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 2008 Toyota Avalon owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While traveling down main street approaching an intersection without warning my car very suddenly accelerated at a very high speed and crashed into a car in front of me. Driver's side airbag inflated, blocking my vision while my car continued to race forward. I immediately jammed on the brakes, the car swerved forward to the left, crossed main street, and came to a stop in front of a utility pole. Front axel broke, on impact which caused the car to stop. Seat belt and airbag pulled me back against the drivers seat resulted in chest bruising and pain. I was knocked out for a few seconds and came to just as airbag was beginning to deflate. The dashboard slammed into my legs badly bruising both of them. Police and emt were on the scene, and I walked out of the car on my own. My vehicle and the one it crashed into were both total losses. …
NHTSA, I would like report an incident of 'sudden unintended acceleration' when driving my 2008 Toyota Avalon. I was driving with my wife, [redacted], on Sunday, 10/23/16 traveling west on walker road in beaverton, oregon at 11:05 am (address: [redacted]) . I was stopped behind (2) cars waiting at a traffic light with my right foot on the brake. The car was in drive. Suddenly the car engine quickly revved up. My car surged forward as I depressed my right foot on the brake further. Thankfully my car only surged forward a foot or two and then the engine returned to idle. No contact was made to the car in front of me. This incident was very scary for me and my wife and I am very concerned that this 'sudden unintended acceleration' is a safety hazard and will cause harm to me, my family and others. [redacted]
2008 Toyota Avalon was recalled to replace a gas pedal. The car was taken in to the Toyota dealer for the said repair. It took 4 hours. A few days later the car was in reverse and was slowly backing out of a residential carport when it accelerated on its own and the car did about 3 loops around the garage area of the home causing damage to the car, benches, tree, bushes, lamp post, etc. This happened after the recalled defect was repaired. Owner of vehicle put in claim to her own insurance company, put in a call to the 800 Toyota number and had car towed to where she purchased the car. Everyone seems concerned, but only wants to repair the damage to the car rather than get to the root of the problem. We thought Toyota had the fix, but apparently not since accelerating and going out of control on an accelerated pace.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. While driving approximately 15 to 20 MPH, the contact depressed the brakes while driving over a speed bump and the vehicle accelerated over a curb and onto someone's property. The vehicle crashed into a fence and some small trees. The contact placed the vehicle in park and shut the engine off. The contact was not injured. A police report was filed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to her residence although the front passenger tire was flat. The vehicle was repaired four months prior to the failure under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V017000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator). The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure and current mileages were 44,767. Updated 10/13/10. Updated 10/19/10
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, he heard a noise and pulled over when the vehicle engine suddenly caught fire between the firewall and the rear of the engine. The contact extinguished the fire. The service manager and district manager inspected the vehicle and found holes in the engine block. The vehicle was included in recall 10V017000 (accelerator pedal) and was repaired at the dealer. The vehicle had also previously been repaired according to NHTSA item number (10032630) engine and engine cooling, oil supply hose. The vehicle was at the dealer awaiting repair at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was 29,836. Updated 12/30/10 upadted 01/07/11
The car accelerated on it's own, brakes were locked !!! I made a left turn after a stop sign and the car just took off on it's own - accelerating up to 50 miles per hour. I slammed on the brakes, but they were locked. I quickly put the car in neutral, it slowed the car down about 10-12 miles. To avoid cars in front of me - I then put the car in park. After an ugly noise and jerking of the car...it did stop! There were no injuries or property damage. It was a horrific experience. The car was in full throttle! Had it towed to a mechanic.....it was still at full throttle when he looked at it a couple days later. He advised me to call Toyota. Toyota said it was out of warranty. I just want my car fixed,
Takata recall March 9th 2016 9:30 pm I was accelerating onto the highway from the onramp to about 70mph when the car kept accelerating after pressing the brake so I continued to press the brake but there was no release of acceleration so put the gear in neutral and I found room to pull to the right side and turn the engine off and put the vehicle in park. I gave it 15 seconds and re-started but it was still accelerating, I repeated this again with the same results. I left ithe engine off for a full minute and re-started to find it had reset. I then checked the floor mat and found it intacked and pinned to the floor pins.
Driver was pulling into a parking space when the car had unexpected, sudden acceleration and hit a concrete wall. Driver was wearing a seat belt; air bags deployed. The person was uninjured except for chest bruises. The car had been taken in when it was recalled and was " fixed" in response to 2 recall notices by the dealer on March 4, 2010. The front of the car is bashed in, hood is bent upward, radiator damaged and the front doors jammed. Men had to force the driver side door open to get the driver from the car. Toyota and the insurance company have been notified but neither have had time to examine the car.
Tl contact owns a 2008 Toyota Avalon. While driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle spontaneously began accelerating on its own. The contact depressed the brake pedal with maximum force and placed the vehicle into neutral, but it continued to accelerate to 70 MPH. He smelled a burning odor and the vehicle began decelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel and the cruise control was not engaged. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and provide a remedy. The VIN was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 11,000.
My 2008 Toyota Avalon xl had less than 3,000 miles when I had an accident on December 22, 2008. I was stopped in traffic for 5 to 7 minutes. When I released my foot off of the brake, the car lunged forward several feet and hit the car in front of me. The car has lunged several times before this upon starting in below freezing temperatures. On December 22 the temperature in cincinnati was 21 degrees f. I have had the car checked and the damage repaired. The mechanics said there was no problem detected. There is a problem with my car but they will not acknowledge it.
Related recalls
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 avalon, model year 2007-2010 camry, model year 2009-2010 corolla, corolla matrix, rav4, model year 2010 highlander, model year 2008-2010 sequoia, and model year 2007-2010 tundra vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will install a reinforcement bar in the accelerator pedal which will allow the pedal to operate smoothly. GM will notify owners for the Pontiac vibe please see 10v-018.
Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
Toyota is recalling certain model year 2004-2010 passenger vehicles. The accelerator pedal can get stuck in the wide open position due to its being trapped by an unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat.
Remedy: Toyota filed an amended defect report on November 25, 2009, stating that dealers will modify the accelerator pedal and, on certain vehicles, alter the shape of the floor surface under the pedal.
Acceleration complaints in other Avalon years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Toyota Avalon?
NHTSA has 45 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Toyota Avalon, 13% of the model year's 349 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Toyota Avalon acceleration problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 10V-017 (accelerator pedal, Jan 21, 2010); NHTSA recall 09V-388 (accelerator pedal, Oct 5, 2009). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Toyota Avalon acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 24,000 miles, and 53% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 2 fires and 4 injuries 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.