Problems · NHTSA complaints
1998 Toyota Avalon problems
Owners filed 186 complaints about the 1998 Toyota Avalon with NHTSA between Jan 1998 and Jun 2023. The most-cited component is suspension (19).
Complaints
186
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
26
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
24
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Suspension19
- Visibility19
- Electrical system17
- Vehicle speed control17
- Air bags17
- Equipment17
- Service brakes, hydraulic15
- Tires14
- Steering9
- Power train9
- Engine and engine cooling9
- Structure8
- Seat belts7
- Fuel system, gasoline5
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
13
50
17
17
21
17
13
6
1
4
4
4
8
2
0
1
1
0
2
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | 50 |
| 2000 | 17 |
| 2001 | 17 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 17 |
| 2004 | 13 |
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 4 |
| 2009 | 4 |
| 2010 | 8 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Suspension
19 reports1 crash
“ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SHUT DOWN IN TRAFFIC AT THE LIGHT, ALTERNATOR WAS TESTED. BATTERY LIGHT STAY ON, LIGHTS DIMMED OUT, LOST SPEED. HAD TO GET PUSHED OUT THE ROAD AT A BUSY INTERSECTION IN ATLANTA GEORGIA ON CLEVELAND AVENUE.. BOUGHT A SECOND ALTERNATOR, SAME EXACT INCIDENT . ONCE HEADLIGHTS ARE TURNED ON AT NIGHT, CAR LOOSES TOTAL POWER. I HAD TO DRIVE FIVE BLOCKS AT NIGHT WITHOUT LIGHTS ON RALPH DAVID ABERNATHY BLVD, ATLANTA GEORGIA, EVEN THE HAZARD LIGHTS DRAINED A BRAND NEW BATTERY PURCHASED 12/02/2018.”
Visibility
19 reports
“1998 TOYOTA AVALON - WITHOUT WARNING, THE AIR CONDITIONER/HEATER & FANS QUIT WORKING. THIS IS INTERMITTENT. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN IT IS GOING TO GO OUT. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF WE ARE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER, DURING A COLD SPELL AND THE DEFROSTER SUDDENLY GOES OFF. SEARCHING THE INTERNET THERE ARE NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM.....AND WHAT IS TROUBLING IS THAT TOYOTA IS AWARE OF IT AND HAS ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN BUT EVEN THAT YOU HAVE TO PULL TEETH TO GET A COPY. IN FACT TO GET THEM TO TELL ME THERE WAS AN ISSUE I HAD TO TELL THEM THE TSA NUMBER I HAD FOUND. THEY ORIGINALLY TOLD ME THEY HAD NO INFORMATION. THEY ARE NOT MAKING THIS KNOWN TO THEIR CUSTOMERS. *TR”
Electrical system
17 reports1 crash2 related recalls
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT PERFORMANCE OF VARIOUS ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 98V278000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE, BUT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30,000.....UPDATED 02/06/17 *BF CONSUMER STATED HAS NO DEFROSTER FOR THE FRONT WINDOW. UPDATED 7/2/18*JB *TR”
Vehicle speed control
17 reports8 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA AVALON. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BECAME STUCK WITHOUT WARNING. AS A RESULT, THE CONTACT DROVE THROUGH TWO RED LIGHTS. THE CONTACT HAD TO MANEUVER BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE, ESTABLISHED A CASE NUMBER, AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO CENTRAL FLORIDA TOYOTA (11020 S ORANGE BLOSSOM TRAIL, ORLANDO, FL 32837, (407) 641-0600). THE DEALER SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER PROVIDED NO REMEDY OTHER THAN THE DEALER REPAIRING THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *TT CONTACT NO LONGER OWNS VEHICLE. *TT”
Air bags
17 reports15 crashes
“ONE DAY WHEN MY CAR WAS STATIONARY AND AFTER IT HAD SET FOR A FEW DAYS I STARTED IT NORMALLY AND NOTICED THE SRS AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON MY DASH CAME ON. THIS IS BEEN ABOUT A MONTH NOW AND A LOCAL MECHANIC SAID THE CODE READING INDICATES THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG. THE MECHANIC SAID IT IS A DEFECTIVE AIRBAG. THEY SAID IT MIGHT NOT DEPLOY AS ITS SUPPOSED TO DURING AN ACCIDENT. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOVLED SOON. AIRBAGS ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND LIFE SAVING.”
Equipment
17 reports
“THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE FILLS WITH GASOLINE/FUEL FUMES EVERY TIME THE GAS INDICATOR REACHES 1/4 OF A TANK. TOYOTA DEALER REPLACED FUEL INJECTOR HOWEVER THIS DID NOT RESOLVE THE ISSUE. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.