2010 Toyota Avalon Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Good The 2010 Toyota Avalon has 46 NHTSA complaints, a complaint index of 41, and 7 recalls, ranking 11th of 18 model years. It earns a Good verdict, well ahead of the heavily complained-about 2005-2008 years.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 41/100
- #11 of 18 Avalon years
- Verdict
- Good
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 46
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 7
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
- 6
- Top issue
- Engine
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 23
- 19 city / 28 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 6 / 0
Top 2010 Toyota Avalon problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Engine15 (33%)
- Steering10 (22%)
- Electrical System7 (15%)
- Other7 (15%)
- Brakes3 (7%)
- Visibility & Wipers3 (7%)
- Airbags2 (4%)
- Structure & Body2 (4%)
- Transmission & Powertrain2 (4%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires1 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Owners report sudden unintended acceleration, sometimes tied to unsecured floor mats trapping the accelerator pedal.
- Some drivers say the vehicle accelerated on its own while coasting toward a stop light or stop sign at low speed.
- Several complaints describe the brakes failing to hold the car at a stop, with the vehicle rolling forward into traffic or another vehicle.
- Owners report airbags that failed to deploy during a crash, including one collision with a deer at highway speed.
- Electrical faults are described as all dashboard gauge lights going dark for several seconds while braking and turning, then coming back on their own.
2010 Toyota Avalon recalls
7 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2010 Toyota Avalon reliable?
- NHTSA data shows 46 complaints and a complaint index of 41 for the 2010 Avalon, giving it a Good verdict, the 11th-worst of 18 model years covered.
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Toyota Avalon?
- Engine issues account for 33% of complaints (15 of 46), followed by steering at 22% (10 complaints) and electrical system problems at 15% (7 complaints).
- Does the 2010 Toyota Avalon have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for the 2010 Avalon, including two engine-related recalls tied to accelerator pedal entrapment and unsecured floor mats, plus several body-related seat heater and tire label recalls.
- How does the 2010 Avalon compare to other Avalon model years?
- The 2010 model ranks 11th worst of 18 years with a complaint index of 41, far better than 2005-2008 (indexes 82-100, all rated Avoid) but not as low as newer years like 2020 (index 6, Best).
- What mileage do 2010 Avalon problems typically show up at?
- The median mileage at failure across all reported issues for the 2010 Avalon is 13,000 miles, though this varies by system, with steering issues appearing later around 50,380 miles.