Your vehicle report
1998 Toyota Avalon
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 178
- Received Jan 1998 to Jun 2023
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbags fail to deploy in crashes18 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking14 complaints · 7.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Tires blow out or tread separates13 complaints · 7.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #98V278000Vehicle 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 25 crashes, 1 fire, 25 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 17 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips
- Check engine light comes on repeatedly
1 more problem
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Tires blow out or tread separates
- Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps
- Suspension struts and shocks wear out early
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 13 |
| 1999 | 43 |
| 2000 | 17 |
| 2001 | 17 |
| 2002 | 21 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 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 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 178 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 18 | 10% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 14 | 7.9% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 13 | 7.3% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 13 | 7.3% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 10 | 5.6% | – | |
| Heater blows cold air, defroster fails | 9 | 5.1% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 9 | 5.1% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 6 | 3.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 5 | 2.8% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 4 | 2.3% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 2.3% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.7% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 3 | 1.7% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 3 | 1.7% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 3 | 1.7% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 1.7% | – | |
| Front brake rotors warp and wear early | 3 | 1.7% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #98V278000October 19, 19981,960 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition: anti-theft: control module
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.
This condition Can cause intermittent performance of the vehicle's electrical components such as the dash warning lights and/or HVAC fan speed controls. Also, the vehicle may not run smoothly and could stall.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1998 Toyota Avalon.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN