Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Toyota Avalon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Issues I've complained about for year to Toyota only to find out now Toyota was aware of them all along there were recalls & service bulletin. That should have covered my Toyota issue the information below came from sites Toyota issued this warning too. The recall for steering column was on 2005 mine is a early model 2006 with the exact same safety issue. The resolve for me is that Toyota fix the vehicle and not try and hold me responsible for half the cost as the are now doing. My car has been cared for only by Toyota service since the day it was purchase from Toyota new in 2006, the district manager for Toyota [redacted] made the call not to honor this safety issue service bulletin no.: 00306 component(s): steering NHTSA id number: 10019689 vehicle make/model year(s)Toyota avalon2005-2006 vehicle slight pull/drift feeling improvement procedure. …
On June 7, 2019, I was driving the Avalon, the engine suddenly stopped while I was driving the vehicle on city street. With the loss of power steering and brakes, I was traumatized and did my best to guide the vehicle to side of the road. I had the vehicle towed home and hooked up to a code reader, which yielded codes p0345, p0300, p0302, p0304, p0306. We did further diagnostics and discovered the 3 bolts that hold the variable-valve timing (vvt) gear to the intake camshaft came loose, these bolts are supposed to be temper-resistant and never be removed which LED me to believe the result of engine dying is caused by serious manufacturing and design defects. Please refer to attached three pictures showing 3 bolts laying next to vvt gear, vvt gear loosely held on and the vibration of bolt left cutting mark on the gear, and all intake cam rockers falling out. …
I was experience what I believed to be a "sticky" steering wheel. I first noticed it in December of 2009. In 2010, I went to Toyota numerous times about this issue but they said that they couldn't look in to it because 1. It was intermittent and 2. "like looking for a needle in a haystack". I saved the paperwork of where I had came to the dealership complaining of such issue which proved to be fruitful when Toyota issued a recall about the problem in July. I took my car back to the dealership the next day with my papers stating my previous inquires. Still they were unable to do anything because Toyota had not issued any fixes to the dealerships. There were numerous times I felt like the car would not come out of a turn. I have since sold my 2006 Toyota Avalon. …
(1) heavy braking to avoid a collision leads up to the ongoing failures (2) failure is the friction lock for the telescoping steering wheel slowly releases during normal stop and go driving and after a period of time, a heavy application of the brakes will cause the steering wheel to collapse inward resulting in near loss of control of the automobile. (3) the car has been taken to the dealer twice. The first time the dealer could not duplicate the problem and indicated that the driver was improperly locking the steering wheel telescope lock. The second time the car was taken to the dealer, the dealer again could not duplicate the problem and after the owner of the car showed them what causes the lock to come undone they refused to repair stating that the problem is "you are driving with the steering fully telescoped and even a brand new Avalon would do the same thing". …
The telescoping steering column lock loosens during normal driving. Usually the lock lever only drops low enough to hit your knees as you exit the car after a drive, but does not loosen enough to release the column telescope. Today it dropped all the way down while I was driving and the column (which I have fully extended normally) collapsed forward (compressed). I lost some vehicle control as I reached down to secure the handle upward. This seems to be a friction device and has no positive locking detent. My wife and daughter have more trouble with it than I do as they cannot force it up as far, so it releases more often. A poor and dangerous design. The dealer wants $79 just to look at it. We have gotten into the habit of checking the lock frequently but whenever we forget it will release the telescope and collapse the wheel unexpectedly after about 2 hours of highway driving. …
In July 2010 I took my 2006 Toyota Avalon to waldorf Toyota for the 60,000 service and reported a problem with my steering sticking when turning left. This problem occurs randomly. The problem was diagnosed as an alignment needed to correct the problem which I had them perform. However, after approximately a week and half I experienced the same problem. I returned the car again in early August 2010 but was informed that the problem could not be duplicated, consequently the car was not repaired. Fast forward to August 2011, more than another year later, I am still experiencing the same problem and the same explanation from the dealership that the problem could not be duplicated so there has not been resolution. …
My 2006 Toyota Avalon(touring) has a loud knocking/clunking noise when turning steering wheel at low speeds. Dealer said this was a problem with the 2006 avalons and can be fixed by replacing the steering column at a cost of $700-800. Car had 42K miles just out of warranty and offered no Toyota help until I told him I had an extended warranty with Toyota repair was made. 15K-20K later ,same problem. Second steering column replaced.15K-20K later..same problem..dealer lub the linkage,15K-20K later same problem,dealer lub the linkage again. At 98000,same problem,my Toyota warranty had expired at 96K and the dealer wanted $800 to replace the steering column,his cost amount.area Toyota repr.said it was not a safety issue ,more of a nuisance factor. Should be a Toyota recall to find the fix. Just replied to a Toyota survey. …
Tl contact owns 2006 Toyota Avalon. While driving 65 MPH on cruise control the vehicle continued braking on its own. The contact deactivated the cruise control because the brakes continued to engage on their own. When the cruise control was turned off, the vehicle surged forward and almost hit a another vehicle. Two weeks ago the contact surged forward while driving 30 MPH. She took the vehicle to the dealer and suggested that it was the computer in the vehicle. The dealer inspected the vehicle and stated that the computer did not have any problems. The contact stated that her steering wheel became stiff several times and the dealer stated that there was nothing wrong with her power steering. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 35000 and the current mileage was 42800.
Tl contact owns a 2006 Toyota Avalon. While driving approximately 65-70 MPH on normal road conditions, the steering wheel dropped downward unexpectedly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The vehicle exceeded the mileage under the warranty coverage and has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 12,000 and current mileage was 44,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was equipped with tilt steering and telescoping steering. While driving, the pressure arm under the steering column which held the telescoping column in place became loose due to a vibration. Updated 02/24/09.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Toyota Avalon. The contact was driving approximately 70 MPH when without warning ,the steering wheel column unlocked in a downward motion, causing the steering wheel to travel towards the instrument panel. Immediately the contact reduced speed and attempted to correct the steering wheel failure. The contact cautiously drove to the side of the road to re-lock the steering wheel. The vehicle resumed normal operation. The failure occurred four times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Steering complaints in other Avalon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2006 Toyota Avalon?
NHTSA has 35 complaints about the steering of the 2006 Toyota Avalon, 10% of the model year's 360 complaints. The component named most often is column (5 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Toyota Avalon steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2006 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 2006 Toyota Avalon steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 42,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
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.