IllustrationREAR BRAKES SQUEALED ONLY WHEN BACKING UP. HAD BRAKE SHOES CLEANED MANY TIMES BY DEALER. ALWAYS THE SAME THING UNTIL REPLACING REAR BRAKES FIXED PROBLEM. NOT UNDER WARRANTY.*AK
1996 Toyota Avalon
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 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: 19 of 109 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Visibility. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports0 fire reports8 injury reports
What owners actually said
109 reportsWHILE PASSENGER WAS IN SEAT AND WHEN BENDING OVER TO PICK SOMETHING OFF THE FLOOR, SEAT BELT WOULD NOT RETRACT, CAUSING NO PROTECTION. *AK PERSON WAS SEATED IN MIDDLE BACK SEAT, TOYOTA REIMBURSED CONSUMER. *SLC
RACK AND PINION STEERING WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED.*AK
POWER STEERING RACK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR. TOYOTA WON'T OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZE THIS DEFECT, ALTHOUGH THEY WILL PRIVATELY TELL YOU THAT THEY SEE ALL THE TIME.*AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING AND PASSENGER'S REAR SIDE WINDOW SHATTERED FOR NO REASON. THERE WERE NO TREE OR TRAFFIC TRAVELING ON THAT SIDE. CONSUMER WILL BE CONTACTING DEALER. PLEASE ADD VIN# TO FORM. *AK
RACK AND PINION AND POWER STEERING PUMP IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT, PARTS ON BACK ORDER. CJ
POWER STEERING RACK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HAD BEEN LEAKING WHILE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. BUT , THEN DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. CURRENTLY, THERE IS A TSB ON THAT PROBLEM. VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTY, AND DEALER KNEW WHAT PROBLEM WAS. DEALER OFFERED TO PAY FOR PART, BUT CONSUMER FELT DEALER SHOULD ALSO PAY FOR LABO…
Read full complaint
POWER STEERING RACK NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HAD BEEN LEAKING WHILE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. BUT , THEN DEALER COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. CURRENTLY, THERE IS A TSB ON THAT PROBLEM. VEHICLE OUT OF WARRANTY, AND DEALER KNEW WHAT PROBLEM WAS. DEALER OFFERED TO PAY FOR PART, BUT CONSUMER FELT DEALER SHOULD ALSO PAY FOR LABOR. *AK
THE STEEL BELTS OF THE BRIDGESTONE POTENZA TIRES (P205/65R15) SEPARATED CAUSING VIBRATION, CONSUMER BOUGHT A NEW SET OF BRIDGESTONE TIRES OF THE SAME MODEL BUT WHILE DRIVING ONE OF THE NEW TIRES EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. NLM
ENGINE HAS SLUDGE.TOYTA DOES NOT WANT TO FIX IT.ENGINE WILL CUT OFF GOING DOWN ROADIT COULD POSSIBLTY CAUSE ACCIDENT.IT IS NOT JUST ONE MODEL OF CAR BUT THE SIX CYLINDER IS THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED TO ABOUT 20 PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH ENGINE SLUDGE.THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. TOYOT…
Read full complaint
ENGINE HAS SLUDGE.TOYTA DOES NOT WANT TO FIX IT.ENGINE WILL CUT OFF GOING DOWN ROADIT COULD POSSIBLTY CAUSE ACCIDENT.IT IS NOT JUST ONE MODEL OF CAR BUT THE SIX CYLINDER IS THE PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED TO ABOUT 20 PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH ENGINE SLUDGE.THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA SAYS OIL NOT CHANGED PROPERLY BUT PEOPLE HAVE RECORDS.PLEASE LOOK AT THE WEBSITE WWW.THECOMPLAINTSTATION.COM UNDER TOYOTA AND LOOK AT PROBLEMS. THIS IS JUST SOME PEOPLETHAT HAVE FOUND OUT IT AND KNOW ONE PLACE THEY CAN LOG IT.HOW MANY OUT THERE THAT DONT KNOW. I WAS AT TOYOTA DELERSHIP AND WHILE THEY WERE CHECKING MINE ANOTHER CAME IN IT WAS A 98 TOYOTA SINNEA VAN ONLY 38000 MILES TOYTOA TOLD THESE PEOPLE THE SAME THING THING THEY TOLD ME OIL NOT CHANGED AND IT WAS THE WORST THEY EVER SAW.I BELEIVE TOYOTA IS TRYING TO HIDE SOMETHING. I HAVE A TOYTOA WITH 237000 MILES ON IT NO PROBLEM WITHIT. PLEASE CHECK INTO THIS. I WAS TOLD BY A TOYOTA TECH. IT WAS POSSIBLE CAUSE OF ENGINE DESIGN .HE SAID THE FRONT HEAD IS FLAT AND THE BACK HEAD IS AT A ANGLE POSSIBLY CAUSING AFLOE PROBLEM. THANKS PAT. *A
BOTH REAR DOOR HANDLE MECHANISMS HAVE FAILED. IF IT WERE ONE IT MAY BE CONSIDERED A FLUKE, BUT SINCE BOTH HAVE FAILED I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT THE DOOR CAN NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK IS NOT ON BUT IT MAY BE SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO THE PROBLEM. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT IF …
Read full complaint
BOTH REAR DOOR HANDLE MECHANISMS HAVE FAILED. IF IT WERE ONE IT MAY BE CONSIDERED A FLUKE, BUT SINCE BOTH HAVE FAILED I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT THE DOOR CAN NOT BE OPENED FROM THE INSIDE. THE CHILD SAFETY LOCK IS NOT ON BUT IT MAY BE SOMEHOW CONNECTED TO THE PROBLEM. MY SAFETY CONCERN IS THAT IF THERE IS A FIRE IN THE CAR OR A NEED FOR AN IMMEDIATE EVACUATION OF THE CAR, THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK SEAT CANNOT GET OUT.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
3DP02004 · Engine Seizure
Opened Apr 30, 2002 · Closed Jun 20, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling
No summary supplied.
EA97015 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Jul 22, 1997 · Closed Sep 21, 1998
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
There is no summary currently available
PE97018 · Turn Signal Failures
Opened Apr 29, 1997 · Closed Jul 22, 1997
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
CONSUMERS ALLEGE LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNAL FUNCTIONS FAIL WHILE DRIVING.TOYOTA DEALERS HAVE REPLACED TURN SIGNAL SWITCHES, BUT IN ONE INSTANCE THE NEW SWITCH STILL FAILED INTERMITTENTLY.DEALER MECHANICS INSTRUCTED THE OWNER TO TURN THE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH ON/OFF TO RESET THE SWITCH.THE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH IS CONNECTED IN-LINE WITH THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH, THUS AN ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION IN THE HAZARD WARNING SWITCH CAN RESULT A LOSS OF POWER TO THE TURN SIGNAL, WITH A RESULTANT FAILURE OF THE TURN SIGNAL SWITCH TO FUNCTION.