Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Toyota Avalon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
On June 23, 2001 my father was driving a two-week-old 2001 Toyota Avalon on wv route 2 near huntington, wv. According to eye witness accounts, my father was driving north at an accelerating speed and quickly came upon another northbound car from the rear. He cut over in the oncoming lane, passed the car, returned to the northbound lane and continued out of sight. The driver of the car estimated my father was traveling probably 90 MPH. At the intersection of three mile and wv route 2, my father's car left the right side of the roadway, continuing at a high rate of speed across a grassy yard and over a knoll, where the car became airborne and flipped multiple times according to a second witness. The car tore through some tree limbs, then sheared a telephone pole and came to rest in the ditch next to the highway. My father was killed instantly. …
On 11/26/2005 I experienced an acceleration problem with my 2001 Toyota Avalon while backing my car into our garage. While slowly backing in, the car accelerated & I backed into our family room wall. I put the car in drive, the engine continued to rev up and the car shot out of the garage like a bullet (one neighbor witnessed it). I quickly turned to avoid a 2nd neighbor's brick house across the street, braking didn't seem to help. I hit a 3rd neighbor's car parked in his drive and ended up in a 4th neighbor's drive on my side of the street!. As I got out of the car, I remember saying to the 1st neighbor that I couldn't stop the car. It's a miracle I didn't hit neighbor #2 who is always out in his yard, any one of a number of kids or people who walk their dogs in the neighborhood or another vehicle coming down the street. I was also not injured. …
Avalon xls v6 automatic transmission 46,000 miles I had just backed out of my garage and I stopped to lower the garage door. The car was in still reverse and I went to accelerate and the gas pedal went to the floor and the car went backward in reverse all the while I was trying to stop it with the brake pedal. I went in a full 20 foot circle and was about half way through a second circle when my husband reached over and turned the key 1 click to kill the engine. We tried to figure out if I had put my foot on both the brake and accelerator but it was almost impossible to do it with my small foot. We looked under the hood and found nothing out of order. Finally, we started the engine and carefully moved the car back into the drive way and continued on our errand. My 2001 Avalon now has 47,000 miles which is less than 500 miles per month. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Toyota Avalon. The contact started the ignition and as the accelerator pedal was engaged, the vehicle exhibited a sudden increase of acceleration without warning. The vehicle rapidly increased speed and could not be stopped even though the brakes were applied numerous times. The vehicle swerved off the road uncontrollably and crashed into three curbs before accelerating down a slight embankment. The rear driver's side, front driver and passenger side tires exploded. There was no personal injury and a police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was declared as destroyed and towed to a savage facility. The manufacturer was notified of the unintended acceleration. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl contact owns a 2001 Toyota Avalon. While driving 5 MPH into the driveway the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The vehicle crashed into the garage. No one was injured during the crash. The vehicle suffered damage to the bumper. The contact stated that her foot was on the brake pedal while the vehicle was accelerating. The contact does not know what caused the vehicle to accelerate. The failure mileage was 34,700. Updated 4/13/10 updated 0/17/10
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Toyota Avalon. While pulling into a parking space at 5 MPH with her foot applying the brakes, the vehicle abnormally accelerated and crashed into a brick wall. The air bags deployed upon impact but there were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed by the insurance company and the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 98,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2001 Toyota Avalon. While driving 5 MPH, the vehicle accelerated without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a store window. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained chest injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Let me explain first, I can't substantiate the claim I am making about the possible cause of the accident that killed my wife when driving a 2001 Toyota Avalon. The reason the accident occurred is that she did not stop at an intersection controlled with a stop sign. The accident occurred in callahan county, texas at the intersection of fm 1750 and highway 36 on April 9, 2007 at approximately 8:30 pm. She drove under the trailer of an 18 wheeler, was killed instantly and dragged under the trailer for 800 to 900 fit. It took the abilene fire departments expertise to remove her body from the wreckage. The local volunteer fire departments did not want to attempt it. There were no skid marks. She had driven this route countless times and was aware of the stop sign. I checked cell phone records and there was no evidence that she could have been on the phone. Admittedly she was upset. …
On oct. 7, 2009, at about 3:00 pm edt on a sunny day in bradenton, fl, I was driving alone while sober, alert, and healthy at about 35 MPH on a paved side road [redacted] approaching a red stoplight at U.S. 41 so. With 2 or 3 cars stopped ahead of me for the light. About 100 yards before the stoplight, I applied my footbrake,[redacted] (OK when inspected &driven a week earlier as part of oil change &general checkup). The foot pedal went to the floor, with no braking effect. I swerved to the left of the cars ahead of me and made a sharp left turn when I reached U.S. 41, to avoid hitting/being hit by oncoming traffic. My car rolled over and crashed. I hit my head on the car's roof[redacted] . I never lost consciousness, but the pain was terrible. I bled, upside down, for about 10-15 minutes, fearing another crash from oncoming cars, hanging from my seatbelt. …
Tl contact owns a 2001 Toyota Avalon. She noticed that the engine began surging whenever the brakes were engaged on 25 occasions since November 2000 intermittently. She would depress the brake pedal and the rpms would rapidly increase; however, she would shift the vehicle into park and turn it off. She took the vehicle to the dealer more than ten times but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. She provided detailed information to a Toyota representative. The dealer stated that they could not repair the vehicle since they could not duplicate the failure. The current mileage was approximately 41,390. The failure mileage was 441. Updated 03/04/10. Updated 09/16/10
Acceleration complaints in other Avalon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2001 Toyota Avalon?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2001 Toyota Avalon, 18% of the model year's 134 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Toyota Avalon acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2001 Toyota Avalon, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Toyota Avalon acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 15 crashes, 0 fires and 7 injuries and 2 deaths to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.