Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
4T1BF12B5VU••••••1997 Toyota AVALON
That is about average for the 1997 Toyota AVALON — 5 complaints per build across 20 builds.
7on this build
101on the model
20builds in total
1involved a crash
Most reportedPower Train 2Electrical System 2Suspension 1Visibility 1
What owners of this build wrote
Power TraincrashNov 2005
My spouse had driven our 1997 toyota avalon to our dentists office for a scheduled appointment. She pulled into the parking lot and turned off the engine ignition switch and removed the key. While she was gathering her personal items to take into the dentists office with her she…
Electrical SystemJul 2003
1997 toyota avalon has an ignition system flaw that cause the car to roll after been stopped and key removed. Subsequently it may not start again the next time when key inserted
SteeringMar 2003
I purchased a 1997 toyota avalon xls with 55,000 miles on it from leith toyota in raleigh north carolina in march of 2002. I now have 74,000 miles on it and have discovered that the power steering pump and complete power steering rack needs to be replaced at the cost of…
VisibilityOct 2001
My wife and I were driving on I-5 south of olympia wa at 3:30pm at 70 mph in a driving rainstorm. We were in the left lane of a very crowded 4 lane interstate highway. Suddenly the windhshield wipers stopped. I tried the wiper switch with no results. My wife and I could see…
SuspensionDec 2000
Excessive wear on tires. *ak (DOT number: 004550 tiresize: p205/65r15)
Read all 7 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 20 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 4T1BF12B5VU169423 · decoded Oct 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.