YearToAvoid

2010 Toyota Avalon Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Good

Complaint Index

41/100

#11 most-complained of 18 Avalon years

Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology

The 2010 Toyota Avalon has 46 owner complaints and 7 safety recalls on file with NHTSA. Its Complaint Index is 41 out of 100 — #11 highest of 18 Avalon model years (verdict: Good). The most reported problem area is engine (15 complaints, 33% of the total). Complaints report 6 crashes and 6 injuries.

Complaints
46
Recalls
7
Crashes / fires
6 / 0
Injuries / deaths
6 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
23
19 city / 28 hwy

Top 2010 Toyota Avalon problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Engine15 (33%)
  2. Steering10 (22%)
  3. Electrical System7 (15%)
  4. Other7 (15%)
  5. Brakes3 (7%)
  6. Visibility & Wipers3 (7%)
  7. Airbags2 (4%)
  8. Structure & Body2 (4%)
  9. Transmission & Powertrain2 (4%)
  10. Suspension, Wheels & Tires1 (2%)
2010 Toyota Avalon complaints: complaints filed per month5Nov 2009Apr 2010Jan 2011Jul 2013Nov 2015Jan 2017Jun 2020
52 complaints filed with NHTSA from Nov 2009 to Jul 2026; peak Feb 2010 (5).

2010 Toyota Avalon recalls

7 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 16V396000Jun 2, 2016Structure & Body7,749 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain 2005-2011 4Runner, Highlander, Sequoia, and Sienna, 2005-2010 Avalon and Tundra, 2006-2008 Camry Solara, 2006-2010 Highlander hybrid, 2006-2011 Rav4 and Tacoma, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2007-2011 Camry hybrid, 2009-2010 Venza, 2010-2012 Prius, 1988-1990 and 2005-2010 Camry, and 1989 and 2009-2010 Corolla vehicles equipped with aftermarket accessory seat heaters with a copper strand heating element. The electrical wiring in the seat heaters may be damaged when the seat cushion is compressed.

    Risk: If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the seat heaters, free of charge, and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory. The recall began on July 14, 2016. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET number for this recall is SET16B.

  2. NHTSA 14V743000Nov 19, 2014Structure & Body3,233 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:seat heater/cooler

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain model year 2010-2011 Prius and Corolla, 2009-2011 Venza, 2006-2010 Avalon, 2007-2010 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2011 Sienna and Sequoia, 2006-2011 Tacoma 4x2 and 4x4, Camry, Highlander, Tundra 4x2 and 4x4, and 2007-2011 Rav4 and 4Runner. The affected vehicles may experience compression of the seat cushion which may damage the seat heater wiring.

    Risk: Damage to the seat heater wiring could cause the wires to short, increasing the risk of the seat burning and causing personal injury to the occupant.

    Remedy: SET will notify owners, and dealers will disconnect the heaters with copper strand heating elements and refund the purchase price of the seat heater accessory, free of charge. The recall is expected to began in January 2015. Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226.

  3. NHTSA 13V014000Jan 16, 2013Structure & Body3,235 vehicles

    Seats

    Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC (SET) is recalling certain models interspersed through model years 2009 through 2013 as follows: model year 2009-2012 Tacoma, 4Runner, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius, and RAV4; model year 2009-2010 Avalon, FJ Cruiser, and Highlander Hybrid; model year 2010-2013 model year Corolla, Sienna and Tundra; model year 2009-2013 Highlander and Venza; model year 2012 Prius V; and model year 2010-2012 Sequoia. During modification by SET to include accessories such as leather seat covers, seat heaters or headrest DVD systems, these vehicles may not have had the passenger seat occupant sensing system calibration tested. Without passing the calibration test, the occupant sensing system may not operate as designed.

    Risk: If the front passenger seat occupant sensing system is out of calibration, the front passenger airbags may not deploy or they may deploy inappropriately for the passenger's size and position. This could increase the risk of personal injury during the event of a vehicle crash necessitating airbag deployment.

    Remedy: Southeast Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will test the sensitivity of the occupant detection sensors, and recalibrate them as necessary. The recall began on March 21, 2013. Owners may contact Southeast Toyota at 1-800-301-6859.

See all 7 recalls for the 2010 Toyota Avalon →

2010 Toyota Avalon fuel economy and fuel cost

City
19 MPG
Highway
28 MPG
Combined
23 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,800
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2010 compared with other Avalon years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2008Avoid88349622
2009Caution7191723
2010Good4146723
2011Caution65106123
2012Good3530422

All Toyota Avalon years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Toyota Avalon a reliable year?
Judged by NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2010 Toyota Avalon ranks #11 of 18 among Avalon model years (Complaint Index 41/100, verdict: Good). It has 46 complaints and 7 recalls on file. This reflects reported safety-related problems, not an overall reliability rating.
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Toyota Avalon?
The most reported problem areas are engine (15 complaints), steering (10 complaints), and electrical system (7 complaints). The median mileage at the time of failure in complaints that report it is 13,000 miles.
Does the 2010 Toyota Avalon have any recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2010 Toyota Avalon, most recently reported 2016, covering structure & body, other, and engine.
What is the fuel economy of the 2010 Toyota Avalon?
EPA rates the 2010 Toyota Avalon at 23 MPG combined (19 city / 28 highway), with an estimated annual fuel cost of $2,800. Where several configurations exist, the median is shown.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.