Toyota Avalon 2000–2004
2nd generation (XX20) · MCX20 / XX20
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,141 complaints, 606 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 606
- Median of reported failures
- 77,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Airbag system (34.6%)
- Recalls
- 3
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 40,000 and 120,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Toyota Avalon 2000–2004 · 606 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 10,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 50 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 26 complaints (4.3%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 16,276
- 25%
- 40,000
- Median
- 76,560
- 75%
- 120,000
- 90%
- 159,500
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10,000 | 43 | 7.1% |
| 10,000–20,000 | 37 | 6.1% |
| 20,000–30,000 | 30 | 5.0% |
| 30,000–40,000 | 40 | 6.6% |
| 40,000–50,000 | 40 | 6.6% |
| 50,000–60,000 | 30 | 5.0% |
| 60,000–70,000 | 50 | 8.3% |
| 70,000–80,000 | 39 | 6.4% |
| 80,000–90,000 | 42 | 6.9% |
| 90,000–100,000 | 39 | 6.4% |
| 100,000–110,000 | 31 | 5.1% |
| 110,000–120,000 | 28 | 4.6% |
| 120,000–130,000 | 36 | 5.9% |
| 130,000–140,000 | 21 | 3.5% |
| 140,000–150,000 | 23 | 3.8% |
| 150,000–160,000 | 17 | 2.8% |
| 160,000–170,000 | 16 | 2.6% |
| 170,000–180,000 | 6 | 1.0% |
| 180,000–190,000 | 6 | 1.0% |
| 190,000–200,000 | 6 | 1.0% |
| 200,000+ | 26 | 4.3% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,141 complaints with NHTSA about the 2000–2004 Toyota Avalon, and 606 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 40,000 and 120,000 miles. The median is 76,560 miles.
The most-reported areas are the airbag system (34.6% of complaints, typically around 98,000 miles), throttle and speed control (12.7% of complaints, typically around 60,000 miles), the steering (9.6% of complaints, typically around 92,000 miles).
3 recall campaigns cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2000–2004 Toyota Avalon last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2000–2004 Toyota Avalon were filed by 77,000 miles and 90% by 160,000 miles — figures drawn from 606 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
26 reports (4.3%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Avalon reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2000–2004 Avalon: the 3-minute check
Generated from 606 mileage-tagged complaints, 3 recall campaigns, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 3 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine - oil sludge on 2000–2002 cars. Continuation of the 1MZ-FE sludge population; the settled class covers engines built through 2002, so MY2000-2002 Avalons are inside it and MY2003-2004 generally are not.
- Check electrical on 2000–2004 cars. Driver's power window master switch and combination-switch failures are a common owner-reported item on this generation.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 40,000 and 120,000 miles, with a median of 77,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the airbag system and throttle and speed control are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Throttle and speed control in particular shows a median failure mileage of 60,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Toyota Avalon 2000–2004
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Suspension39 reports31,00018,000–106,000Suspension: 39 reports, median 31,000 miles, middle half 18,000 to 106,000 miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit55 reports37,00014,000–94,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 55 reports, median 37,000 miles, middle half 14,000 to 94,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control145 reports60,00035,000–92,000Throttle and speed control: 145 reports, median 60,000 miles, middle half 35,000 to 92,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system50 reports70,00040,000–94,000Engine and its cooling system: 50 reports, median 70,000 miles, middle half 40,000 to 94,000 miles.
- Steering109 reports92,00050,000–125,000Steering: 109 reports, median 92,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 125,000 miles.
- Airbag system395 reports98,00060,000–140,000Airbag system: 395 reports, median 98,000 miles, middle half 60,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Electrical system60 reports104,00063,000–126,000Electrical system: 60 reports, median 104,000 miles, middle half 63,000 to 126,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag system | 395 | 34.6% | 98,000 | 60,000–140,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 145 | 12.7% | 60,000 | 35,000–92,000 |
| Steering | 109 | 9.6% | 92,000 | 50,000–125,000 |
| Electrical system | 60 | 5.3% | 104,000 | 63,000–126,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 55 | 4.8% | 37,000 | 14,000–94,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 50 | 4.4% | 70,000 | 40,000–94,000 |
| Suspension | 39 | 3.4% | 31,000 | 18,000–106,000 |
| Visibility equipment | 34 | 3.0% | — | — |
| Transmission and driveline | 31 | 2.7% | 86,000 | 38,000–118,000 |
| Tyres | 29 | 2.5% | 56,000 | 26,000–141,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Toyota Avalon 2000–2004 · 606 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 36% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 58% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 74% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 96%: the remaining 4.3% of reports (26) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
36% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 60,000–140,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 35,000–92,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 50,000–125,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 14,000–94,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 40,000–94,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 18,000–106,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Electrical system — middle half 63,000–126,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
58% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 60,000–140,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 35,000–92,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 50,000–125,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 63,000–126,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 14,000–94,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 40,000–94,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 18,000–106,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
74% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Throttle and speed control — median 60,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 37,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 70,000 mi
- Suspension — median 31,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 60,000–140,000 mi
- Steering — middle half 50,000–125,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 63,000–126,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 76,560 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The airbag system accounts for 34.6% of complaints (395 reports, 162 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 98,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 60,000 and 140,000 miles.
