Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Toyota Avalon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I purchased this certified used Avalon 04/26/2005 with the certified warranty expiring on 04/26/2012 or 100,000 miles. At 74,000 miles it had to be repaired at findlay Toyota for engine oil leak at timing chain cover. I paid $235.94, insurance paid $1530.93. At 99,983 miles the same oil leak had to be repaired again at desert Toyota, Scion. They stated "found used cover and upper oil pan has been replaced and not sealed properly, also coolant hoses not sealed properly". For this repair I paid $2957.23. The car started leaking again at 113,480 miles and is in need of repair again. I don't know what it will cost me this time. Apparently this is a serious problem Toyota had not properly addressed. On Toyota's tis I found TSB eg019-07 that shows Toyota was aware of this issue and never notified it's customers. …
Drove to work (17 miles) 10/2/2008, as typical at 6:30 am still dark. After driving about 5 miles kept getting whifs of burning engine oil but kept thinking it was another vehicle on the road. This was intermittent enough so I did not think it was my vehicle. Also the newness of the vehicle deceived me. Arrived at work and did some looking. Found the trail of oil in the parking lot and raised the hood to see oil spewed on the passenger side of engine compartment. Called for tow to mechanic. Mechanic said that there is a TSB on this. Why was there not a recall? This could be catastrophic! The oil light did not come on and the temp was normal throughout....my only indication of a possible problem was smell and to my knowledge persons without this sense are more common than I suspected.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Avalon. While driving, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle came to a slow stop. The contact stated that the engine made a revving noise, but the accelerator pedal was not depressed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the computer needed to be reprogrammed. The computer was reprogrammed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
My 2005 Avalon with less that 40,000 miles -still under warranty -without any warning from dashboard lights began to lose power on the highway-then it shut down-I managed to get off the road and the car was on fire. Toyota had the car for over three months-could not tell what caused this but it melted just about everything under the hood. I was afraid to drive it but they would not make any adjustments toward replacing it. I had to call Toyota to get reimbursed for the towing. I had to demand a copy of the 10 page repair bill.
Vehicle is 2005 Toyota Avalon feature is engine sensor that causes engine to shut down engine when operating temperature is exceeded or oil pressure drops below Toyota determined level. The vehicle was taken into Toyota for 5,000 oil change that morning. Service was not properly done by Toyota dealership. In operating the vehicle, the oil and engine lights turned on. While operating vehicle on highway trying to get back to the dealership, the engine shutdown with no warning to the driver or vehicles behind the Avalon. A traffic accident was barely averted. The Avalon abandoned driver on highway and impeded traffic. Vehicle had to be pushed to the side of the road by police while other officers controlled traffic. Oil filter was replaced and the oil was changed. …
I have a 2005 Avalon xls with about 25,000 miles. I took it to have a routine oil change on January 23, 2009. When the service technician got under it to remove the filter and drain plug he noticed oil sprayed on the engine and frame and asked me if I knew the vehicle had an oil leak. I told him no and that I hadn't noticed any oil on the ground where I park the car. He then looked at the engine from the top and noticed oil pooling on top of a small hose that connects to a metal line. He told me I should take it to the dealer right away to have the oil leak fixed. I immediately drove to the dealer and a mechanic there told me the problem was the oil pipe sub-assembly. The Toyota service rep. Said Toyota will get and pay for a rental car until my car was fixed. That was over 9 weeks ago and I still don't have my car back!!! …
Noticed oil puddle on my garage floor when vehicle was approximately 3 years old and still under powertrain warranty. Toyota dealer replaced oil line hose. Vehicle had same leak approximately one year later and hose was replaced again. Noticed oil leak again when vehicle had approximately 55,000 miles less than 5 years old. This time was timing cover leak. Dealer repaired vehicle under warranty and referred to some TSB concerning timing cover leak. Continued to have periodic leaks attributed to loose connections. At 95,000 miles timing cover leaking again. Dealer repaired, but no warranty service. Complained to Toyota why no recall and having recurring problem with timing cover. Toyota stated they would provide me with $1,000 check to assist in covering the $1853.53 dealer repair charge upon submitting paid invoice to them. …
We bought a Toyota Avalon in 2005 for my son thinking that we have had a very good experience with our first Toyota. Yesterday, my worried son called to tell me that oil was leaking from his car. Not wanting to cause more damage to his car, he called a towing service and they took his car to the closest repair shop. There he was told that he had to take the car to a Toyota dealership as this problem has been reported by several Avalon owners. When the car was taken to the dealer, he was told that the part needed to repair the car is in back order and would probably take 3 weeks before it arrives. In the meantime, he was told that there is another Avalon waiting for the same part and since that car came in first, his car May not be ready by then. My son was not offered a rental which I will take up with the dealership. …
On the 2005 Toyota 3.5 v-6 engine (2fzr engine), there is an oil hose that feeds the left bank (top head of the engine) this hose is bulging and cracking and my research shows that this hose has a technical service bulletin issued by Toyota, but will not be covered unless the hose ruptures during the 5 year or 60,000 miles warranty. This hose is defective and Toyota has replaced it. Since part of the lubrication hose to the left bank of the engine is metal, the portion that is rubber is the affected part only. Further research found that Lexus with similar displacement engine does not have this rubber portion of the lubrication hose. Instead, the line is all metal (as is the case in the right bank of the Avalon engine. I am requesting an investigation and requesting that Toyota issue a metal replacement hose. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, she experienced an excessive pulsation in the accelerator pedal. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign id number 10V017000 (vehicle speed control) in June of 2010. The failure recurred recently. In addition, the vehicle would accelerate independently. The failure recurred four times. There was also a default with the variable valve timing. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. ...updated 05/22/13 the consumer stated the vehicle was being rebuilt. Updated 06/14/2013
Engine complaints in other Avalon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Toyota Avalon?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Toyota Avalon, 14% of the model year's 228 complaints. The component named most often is engine (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Toyota Avalon engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2005 Toyota Avalon, though it has 7 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 2005 Toyota Avalon engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 57,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.