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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,926 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2011 Toyota Avalon electrical problems

electrical problem

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2011 Toyota Avalon Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #24

Nov 102020

Avalon

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Headlights flickering constantly and at times one or both will go completely off. Will have to manually turn off and then turn on again. Both will shine steady for about 2 minutes and then began to flicker again. This happens when parked or when in motion. This only applies to when the lights are on low beam. (this has been happening for a few months).

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #23

Mar 042018

Avalon

  • 110,000 miles
The door lock actuator on the passenger side is not working this part is terribly expensive to replace. A part like this should last a lot longer than it does and should not be causing one to take out a loan to get it fixed!

- Lugoff, SC, USA

problem #22

Mar 232018

Avalon

  • 27,000 miles
Passenger and two rear doors will not unlock from key fob nor master lock button. These doors must be unlocked from inside.

- Cayey, PR, USA

problem #21

Dec 152017

Avalon

  • 79,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Passenger and two rear doors will not unlock from key fob nor master lock button. These doors must be unlocked from inside. I can disconnect the passenger switch and they will work for a short period then reoccur. The dirver's door is unaffected. I had it diagnosed by local dealer and they said was three actuators bad simultaneously. All actuators do not fail at once and for all.. there is a single component used by these doors that is failing, and working intermittently

- St Leonard, MD, USA

problem #20

Jun 012016

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system); however, the dealer refused to perform the remedy for free. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The scott williams dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Hopkins, SC, USA

problem #19

Apr 242017

Avalon

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. When the front passenger and both rear doors were locked, the contact could only unlock them from inside the vehicle. The dealer diagnosed that the door activators failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

- Heflin, AL, USA

problem #18

Mar 222017

Avalon

  • 112,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power door lock issue. The passenger and rear door locks do not open with the remote key nor with the door-lock switch on the driver's door. The doors had to be unlocked manually from inside the vehicle. All the doors lock when the car is put in drive. Only the driver's door unlocks when the car is put in park. The dealer is replacing the module that controls the power door locks at a cost over $1,000. There is also an issue with not being able to open the trunk with the remote key or the button in the dash. The dealer stated the same module controls the trunk and the door locks. A case has been opened with Toyota.

- Stillwater, MN, USA

problem #17

Oct 242016

Avalon

  • 38,800 miles
Key fob will not open all doors. Inside master window assemby will not open all doors. Master assembly replaced by Toyota 5/28/15 at 25,941 miles. Problem has returned on or about 10/24/16 at 38,000+miles. Problem is now intermittent and the dealer could not duplicate.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #16

Nov 252015

Avalon

  • miles
Purchased certified Avalon 01/03/2015. November 24, 2015 front passenger and both rear door locks cease working. They cannot be opened with the fob nor the door lock switch on the drivers side door. Vehicle is taken to dealership, lithia Toyota of odessa, on November 30, 2015. Explain problem to service advisor and he replies that he has never seen this problem. They reprogram system and it works for three days. Car is taken back to shop on December 5, 2015 for issue again. They finally call around 4 that afternoon saying car is ready. We meet service manager, advisor and tech that performed the work to verify that everything was working fine. Never given explanation as to what was done. June 25, 2016 problem arises again with the same three doors. Back in the shop, finally I am told that the power door lock actuators have failed and the reason given is the use of "clip on air fresheners which I and the advisor have a hard time believing. Apparently somehow the vapors from these air fresheners supposedly permeate into the door and coat the actuators with a film of silicone thereby making them none functional. No explanation from Toyota as to why this does not affect the drivers door. Apparently after research this is happening to some newer models. Not covered by warranty unless new or you have purchased extended comprehensive warranty. Safety is definitely an issue if you have an emergency and need quick access only driver will have the ability to access vehicle. Apparently this has been an issue with this particular model year Avalon. On 04/23/13 this exact same issue was submitted to NHTSA id number 10509389, by another consumer. At that time dealer had no answer for problem. Now we are bring told it's due to air fresheners. Were is the public service announcement from Toyota if air fresheners cause this costly repair. Possible defect?

- Odessa, TX, USA

problem #15

Jan 282015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Laurel, MS, USA

problem #14

May 262015

Avalon

  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. After briefly tapping the accelerator pedal, the vehicle made a loud abnormal noise and experienced a brief period of unintended acceleration. As a result, the contact struck a palm tree at 5 mph. There were no warning indicators illuminated prior to or after the failure. The vehicle had to be towed from the scene of the crash and taken to the dealer where it could not be diagnosed. An independent mechanic repaired the vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Santa Barbara, CA, USA

problem #13

Jun 172015

Avalon

  • 50,000 miles
The passenger and rear door locks do not open with the remote key nor with the door-lock switch on the driver's door. The passengers could not enter the car. Their door had to be unlocked manually from inside the vehicle. This is a safety issue if the passenger doors need to be opened quickly from the outside. The problem disappeared after about one week. The problem started again late last month. The Toyota dealer diagnosed the problem as an open circuit in the junction block and replaced the block. They stated that the full cost of the repair was over $1000, but only charged me $120.

- Cary, IL, USA

problem #12

Mar 052015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign id number: 15V047000 (electrical system) and stated that the part needed was not available within a reasonable timeframe to schedule the recall repair. The technician disconnected the subwoofer as a temporary remedy. The dealer did not give a specific date for when the part would become available. The manufacturer was contacted and could not provide an estimated date for when the vehicle would receive the recall repair. The contact was not experiencing a failure.

- Cudahy, WI, USA

problem #11

Jul 142015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Neosho, MO, USA

problem #10

Jan 252015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number:15V047000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not provided.

- Mission Viejo, CA, USA

problem #9

Apr 132015

Avalon

  • 26,000 miles
I brought my vehicle into a Toyota garage on 4/13/15 for the safety recall on the rear sub-roofer. At that time, no replacement parts. Subsequently, I had the sub-roofer disconnected. I just called 7/9/15, almost 3 months later and still no replacement parts. Lousy customer service on the part of Toyota motor sales.

- Milford, NH, USA

problem #8

Jun 222015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system). The vehicle was taken to a dealer who disconnected the sub woofer as a temporary remedy due to the part not being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Farmington, MI, USA

problem #7

Feb 272015

Avalon

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceed a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Naples , FL, USA

problem #6

Oct 172011

Avalon

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Toyota Avalon. While at a stop light, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated and lost power. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to multiple dealers who were unable to diagnose or repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V047000 (electrical system); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The failure mileage was 15,000.

- Baytown, TX, USA

problem #5

Mar 252015

Avalon 6-cyl

  • 79,023 miles
On 3/25/15 the front passenger door locked and could not be unlocked with fob or switch on drivers door. After about 5-10 minutes it unlocked. Since then they same thing has happened to both rear doors at same time. When hitting the unlock button on fob the door beeps several times, but does not unlock. I gave up trying to unlock it and went to my next destination. After coming out, the rear door unlocked normally. I never know now when the doors will unlock, and am afraid I will get totally locked in or out at some point. I have an appt. On Thursday at Toyota to have it checked out. Hopefully they can find the cause. I have read online that it could be a fuse, bad relay or wiring issue. We shall see what they say.

- Almond, NC, USA

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