Representative model. Photo: LotPro Cars, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2012 Toyota Avalon recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2012 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 4
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 30
Latest campaign: Jan 17, 2020

Recall summary by component4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Air bags	2	Jan 17, 2020	20V024000 18V569000
Electrical system	2	Jan 28, 2015	15V047000 13V442000

Safety recalls4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

Jan 17, 2020Latest campaign


Jan 17, 202020V024000	Air bags: air bag/restraint control module 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. DetailsHide details for campaign 20V024000 What's wrong 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. Risk 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 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. Campaign NHTSA 20V024000 · Jan 17, 2020
Aug 29, 201818V569000	Air bags If the seat belt is falsely interpreted as being buckled, in the event of a crash, the air bags may not deploy appropriately, increasing the risk of injury. DetailsHide details for campaign 18V569000 What's wrong Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2012 Toyota Avalon vehicles. During a vehicle repair, the seat belt inner buckles may have been replaced with parts that may incorrectly tell the air bag management system that the seat belt is always buckled. Risk If the seat belt is falsely interpreted as being buckled, in the event of a crash, the air bags may not deploy appropriately, increasing the risk of injury. Remedy Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the seat belt assembly to verify that it is properly detecting being unbuckled, replacing the inner seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. The recall began September 19, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0S. Campaign NHTSA 18V569000 · Aug 29, 2018
Jan 28, 201515V047000	Electrical system A constant electrical current flow may cause the sub-woofer to overheat, increasing the risk of fire. DetailsHide details for campaign 15V047000 What's wrong 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 integrated circuit (IC) in the audio amplifier. In some cases, the damaged IC may allow a constant electrical current flow to the sub-woofer. Risk 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. Campaign NHTSA 15V047000 · Jan 28, 2015
Oct 17, 201313V442000	Electrical system A short circuit may cause the air bags to become disabled or inadvertently deploy. DetailsHide details for campaign 13V442000 What's wrong 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. Risk 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. Campaign NHTSA 13V442000 · Oct 17, 2013

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Toyota recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Buying a used 2012 Toyota Avalon? Recalls cover the model; a history report checks one car's title, odometer and accident records. VinAudit history report → Sponsored · disclosure

Owner complaints by component30

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

30Complaints filed

8Involving a crash

1Involving a fire

6Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%	Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Structure	6	20	1	0	1
Air bags	6	20	4	0	5
Electrical system	4	13	0	1	0
Vehicle speed control	4	13	4	0	1
Visibility/wiper	3	10	0	0	0
Service brakes	3	10	1	0	0
Unknown or other	2	7	0	0	0
Power train	1	3	0	0	0
Seat belts	1	3	1	0	2
Engine	1	3	0	0	0
Visibility	1	3	0	0	0
Seats	1	3	0	0	0
Electronic stability control (ESC)	1	3	0	0	0
Suspension	1	3	0	0	0

An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

Power train
“While entering the highway on ramp, as I accelerated and turned on the left turn signal, the engine stopped. The steering became very hard.”
Filed 05/05/2023 · ODI 11520588
Structure
“The contact owns a 2012 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while it was hot outside, or whenever there was direct sunlight on the dashboard, the dashboard would become very sticky.”
Filed 04/14/2022 · ODI 11460724
Visibility/wiper
“There is a rear windshield shade that comes up automatically during a bright or hot day. It has a button to manually bring it up or down also.”
Filed 01/29/2022 · ODI 11449358

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2012 Toyota Avalon recall questions

How many recalls does the 2012 Toyota Avalon have?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2012 Toyota Avalon. The most recent, 20V024000 (reported January 17, 2020), concerns air bags. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2012 Toyota Avalon recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 2 campaigns. Others: electrical system (2). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2012 Toyota Avalon?

Structure is the most-reported component, named in 6 complaints out of 30 filed with NHTSA (20%). Across all complaints, owners reported 8 crashs and 1 fire. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2012 Toyota Avalon?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Toyota recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Toyota dealer.

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