repaired · 2017 Q4
Front assembly: seat heater/cooler
Risk. If damaged, the copper strand heating element may short circuit, increasing the risk of a fire.
2009 Toyota AvalonProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 91 owner complaints about the 2009 Toyota Avalon, most often about the exterior lighting. It is covered by 7 safety recalls, and for recall 16V-396 the manufacturer reports only 24% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through September 20, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: OSX, Public domain.
Complaints by system
Where the 2009 Toyota Avalon has problems
91 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
25Exterior lighting1 crash/fire/injury
18Vehicle speed control6 crash/fire/injury
18Steering1 crash/fire/injury
11Electrical system
5Air bags
5Service brakes, electric
4Visibility/wiper
4Service brakes, hydraulic
4Structure
138 other systems1 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior lighting | 25 | 1 |
| Vehicle speed control | 18 | 6 |
| Steering | 18 | 1 |
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 |
| Air bags | 5 | 2 |
| Service brakes, electric | 5 | 2 |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 0 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 4 | 1 |
| Structure | 4 | 0 |
| 8 other systems | 13 | 1 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
7 recalls
2009 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.
repaired · 2016 Q2
Front assembly: seat heater/cooler
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.
no report yet
Frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
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…
no report yet
Other: labels
Risk. A DRIVER MAY OVERLOAD A VEHICLE WHICH MAY INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Show 3 more recalls
no report yet
no report yet
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
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,…
no report yet
Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal
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…
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 22 exterior lighting complaints. 86% were reported before 100,000 miles.
0under 30k miles19under 100k miles3100k miles or more
Best & worst years
2009 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
2009 Toyota Avalon safety ratings
2009 Toyota Avalon 4-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: Standard
- 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.
When driving my 2009 Toyota Avalon my headlights sporadically go out. Mostly on the drivers side. I have replaced the headlight on 3 separate occasions with in the last 3 Years and each time it cost me $185.00 for labor and the headlight. I also got stopped by the POLICE for it! Now in 2023 the…
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOW AND HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS AND DAY TIME RUNNING LAMPS FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE…
THE BRIGHT LIGHTS DO NOT WORK DUE TO MANUFACTURER DEFECT. TOYOTA WILL NOT HONOR RECALL BECAUSE THEY ADDED EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT NOT ALL OWNERS NOTIFIED. IT IS COST PROGIBITIVE YO REPAIR, SO MANY MANY PEOPLE LIKE MYSELF DRIVE WITHOUT BENEFIT OF HIGH BEAMS, A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE EAPECIALLY…
Own a 2009 Avalon?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.