RoadVitals

2008 Toyota Avalon Airbags Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the airbag system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Airbags reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
8
Latest Apr 27, 2022
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
2%
of 349 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
7
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
6

What this page shows

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Toyota Avalon submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming airbag

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Airbags
Filed Apr 27, 2022
Crash reported1 injury reported

Car was rear ended by semi truck, crushed trunk into vehicle rear seat. Car was the pushed forward into truck in front crushing right fender. Pelvic fracture in right rear passenger. Air Bags did NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA ID
11462456
Incident
Apr 26, 2022
Airbags
Filed Sep 18, 2019
Crash reported1 injury reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. AFTER LEAVING THE DENTIST AND DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT FELL ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL. WHEN THE CONTACT WOKE UP, HE REALIZED THE VEHICLE WAS HEADED TOWARDS THE MEDIAN. TO AVOID THE MEDIAN, THE CONTACT TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL AND DROVE INTO A DITCH ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE FLIPPED OVER SEVERAL TIMES, BUT NO AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED INJURIES TO THE NECK, ELBOW, LEG, AND HEAD. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

NHTSA ID
11256479
Incident
May 6, 2019
Mileage
130,000 mi
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Aug 16, 2017
Crash reported1 injury reported

OUR 2008 TOYOTA AVALON WAS RAMMED FROM THE REAR WITH FULL FORCE FROM A HONDA CRV GOING 40 MPH. THE AVALON WAS SLOWING DOWN TO ALLOW A GROUNDHOG TO CROSS ON A STRAIGHT 2 LANE ROAD AT THE TIME, BUT THE DRIVER OF THE HONDA BEHIND SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN A DISTRACTED DRIVER BECAUSE SHE DID NOT STOP ACCELERATING. THE DRIVER OF THE AVALON SUFFERED HEAD, NECK, BACK AND HIP INJURIES AND WAS TRANSPORTED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL. THE DAMAGE TO BOTH VEHICLES IS EXTENSIVE-PICTURES OF THE AVALON ATTACHED. THE HONDA AIRBAG DEPLOYED, SAVING THAT DRIVER FROM INJURY. THE AIRBAG OF THE TOYOTA DID NOT DEPLOY-CLEARLY MALFUNCTIONING AND COULD HAVE PREVENTED SOME OF THE INJURIES IF IT HAD DEPLOYED PROPERLY. THERE IS A POLICE REPORT BUT IT IS NOT AVAILABLE TO US YET. THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE WORKING ON THE CLAIM. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE YET AND IT IS NOT CLEAR WHETHER IT IS 'TOTALED'.

NHTSA ID
11015718
Incident
Aug 14, 2017
Mileage
111,000 mi
AirbagsBody & structure
Filed Sep 10, 2014

DECEMBER 2012: I NOTICED A SMALL CRACK AT RIGHT SIDE OF DASHBOARD. BY APRIL 2014 AT LEAST 10 MORE CRACKS APPEARED ON UPPER, LOWER, AND SIDE SURFACES OF DASHBOARD. SOME CRACKS EXTEND THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF THE DASHBOARD AND SOME AROUND THE AIR BAG. *TR I AM CONCERNED THAT IF THERE IS AN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT; OCCUPANTS COULD BE INJURED BY DASHBOARD DEBRIS.

NHTSA ID
10632203
Incident
Dec 21, 2012
Mileage
68,000 mi
AirbagsDriver assistance
Filed Aug 15, 2013
Crash reported

2008 TOYOTA AVALON. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SUDDEN ACCELERATION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AS HIS WIFE TURNED INTO A PERPENDICULAR PARKING SPACE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN, ONLY STOPPING WHEN IT HIT A PARKING BARRICADE. HIS WIFE DID ATTEMPT TO APPLY THE BRAKE, BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY.

NHTSA ID
10533569
Incident
Nov 2, 2012
Mileage
17,920 mi
Airbags
Filed Oct 10, 2012
Crash reported2 injuries reported

AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. I WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT IN WHICH MY CAR WAS T-BONE ON THE PAX SIDE AND THEN MY CAR CRASHED HEAD ON INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS GOING AT AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 35 MPH WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS CROSSING AN INTERSECTION AT LESS THAN 5 MPH. THE IMPACT OF THE CRASH CRUSHED THE PAX SIDE OF THE CAR; JAWS OF LIFE HAD TO BE USED TO EXTRACT THE PAX IN MY VEHICLE. UPON IMPACT MY VEHICLE TRAVELED IN A SIDE MANNER AND SPUN AROUND HITTING A GUARD RAIL APPROXIMATELY STRAIGHT ON. THE ENTIRE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE WAS CRUSHED AND THE DRIVER DOOR WAS BENT ON IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS; NOTHING IN FRONT OF THE FRONT TIRES WAS LEFT ON THE VEHICLE. IN SPITE OF THIS, NOT A SINGLE AIRBAG IN THE VEHICLE DEPLOYED. POLICE REPORT DONE ON SCENE AS WELL AS EMT REPORT STATE THE SAME. *TR

NHTSA ID
10479550
Incident
Oct 4, 2012
Mileage
60,000 mi
AirbagsPowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 16, 2010
Crash reported

2008 TOYOTA AVALON. STOPPED IN TRAFFIC, FOOT ON BRAKE. WITHOUT WARNING, CAR ACCELERATED FORWARD. PUSHED HARDER ON BRAKE AND CAR NOSE-DIVED AND COLLIDED WITH PU TRUCK STOPPED AHEAD. AVALON FRONT BUMPER WENT UNDER REAR BUMPER OF PU . AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. FLOOR MAT STILL IN PLACE. $5600 DAMAGE TO AVALON, NONE TO PU. *TR

NHTSA ID
10311116
Incident
Dec 23, 2009
Mileage
21,500 mi
Airbags
Filed Nov 10, 2009
Crash reported1 injury reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN SHE WAS STRUCK BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. HOWEVER THE PLASTIC FOR THE KNEE BAGS CAUSED DEEP LACERATIONS ON HER LEG. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,500. UPDATED 12/09/09 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEVERE INJURIES SHE RECEIVED WAS FROM THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYING. UPDATED 12/09/09.

NHTSA ID
10291671
Incident
Sep 4, 2009
Mileage
10,500 mi

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .