There are 1 owner-reported brakes complaints for the 2012 Toyota Avalonin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
PURCHASED USED CERTIFIED-USED AVALON WITH 28.3K MILES ON JUNE 8. ON JUNE 15, THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED FROM PARKING LOT TO STOP SIGN. APPLIED BRAKES AND NO RESPONSE. AVALON SPED UP AND HAD TO TURN THE CAR TO AVOID ACCIDENT. APPLIED BRAKES AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR. CONTINUED HOME AND NO PROBLEMS. ON JUNE 16, APPROACHING STOP SIGN FROM DOWNWARD HILL AND APPLIED BRAKES AND NO RESPONSE. AVALON SPED UP AND WAS ABLE TO MAKE TURN WITH BEING HIT BY ON COMING TRAFFIC. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. FOUND NOTHING WRONG AND ATTRIBUTED TO USER ERROR. ON JUNE 30, APPROACHING A 4 WAY STOP, WAS ABLE TO STOP AND WAIT FOR CAR IN FRONT OF ME TO GO. WHEN I APPLY GAS TO MOVE UP TO THE STOP AREA, I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM GAS PEDAL AND APPLIED THE BRAKES. BRAKES DID NOT RESPOND AND I CONTINUED TO GO FORWARD. I STEERED OUT OF THE WAY OF A PERSON MAKING A RIGHT HAND TURN AND CLEARED THE STOP SIGN. AFTER 60 FEET, APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THEY WORKED. WAS VERY UPSET THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED FOR THE THIRD TIME AND KNEW THAT FIRST 2 INCIDENTS WERE NOT USER ERROR. ON JULY 1, RETURNED TO SERVICING DEALER WHO PERFORMED BRAKE SYSTEM HEALTH CHECK AND ATTEMPTED TO DUPLICATE WHAT I EXPERIENCED. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT SAID THAT ALL OF THEIR TESTS SHOWED NORMAL OPERATIONS. AVALON IS UNDER MANUFACTURER'S WARRANTY. REMAIN CONCERN THAT THIS MAY HAPPEN AGAIN AND SOMETHING WORST MAY OCCURRED. CONSIDERING MY OPTIONS. *TR
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 May 4, 2026