Model year record

2016 Toyota Avalon

3 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 34 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 20V024000

Air bags: air bag/restraint control module

Component
Air bags: air bag/restraint control module
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
2,891,976
Reported to NHTSA
2020-01-17
Owners notified
2020-03-16

Defect description

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.

Safety 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.

Manufacturer remedy

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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V906000

Air bags: knee bolster

Component
Air bags: knee bolster
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
12
Reported to NHTSA
2016-12-16
Owners notified
2017-02-08

Defect description

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 fasteners.

Safety risk

If the air bag was installed with incorrect fasteners, the fasteners may become loose over time, affecting the air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fasteners, and if necessary, replace the instrument panel brace and body bracket and reattach the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 8, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is G05.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V215000

Air bags: sensor: occupant classification

Component
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
Manufacturer
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing
Vehicles affected
58,515
Reported to NHTSA
2016-04-14
Owners notified
2016-05-13

Defect description

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 have been improperly calibrated. As a result, the front passenger air bag and the front passenger knee air bag may not deploy as intended in certain crash scenarios. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Safety risk

Air bags that do not deploy as intended during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Manufacturer remedy

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the OCS, free of charge. The recall began by May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0J.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Unknown or other533,000 mi
Air bags431,000 mi
Engine44,000 mi
Electrical system322,000 mi
Structure: body315,000 mi
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly395,500 mi
Lane departure: blind spot detection2
Power train229,000 mi
Service brakes212,000 mi
Vehicle speed control212,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking1
Seat belts155,284 mi
Tires184,575 mi
Visibility/wiper11,000 mi

The 2015 model has about half as many complaints as this one. The 2017 model has 2 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.