Toyota Avalon: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Toyota Avalon: 12 model years scored from 401 NHTSA owner complaints and 20 recall campaigns. Worst year 2019, best year 2020.
Toyota Avalon: which years to avoid
Across 9 scored model years the Toyota Avalon ranges from 53/100 in 2019 to 93/100 in 2022 — a 40-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy an Avalon at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Fuel/Propulsion System (17 of them).
Safest years: 2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
How the Avalon changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 2 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2014–2015
Mean score 72/100, about 6 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Unknown Or Other more than anything else (29 complaints). 3 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2022
Mean score 82/100, about 4 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Fuel/Propulsion System more than anything else (26 complaints). 11 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2020 (score 85). Worst: 2019 (score 53, CAUTION).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 93 | BUY | $3,438 | 8 | 0 |
| 2021 | 82 | BUY | $3,620 | 21 | 2 |
| 2020 | 85 | BUY | $3,712 | 10 | 3 |
| 2019 | 53 | CAUTION | $4,007 | 69 | 4 |
| 2018 | 86 | BUY | $4,117 | 24 | 2 |
| 2017 | 91 | BUY | $4,229 | 14 | 2 |
| 2016 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,340 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | 82 | BUY | $4,571 | 53 | 2 |
| 2014 | 62 | CAUTION | $4,672 | 96 | 4 |
| 2013 | — | DATA PENDING | $4,760 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | — | DATA PENDING | $5,150 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | 71 | BUY | $5,424 | 106 | 1 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Avalon, through the years →
Avalon sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Avalon on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Avalon
Across every Avalon model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Electrical System63 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Unknown Or Other56 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Forward Collision Avoidance41 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Radar or camera module replacement and calibration$780–$2,160
- Steering36 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Service Brakes32 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Pads, rotors and caliper service, both axles$580–$1,140
- Air Bags30 complaints across all Avalon years · typical job: Airbag module, clockspring or sensor replacement$600–$1,700
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
What are the best Toyota Avalon years to buy?
2011, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022 all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2022 at 93/100, on 8 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
Which Toyota Avalon years should I avoid?
The 2019 is the weakest year we score, at 53/100 (CAUTION), on 69 complaints and 4 recalls. Check the year-by-year table above before committing to any particular car.
What is the most common Toyota Avalon problem?
63 of the complaints filed against the Avalon across all its model years sit in the Electrical System group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04