There are 3 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2009 Toyota Avalonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
IT HAS A MELTING DASHBOARD WHICH IS ALSO SHINY. IT MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT AS IT DISTRACTS THE VISIBILITY.
A POWER REAR WINDOW SUNSHADE IS AN OPTION THAT IS DESIGNED TO BE RETRACTABLE. A PUSH BUTTON SWITCH BELOW THE DASHBOARD IS SUPPOSED TO TOGGLE THE PERFORATED SUNSHADE TO THE RAISED AND RETRACTED POSITION. ONCE THE SUNSHADE IS RAISED NORMALLY, IT CANNOT BE RETRACTED AGAIN. ANY ATTEMPT TO LOWER IT RESULTS IN A LOUD CLICKING NOISE AS THE SHADE TRIES TO RETRACT BUT CANNOT.. THE PROBLEM IS EXACERBATED WHEN BACKING UP, SINCE SHIFTING THE VEHICLE INTO REVERSE (R) SHOULD AUTOMATICALLY RETRACT THE SUNSHADE BUT CANNOT DO SO. MY SUNSHADE IS STUCK IN THE RAISED POSITION AND CANNOT BE LOWERED. ALTHOUGH I CAN SEE THROUGH THE SHADE FAIRLY WELL DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS, VISION IS OBSCURED AT NIGHT AND PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD. AN ONLINE SEARCH REVEALED THAT MANY OTHER AVALON OWNERS WHOSE VEHICLES HAD THIS SUNSHADE OPTION HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM AND STRUGGLED TO FIND A SOLUTION. MANY TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS SEEM TO FIND THE PROBLEM SO DIFFICULT TO SOLVE THAT THEY MUST CHARGE AN EXORBITANT SUM OF MONEY FOR A TEMPORARY REPAIR THAT MIGHT NOT LAST VERY LONG. THIS IS AN ANNOYING PROBLEM THAT BEGS FOR A PERMANENT AND AFFORDABLE SOLUTION!
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REAR WINDSHIELD SHADE FAILED TO RETRACT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN REVERSE. THE FAILURE RECURRED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026