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2008 Toyota AvalonProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 349 owner complaints about the 2008 Toyota Avalon, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 6 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-396 the manufacturer reports only 24% of affected cars repaired.

2008 Toyota Avalon
29
CarFlaw IndexUse caution2.4× the Avalon median · #3 of 27 years by complaints
Safety recalls6Lowest repair rate 24%Owner complaints34939 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage60kExterior lighting, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 17, 2024. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2008 Toyota Avalon has problems

349 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Exterior lighting2091
Vehicle speed control4515
Electrical system443
Structure221
Steering171
Power train135
Visibility/wiper100
Air bags87
Service brakes40
14 other systems295

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

6 recalls

2008 Toyota Avalon recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

24%repaired · 2017 Q4

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 16V-396 · Jun 2, 2016 · 7,749 vehicles · 1,831 repaired

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

Problem, fix and repair progress →

27%repaired · 2016 Q2

Front assembly: seat heater/cooler

Recall 14V-743 · Nov 19, 2014 · 3,233 vehicles · 871 repaired

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.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 2 more recalls
–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 10V-017 · Jan 21, 2010 · 2,230,661 vehicles

Risk. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY BECOME HARD TO DEPRESS, SLOW TO RETURN TO IDLE, OR, IN THE WORST CASE, MECHANICALLY STUCK IN A PARTIALLY DEPRESSED POSITION,…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 09V-388 · Oct 5, 2009 · 4,445,056 vehicles

Risk. A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Toyota.

Mileage at failure

When do exterior lighting problems start?

60kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 191 exterior lighting complaints. 92% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
14under 30k miles175under 100k miles16100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Exterior lighting

59 owners mentioned a cost

$2,219median

Middle half: $1,044 – $2,600

Electrical system

12 owners mentioned a cost

$2,000median

Middle half: $1,275 – $2,500

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2008 vs. every other Avalon year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Avalon median. How we score

'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2008 Toyota Avalon safety ratings

2008 Toyota Avalon 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2008 Toyota Avalon frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2008 Toyota Avalon side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Optional
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
In owners' words

What Avalon owners report

Recent exterior lighting complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

Because my instrument panel is alway illuminated, I was unaware that I was driving one night without my lights on. Now I know why I see more cars at night without their lights. Manufacturers need to fix this problem. Older cars would not turn on the panel lights if the headlights weren't on. You…
Complaint 11619814 · Oct 15, 2024
OEM high beam bulbs continuously explode. I’m not saying they just burn out, these bulbs shatter, and send shards of glass on the inside of the headlamp housing. I believe it’s a big safety risk, because for me, it happened while I was driving late at night in the dark where there are deer nearby.…
Complaint 11516621 · Apr 12, 2023 · 110,950 miles
2008 TOYOTA AVALON. LOW BEAM ON DRIVERS SIDE GOES OUT INTERMITTENTLY. HAVE TO TURN HEADLIGHTS ON/OFF QUICKLY. WAS PULLED OVER BY CHP ON HIGHWAY, TOLD HIM JUST HAD LOW BEAMS BULBS REPLACED. HE ASKED ME TO TURN THEM OFF, THEN ON AND BOTH LIGHTS WERE WORKING. THIS WAS IN SPRING 2018 APPROX 80,000…
Complaint 11348822 · Aug 12, 2020 · 80,000 miles

Own a 2008 Avalon?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.