2008 Toyota Avalon problems
NHTSA has received 417 complaints about the 2008 Toyota Avalon, and 51% of them involve lighting. After that come cruise control (11%) and electrical system (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 417 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Lighting 51% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 31 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 18 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 52,000 miles 366 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 48 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 62 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 98 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 78 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 37 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 27 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 8 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 3 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Among the 366 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 52,000 miles. For lighting specifically, the median reported mileage is about 60,000 miles (196 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 31 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 18 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 25 model years of the Toyota Avalon with enough data (292 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 6 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I owned a 2008 avolan. It caught fire dec. 7 2009 and burned up. I thought I needed to report this to someone. I don't want this to happen to someone else, and the result could be death. I got hurt bad but I am better now.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 toyota 4runner (na). The contact stated that the active head rest safety system did not activate when the vehicle was rear ended. The dealer stated that there was never a head rest safety system installed in the vehicle. The contact stated that according to the manufacturer's documentation, all 2008 toyotas should have the feature installed. The driver sustained neck and back injuries and the front seat passenger sustained injuries to the arm, neck, and back.
While traveling down main street approaching an intersection without warning my car very suddenly accelerated at a very high speed and crashed into a car in front of me. Driver's side airbag inflated, blocking my vision while my car continued to race forward. I immediately jammed on the brakes, the car swerved forward to the left, crossed main street, and came to a stop in front of a utility pole. Front axel broke, on impact which caused the car to stop.
When car is in neutral and moving forward you can accidentally move the gear shifter to reverse , without stopping the car first or applying the brakes .
Right low beam headlight / daytime running light goes out approximately three minutes after vehicle is started. Occurs whether vehicle is stationary or moving. Turning off vehicle and restarting will reset light for a few minutes.