NHTSA has 360 owner complaints on file for the 2006 Toyota Avalon, received from 2006 to 2026. The most-reported system is speed control (103 complaints, 29%), followed by engine (69) and power train (52). Owners reported 54 crashes, 4 fires, 35 injuries and 2 deaths. Median mileage at failure: 45,000 miles. Complaints peaked in 2010, with 105 received that year. 7 safety recalls cover this model year.
360NHTSA complaints
7safety recalls
54crashes reported
4fires reported
35injuries
2deaths
Quick answers
What is the most common problem with the 2006 Toyota Avalon?
Owners report speed control problems most often: 103 of 360 NHTSA complaints (29%), followed by engine (69) and power train (52).
How many recalls does the 2006 Toyota Avalon have?
NHTSA lists 7 safety recalls for the 2006 Toyota Avalon. The most recent is 16V396000 (seats, 2016-06-02).
At what mileage do 2006 Toyota Avalon problems happen?
The median mileage at failure is 45,000 miles, across 291 complaints that reported mileage.
Have owners reported crashes or fires in the 2006 Toyota Avalon?
Yes. Owners reported 54 crashes, 4 fires, 35 injuries and 2 deaths in NHTSA complaints.
Problems by system
System
Complaints
Share
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Median miles
Speed control
103
29%
34
0
17
38,750
Engine
69
19%
1
1
0
62,833
Power train
52
14%
3
0
1
16,045
Steering
35
10%
0
0
0
41,500
Service brakes
28
8%
7
0
6
39,000
Air bags
27
8%
14
0
13
45,000
Unknown or other
25
7%
2
0
0
74,000
Structure
23
6%
3
1
5
50,000
Electrical system
16
4%
2
3
1
65,208
Exterior lighting
12
3%
0
0
0
6,743
Fuel system
10
3%
1
0
2
72,763
Electronic stability control
9
2%
1
0
0
50,000
Equipment
7
2%
1
0
3
28,510
Wheels
6
2%
2
0
2
88,883
Seats
5
1%
0
1
0
92,869
Seat belts
4
1%
2
0
2
141,000
Suspension
4
1%
0
0
0
35,000
Tires
4
1%
0
0
0
111,785
Visibility and wipers
4
1%
0
0
0
39,400
Traction control
2
1%
0
0
0
80,500
Forward collision avoidance
1
<1%
0
0
0
–
Latches, locks and linkages
1
<1%
0
0
0
500
A complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.
Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.
Defect: Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.
Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.
Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2006 avalon, model year 2004-2006 highlander, model year 2004-2006 lexus rx, and model year 2006 lexus gs and is vehicles. Brake fluid containing polymers is used that acts as lubricants for certain brake system components. If replacement brake fluid is used that does not contain such polymers, or that contains only small amounts, a part of the rubber seal located at the rear of the brake master cylinder may become dry, and the seal may curl during movement of the piston. If this occurs, a small amount of brake fluid could slowly leak from the seal…
Risk: A leak of brake fluid could lead to a change in brake pedal feel and overtime a degradation in braking performance increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seal with a newly designed one. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on november 15, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331 and lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Defect: Southeast toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2011 passenger vehicles for failing to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 110, "tire selection and rims." these vehicles were sold without the requisite load carrying capacity modification labels.
Risk: A driver may overload a vehicle which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will mail to consumers the corrected label or the customer will have the option for dealers to install the label free of charge. The safety recall began on may 27, 2010. Owners may contact southeast toyota at 1-800-301-6859.
