Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
24–40 mpgcombined; city 21–40, highway 30–39; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$8,120–$13,530U.S. average; Ohio $7,260–$12,090 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists no trims for the 2014 Avalon, so these are the versions EPA tested, by its names. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 114 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Avalon. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Unknown or other
26
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
20
0
0
0
Structure
14
2
0
1
Electrical system
13
0
2
0
Visibility/wiper
9
0
0
1
Vehicle speed control
8
1
0
0
Air bags
7
4
0
8
Fuel/propulsion system
6
1
0
1
Seats
6
0
0
0
Service brakes
6
1
0
0
Steering
6
0
0
0
Visibility
4
0
0
0
12 more parts
Engine
3
0
1
0
Wheels
3
1
0
1
Exterior lighting
2
1
0
1
Power train
2
0
0
0
Seat belts
2
0
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
1
0
0
0
Lane departure
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Suspension
1
0
0
0
Tires
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2014 Avalon over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Corolla, 2011-2013 Matrix, 2012-2018 Avalon, and 2013-2018 Avalon Hybrid vehicles. During certain crashes, the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) may malfunction, possibly disabling the deployment of the air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners.
Risk: In the event of a crash, air bags and/or seat belt pretensioners that do not deploy as intended may increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ECU and install a noise filter between the air bag control module and its wire harness, as necessary, free of charge. Owners were notified of the safety risk beginning March 2, 2020. A second letter notifying owners of the remedy repair will be mailed between March 16, 2020 and June 27, 2020. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this recall are 20TB03, 20TA03 and 20TA05.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2013-2015 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles manufactured October 19, 2012 to October 27, 2015 and 2013-2015 Lexus ES350 and ES300h vehicles manufactured June 18, 2012 to July 6, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with a Pre-Collision System (PCS) as optional equipment. In these vehicles, the PCS may unexpectedly activate and apply the brakes when the radar detects a steel joint or plate in the roadway as an object.
Risk: A vehicle that unexpectedly brakes increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace certain PCS components, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota at 1-888-270-9371. Toyota's numbers for this campaign are F1V and F2E.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Toyota Camry, Camry HV, Avalon, and Avalon HV vehicles equipped with 16-inch and 17-inch rims. In the affected vehicles, the left-side front suspension lower arm may have been incorrectly manufactured. As a result, the left side lower arm may not have enough clamping surface area for one of the bolts that secures the lower arm to the lower ball joint.
Risk: Because of the insufficient clamping force, the lower arm may separate from the ball joint, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the left side lower arm, free of charge. The recall began on December 12, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2014 Toyota Avalon, Camry, Sienna, and Highlander and model year 2015 Lexus RX350 vehicles. Fuel may leak from the one of the fuel delivery pipes in the engine compartment.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace any of the suspect fuel delivery pipes free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2014. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 462 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2014 Avalon, the latest on Feb 13, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (231), electrical system (84), structure (77), engine (17), equipment adaptive/mobility (16).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2014 Avalon.
EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–9 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Avalon Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 30 / 25
Avalon Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 30 / 24
Avalon Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S6)
Regular Gasoline
40 / 39 / 40
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data