IllustrationTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA AVALON. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT SYSTEM. SUDDENLY, THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN AND MILEAGES WERE UNKNOWN.
1997 Toyota Avalon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Toyota Avalon do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 101.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Avalon years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 25 of 125 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 40 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
12 crash reports0 fire reports6 injury reports
Seat Belts complaints
5 reportsAFTER NOTICING OIL SPOTS ON PAVEMENT HAD MECHANIC CHECK VEHICLE. FOUND RACK AND PINION STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED/ DRIVER'S SEAT BELT HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO TENSIONER TIGHTENING UP WITH TOO MUCH FORCE/ TIRES WERE WEARING OUT PREMATURELY DUE TO BAD SUSPENSION/VEHICLE HAD ROUGH RIDE, AND STRUTS WERE LEAKING. *AK
FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR CATCHES TOO FAST, AND CONSUMER CAN HARDLY MOVE AT ALL. *AK
REAR SEAT BELT WILL GET TIGHT ON THE CONSUMER WITHOUT THE CONSUMER MOVING, AND ALL THE SEAT BELTS IN THE REAR WON'T WORK PROPERLY. CONSUMER'S VEHICLE IS AT THE DEALER, AND THEY CAN'T DETERMINIE THE PROBLEM. *AK
FRONT SEAT BELT OUT OF ORDER. YH
Official recalls
197V156000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist
Sep 17, 1997
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF ALASKA, COLORADO, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, MICHIGAN,MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEVADA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, NOTH DAKOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. A CONDITION CAN OCCUR WHERE ACCUMULATED MOISTURE CAN TEMPORARILY FREEZE IN THE BRAKE VACUUM HOSE IF THE VEHICLE IS USED IN EXTREMELY COLD CLIMATES FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN RESULT IN THE ELIMINATION OF VACUUM ASSIST TO THE BRAKES THAT CAN INCREASE STOPPING DISTANCES AND COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW DESIGN BRAKE VACUUM HOSE.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.