The 2011 Toyota Avalon has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 51,495 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the steering. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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…
Consequence
A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire.
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.
Complaints by component
STEERING
31
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
24
3crashes
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
10
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
8crashes4injuries
VISIBILITY/WIPER
9
SERVICE BRAKES
5
2crashes1injuries
VISIBILITY
5
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
4
ENGINE
3
1crashes
SEATS
3
Total complaints130
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2011 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger's side seat belt failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt latch failed to unlock. The contact stated that his wife was stuck in the…”
“The rear trunk lid arms broken lid feel on top of me”
“The rear sun screen will get stuck in the up position . At night there is almost no visibility out of the back window. This is a very dangerous safety problem. Apparently toyota has had a problem with this feature with no effort made to correct it.”
“The engine has quit while in traffic several times and the check engine light and the skid control lights are the only lights lit on the dashboard. Once the car comes to rest and one waits 3 to 5 minutes, the car will restart. We have taken the car to the dealer twice, ( each time the had it for…”
“Failure of the sun shade in the rear causes a problem with visability. Stays stuck in up or down position. Creates a loud distracting grinding noise when in operation and highly reduces visibility through the rear window. Particularly when it is stuck in the half way position.”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota avalon. The contact stated while making a right or left turn, the steering column was loose. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated he was able to readjusted the steering column however, experienced the failure within a few days.…”
“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…”
“I was using the lever to push the seat away from the steering wheel when one side stopped moving, causing the other side to derail. I took the car to jim hudson toyota immediately, and the technician was able to get seat back on track. However, he wasn't able to get the side moving, and stated the…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2011 Toyota Avalon as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.