2002 Toyota Avalon Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about the car speeding up when they did not intend it to, and about the airbag warning light staying on or blinking. Steering that becomes stiff or locks, and brakes that lock at low speed, are the next most common themes, and many complaints come from cars with well over 100,000 miles. Complaint volume has been tapering off in recent years.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Sudden unintended acceleration

   • 24 complaints (21%)
   • median 100,000 mi at 8.4 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 15 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2019

   Owners describe the car picking up speed on its own while pulling into a parking space, in reverse, or while cruising at highway speed. Several say the brake pedal went to the floor or would not slow the car, and some of these ended in impacts with buildings, parked cars or trees. A few mention the engine revving high or the accelerator pedal feeling stuck or sticky, and cruise control that speeds up instead of holding speed on a downgrade. Dealers, according to the complaints, often ran diagnostics and found no stored cause, although a throttle body was replaced in one case and a stuck pedal was identified in another. Reported from as little as a couple of thousand miles to over 200,000, with many complaints filed between roughly 60,000 and 120,000 miles.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: On a test drive, let the pedal return slowly after blipping the throttle and check that it moves freely with no sticking. Ask whether the throttle body or accelerator pedal sensor has ever been inspected or replaced, and try the cruise control on a downhill stretch.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Toyota Avalon '02 accelerated and had no brakes going down 35-40' driveway. Would knock parked car through house if I did not turn. Steered into railroad-tie holding berm. Bouncing off the tie slowed momentum of car. Was able to turn. Still crashed into parked car. Totaled my car and parked car.”

   NHTSA complaint #10293022, filed 2009-11, 150,000 miles

   “I was driving on a highway when the car accelerated by itself, brakes did not work. The car put itself in the middle of two lanes, then accelerated turn half ,I think, crashed (the front of the car)with a small hill some how did not stop and ended up somehow turning back and crashed again this time the back of the car crashed against the hill and stopped. The car suffered several breaks in and a transmision repair. This is my third Toyota. It was perfect before the incident. It was very scary. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11191620, filed 2019-03, 213,830 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light on or blinking

   • 21 complaints (18%)
   • median 104,281 mi at 12.0 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • filed 2002–2025

   The most common airbag complaint is the SRS light coming on, staying on, or blinking intermittently, sometimes right after startup. According to the complaints, dealers adjusted or replaced front pretensioners, replaced side impact sensors and wiring harnesses, and cleared the codes, with the light returning days to months later in several cases. One owner was quoted around $2,000 for the repair and chose to keep driving with the light on, and another was told the airbag itself needed replacing. Often reported past 100,000 miles, though some owners saw the light as early as 40,000 to 60,000 miles.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Watch the dashboard at startup: the airbag light should come on briefly and then go out. If it stays lit or blinks, ask for the stored SRS codes and any receipts for sensor, wiring or pretensioner work.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2002 Toyota Avalon xl. The srs airbag light on the dashboard is constantly blinking. I took the vehicle to a repair shop that tested it and said that there is a short in the drivers side squib circuit. There was no incident to trigger this. Apparently this is a manufacturing defect and should be fixed via a recall by Toyota.”

   NHTSA complaint #10630731, filed 2014-09, 160,000 miles

   “The 2003-2004 model Avalon's have a recall for the airbags when exposed to certain frequencies and noises. My 2002 Avalon has the same issue and Toyota needs to include this model year as well. I've had no problems out of this car ever, but as soon as it hit 140,000 miles the air bags light came on. After doing a little research I seen that others were having the same issue. Please include this model year in the recall because this car is very dependable and I've had no issues until now.”

   NHTSA complaint #11362548, filed 2020-10, 140,082 miles
3. 3
   Steering

   Steering wheel stiff or locking up

   • 13 complaints (11%)
   • median 88,000 mi at 9.0 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2017

   Owners report the steering wheel becoming hard to turn or sticking, sometimes with a loud click, and in a few cases locking while the car was moving. Some complaints were filed after recall 10V345000 was announced, either because the wheel still acted up after the repair or because dealers said the recall parts were not yet available and gave no date. Others describe worn steering knuckles or a steering column replacement as the diagnosis. Most complaints fall between roughly 40,000 and 160,000 miles, and some were filed simply after the recall notice arrived rather than after a failure.

