2018 Toyota Avalon recalls and problems

The 2018 Toyota Avalon has 2 safety recalls and 24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at any Toyota dealer.

Recalls

Complaints

Crashes / fires

7 / 0

Injuries / deaths

4 / 0

Recalls may cover only some 2018 Toyota Avalon vehicles. Check your VIN at NHTSA ↗ to see open recalls for your exact car.

2018 Toyota Avalon recalls

Recall 20V-024: Air Bags

Reported Jan 17, 2020 · 2,891,976 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: 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.

Fix: 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.

Recall 20V-012: Fuel System, Gasoline

Reported Jan 13, 2020 · 1,830,752 vehicles affected · Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing

Problem: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) recalled certain 2018-2019 4Runner, Highlander, Camry, Land Cruiser, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, and Lexus RC 300, RC 350, GS 350, GX 460, IS 300, LC 500, LS 500, LX 570, RX 350L, and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Corolla, and certain Lexus NX 300, and ES 350 vehicles on January 13, 2020. On March 4, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include certain 2014-2015 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser, 2018 Avalon, Corolla, 2014 FJ Cruiser, 2017 Sienna and Lexus 2018 ES 350, 2018-2019 GS 300, 2013-2014 GS350, 2014-2015 GX 460, IS 350 and LX 570, 2014 IS F, 2018-2019 IS 350, LC 500H and LS 500H, 2013-2015 LS 460, 2015 NX 200T and RC350, 2017 RC 200T and RX 350. Toyota also removed the 2018-2019 Toyota 4Runner and Land Cruiser and 2018-2019 Lexus GX 460 and LX 570 and 2019 NX300 from inclusion in this recall. On March 19, 2020, Toyota expanded the recall to include 2015 Lexus GS350 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began May 4, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB02 and 20TA02 for Toyota vehicles and 20LB01 and 20LA01 for Lexus vehicles.

2018 Toyota Avalon problems reported by owners

Problem area	Reports
Air Bags	6
Unknown or Other	5
Steering	4
Fuel/Propulsion System	3
Service Brakes	2
Vehicle Speed Control	2
Forward Collision Avoidance	2
Power Train	1
Wheels	1
Exterior Lighting	1
Electrical System	1
Lane Departure	1

Most reported parts

Forward Collision Avoidance › Automatic Emergency Braking — 1
Forward Collision Avoidance › Warnings — 1
Lane Departure › Warning — 1
Structure › Body — 1

Typical mileage at the time of the problem: 11,000 miles (median of owner reports).

Problems that are not covered by a recall are paid repairs; labor rates follow local mechanic pay — see what auto mechanics earn in each state.

Recent 2018 Toyota Avalon complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA, as written (personal details removed). Complaints are not verified by NHTSA.

Air Bags · reported Nov 25, 2025

Involved in a 2 vehicle accident on October 26th. My car is totaled and so is the other car. No airbags deployed and my drivers side seat belt failed to lock in the accident. I was injured and taken by ambulance to hospital.

Structure · reported Jan 22, 2023

Hello, My name is [XXX]. I bought my car from Longo Toyota in El Monte about 15 months ago. The car was certified preowned and had a Carfax report with no accident reported history. That is exactly why I bought the car, because this was going to be my family car. So I bought it and have been driving around my daughter, who just turned one for over a year. I also work as a Behavioral Therapist and drive around kids with autism in my car on a daily basis. It wasnât until I decided to trade in my car that it was discovered that the Avalon car has frame damage, which was discovered by…

Fuel/Propulsion System · reported Nov 28, 2022

Intermittently, unpredictably, for several seconds at a time, the engine almost quits, especially when accelerating So far, it has not happened in heavy traffic, but if it did, it would create a possibly major safety hazard. I have not taken it to a dealer yet. Just learned about the fuel pump problem that is associated with my 2018 Toyota Avalon. Plan to contact the dealer tomorrow. I have not seen any instrumental warning or notification. There is no warning that the engine is about to lose power and so far the engine has not stopped, but recovers to normal operation.. This has been…

Electrical System · reported Jun 24, 2021

My car check engine light lane sensor light and Lad light came on and card had rough handling i took it to Toyota of plano and they worked on charged me $650 so i was was happy they fixed the problem after one day the lights came back they said it was the rodent damage a Rat chewed the wire because what i learned toyota is using soy base wires it attracts Rats they should not use it it is a safety hazards now my safety feathers don't work i can not afford $600 every other day so please recall this problem Thanks so many accidents can be avoided,

Forward Collision Avoidance · at 15,770 miles · reported May 9, 2021

The pre-collision braking system does not appear to work. Several times when cars in front of us have slammed on their brakes, the pre-collision braking system does not respond. We own a 2016 prius with the same feature and it always responds ' flashing a warning and applying the brakes. We complained to the dealership multiple times, and they said the system in our car performs a check every time we turn on the car and since it does not indicate a fault, to their knowledge the system is working fine. They said there are no other tests for them to perform. I've adjusted the system to the most…

Other Toyota Avalon years

2022 2021 2020 201920182017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000

Compare all Toyota Avalon years · All Toyota models

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2018 Toyota Avalon have any recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2018 Toyota Avalon: 20V-024 (air bags), 20V-012 (fuel system, gasoline). Not every vehicle is affected, so check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

What is the most common problem with the 2018 Toyota Avalon?

Owners report air bags problems most often (6 reports), followed by unknown or other (5). The typical mileage when problems were reported is about 11,000 miles.

Are Toyota recall repairs free?

Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at authorized Toyota dealers, whether you are the first owner or bought the car used.