IllustrationHOW MANY PEOPLE MUST COMPLAIN BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE? THERE MUST BE SO MANY PEOPLE THAT DON'T COMPLAIN, BUT HAVE THESE SAME PROBLEMS! NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
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
What owners actually said
125 reportsPOWER STEERING PUMP LEAKED AND WAS REPLACED. *SLC
CONSUMER STATES WHILE PLACING VEHICLE IN REVERSE AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD, ON THE SECOND OCCASION THERE WAS A MINOR COLLISION.*JB
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON COLLISION, CONSUMERS WIFES HEAD HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND THEN THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, HITTING HER IN THE CHEST AT A GREAT IMPACT, CONSUMER WAS ALSO WEARING HER SEAT BELT, TOYOTA STATED THAT THE AIRBAGS WORKED AS DESIGNED. *SLC
SO MANY SUSPENSION/STRUTS PROBLEMS WITH 1997 AVALON. SO MANY COMPLAINS ON THE WEB SITE. TALK TO THE SERVICE ADVISER AT BUENA PARK TOYOTA AND HE TOLD ME THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE IN BACK ORDER BECAUSE OF SO MANY FAILURES. PLEASE CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT THIS FALURE SINCE SO MANY VEHICLES INVOLVE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. THAN…
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SO MANY SUSPENSION/STRUTS PROBLEMS WITH 1997 AVALON. SO MANY COMPLAINS ON THE WEB SITE. TALK TO THE SERVICE ADVISER AT BUENA PARK TOYOTA AND HE TOLD ME THE REPLACEMENT PARTS ARE IN BACK ORDER BECAUSE OF SO MANY FAILURES. PLEASE CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION ABOUT THIS FALURE SINCE SO MANY VEHICLES INVOLVE WITH THE SAME PROBLEMS. THANK YOU.*AK
WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED TECHNICIAN NOTICED RACK AND PINION STEERING WAS LEAKING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
I PREVIOUSLT WORKED WITH 2 OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE HAD THEIR RACK & PINION ASSEMBLY FAIL ON THEIR 1997 TOYOTA AVALONS. *AK
I HAVE SPOKEN TO 2 PEOPLE WITH 1996 TOYOTA AVALON AND THEY HAVE OR HAD THE IDENTICAL PROBLEMS. NO SAFETY DEFEC TLISTED. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING ON I-5 SOUTH OF OLYMPIA WA AT 3:30PM AT 70 MPH IN A DRIVING RAINSTORM. WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE OF A VERY CROWDED 4 LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. SUDDENLY THE WINDHSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED. I TRIED THE WIPER SWITCH WITH NO RESULTS. MY WIFE AND I COULD SEE NOTHING OUT OF THE FRONT AND TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND …
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MY WIFE AND I WERE DRIVING ON I-5 SOUTH OF OLYMPIA WA AT 3:30PM AT 70 MPH IN A DRIVING RAINSTORM. WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE OF A VERY CROWDED 4 LANE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. SUDDENLY THE WINDHSHIELD WIPERS STOPPED. I TRIED THE WIPER SWITCH WITH NO RESULTS. MY WIFE AND I COULD SEE NOTHING OUT OF THE FRONT AND TRIED TO SLOW DOWN AND WORK OUR WAY TO THE RIGHT SIDE BY LOOKING OUT OF THE BACK WINDOW AND REAR MIRROR. SEVERAL CARS JUST MISSED HITTING US. WHEN WE GOT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, I TRIED TO MOVE THE WIPERS BUT THEY ONLY PULSATED. I FINALLY CONTACTED A TOW TRUCK AND WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL OLYMPIA TOYOTA DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE WIPER TRANSMISSION AND THEY HAD REPLACED QUITE A FEW. THE COST WAS $325.00. I AM VERY THANKFUL THAT I WAS DRIVING MY WIFE'S CAR AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT AND FEEL THAT WE ARE VERY FORTUNATE NOT TO HAVE BEEN IN A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT. WINDSHIELD WIPERS ARE ONLY USED WHEN IT RAINS AND THAT IS A BAD TIME FOR THEM TO STOP. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING OR TIME TO PREPARE. I ASKED FOR THE OLD PART. IT IS ENTIRELY STEEL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A PLASTIC/FIBERGLASS BUSHING WHERE IT CONNECTS TO THE WIPER MOTOR. THE PLASTIC/FIBERGLASS BUSHING FAILED. AGAIN, THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING.*AK
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.