   Recall 10V345000

   What to check: Ask whether recall 10V345000 (steering lock bar) was performed and keep the paperwork. With the car running, turn the wheel lock to lock and feel for stiffness, clicking or a notch.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When turning steering wheel hard to turn like it get stuck can turn the steering wheel.I was driving a city street when I notice a few days ago. Just seeing the recall notice.how long does the consumer have to get assistance with recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11016379, filed 2017-08, 92,000 miles

   “2002 Toyota Avalon was repaired due to recall on steering column. After repair, I was able to turn off ignition while car was in drive mode. Which safety defect is worse?”

   NHTSA complaint #10356884, filed 2010-09, 71,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brakes lock up and will not release

   • 9 complaints (8%)
   • median 116,158 mi at 8.2 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2007–2023

   Owners describe all four wheels locking, often at low speed in a parking lot or at a traffic light, with the ABS and VSC lights coming on and the car refusing to roll in gear. Dealers quoted in the complaints found the master cylinder not releasing, brake fluid in the booster, or a failed ABS actuator, and replaced those parts; one owner also reported rear brake pads wearing out well before the fronts. Reported between roughly 24,000 and 165,000 miles, frequently during low-speed maneuvering rather than at highway speed.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a shop pull ABS/VSC codes and check for brake fluid in the booster. After a test drive, feel each wheel for unusual heat and note any dragging or grinding.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving 10mph, car suddenly stops, motor running normally. Collared pin in master cylinder failed causing brakes to seize with ABS and asc failure. If I had been on a freeway, I would surely have been backended or skidded on ice out of control with no way to recover.”

   NHTSA complaint #10215967, filed 2008-01, 94,000 miles

   “While driving on the massachusetts turnpike (route 90) my Toyota Avalon suddenly turned to the left (driver's side) and struck the highway median. I had no control of my Avalon and the vehicle was unresponsive to turning the wheel and to braking.”

   NHTSA complaint #10312681, filed 2010-02, 122,000 miles
5. 5
   Air bags

   Airbags did not inflate in a crash

   • 14 complaints (12%)
   • median 183,058 mi at 13.3 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 12 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2002–2020

   Several owners describe frontal or multi-impact crashes in which the airbags did not deploy, and some say the warning light had been coming on beforehand. Diagnoses mentioned in the complaints include a loose electrical connector, a short in the driver squib circuit, and an inflation sensor torn from its bracket in a rear impact. In a few cases the car had recently been serviced or the system reset without the problem going away. Reported mostly above 100,000 miles, typically in cars with long service histories.

   2 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the SRS service history and confirm the airbag light self-tests and goes out. If the car has crash history, have the SRS system and sensor mountings inspected before relying on it.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was in a car accident where I lost control of the vehicle due to slippery roads. I was exiting i5 on to highway 7 in tacoma washington. The vehicle wouldn't stop, slid and hit a cement wall on highway 7. Upon impact I hit my head on windshield and none of the air bags came out upon impact. I received injuries due to this disorder.”

   NHTSA complaint #11306600, filed 2020-02, 192,000 miles

   “During a front-end collision in which my car was stopped and rammed into by another vehicle the air bag inflation sensor was sheared off it's mounting bracket. The air bag failed to inflate because the sensor failed to detect the impact.”

   NHTSA complaint #10806592, filed 2015-11, 268,464 miles

Buying note. This model year draws a steady stream of complaints about unintended acceleration, airbag warning lights and brake or steering lock-up, and many involve cars that are now well past 100,000 miles. A pre-purchase inspection that covers the throttle linkage, brake hydraulics, steering recall status and stored airbag codes is worth the cost on one of these.

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.