Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2014 Toyota Avalon problems & reliability

96 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Toyota Avalon, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
96
Recall campaigns
4
Fire reports
1 (1%)
Crash reports
7 (7%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
24–40 MPG combined
City 21 · highway 30 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
448
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
1
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

6 complaints report injuries (10 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 2014 Toyota Avalon vehicles were involved in 23 fatal crashes with 12 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Unknown OR Other21
Forward Collision Avoidance18
Structure12
Electrical System11
Visibility/wiper9
Air Bags7
Fuel/propulsion System6
Service Brakes6
Steering6
Seats5

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Common symptoms owners describe

Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.

Mileage when problems occurred

Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 15,740 miles (middle 50% between 7,000 and 59,346 miles), based on 54 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
28
20–40k
6
40–60k
6
60–80k
6
80–100k
4
100–150k
2
150k+
2

Complaints by incident year

13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

What owners report

  • Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that the vehicle was driven to AAA Auto Repair facility and the contact was informed that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase the vehicle mileage was 93,326, and after AAA retrieved the…

    Electrical System · filed Aug 27, 2025

  • Installed new Rainex wipers two days ago. Driving tonight in rain and the exterior of the windshield has a film on it that makes it difficult to see when the wipers cycle when near streetlights or when cars with headlighs on are approaching. Seems really dangerous.

    Visibility/wiper · filed Nov 20, 2024

  • I was pulling into a parking spot when my car suddenly accelerated to a very high speed. I traveled over a curb, on some pavement, through some bushes, knocked down a light pole and miraculously came to a stop. My foot was pumping the brakes to no avail. My entire car was damaged but miraculously no one was hurt. Car…

    Service Brakes · filed Aug 12, 2024

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Federal defect investigations

Technical service bulletins

448 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2014 Toyota Avalon. The 10 most recent:

  • Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2026

  • The air conditioning dye injection tool kit has been developed to aid in identifying the location of air conditioning refrigerant leaks. The procedures outlined in this Service Bulletin aid in locating, inspecting, and…

    T-SB-0058-23 Rev1 · Service Campaign · issued Jun 13, 2025

  • The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and…

    T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from…

    T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal…

    T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow…

    T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 5, 2024

  • Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can…

    T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 3, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

  • The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and…

    T-SB-0039-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2024

TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.

Safety recalls

The 2014 Toyota Avalon has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

Buying a used 2014 Toyota Avalon?

  • · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
  • · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
  • · Owners most often reported problems around 15,740 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Toyota or NHTSA.