IllustrationTOYOTA AVALON '02 ACCELERATED AND HAD NO BRAKES GOING DOWN 35-40' DRIVEWAY. WOULD KNOCK PARKED CAR THROUGH HOUSE IF I DID NOT TURN. STEERED INTO RAILROAD-TIE HOLDING BERM. BOUNCING OFF THE TIE SLOWED MOMENTUM OF CAR. WAS ABLE TO TURN. STILL CRASHED INTO PARKED CAR. TOTALED MY CAR AND PARKED CAR. *TR
2002 Toyota Avalon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 Toyota Avalon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
80–25K
1325–50K
1150–75K
1175–100K
14100–150K
19150K+
76 reports with mileage · 40 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
32 crash reports2 fire reports13 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
25 reportsTHE CARE WOULD ACCELERATE WITHOUT INPUT FROM THE DRIVER. *NM
2002 TOYOTA AVALON EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION AFTER CRUISE CONTROL WAS DISENGAGED.***NO ANSWER REQUIRED***.*MR THE FIRST INCIDENT OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO IMPACT LOW TREES BRANCHES WHICH SCRATCHED THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. THE SECOND INCIDENT RESULTED IN NO DAMAGE. *NM
I PROCEEDED TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT COMCAST CABLE. AS I WAS BACKING UP I BUMPED INTO A UTILITY POLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOT. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PUT TO CAR INTO DRIVE. WHEN I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD STRIKING A PARKED VEHICLE AND THE BUILDING. THE DISTANCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE THAN …
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I PROCEEDED TO BACK OUT OF A PARKING SPACE AT COMCAST CABLE. AS I WAS BACKING UP I BUMPED INTO A UTILITY POLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LOT. I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND PUT TO CAR INTO DRIVE. WHEN I LIFTED MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD STRIKING A PARKED VEHICLE AND THE BUILDING. THE DISTANCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE THAN 10 TO 15 FEET. MY WIFE AND I HEARD A STRANGE SOUND COMING FRON UNDER THE BODY OF THE CAR. I ONFORMED MY INSURANCE COMPANY OF THE FACT THAT SOME TOYOTA MODELS WERE BEING INVESTIGATED FOR SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. HE SAID HE WOULD CHECK IT OUT. HE INFORMED ME THAT MY MODEL(2002 AVALON)WAS NOT AFFECTED. NOTHING FURTHER WAS DONE OTHER THAN TO FIX THE DAMAGE TO MY CAR.*AK
WHEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL ON A DOWNGRADE, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATES UP TO 20 MPH. IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE GOING OUT OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT DOWNSHIFT AT ALL.
Official recalls
110V345000 · Steering
Jul 29, 2010
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.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: 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.
Remedy: 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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.