Used Car Checklists

2022 Toyota Avalon: What to check before buying

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wheels and tires. The 6 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.

Toyota Avalon2022
Owner complaints
8
Recalls
0
Crashes reported
1
1 injury
Reliability
Excellent
80/100 on Auto Reliability Index

Run the VIN before you go

A history report shows accidents, title brands, odometer readings, and open recalls for this 2022 Toyota Avalon. Ask the seller for the VIN; it is also on the dash at the base of the windshield.

Your inspection sheet

Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.

0/6 checked

1

Paperwork and questions

Before you go, or before you touch the car0/1

2

Walk-around and cabin

Engine off, key in hand0/1

3

Cold start, engine bay, and underside

Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/3

4

Test drive

At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1

These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.

Reported on other Avalon years with the same design

These years share the 2022's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.

2021 Avalon

21 owner complaints
  • Airbags 12
  • Acceleration and cruise control 3

Worth adding to your 2022 checks

  • Run the VIN through the federal recall lookup and confirm any open airbag sensor repair has been completed.
  • Watch the airbag warning light through the whole test drive and have any intermittent glow diagnosed before buying.
  • Drive with the rear seats empty and listen for a false rear seat belt warning chime.
Open the 2021 checklist

2020 Avalon

10 owner complaints
  • Fuel system 5

Worth adding to your 2022 checks

  • Refuel from a low tank and watch for gasoline spitting back out of the filler neck before the nozzle clicks off.
  • Scan for stored codes, especially evaporative emission codes P0441 and P0445 and lean codes P0171 and P0174.
  • Let the engine idle for several minutes and feel for roughness or a check engine light.
Open the 2020 checklist

2019 Avalon

68 owner complaints
  • Fuel system 19
  • Electrical 15
  • Transmission 9

Worth adding to your 2022 checks

  • Run the VIN through federal recall records, confirm all open recalls are completed, and ask for fuel pump service records.
  • Shut the engine off and listen at the rear of the car for a fuel pump still humming.
  • Drive in stop-and-go traffic below 35 mph and feel for jerky shifts, hesitation, or rough downshifts.
Open the 2019 checklist

Which Avalon is it?

EPA figures for each version of the 2022 Toyota Avalon. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.

VersionDriveEPA rating
3.5L 6-cylGasFWD26 mpg
2.5L 4-cylHybridFWD44 mpg
  • The 2022 Toyota Avalon was sold in two versions. Confirm which one this is from the window sticker, the engine cover, or the VIN report before you compare prices.
  • On the hybrid, watch for the car moving off on electric power at low speed and for any hybrid system warning on the dash.
  • Reset the trip computer at the start of the drive. A Avalon that averages well under the EPA 26 mpg combined on a mixed route may have an engine or tire problem.

Why these checks: what owners reported

NHTSA complaints for the 2022 Toyota Avalon, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.

  • Wheels and tires2No crashes

    Sudden blowouts strike at highway speed. The outer sidewall comes apart and pressure drops straight to 0 PSI. The tire pressure warning gives no early alert because the air loss is instant rather than gradual. Both reports involve fairly new tires, including one on a car with less than 5,000 miles that was inflated to the specified 35 PSI. One blowout caused an injury. An independent inspection traced one failure to a manufacturing defect, not wear or road damage. A rear tire failing at freeway speed puts the car's stability at risk.

In owners' own words

Excerpts from complaints Avalon owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.

Wheels and tires
Tire blew out, the outer sidewall completely came apart at the seams. There was no external pressure and there are less than 5,000 miles on the car. The PSI was at 35 as per the manufacturers spec.

Filed with NHTSA, November 2022

How the 2022 compares with other Avalon years

Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.

The 2022 has the fewest owner complaints of the 5 Avalon years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.

2022 Average of other years
  • Wheels and tires20

Where the 2022 fits in the Avalon's history

Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.

The 2022 is the fourth model year of the Avalon's fifth generation (2019–2023).

It is also the first year of a mid-cycle update.

What changed for 2022

  • Enhanced driver assistance features

Also looking at these instead of a Avalon?

Cars shoppers compare with the Toyota Avalon, with their own 2022 checklists.

2022 owner complaints, side by side