IllustrationSUSPENSION OF MY CAR SOUNDS LIKE IT IS MOANING, GROANING, SQUEAZING, ETC. WHEN I TURN MY STEERING WHEEL, WHEN I DRIVE OVER A BUMP AND WHEN I APPLY MY BRAKES. VERY SCARY SOUND, SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY WRONG.
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 reportsTHIS PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT STRUTS HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE 1995 AND THE PROBLEMS STILL EXIST IN YEAR 2001. *AK
EXCESSIVE WEAR ON TIRES. *AK (DOT NUMBER: 004550 TIRESIZE: P205/65R15)
FAILURE OF FRONT STRUTS ASSEMBLY AS EVIDENCED BY BOUNCING OF FRONT WHEELS AND RATTTLING. INSPECTION BY TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER FOUND STRUTS TO BE LEAKING. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY ON BASIS OF TIME (3 YEARS) EVEN IF NOT BY MILEAGE, THEY WERE NOT AT FAULT. FOLLOWING MY PROBLEM, I FOUND T…
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FAILURE OF FRONT STRUTS ASSEMBLY AS EVIDENCED BY BOUNCING OF FRONT WHEELS AND RATTTLING. INSPECTION BY TOYOTA SERVICE DEALER FOUND STRUTS TO BE LEAKING. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT SINCE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY ON BASIS OF TIME (3 YEARS) EVEN IF NOT BY MILEAGE, THEY WERE NOT AT FAULT. FOLLOWING MY PROBLEM, I FOUND THAT A FRIEND HAD ASIMILAR PROBLEM ON THEIR RENTED 1998 MODEL OF THE SAME CAR AND TURNED THE CAR IN AT THE END OF THE RENTAL INSTEAD OF PURCHASING IT.*AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
VEHICLE IS LEAKING STEERING FLUID DUE TO A BROKEN RACK AND PINION. PLEASE PROVIDE VIN AND ADDITONAL INFORMATION. *AK
RACK AND PINION STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED/ LEAKING OIL, AND FRONT STRUT SUPPORT HAD TO BE REPAIRED. VEHICLE WAS RATTLING CONSTANTLY FROM TIME OF PURCHASE. ALSO, HAD A BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THERE WAS SOUND. ONLY AFTER BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED A SECOND TIME KNOCKING SOUND STOPPED. IN ADDITION, DRIVER'S S…
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RACK AND PINION STEERING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED/ LEAKING OIL, AND FRONT STRUT SUPPORT HAD TO BE REPAIRED. VEHICLE WAS RATTLING CONSTANTLY FROM TIME OF PURCHASE. ALSO, HAD A BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED THERE WAS SOUND. ONLY AFTER BRAKE PEDAL WAS APPLIED A SECOND TIME KNOCKING SOUND STOPPED. IN ADDITION, DRIVER'S SEAT MOVED WHEN MAKING TURNS. CONSUMER FELT UNSAFE IN VEHICLE. *AK
DEALER MECHANIC TOLD ME IN STRICT CONFIDENCE THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON. COST TO REPLACE TWO FRONT STRUTS IS $743.00. ACCORDING TO MECHANIC, THE CONSEQUENCES COULD RESULT IN TIRE FAILURE. *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.