1998 Toyota Avalon: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 178 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is suspension (10% of complaints); the 1996 and 1999 model years look more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall Oct 1998
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 178 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Suspension · Nov 2018
“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”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Apr 2018
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Feb 2017
Show 7 more owner reports
“Wheel locked then the car will not start, alarm system light won't blink and I'm hearing a wineing noise under the hood.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2016
“All plastic parts are disintegrating, seer belts, door locks, door handles, AC vents , body trim, steering wheel, lights, & anything made of plastic”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2015
“Tl* the contact owns 1998 toyota avalon. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled as the instrument panel the lighting went blank. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection where the contact was told that there was an electrical failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2013
“Tl* the contact owns a 1998 toyota avalon. The contact stated that upon start up, the key would not turn in the ignition nor would the vehicle start. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the ignition switch. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another mechanic who also replaced the ignition cylinder and provided a new key. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 64,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Aug 2013
“After getting off the freeway and driving on surface streets, I had a complete tire blow out. When pulled over the resulting tire was torn to shreds. The tire was purchased a little over 3 years ago with about 25,000 miles on it. The tires were recently maintained (rotated and aligned). There was a good amount of tread still remaining on tire. Fortunately, I was able to pull over into a parking lot and call for road assistance. However, because of the complete disintegration of the tire, my rim was totally damaged. I feel that because I regularly maintain my car including the tires, this should not have happened unless for a defect in the tire. *tr”Owner report · Tires · Jul 2011
“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”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Jun 2011
“The power steering on my toyota avalon keeps getting difficult to turn. The maintenance garage has fixed it once indicating it was a "steering shaft lubrication problem". Now it is doing the same thing again. Steering is hard to turn then sometimes jumps because the power steering "kicks-in". *tr”Owner report · Steering · Feb 2010
When filing, owners marked a crash in 25 of these complaints and injuries in 25 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: AFTERMARKET THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS USED ON 1998-1998 TOYOTA RAV4, AVALON, AND SIENNA MODEL VEHICLES DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH AND THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE ALARM HARNESS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT. A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE TERMINALS USED IN THE ALARM CONNECTOR WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN "OPEN CIRCUIT" CONDITION WHEN MATED TO THE MALE IGNITION SWITCH TERMINALS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; SIENNA - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; AND AVALON - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, AND 9/3/98.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, MINI VANS AND PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH A THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEMS (TDS) SUPPLIED BY AUDIOVOX CORPORATION AND DISTRIBUTED BY SOUTHEAST TOYOTA DISTRIBUTORS, INC. IN THE STATES OF ALABAMA, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. THE ALARM WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH AND THE VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH WIRING HARNESS PLUGS INTO THE ALARM HARNESS TO COMPLETE THE CIRCUIT. A PERCENTAGE OF THE FEMALE TERMINALS USED IN THE ALARM CONNECTOR WERE FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE, CAUSING AN 'OPEN CIRCUIT' CONDITION WHEN MATED TO THE MALE IGNITION SWITCH TERMINALS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DATE CODE LABEL ON THE SECURITY SYSTEM HARNESS AND ANY DISPLAYING THE MANUFACTURING/FINAL DATE CODE WILL BE REPLACED WITH NEWLY PRODUCED HARNESSES. THE DATE CODES ARE: RAV4 - 6/24/98, 6/25/98, 6/26/98; SIENNA - 6/25/98, 6/26/98; AND AVALON - 6/30/98, 7/1/98, 8/31/98, 9/1/98, 9/2/98, AND 9/3/98.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1998 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Avalon by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1998 Toyota Avalon reliable?
NHTSA has 178 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 1998 Toyota Avalon. The most complained-about area is suspension (10% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1998 Toyota Avalon problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 73,500 miles or less.
Does the 1998 Toyota Avalon have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.