 2% | 23,340 |
| 2011 Avalon | 2 | 2% | 19,850 |
| 2010 Avalon | 1 | 2% | 800 |
| 2009 Avalon | 1 | 1% | 15,000 |
| 2008 Avalon | 3 | 1% | 29,836 |
| 2007 Avalon | 8 | 3% | 61,000 |
| 2006 Avalon | 57 | 16% | 62,000 |
| 2005 Avalon | 24 | 11% | 48,000 |
| 2004 Avalon | 5 | 2% | 47,807 |
| 2003 Avalon | 5 | 2% | 86,500 |
| 2002 Avalon | 7 | 6% | 72,350 |
| 2001 Avalon | 14 | 10% | 49,383 |
| 2000 Avalon | 18 | 10% | 78,248 |
| 1999 Avalon | 6 | 7% | 37,050 |
| 1998 Avalon | 9 | 5% | 104,183 |
| 1997 Avalon | 8 | 6% | 86,500 |
| 1996 Avalon | 19 | 17% | 105,500 |
| 1995 Avalon | 6 | 8% | 97,244 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Engine and engine cooling
Model years: 2004
Problem: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate with the inner ring, causing noise and/or illumination of the battery discharge indicator light.
Risk: In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.s. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Good afternoon ,my name is [xxx] and some time ago .i was contacted by the office of [xxx] concerning the factory defect that may be responsible for numerous accidents and may have even killed drivers through the exposure of carbon monoxide.toyota executive continues to deny this claim hoping i…
2013 toyota avalon. Consumer writes in regards to smell of combustion gas that comes into cabin of vehicle upon acceleration. *smd consumer sent additional correspondence. *smd the consumer was advised that problem was not recognized in the technical manual; therefore, there is no repair available…
Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 toyota avalon. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 15v043000 (air bags). The part was not available within a reasonable time frame to schedule the recall repair. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become…
Per the toyota service department, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser in my 2013 toyota avalon 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…
I purchased a toyota avalon limited certified by the dealership to be safe with no recalls or applicable sscs. On may 16 2014. I was not informed of a outstanding safety recall involving the air conditioning unit housing may leak onto the air bag control module. I did not find this out until may 21…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Toyota Avalons have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 196 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the Toyota Avalon. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Toyota Avalon engine and engine cooling?
Yes: 1 safety recall list engine and engine cooling. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix engine and engine cooling problems on the Toyota Avalon?
Owners report a typical cost of $2,000 (half paid between $700 and $6,550), from 20 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the Toyota Avalon?
The most frequent phrase is “oil line”, in 19 of 196 complaints, followed by “engine compartment” (11).
Other Toyota Avalon problems
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (602)
- Air Bags problems (586)
- Steering problems (361)
- Electrical System problems (295)
- Exterior Lighting problems (291)
- Power Train problems (211)
- Structure problems (197)
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems (150)
See all Toyota Avalon problems.