Problems · by component
2013 Toyota Avalon vehicle speed control problems
25 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Toyota Avalon cite vehicle speed control, 16% of all 160 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
25
16% of all complaints
Crashes
8
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“WAS DRIVING HOME ONE DAY AFTER TAKING MY DAD ABOUT 45 MINS AWAY WAS DRIVING AS USUAL AND THE CAR DIED HAD TO PULL OVER TO SIDE OF ROAD PUT IN PARK AND RESTART. HAS DONE IT SEVERAL TIMES AFTER WE HAVE HAD IN AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS ON 3 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AND THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE OR DIAGNOSE. SENT ME HOME WITH AN UNSAFE CAR FOR THE 4TH TIME. TRIED TAKING CAR BACK TO WHERE I BOUGHT AS ISSUE HAPPENED ON FEB 6 21 AND I PURCHASED ON JAN 27 21 GOING TO CHANGE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEXT WEEK AND SEE IF THATS WHAT IT IS. PLEASE HELP I AM STUCK WITH A 23000 LOAN FOR A CAR I CANT DRIVE SAFELY OR CONFIDENTLY!”
“I JUST PURCHASED A 2013 TOYOTA AVALON FROM CARMAX. DURING THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS OF DRIVING I HAD OBSERVE THE FOLLOWING. ONE. THE REAR WINDOW IS DISTORTED AND WILL NOT COME CLEAN NO MATTER WHAT I ATTEMPT TO USE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A CLEAR VISIBILITY. I ALSO HAVE NOTICED THAT WHILE IN A STOP POSITION, WHEN BEGINNING TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE HESITATES AND I HAVE TO TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND REAPPLY TO ACCELERATE. I HAVE A SEVEN DAY RETURN POLICY NO QUESTIONS ASKED. BUT I REALLY LOVE THIS CAR IN BEEN WAITING TO FIND THAT PARTICULAR COLOR EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR WHICH IS BLACK LEATHER. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY RECALL OR OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THIS.”
“ON MARCH 7, 2020 THE DRIVER ENTERED A PARKING LOT OF A RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT. THE DRIVER, USING THE BRAKES AND TRAVELING AT LESS THAN 5 MILES PER HOUR, TURNED INTO A PARKING SPACE. AS THE DRIVER NEGOTIATED THE TURN INTO THE PARKING SPACE, THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED HEADFIRST INTO A RETAIL SIGNAGE POLE. DESPITE DEPRESSING THE BRAKES AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, THE DRIVER COULD NOT STOP THE CAR ONCE THE CAR SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED. THE CAR WOULD HAVE LANDED IN A BUSY FOUR-LANE ROAD, IF IT HAD NOT CRASHED INTO THE SIGNAGE POLE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO FATALITY. THE CAR WAS TOTALED AND THERE WAS SOME PROPERTY DAMAGE TO THE RETAIL ESTABLISHMENT. IT WAS TRULY A HORRIFIC EXPERIENCE FOR THE DRIVER.”
“2013 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION CAUSED A CRASH INTO A WALL AND ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIBAGS DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER AND TO PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR CUTS AND BRUISES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *JS”
“MY VEHICLE WHILE HOLDING THE BRAKE (STATIONARY) AT A STOP SIGH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND HIT THE BACK OF THE CAR IN FRONT.. FOR 5 DAYS IT WORKED AND THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY IT ACCELERATED AGAIN ( IN MOTION) WHILE PARKING IN THE HANDICAP SPACE AT IDLE SPEED AND BRAKES. TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. SENT ME A LETTER THAT STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. THEIR INSPECTOR CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THE CAR WORKED GREAT AND THE MASTER WARNING SIGNAL WAS NOT FLASHING NOR BUZZING AND HE WOULD SEND ME A COPY OF THE COMPUTER PRINT OUT BUT IT WAS NEVER SENT. I DID GET SOME KIND OF A RECORD BUT IT COULD NOT BE COPIED, I TOOK A PICTURE OF IT BUT IT IS IN SOME TYPE CODE( A COMPUTER FILE) THE TEST CONSISTED OF A ACCELERATION AND STOPPING TEST 22 DAYS AFTER THE 1ST INCIDENT, THE CAR WORKED WELL FOR THE DAYS BETWEEN THE INCIDENTS. THE MASTER WARNING SIGNAL WAS FLASHING AND BUZZING, INSTRUCTIONS WAS TO STOP THE CAR AND HAVE IT TOWED TO A DEALER THEY DESCRIBED ONE INCIDENT , I DON'T KNOW WHICH INCIDENT THEY CHECKED FOR THERE WERE TWO INCIDENTS 5 DAYS APART. THE REPORT IS A SHAM I CAN SEND YOU A COPY OF THEIR LETTER. TEXT A COPY OF THIS COMPUTER INFO…”
“ECU AND PCS SWITCH TO CONTROL VEHICLE'S SPEED, WILL SUDDENLY REDUCE SPEED ON HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC ( VERY DANGEROUS) AND VEHICLE WILL ALMOST COME TO STOP WITHOUT WARNING! WARRANTY REPAIRED ON 7-26-16 AT DEALERSHIP, DOING SAME THING AGAIN, SAID NOT COVERED UNDER ORIGINAL RECALL VEHICLE, WARRANTY EXPIRED. HELP...DANGEROUS SITUATION, VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX...SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE...ADVISE PLEASE. VEHICLE BEING OPERATED ON BUSY HIGHWAY STARTED MED AUGUST O PRESENT 1/01/19 ON-GOING, BACK TO DEALER +++TIMES+++”
Showing 6 of 25 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.