2001 Toyota Avalon Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this Avalon often describe sudden, unintended acceleration — most at very low speed while parking or in a driveway, with the brakes applied — and several owners say dealers could not reproduce the symptom. A second recurring theme is airbag warning lights and non-deployment, frequently tied by technicians to the spiral cable in the steering column, which some owners report also leaves the horn and cruise control inoperative. Other reports cover engine oil sludge and oil consumption, brake vibration or a low pedal, and tires that lose air or separate at the tread.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 28 complaints (21%)
   • median 60,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • 19 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2014

   Owners describe the car surging or racing forward or backward without warning, most often while creeping into a garage, parking space or driveway with a foot on the brake. Several say applying the brake hard did not stop it and that shifting to neutral or shutting off the ignition ended it. Some took the car to a dealer and were told the problem could not be duplicated; others report the pedal sticking or the engine revving after the brake was released. Reported from a few hundred to about 100,000 miles, most commonly at very low speeds in parking or driveway situations.

   What to check: Road-test at parking-lot speeds and note whether idle speed is steady or the pedal feels sticky or heavy; ask the seller whether any accelerator pedal or throttle-body work was done and keep service records of any surge event.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1. My wife was driving into a parking space at the local costco store. 2.as she was slowing into the space, the accelerator seemed to jam and the car raced forward,jumped the concrete barrier,hit the parking pole and collided with a row of shopping wagons. 3. We have notified our Toyota dealer,the Toyota headquarters,our insurance who have said they may have to total the car, the car was towed to our dealer's auto shop.”

   NHTSA complaint #10307553, filed 2010-02, 67,000 miles

   “On june 23, 2001 my father was driving a two-week-old 2001 Toyota Avalon on wv route 2 near huntington, wv. According to eye witness accounts, my father was driving north at an accelerating speed and quickly came upon another northbound car from the rear. He cut over in the oncoming lane, passed the car, returned to the northbound lane and continued out of sight. The driver of the car estimated my father was traveling probably 90 MPH. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10314628, filed 2010-02, 200 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag light on and bags not deploying

   • 20 complaints (15%)
   • median 98,500 mi at 12.9 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 15 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2023

   Complaints frequently pair an illuminated airbag warning light with airbags that did not deploy in a collision, sometimes at low speed. In several cases a technician traced the light, along with a dead horn and inoperative cruise control, to the spiral (clock spring) cable in the steering column. Owners who asked about assistance were told the vehicle was outside any recall or warranty coverage. Mostly between roughly 55,000 and 110,000 miles, with some reports at higher mileage.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the key to on and confirm the airbag light goes out, then check that the horn and cruise control work — all three together often point to the spiral cable. Ask whether the cable has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving 30 MPH, the driver swerved to avoid hitting a squirrel, the vehicle left the road and hit two trees and none of the air bags deployed. Driver suffered bruises, damage to vehicle was not known. Please provide VIN number upon receipt of this complaint. Vehicle was totaled.”

   NHTSA complaint #10034541, filed 2003-09, 30,000 miles

   “- the contact took the 2001 Toyota Avalon to the dealer on 01/03/07 because the airbag indicator light was on. At the dealership the mechanic stated to the contact that the air bags wouldn't deploy,. Also, the cruise control and horn were not functioning properly. The mechanic determined that the reason for the air bags, horn and cruise control not working was because the spiral cable assembly was creating a short circuit in the steering column. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10177789, filed 2007-01, 55,184 miles
3. 3
   Engine cooling

   Oil sludge and high oil consumption

   • 13 complaints (10%)
   • median 45,000 mi at 3.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2001–2010

   Owners report oil sludge buildup, an oil light that stays on despite regular changes, and engines using large amounts of oil — in one case about two quarts between fill-ups — with smoke from the exhaust. Some were told the engine needed a rebuild or replacement; others say warranty help was refused for lack of oil-change receipts. A few describe stalling or starting trouble traced to a valve in the intake area. Reported from about 13,000 to 150,000 miles, with several cases under 65,000 miles.