A single system taking 34.6% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 12.7% of complaints (145 reports, 105 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 60,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 35,000 and 92,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 9.6% of complaints (109 reports, 72 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 92,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 125,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 5.3% of complaints (60 reports, 34 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 104,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 63,000 and 126,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 4.8% of complaints (55 reports, 30 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 37,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 14,000 and 94,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 4.4% of complaints (50 reports, 31 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 70,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 94,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2003 model year drew the most — 353 complaints — while 2002 drew the fewest at 148. The median year sits at 220.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 3 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,141 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 243 (21.3%)
- Fires
- 7
- Injury reports
- 119
- Fatality reports
- 8
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine - Oil Sludge 2000–2002
Continuation of the 1MZ-FE sludge population; the settled class covers engines built through 2002, so MY2000-2002 Avalons are inside it and MY2003-2004 generally are not.
Electrical 2000–2004
Driver's power window master switch and combination-switch failures are a common owner-reported item on this generation.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 220 | 103 |
| 2001 | 168 | 86 |
| 2002 | 148 | 97 |
| 2003 | 353 | 179 |
| 2004 | 252 | 141 |
Recalls (3) — is your car included?
Aug 2015 · 2003–2004 · Air BagsInadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or…
The defect. Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla vehicles manufactured December 28, 2001, to May 2, 2004, 2003-2004 Toyota Corolla Matrix vehicles manufactured January 6, 2002, to April 29, 2004, 2003-2004 Avalon vehicles manufactured June 5, 2002, to December 20, 2004, and 2003-2004 Pontiac Vibe vehicles manufactured January 18, 2002, to April 27, 2004. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the
What can happen. Inadvertent deployment of the air bags or the seat belt pretensioners increases the risk of an injury or crash.
The free fix. Toyota will notify their owners. Pontiac Vibe owners will be notified by GM. Dealers will replace the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331. GM issued an interim notification to owners on March 27, 2015. The recall began on August 24, 2015. Pontiac owners may call 1-800-620-7668. Note: This recall supersedes recalls 13V-029 and 14V-147. Vehicles that had a noise filter installed as the remedy for one of those campaigns need to have the air bag control module replaced under this c
Dec 2011 · 2004 · Engine and Engine CoolingIn some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in…
The defect. Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004 Avalon vehicles; 2004 and 2005 camry, camry solara, highlander, and sienna vehicles, 2006 highlander hybrid; 2004 and 2005 Lexus es330 and rx330; and 2006 Lexus rx400h vehicles manufactured from june 1, 2004 through march 31, 2005, equipped with the 1mz-fe or 3mz-fe engine. The amount of adhesive agent applied between the outer ring and the torsional rubber damper (inner ring) in the crankshaft pulley may be inadequate. If the adhesive is insufficient, there is a possibility that the outer ring may become misaligned and it may not properly rotate w
What can happen. In some cases, the belt for the power steering pump may become detached from the pulley which could result in a loss of power steering and a sudden increase in steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will check the crankshaft pulley to identify whether it was produced by the u.S. Supplier. If so, the dealer will replace the pulley with a new one at no charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during early january 2012. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
Sep 2010 · 2000–2004 · SteeringShould the steering lock bar break, the steering wheel would lock and the driver would lose the ability to…
The defect. Toyota is recalling certain model year 2000-2004 Avalon vehicles. Due to improper casting of the steering lock bar, there is a possibility that a minute crack may develop on the surface of the lock bar. Such a crack may expand over a long period of repeated lock and unlock operations, and eventually the lock bar could break.
What can happen. Should the steering lock bar break, the steering wheel would lock and the driver would lose the ability to steer the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Dealers will replace the steering interlock device free of charge. The safety recall began on september 7, 2010. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-800-331-4331.
What owners reported
Details: front end "bottoms out" and hits the driver side front tire when exiting and /or entering inclines to strip malls, etc. And v ditches on public streets when traveling at speeds less than 25 MPH, and during highway dips. The tire hits the engine shroud. This could cause loss of control of vehicle and damage to…
2000 · 100 miles · Suspension
My 2000 totyota Avalon has a "loose" and "twitchy" front suspension that presents itself as you approach normal highway speeds. As road feel and control diminishes with increased speed, the care becomes stressful to drive. This results in a "wandering" front end causing the driver to over-correct in even moderate…
2000 · 5,000 miles · Suspension
the contact owns a 2000 Toyota Avalon. The driver was driving approximately 10 MPH. Unexpectedly, the vehicle began to increase excessive acceleration. The driver applied both feet to the brake pedal with great force. The vehicle crashed into a stump to avoid entering into a river. The speed rate increased to 35 MPH.…
2000 · 12,000 miles · Throttle and speed control
Car was parked in the garage. I noticed that the eyeglass compartment that is located inside the car between the two front visors was hanging down and covering the inside rear view mirror. I tried to close it shut by pushing it up into place, but it kept falling down. I put on masking tape to keep it closed, since i…
2000 · 17,000 miles · Body structure
Built from 606 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page