2000 Toyota Avalon Problems, Recalls & Reliability
220 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2000 Toyota Avalon, alongside 2 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 59/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Steering leads the reports, typically around 109,450 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2000 Toyota Avalon sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 1995, 2010, 2012, 2015–2016, 2018–2019.
Avoid
Where 2000 sits among all Avalon years
What owners report
“Two times the power steering locked/hard to turn momentarily while driving and turning. Check power steering fluid full and no leak, power steering belt is good. Stop driving the car for now. First incident happened on Dec. 15 and the second last Dec. 23.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2000 Avalon
“Hi was making a left turn when this guys ran the last and hit me on my passenger and wheel and this air bags never deployed !”— owner report to NHTSA, 2000 Avalon
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 102 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 88,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 49,500 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (2)
TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2000-2004 AVALON VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER CASTING OF THE STEERING LOCK BAR, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT A MINUTE CRACK MAY DEVELOP ON THE SURFACE OF THE LOCK BAR. SUCH A CRACK MAY EXPAND OVER A LONG PERIOD OF REPEATED…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING INTERLOCK DEVICE FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. DUE TO IMPROPER HEAT TREATMENT, THE REAR AXLE MAY NOT HAVE ADEQUATE STRENGTH IN SOME AREAS.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE REAR AXLE HUB ASSEMBLIES.
Federal defect investigations
Technical service bulletins
124 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on body & structure and brakes & stability — are on file for the 2000 Toyota Avalon. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2000 Avalon TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2000 Toyota Avalon reliable?
The 2000 Toyota Avalon drew 220 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 59/100, scored against the model's worst year (2006).
What are the most common 2000 Toyota Avalon problems?
The top reported problems for the 2000 Toyota Avalon are steering (34 complaints), airbags (27), and brakes & stability (24).
At what mileage do 2000 Toyota Avalon problems show up?
Owners most often report 2000 Toyota Avalon problems around 88,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 49,500 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2000 Toyota Avalon have recalls?
2 recall campaigns apply to the 2000 Toyota Avalon. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.