The 2016 Toyota Avalon has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 2,950,503 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 33 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the unknown or other. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS20V0240002020-01-172,891,976 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…
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, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between…
AIR BAGS16V9060002016-12-1612 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon, and 2017 Camry vehicles manufactured August 3, 2016, to September 12, 2016. The front passenger knee air bag module may have been attached to the lower instrument panel with incorrect fasteners.
Consequence
If the air bag was installed with incorrect fasteners, the fasteners may become loose over time, affecting the air bag deployment and increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fasteners, and if necessary, replace the instrument panel brace and body bracket and reattach the air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 8, 2017. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this…
AIR BAGS16V2150002016-04-1458,515 affected
Defect
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2016 Avalon and Camry vehicles manufactured November 30, 2015 to March 4, 2016. The occupant classification system (OCS) that activates or deactivates the front passenger seat air bag system may have been improperly calibrated. As a…
Consequence
Air bags that do not deploy as intended during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Remedy
Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will recalibrate the OCS, free of charge. The recall began by May 13, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0J.
Complaints by component
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
5
AIR BAGS
4
1crashes1injuries
ENGINE
4
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
1crashes1fires1injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
3
1crashes1injuries
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
2
POWER TRAIN
2
SERVICE BRAKES
2
1crashes1injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
2
1crashes1injuries
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
2
Total complaints33
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The contact owns a 2016 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the sunroof glass shattered. The contact stated that there was no glass inside the vehicle because the sunroof shade was in the closed position. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The…”
“The manufacturer is no longer producing oem windshield that comply with the a das features which are now in operable because my windshield will not calibrate after replacement because there is not an oem windshield available. I have contacted toyota. I have also searched everywhere in the states…”
“The manufacturer is no longer producing oem windshield that comply with the a das features which are now in operable because my windshield will not calibrate after replacement because there is not an oem windshield available. I have contacted toyota. I have also searched everywhere in the states…”
“The manufacturer is no longer producing oem windshield that comply with the a das features which are now in operable because my windshield will not calibrate after replacement because there is not an oem windshield available. I have contacted toyota. I have also searched everywhere in the states…”
“The contact owns a 2016 toyota avalon equipped with cooper tires, tire line: cs5 ultra touring, tire size: 215/55/r17, dot number: u93r1cu1820. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front end of the vehicle was shaking abnormally without warning. The contact took the vehicle…”
“Clear”
“The contact owns a 2016 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop immediately and made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the center console was extremely hot, and the driver's side seat electric…”
“Travel on the street and may hit an object (could be an empty trash container. Vehicle left the travel lane, going up on the sidewalk, stuck 2 garbage cans and through the numerous bushes.”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA19001 Opened 2019-04-19 · closed 2024-09-19
Electrical overstress
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Toyota Avalon as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.