   What to check: Check the dipstick level and colour, look for blue smoke on startup or under load, and ask for oil-change records; a sludge-related engine repair is costly, so a pre-purchase inspection that includes a compression check is worthwhile.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil sludge build up in 3.0 liter imz v6 engine. Was told the engine would have to be completely rebuilt new pistons, rings, bearings etc. Have not been told of any extended warranty, was told I would only have the remaining warranty on car. I was also told that they didn't know what caused the sludge build up. If this is true how can they repair the engine? If they don't know what caused it to fail in the first place. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10071233, filed 2004-01, 20,270 miles

   “Engine sludge is creating excessive smoking and the car uses 2 quarts of oil every 2 fillups. The vehicle started smoking in july of 2009 at 120,000 miles and was still under an 8 year warranty on the engine. Took the vehicle to the dealership in redding and they refused to honor the 8 year warranty because I was unable to provide enough receipts that I had changed the oil on a regular basis. They say the engine is ruined.”

   NHTSA complaint #10314021, filed 2010-02, 120,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake vibration, low pedal and rapid pad wear

   • 19 complaints (14%)
   • median 39,000 mi at 4.6 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2014

   Complaints describe a vibration felt through the steering wheel at highway speed or while braking downhill, and owners report repeated rotor and pad replacement without a lasting cure. Others describe the brake pedal going to the floor or the brakes feeling weak on rough or bumpy roads, and one report notes a metal-on-metal feel with rusted rotors on a lightly used car. Spread from about 13,000 to 150,000 miles, with several reports under 30,000 miles.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Brake firmly from highway speed during the test drive and feel for pulsing or a spongy pedal; ask when rotors, pads and brake fluid were last serviced and whether the brake control module has been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “2001 Toyota Avalon has a malfunctioning electronic brakes control module, repaired once under warranty. The said module malfunctioned. Purchased new module from Toyota $1200. And installed $800.. Since I purchased the car have no brakes when traveling on rough or bumpy roads always.”

   NHTSA complaint #10313732, filed 2010-02, 30,000 miles

   “Dt:steering wheel vibrates at speeds from 60 to 75 MPH. Consumer took the vehicle to sears twice to balance and rotate the tires. This did not fix the problem. The consumer took the vehicle to Toyota and had the tires balanced again and the vehicle lubricated. This did not fix the problem either. Vehicle has 22000 miles. Consumer says that it feels like something is loose under the carriage. When the consumer applied the brakes there was a vibration.”

   NHTSA complaint #10126416, filed 2005-07, 22,000 miles
5. 5
   Tires

   Tires losing air or separating at the tread

   • 5 complaints (4%)
   • median 104,328 mi at 8.9 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2004–2017

   Owners describe tires that needed air added weekly, a highway blowout, and separation between tread and sidewall on tires of several brands, including original and replacement sets. Some reports note corroded alloy wheels with white flaking as the source of slow leaks; drivers mention wobble or pulling beforehand. Mostly between about 20,000 and 100,000 miles, with some failures at highway speed.

   What to check: Inspect tire sidewalls and tread for cracks or separation, check the wheels for corrosion around the bead, and confirm pressures hold over a week rather than a single check.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On 4/21/14, I purchased 2 crosswind tires(20560r16) the seller gave me, in writing, tread wear warranty of 50,000 miles. However, I have only driven approx. 19,000 miles and 90% of treads are gone. I have contacted the seller, he told me to contact the manufacturer. The manufacturer refused to honor their warranty. I even contacted my credit card co. To help, but they refused it too. I paid $129.00 plus $40.00 for installation. Please help me get my money back.”

   NHTSA complaint #11006177, filed 2017-07, 190,000 miles

   “I have had 2 of the 4 general tires that came on my 2001 Toyota Avalon fail recently. Fortunately neither one caused an accident. The first failure was discovered when I took my car to the dealer for a wheel alignment because the car was pulling to the right. The dealer informed me that the tire had separated and I had them replace it with the spare tire. I discovered the second tire had failed when I took it to a tire store because it was low and I suspected a puncture in the tire. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10088443, filed 2004-08, 26,000 miles

Buying note. These reports centre on low-speed acceleration events, airbag-system faults, oil sludge and brake vibration, so a thorough test drive and an independent inspection covering the brake, airbag and spiral-cable systems are worth the cost. Service records showing regular oil changes and any prior cable or brake module work help judge how well a specific car has been maintained.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.