2016 Toyota Avalon: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 23 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
23
Complaints
3
Recalls
2
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
2
Injuries
130.4
Severity index
Severity index 130.4 - High. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 21.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 4 | 17.4% |
| ENGINE | 4 | 17.4% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 13.0% |
| STRUCTURE | 3 | 13.0% |
| VISIBILITY | 2 | 8.7% |
| LANE DEPARTURE | 2 | 8.7% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 8.7% |
The single most-reported system is UNKNOWN OR OTHER, cited in 5 of 23 complaints (21.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 5 |
| 2020 | 4 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V906000 | 16/12/2016 | AIR BAGS:KNEE BOLSTER | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon, and 2017 Camry vehicles manufactured August 3, 2016, to September 12, 2016. The front passenger knee air bag module may have been attached to the lower instrument panel with incorrect |
| 16V215000 | 14/04/2016 | AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION | Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon and Camry vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015 to March 4, 2016. The occupant classification system (OCS) that activates or deactivates the front passenger seat air bag system may ha |
| 20V024000 | 17/01/2020 | 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 deployme |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.