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 avalon, model year 2007-2010 camry, model year 2009-2010 corolla, corolla matrix, rav4, model year 2010 highlander, model year 2008-2010 sequoia, and model year 2007-2010 tundra vehicles. Due to the manner in which the friction lever interacts with the sliding surface of the accelerator pedal inside the pedal sensor assembly, the sliding surface of the lever may become smooth during vehicle operation. In this condition, if condensation occurs on the surface, as may occur from heater operation (without a/c) when the pedal assembly is cold, the…
Risk: The accelerator pedal may become hard to depress, slow to return to idle, or, in the worst case, mechanically stuck in a partially depressed position, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will install a reinforcement bar in the accelerator pedal which will allow the pedal to operate smoothly. Gm will notify owners for the pontiac vibe please see 10v-018. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on february 5, 2010 and will be completed on march 15, 2010. Owners may contact toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Defect: Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Risk: A stuck open accelerator pedal may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash, serious injury or death.
Remedy: Toyota filed an amended defect report on november 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal. These changes address the risk of pedal entrapment due to interference with the floor mat. Redesigned accelerator pedals will become available beginning in april 2010 and dealers will replace any modified pedal with the new pedal if desired. Also, dealers will replace any genuine toyota or lexus all-weather floor mats with redesigned all-weather mats, or repurchase the previous mats from owners who…
Defect: On certain vehicles, due to improper assembly of the air bag inflator, which is used in the side air bag, the curtain shield air bag, and the knee air bag assembly, some inflators were produced with an insufficient amount of the heating agents necessary for proper air bag deployment. In this condition, the expansion force of the gas may be insufficient to properly inflate the air bag when the srs system is activated during a crash.
Risk: This may increase the risk of injury to the occupant in the involved seating position in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the specific srs air bag. The recall began on april 6, 2006. Owners may contact toyota at 1-888-270-9371, scion at 1-866-548-1851, or lexus at 1-800-255-3987.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 toyota avalon. While driving less than 5 mph to pull into an underground garage area, the accelerator pedal became stuck and failed to release. The brake pedal was applied with force, but the vehicle lunged forward and crashed into the garage door. Upon impact, a yellow…
Speed control · NHTSA complaint 11193550, received 2019-04-03
While backing out of the driveway, in reverse, the car suddenly and without warning accelerated at a high rate on it's own without depression of the accelerator pedal. Brakes were applied at full force during the acceleration with out effect. Vehicle continued down the driveway, crossing over the…
Speed control · NHTSA complaint 10822293, received 2016-01-26
On june 7, 2019, I was driving the avalon, the engine suddenly stopped while I was driving the vehicle on city street. With the loss of power steering and brakes, I was traumatized and did my best to guide the vehicle to side of the road. I had the vehicle towed home and hooked up to a code…
Engine · NHTSA complaint 11228871, received 2019-07-02
2006 toyota avalon. Consumer writes in regards to vvt-I oil hose rupture and seized engine failure. *smd [redacted]
Engine · NHTSA complaint 10805787, received 2018-04-10
The contact owned a 2006 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. The contact heard an abnormal noise as he pressed on the brake pedal; the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The contact was able to restart the vehicle…
Power train · NHTSA complaint 11441720, received 2021-11-26
Under hard acceleration while turning, you will experience loss of vehicle control. Ie, entering traffic from a cross street.
Power train · NHTSA complaint 11308816, received 2020-02-12
Other Toyota Avalon model years
1995 · 80 complaints
1996 · 109 complaints
1997 · 125 complaints
1998 · 178 complaints
1999 · 92 complaints
2000 · 173 complaints
2001 · 134 complaints
2002 · 116 complaints
2003 · 293 complaints
2004 · 205 complaints
2005 · 228 complaints
2007 · 243 complaints
2008 · 349 complaints
2009 · 91 complaints
2010 · 46 complaints
2011 · 106 complaints
2012 · 30 complaints
2013 · 137 complaints
2014 · 96 complaints
2015 · 41 complaints
2016 · 23 complaints
2017 · 14 complaints
2018 · 24 complaints
2019 · 71 complaints
2020 · 10 complaints
2021 · 21 complaints
2022 · 8 complaints
Source
Built from the NHTSA complaints flat file and the NHTSA recalls flat files, data as of 2026-10-22. Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA. Counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular models collect more of them.