2012 Toyota Avalon reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Toyota Avalon has 30 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 2 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Avalon years here — under the median of the other years, which is 4. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Air bag control module, Air bags, and Electrical system.

2011 Toyota Avalon — Photo by IFCAR, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (6 of 30), then Structure (6) and Electrical system (4). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Avalon has 160 complaints, 23 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Toyota Avalon. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (4)

Recall air bags, air bag control module 2020-01-17 · NHTSA campaign 20V024000

Summary 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.

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 Air bags 2018-08-29 · NHTSA campaign 18V569000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles. During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been replaced with parts that may incorrectly tell the air bag management system that the seat belt is always buckled.

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting being unbuckled, replacing the inner seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0S.

Recall Electrical system 2015-01-28 · NHTSA campaign 15V047000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles manufactured February 9, 2010, to October 22, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the sub-woofer speaker located in the trunk may experience an intermittent electrical short which may cause damage to the integrated circuit (IC) in the audio amplifier. In some cases, the damaged IC may allow a constant electrical current flow to the sub-woofer.

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the audio system amplifier and install a protective cover around the sub-woofer, free of charge. The recall began on July 1,2015. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

Recall Electrical system 2013-10-17 · NHTSA campaign 13V442000

Summary Toyota is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Avalon, Avalon HV, Venza, Camry, and Camry HV vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the drain hose for the air conditioning condenser 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 bag control module potentially resulting in a short circuit of the module.

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will seal the air conditioning condenser unit housing and install a protective cover on the airbag control module, free of charge. The recall began on February 5, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

Complaints by component (30 total)

Air bags

Structure

Electrical system

Speed control

Service brakes

Visibility and wipers

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine

Powertrain

Seat belts

Seats

Suspension

Visibility

Show 5 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"While entering the highway on ramp, as I accelerated and turned on the left turn signal, the engine stopped. The steering became very hard. I stopped, put the transmission in park and started the engine, with no…"
Powertrain · filed 2023-05-05
"The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while it was hot outside, or whenever there was direct sunlight on the dashboard, the dashboard would become very sticky. The contact stated that the glare…"
Structure · filed 2022-04-14
"There is a rear windshield shade that comes up automatically during a bright or hot day. It has a button to manually bring it up or down also. Just last month the gear inside the shade is broken and it does not come…"
Visibility and wipers · filed 2022-01-29
"REAR SUNSCREEN REMAINS IN UP POSITION, WHEN LOWERED IN REVERSE, IT MAKES A LOUD GRINDING NOISE. HAVING TO DRIVE AT NIGHT PRESENTS A PROBLEM WITH VISIBILITY WHEN THE SUNSCREEN REMAINS IN THE UP POSITION."
Visibility and wipers · filed 2020-04-28
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2012 TOYOTA AVALON. THE FRONTAL AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY WHEN AN 18 WHEELER COLLIDED INTO THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELLING AT 65 MPH. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED…"
Air bags, Seat belts · filed 2020-03-06

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Toyota Avalon 4 DR FWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Avalon	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	19	28	22 MPG	$2950

Specs and fitment

4th generation (XX40), 2012–2018

Body styles Sedan

Oil 5W-30 (3.5L V6, 2012 only); 0W-20 (3.5L V6, 2013–2018; 2.5L Hybrid, 2013–2018) , 6.4 qt capacity

Tire size 215/60R16 (2012 Base), 215/55R17 (XLE and most trims), 225/45R18 (2016 Limited/Touring)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-024 covers certain 2012–2018 Avalon and 2013–2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles (along with other Toyota models). During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit may malfunction and may disable deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners; dealers inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness when needed, free of charge. Recall 15V-728 covers certain 2013–2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles with the optional Pre-Collision System: the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object, increasing the risk of a crash; dealers replace certain PCS components, free of charge (Toyota campaign numbers F1V and F2E). Recall 14V-715 covers certain 2014 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles equipped with 16-inch and 17-inch rims in which the left-side front suspension lower arm may have been incorrectly manufactured, so the lower arm may separate from the ball joint; dealers replace the left lower arm, free of charge.

Compare

Next year 2013 Toyota Avalon See every Toyota Avalon model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Toyota Avalon reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Toyota Avalon?

Is the 2012 Toyota Avalon more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Avalon has 160 complaints, 23 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Toyota Avalon been recalled?

The 2012 Toyota Avalon has 4 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Toyota Avalon?

Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2012 Toyota Avalon with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Toyota Avalon get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Toyota Avalon is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

When was the Toyota Avalon discontinued in the US?

Toyota ended US Avalon production after the 2022 model year; the fifth-generation car was built in Georgetown, Kentucky through that run.

What generation is a 2016 Toyota Avalon?

4th generation XX40 (2012–2018 in this catalog).

Does the Avalon Hybrid use the same engine oil as the V6?

Both use 0W-20 in the XX40 and XX50 generations, but oil capacity differs: about 4.6 qt with filter on the 2.5L Hybrid versus about 6.4 qt on the 3.5L V6 (XX40); confirm on the dipstick for your engine.