Faults:

Front and rear struts failed at 68,000 miles.

Front strut mounts were bad at time of purchase 65,000 miles.

Steering rack leaking since 65,000 miles

Power window controller.

Front rotors warped.

General Comments:

Good performance considering the excellent fuel economy.

Solid ride belies the small size of the car.

Original equipment tire compound was entirely too soft - 30,000 mile lifespan.

Faults:

Rack and pinion steering disintegrated, and a fix with re-conditioned parts will be $1100.

General Comments:

This is a very reliable car.

The six cylinder engine provides smooth acceleration with little or no jerking.

The back seat area is comfortably roomy and can seat people over six feet with plenty of space for head and legs.

Faults:

Leaking coolant from the engine block drain plug. Repaired personally at no cost.

Faulty strut mounts, as Toyota acknowledged via a technical bulletin. Had both front mounts replaced to stop a constant rattling noise.

Have begun to hear a similar rattling noise from the rear; possibly the rear mounts. Has anyone else had to replace the rear strut mounts?

Both heated seats do not work, although the lights in the switches go on. Has anyone else had this problem?

General Comments:

Very comfortable and quiet car.

Average performance and economy.

Very soft body panels. Easily gets door dings.

Faults:

Nothing thus far.

General Comments:

I work at a Toyota dealership, and this car was traded in in May 03. The customer, an older lady, bought it new from us in 97 (before I worked there).

She traded it in for a new Avalon XLS.

The owner of the dealership drove the car since we got it, through the entire Summer... mind you, this fact speaks volumes, as he is very particular, and can drive any car he wants, including a new Avalon. So, when he decided that we could sell it in mid October, I drove it home and my wife absolutely fell in love with it. Having been driving our Infiniti G-20 since we bought new in 94, she was ecstatic with the power of the V-6. (the G-20, while adept during the first years of ownership, was getting pretty tired...) So, with 106k miles on it, we picked up this one owner, dealer maintained Avalon for a mere $6000. Oh, the benefits of working at a dealership!! Incidentally, the previous owner was a single lady, so the driver's seat was the only one with any significant wear... the passenger seat had minimal wear, and the rear seats... I kid you not, looked like they had rarely been sat in, if at all. My neighbor, two doors down, recently purchased a 2000 Lexus ES300 for $26000...now, I understand that it IS a Lexus, and is newer and so forth, but, she was completely beside herself with our Avalon. We are absolutely satisfied with this purchase. :)

Faults:

The CD changer died.

Valve covers leaked oil.

General Comments:

I pretty well love the car. It has been extremely reliable for me and my family, there is plenty of seating room as well as cargo room in the trunk and it rides beautifully.

I plan to either purchase another Avalon in a few years or move up to a Lexus ES300 - which is basically a fancy Avalon.

Faults:

Alarm system randomly goes off due to faulty trunk sealing incorrectly and has from day one. Toyota could never make it stop so I stopped using the alarm.

Trunk leaks on right side. Resealing didn't help.

White smoke billows out the tailpipe upon starting engine, especially first thing in AM.

Power door locks on driver side window are grinding.

Tape player is clicking.

Rattling sound on passenger side, but think after reading all these comments, it could be the struts.

Clicking sound upon acceleration.

General Comments:

This is my second Avalon. The first one had wind noise so bad on the passenger side I couldn't hear anything else. The second Avalon was somewhat improved in the wind noise department.

Love the old body style. Love the leather seats, power everything. Great car, but has lots wrong now and has for years. It is still running tho in spite of all these problems. Am worried about the white smoke tho that started around 85500 miles even after regular oil changes. Dealer said it was sludge in the engine. Said to change the oil after 1000 miles until it cleared the sludge out. Will try it.