"How reliable is the 1999 Toyota Avalon?"

"Based on 113 NHTSA complaints, the 1999 Toyota Avalon has a median complaint mileage of 56000 miles. The most common issue is Vehicle Speed Control."

"What are common problems with the 1999 Toyota Avalon?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1999 Toyota Avalon is Vehicle Speed Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 113 total complaints filed."

1999 Toyota Avalon: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 113 complaints

113

Total Complaints

56,000mi

Median Mileage

Vehicle Speed Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

34,200 25th Percentile

56,000 Median Mileage

121,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags

Frontal

Suspension

Accelerator Pedal

Sensor/Control Module

Front

Electrical System

Rear

Foundation Components

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"OBVIOUSLY THE CAR HAD BEEN LEAKING EVERY SINCE WE TOOK DELIVERY. THE HAD TO TAKE THE TRANSMISSION OUT TO MAKE THE REPAIR. THIS IS A BRAND NEW CAR AND THE WILL NOT TAKE IT BACK. I NO LONGER HAVE THE FAITH OR TRUST IN THE VEHICLE. I HAVE CHECKED THE LEMON LAW . COULD THIS PROBLEM CAUSE A FIRE? ..."

"MY NEIGHBOR AND I PURCHASED TOYOTA AVALON'S THREE WEEKS APART FROM SPARKS TOYOTA. HE IN DECEMBER '98, AND I IN JANUARY '99. AFTER TWO WEEKS OF OWNING MY CAR I ASKED HIM IF HE HAD A FOUL ODOR IN HIS CAR AS I DID, HE SAID, "YES." WE PURSUED THE CAUSE TOGETHER. CALLED TOYOTA IN TORRANCE, CA, AND A ..."

"THE CONSUMER STATE'S WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, AND TURNING TO THE RIGHT, THE STEERING WILL GO TO THE LEFT AND THE DEALER REPLACE THE STERRING RACK PINION AND THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN INTO THE SHOP FOR REPAIR'S SEVEN TIME'S AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Vehicle Speed Control 15 complaints

25th: 16,000 mi Median: 27,000 mi 75th: 65,999 mi

Air Bags 13 complaints

25th: 33,278 mi Median: 57,992 mi 75th: 85,396 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 25 FL: 10 PA: 8 MD: 7 IL: 7 MA: 6 OH: 6 DC: 5 VA: 4 SC: 4

Who Files Complaints?

51.3%

Original Owners

48.7%

Second+ Owners

Toyota Avalon — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1995	92	99,500	Rack And Pinion	8
1996	121	117,417	Vehicle Speed Control	11
1997	155	99,000	Rack And Pinion	17
1998	205	72,000	Air Conditioner	29
2000	220	88,500	Steering	52
2001	168	58,500	Vehicle Speed Control	43
2002	148	94,000	Air Bags	44
2003	351	80,000	Air Bags	68
2004	252	70,000	Air Bags	36
2005	303	48,000	Vehicle Speed Control	50
2006	449	45,000	Vehicle Speed Control	73
2007	311	46,000	Vehicle Speed Control	63
2008	417	52,000	Exterior Lighting	31
2009	110	44,101	Exterior Lighting	12
2010	51	12,050	Vehicle Speed Control	6
2011	130	27,250	Steering	20
2012	35	35,000	Air Bags	11
2013	186	15,071	Vehicle Speed Control	21
2014	123	13,625	Unknown Or Other	8
2015	63	40,000	Service Brakes	13
2016	33	29,000	Unknown Or Other	6
2018	31	10,500	Air Bags	12
2019	90	5,233	Fuel/Propulsion System	6
2021	28	2,500	Air Bags	2

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28