2013 TOYOTA AVALON — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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5/5

★★★★★

Safety Rating

185

Owner Complaints

20 Crashes 3 Fires

4

Recalls

ACTIVE RECALL

49

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

The 2013 TOYOTA AVALON has received a total of 185 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 6 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING, EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER. 49 technical service bulletins have been issued by Toyota Motor Corporation for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Vehicle Speed Control (22 complaints), Unknown Or Other (21 complaints), and Visibilitywiper (21 complaints).

Recalls for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

NHTSA has recorded 6 recalls for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON, potentially affecting up to 5,340,890 vehicles.

Recall 20V024000 — AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

| 2,891,976 vehicles affected

Defect: 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.

Consequence: 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.

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,...

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Recall 15V728000 — FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING

| 30,812 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.

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.

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Recall 13V442000 — EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

| 802,769 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.

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.

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Recall 13V442000 — AIR BAGS

| 802,769 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.

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.

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Recall 13V442000 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

| 802,769 vehicles affected

Defect: 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...

Consequence: A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. An inadvertent airbag deployment can increase the risk of injury or the possibility of a crash. An inoperative airbag can increase the risk of injury in a severe crash. The power steering assist could also become inoperable resulting in increased steering effort and can increase the risk of a crash at low speeds.

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.

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Recall 13V505000 — VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:SWITCH/WIRING

| 9,795 vehicles affected

Defect: 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,...

Consequence: A short circuit could cause inoperative windshield wipers, reducing driver visibility and increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

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Owner Complaints for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

185 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11665425 | AIR BAGS | | N/A miles
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 someone is seated properly. This means the airbag will not deploy in a crash, which is a serious safety risk for my passengers. I first noticed this issue several months ago. I took the car to a local certified repair shop, where they diagnosed a failure in the ODS sensor. I then brought it to a Toyota dealership for further inspection. The dealership confirmed the issue but required extra time and labor charges just to reach the same conclusion, even though I had already informed them of the diagnosis. Despite this being a clearly safety-critical system, I was told that no recall was active, and the repair cost would be entirely out-of-pocket, which is prohibitively expensive. As a result, the issue remains unresolved. There is a constant indicator light on the dash showing that the airbag system is deactivated when the passenger seat is occupied. To my knowledge, this issue has occurred in other Toyota models as well, and I believe this should be considered for a formal investigation and potential recall. It puts passengers at serious risk in the event of an accident and should not be a customer’s financial responsibility when it involves airbag functionality.
#11633747 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | | N/A miles
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 behind me particularly pedestrians 3) Has problem been reproduced: Yes 4) Has the component been inspected: No the motor operating the shade has not been inspected 5) Warnings prior to system failure: None Description: The window shade is meant to automatically retract out of sight when the transmission is placed in reverse. It does not retract at all. It stays fully extended covering the entire back window. This problem drastically impairs my ability to see out the back window at all. While being a problem at all times driving the vehicle it is particularly problematic when backing up at night; you simply can not see anyone behind you backing out of a parking space in a mall for example.
#11632229 | Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | | N/A miles
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
#11599833 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | | N/A miles
There is a very strong musty smell. 80% of the time it's when I turn on AC. 20% just at random driving times. Whenever car has sat longer then a few hours with all windows up. When open doors is has very musty smell. I have done everything to do with cleaning vehicle. This is a hybrid I'm a lil scared when it comes to electrical fire . Do to this musty smell. That means there is some type of fluid gathering somewhere. So what does Toyota plan on doing?
#11594045 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | | N/A miles
I have a smell of moldy old water what is going on ? Why is water filling up in my trunk? What do my head lights bulb keep going out? WHY HAVEN'T YOU GUYS DONE ANYTHING? For real I have a darn battery in my trunk come on. I already had to purchase a battery .

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Safety Rating for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

The 2013 TOYOTA AVALON received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).

Test Category Rating
Overall Rating ★★★★★ (5/5)
Frontal Crash ★★★★ (4/5)
Side Crash ★★★★★ (5/5)
Rollover ★★★★ (4/5)

Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

Toyota Motor Corporation has issued 49 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

ZKK - Dealer Pac — EQUIPMENT

DL: Toyota has received reports regarding the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies on certain 2012 - 2014 model year Camry Hybrid vehicles and certain 2013 - 2015 model year Avalon Hybrid Vehicles. These reports have indicated certain internal malfunctions of the Brake Booster Assembly. Although the Brake Booster...

ZKK - Dealer Pac — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

DL: Toyota has received reports regarding the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies on certain 2012 - 2014 model year Camry Hybrid vehicles and certain 2013 - 2015 model year Avalon Hybrid Vehicles. These reports have indicated certain internal malfunctions of the Brake Booster Assembly. Although the Brake Booster...

ZKG_Technical In — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY

Technical Instructions: December 12, 2019. This document has been updated to clarify that only authorized Toyota dealerships are authorized to confirm if the paint peeling condition is covered by this program. However, after confirming that the paint peeling condition is covered by this program, the authorized Toyota dealership may choose...

ZKK_Dealer Email — SERVICE BRAKES

Dealer Email: Toyota has received reports regarding the Brake Booster and Brake Booster Pump Assemblies on certain 2012 - 2014 model year Camry Hybrid vehicles and certain 2013 - 2015 model year Avalon Hybrid Vehicles. These reports have indicated certain internal malfunctions of the Brake Booster Assembly. Although the Brake...

T-SB-0294-17_Rev — EQUIPMENT

TSB: REVISION NOTICE November 14, 2018 Rev1: ? The Required Tools & Equipment section has been updated. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be discarded. SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0133-14. ? The Parts Information, Required Tools & Equipment, and On-Vehicle Navigation...

T-SB-0128-18 — SUSPENSION

TSB: Some 2014 ? 2017 model year Camry and Camry HV vehicles and 2013 ? 2018 model year Avalon and Avalon HV vehicles may exhibit a squeak noise from the front stabilizer bushings. This condition may be present when traveling over rough roads or speed bumps. Follow the Repair Procedure...

T-SB-0151-13_Obs — UNKNOWN OR OTHER

TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE May 29, 2018: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0039-18.

F0B_TI_EXPIRED_A — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Technical Instructions: LSC Expired on December 31, 2017. TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIMITED SERVICE CAMPAIGN F0B OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) SENSOR CERTAIN 2013 MODEL YEAR AVALON & AVALON HV.

T-SB-0294-17 — EQUIPMENT

TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0133-14. ? The Parts Information, Required Tools & Equipment, and On-Vehicle Navigation Update sections have been updated. Toyota models equipped with the Premium HDD Navigation (AVN/AW-EMV) system require a Special Service Tool (SST) USB drive to update the...

E0J Dealer Lette — EQUIPMENT

Dealer Letter: September 27, 2017. A watermark has been added to the Dealer Letter to indicate that E0J expired on July 31, 2017. In our continuing efforts to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota is launching a Limited Service Campaign (LSC) on certain 2013 ? 2014 Model Year Avalon...

Showing 10 of 49 technical service bulletins.

NHTSA Investigations for the 2013 TOYOTA AVALON

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the TOYOTA AVALON

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Other TOYOTA Models

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