2013 Toyota Avalon reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 160 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Avalon over 14 years — 23 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 11 Avalon years on this site. NHTSA has 4 recalls on file, including Air bag control module, Crash-imminent braking, and Windshield wiper/washer switch and wiring.

2013 Toyota Avalon XLE — Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

160

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (27 of 160), then Speed control (25) and Visibility and wipers (21). Those filings include 18 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 13 that report an injury.

Next to 2012 and 2014

The 2012 Avalon has 30 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2014 has 96 complaints, 18 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

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 2013 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 forward collision avoidance, crash-imminent braking 2015-11-03 · NHTSA campaign 15V728000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object.

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.

Recall Windshield wiper/washer switch and wiring 2013-10-17 · NHTSA campaign 13V505000

Summary Toyota Motor Engineering & manufacturing North America, Inc. (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2014 Camry and Camry HV, model year 2013 Avalon and Avalon HV and model year 2014 Corolla vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the windshield wiper switch assembly may short circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, No. 104, "Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems."

Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the wiper switch assembly, free of charge. The recall began on November 8, 2013. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.

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 (160 total)

Structure

Speed control

Visibility and wipers

Air bags

Electrical system

Service brakes

Forward collision avoidance

Visibility

Seats

Engine

Fuel and propulsion system

Tires

Powertrain

Seat belts

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Steering

Adaptive and mobility equipment

Chest clip, buckle, and harness

Equipment

Fuel system, gasoline

Lane departure

Parking brake

Show 16 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"I am submitting this complaint to report a safety-related incident involving the moonroof glass on my 2013 Toyota Avalon. Vehicle Information: - Make: Toyota Avalon, 2013 - VIN: [XXX] - Mileage at time of incident:…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-13
"Car into a brick wall, hit on front passenger side at 15 mph no airbag deployed."
Air bags · filed 2026-03-08
"he Occupant Detection System (ODS) in my 2013 Toyota Avalon has failed. The vehicle does not consistently detect an adult passenger in the front seat, and the “Passenger Airbag OFF” light remains illuminated, even when…"
Air bags · filed 2025-06-06
"1) System Failure: Back window shade. It is available for inspection at any time. 2) Safety of me and others put at risk: When the shade is down I can not see out the back window posing a significant risk to those…"
Visibility and wipers · filed 2025-01-02
"Straps, yes The straps do not stay tight and do not keep my child restrained Yes After checking the straps on the car seat they become loose no longer restraining my child in her seat"
chest clip, buckle, and harness · filed 2024-12-23

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2013 Toyota Avalon 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	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	21	30	24 MPG	$2700
Avalon	3.5L, 6-cyl	Automatic (6-speed)	Front-wheel drive	21	30	25 MPG	$2600
Avalon hybrid	2.5L, 4-cyl	Automatic (AV-S6)	Front-wheel drive	40	39	40 MPG	$1600

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

Previous year 2012 Toyota Avalon Next year 2014 Toyota Avalon See every Toyota Avalon model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2013 Toyota Avalon reliable?

What are common problems with a 2013 Toyota Avalon?

Is the 2013 Toyota Avalon more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2012 Avalon has 30 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2014 has 96 complaints, 18 per year. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2012. The 2013 has more complaints per year than the 2014.

Has the 2013 Toyota Avalon been recalled?

The 2013 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 2013 Toyota Avalon?

Owners have filed 160 complaints about the 2013 Toyota Avalon with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2013 Toyota Avalon get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2013 Toyota Avalon is 29.7 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.