The 2019-2022 Avalon with the 3.5L V6 is generally solid, but this generation faces a critical fuel pump recall and a catastrophic engine failure issue tied to manufacturing debris in early-build engines that can destroy internals without warning.
Symptoms: engine stalls at highway speed, no-start condition, stumbling/hesitation under load, check engine light with low fuel pressure codes
Fix: Covered under recall—dealer replaces in-tank fuel pump assembly. 2-3 hours labor if paying out-of-pocket post-recall-expiry. Critical safety issue; verify recall completion before purchase.
Estimated cost: $800-1,200
Catastrophic Engine Failure from Manufacturing Debris
Occasional · high severity
Typical onset: 3,000-60,000 mi
Symptoms: sudden knocking/ticking from bottom end, metal shavings in oil, loss of oil pressure, complete engine seizure, connecting rod through block in worst cases
Fix: Factory defect—metal debris left in crankshaft oil journals during assembly damages bearings, crank, pistons. Toyota extended warranty to 10yr/150k on some VINs but coverage is inconsistent. Requires short block or complete engine replacement: 18-24 hours labor. Fight for goodwill coverage; many owners get partial reimbursement.
Estimated cost: $8,000-15,000
Transmission Oil Cooler Line Leaks
Occasional · medium severity
Typical onset: 60,000-100,000 mi
Symptoms: red fluid puddle under engine bay, transmission running hot, burnt ATF smell, slipping or harsh shifts if fluid level drops
Fix: Rubber hoses to external cooler degrade; sometimes cooler itself corrodes at crimp points. Replace lines and top off fluid: 1.5-2 hours labor. Inspect cooler for internal contamination.
Estimated cost: $350-650
Transmission Mount Deterioration
Common · low severity
Typical onset: 80,000-120,000 mi
Symptoms: clunk on hard acceleration or deceleration, vibration at idle in Drive, excessive engine movement visible from engine bay
Fix: Hydraulic mount on passenger side fails; rubber separates or fluid leaks out. Replace mount: 1.5 hours labor. OEM part recommended—aftermarket mounts fail quickly.
Estimated cost: $300-500
Front Airbag Sensor Misclassification (Recall)
Occasional · medium severity
Symptoms: airbag light illuminated, passenger airbag off indicator stays on with adult in seat, SRS codes for occupant classification sensor
Fix: Software calibration issue or sensor mat failure in passenger seat. Recall 21V-008 covers software update; hardware failures require seat disassembly and mat replacement: 2-3 hours labor.
Estimated cost: $400-800
Infotainment System Software Glitches
Common · low severity
Symptoms: touchscreen freezes or black screen, backup camera delayed or no display, audio cuts out randomly, Bluetooth pairing failures
Fix: Recall 20V-651 and later TSBs address some issues via software reflash at dealer (free). Persistent hardware failures need head unit replacement: 2 hours labor. Always try software update first.
Estimated cost: $1,200-2,000
Owner tips
Check VIN for engine failure warranty extension (some 2019-2020 models covered to 10yr/150k)—if not listed, walk away or negotiate hard.
Verify both fuel pump recalls completed; carry documentation as some vehicles were recalled twice.
Change ATF every 60k miles despite 'lifetime fill' claim—cooler line leaks contaminate fluid quickly.
Oil analysis every 5k miles for first 80k if buying used—only way to catch bearing wear before catastrophic failure.
Comfortable highway cruiser, but the engine grenade risk on early builds makes pre-purchase inspection and warranty verification non-negotiable—buy 2021+ or one with confirmed recall/warranty coverage.
AI-assisted summary drawn from NHTSA recall data, our labor-times database, and platform knowledge. Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on a specific vehicle.
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AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION · 23V865000
2023-12-20
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION · 23V865000
2023-12-20
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Corolla, Highlander, Highlander Hybrid, RAV4, RAV4 Hybrid, Lexus ES350, Lexus RX350, Lexus RX450H, 2021 Sienna Hybrid, Lexus ES250, 2020-2022 Camry, Camry Hybrid, and ES300H vehicles. A short circuit may develop in the Occupant Classification System (OCS) sensor, preventing the front passenger air bag from deploying.
Consequence: An air bag that does not deploy during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the sensor as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed in February 2024. Some final remedy owner letters were mailed October 31, 2024. Letters will continue to be mailed in phases through January 2026. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 23TB15/23TA15 Lexus 23LB03/23LA03.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · 20V734000
2020-11-25
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB17/20TA17.
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL · 20V734000
2020-11-25
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Toyota Avalon and 2020 Avalon Hybrid, RAV4, and RAV4 Hybrid vehicles. Breakaway pins within the steering column, designed to absorb energy and reduce injury during a crash, could have been damaged during production, possibly affecting the performance of the driver's air bag in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Consequence: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not perform as designed can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering column, free of charge. The recall began December 18, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TB17/20TA17.
Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly with an improved one, free of charge. Owners of specific models were notified that remedy parts were available starting January 21, 2021. Owners of other models will be notified as remedy parts become available. Remedy parts should be available for all affected vehicles by late March 2021. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371 or Lexus customer service at 1-800-255-3987. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-012. Toyota's number for this recall is 20TA02. Lexus' number for this recall is 20LA01.
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.
Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS · 19V244000
2019-03-27
Gulf States Toyota (GST) is recalling certain 2019 C-HR, 4Runner, Avalon, Avalon Hybrid, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Highlander, Land Cruiser, Prius, RAV4, Sequoia, Tacoma, Sienna, Tundra and Yaris vehicles. The text on the load capacity label may become illegible. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Consequence: If the driver cannot read the label, they may unknowingly overload the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: GST will notify owners, and dealers will provide corrected load carrying capacity modification labels, free of charge. The recall began May 24, 2019. Owners may contact GST customer service at 1-800-444-1074. GST's number for this recall is 19R1.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE · 18V685000
2018-10-04
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia vehicles and 2019 Toyota Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles. The air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may erroneously detect a fault during the vehicle start-up self check. If this occurs, the ECU may not deploy the airbags as intended, in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection," and 214, "Side Impact Protection."
Consequence: If the air bags do not deploy as intended, it can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will update the software for the air bag ECU, free of charge. The recall began October 26, 2018. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is J0X. Note: 18V-122 was superseded by this recall. The software remedy also includes the updates to the software for 18V-122.
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